I drink tea pretty much continuously at a rate of around 1 imperial pint/hour, which sort of enforces screen/keyboard breaks.
Charles StrossPersonally, I avoid deus ex machina like the plague - if you have to use one, it means you failed to set up the universe and the plot properly. It's like a whodunnit where there's no actual way for the reader to identify the perpetrator before the climactic reveal: there's no sense of closure for the reader.
Charles StrossAny civilization where the main symbol of religious veneration is a tool of execution is a bad place to have children.
Charles StrossNo two books come out the same way. Some I write by the seat of my pants; others are planned in minute detail.
Charles Stross