Ursula Le Guin, the fantasy/sci-fi novelist and NBA lifetime achievement winner, is launching an online writing workshop on the Book View Café blog. As part of the blog, Le Guin, a cofounder of the Book View Café, will answer selected questions on the craft of writing fiction.

In a post on the Book View Café blog, Le Guin, who is 86, said she no longer has the stamina to write novels (she only writes poetry these days), or teach writing students face-to-face in the classroom. Nonetheless, she misses being in contact with aspiring writers.

Le Guin writes: “In hope of regaining some of the pleasures of teaching and talking about writing fiction with people who do, I’m going to try an experiment: a kind of open consultation or informal ongoing workshop in Fictional Navigation, here on Book View Café.”

Questions to Le Guin must be 200 words or less, and specifically focused on the craft of writing fiction, either in novel or short story form. She plans to post the most interesting questions, and respond when she can. Alternatively, she will solicit responses to the questions from the blog's readers. She will only discuss the craft of writing, and will not answer questions about autobiography, self-publishing, finding an agent or the like.

“We won’t be talking here about how to sell a ship, but how to sail one,” Le Guin said.