I told David how much I enjoyed Martian Child, a novel that tells the story of how he adopted his son. As is so often the case, the recent movie version does not do justice to David's book. I told him that I admired his writing because it is so powerful and effective. "I labor over every sentence to get it just right," he said.

Craftsmanship. Relentless attention to craftsmanship. That's what makes David Gerrold a great writer.