Writing by Jana on Wednesday, 30 of July , 2008 at 9:04 am
There’s a certain breed of writers out there I’ve noticed, who are desperate for any information available on “hot” trends when it comes to fiction.
I’ve never understood this thought process.
For one, it takes a long time to write a novel, a long time (typically) to sell it, and after all the editing and design and what not, it can be several years before something actually hits the shelves. So if “insert genre here” is hot today; what’s to say it will be in three years time?
More so, I personally think this current tide of writer-hacks jumping on the trend train is a big reason why so much crap is published these days. You may disagree with this sentiment; but, the majority of fiction being published today has zero literary merit, and barely passes the just-for-entertainment-and-or-titillation test.
Who is to blame? I’m going to go ahead and say that some agents and editors have a lot to do with this. The moment a novel becomes a big hit (Twilight, Harry Potter) it becomes imperative for everyone in the publishing world to try and emulate that success by releasing novels of a similar type as fast as possible. I think most of these are rushed out without a thorough edit, and it shows in the final product. And who suffers? The reader, for one, simply looking for more of the same. And other, more deserving writers as well; because after the public catches on, they begin to shy away from books in an over-saturated genre. This happened to me. I read Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy and was immediately impressed with the new style of dark erotic epic fantasy (how’s that for a mouthful of subgenres?) And I went on the look out for more of the same but what I found was not fresh or exciting, it was stale and predictable and badly written.
One writer in particular seemed so promising. Her novels were lauded by critics, and on the NYT bestseller list. They had gorgeous covers and back cover blurbs. Marketing had obviously gone all out for this woman. Unfortunately, the two novels of hers’ I managed to read remain on the very top of my Worst Books of the Decade List. They literally read like bad fanfiction and I was astounded. Don’t ask for a name, I’m not giving one. This is also the major reason why I no longer trust official review sources. Because according to them everything is “a complex, heartwarming, and poignant coming of age tale; with a shocking ending that will stay with you long after.”
Some writers will defiantly say that there is no such thing as a badly written book because after all, taste is subjective. That is a load of horseshit. There are a multitude of books on the shelves, some of them bestsellers chock-full of glowing reviews, that never should have made it out of the slush pile.
Horrible grammar, lack-luster or unbelievable plot, cardboard characters with poor motivation is not a subjective thing: It’s a fucking glaring thing screaming out at you from the page; making you wonder what deal with Satan this person made to get published in the first place.
And this is precisely why why literature in schools is such an important subject. English literature courses teach you to think critically and to judge a work on more than your subjective taste. For example, I hated Heart of Darkness and while I’m a huge Shakespeare nut, Ben Jonson makes me want to scream — not in the good way. Studying Volpone and writing an objective major essay for a university class was one of the hardest things for me. The difference here is that I can step outside of my obviously subjective and personal tastes to still be able to recognize the literary merit of those works.
But to go back to my original point in this long and rambling essay-rant, can you manufacture a bestseller?The article that prompted this seems to suggest you can.
According to the article: “if anyone present had “a heartwarming pet story” ready to go to print, they might find an eager response from publishers.”
And apparently “the publishing houses are also beating the bushes right now for new female thriller writers with a sophisticated literate touch, and a good work ethic.” I have no clue what a sophisticated literate touch and good work ethic means in the context of a thriller.
As for what’s not so hot these days, “interest in new sorcerer/fantasy fiction, chick lit, and urban teen novels has fallen off, and self-help books are particularly hard sells.”
So there you have it writer-hacks of the world. Sit up, listen, and dash off your next insta-bestseller following these strict guidelines. Time is of essence here, not quality, not writing something you believe in — because if it falls outside of the hot trend of the moment, you’re shit outta luck.
In this essay, Card takes it upon himself to define marriage for everyone:
“Here’s the irony: There is no branch of government with the authority to redefine marriage. Marriage is older than government. Its meaning is universal: It is the permanent or semipermanent bond between a man and a woman, establishing responsibilities between the couple and any children that ensue.”
And sounds out the Mormon trumpet to bring the government down:
“How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn.”
I was very disappointed when I read this, and also very upset.
When a public figure goes on a racial or sexist tirade, as in the case of Mel Gibson or Micheal Richards or Don Imus, the media outrage is massive and so are the repercussions.
The men in question became equivalents of social pariahs’, and why should it be any different for Orson Scott Card?
Many things have evolved and changed over the centuries, so why shouldn’t marriage and how we define it? The fact is, marriage is not a static institution, nor is society and civilization. It was once illegal for a black person and white person to get married. Or white and Chinese. Divorce was once a tabboo or outright illegal. Should we go back to those days?
Gay people can’t have children the old fashioned way, but many choose to adopt or go through artificial insemination. Is that somehow less of a family then what you and your wife have with your “natural” god-fearing Mormon off-spring? I seriously hope one of them is homosexual.
Why does it matter so much? In Canada, same-sex marriage has been legal for a while, and yet somehow our society has not delved into anarchy and chaos yet. Basically, life went on as usual. It’ll be the same in America eventually, when you catch up. Our conservative Bush-loving premier even wanted to hold a referendum on the issue after he was elected, and the public just didn’t care enough.
Orson Scott Card goes on further, criticizing the current state of heterosexual marriage in general:
“Divorce is “no-fault,” easily obtained on any pretext.”
So is a marriage! Maybe it should be harder to get married, easier to get divorced.
“A vast number of unmarried men and women have such contempt for marriage that they share bed and home without asking for any formal recognition by society.”
Yeah, and? Contempt is a strong word choice there, buddy. My boyfriend and I share a bed and home together because we’re not ready to get married, can’t afford it even if we were, and enjoy fucking too much to live apart.
In an era when birth control and abortion make childbearing completely optional, the number of out-of-wedlock births shows the contempt that many women have for marriage.
Wow, way to over-simplify a matter. Abortions are not easy to get in every state, and are illegal in backwaters like South Dakota which is why illegal and unsafe abortions are still being performed each year, even in North America. And birth control is not readily available everywhere either. Several states have made it very difficult to obtain and enacted ridiculous legislation that allows pharmacists to choose not to dispense birth control because of their religious beliefs. And I suppose Orson Scott Card is of that fringe group of religious nut jobs who naively believe restricting access actually makes statistics go down — it doesn’t. And I love that he places women the sole bearer of responsibility here!
“Yet most of these single mothers still demand that the man they chose not to marry before having sex with him provide financial support for them and their children — while denying the man any of the rights and protections of marriage.”
Well heaven forbid these poor men actually take responsibility for the children they created! Yes, make the children, the by-product of all this sin, suffer by not making the men accountable! Oh dear god, your Mormon roots are showing here.
As for Orson Scott Card — you’re not getting another cent from me. I respect your right to have an opinion, but I do not respect you or the opinion in question. My society does not include bigoted asshats like yourself hiding behind the curtain of your religion to somehow excuse your intolerance. Just as I would not want to purchase from, and thereby support, product from a racist or child-molester (priest) I will no longer support the work you do.
Writing by Jana on Thursday, 24 of July , 2008 at 8:56 am
Krystle: Are we having a good time?
Jana: Of course we are! We’re at the Drake! A place for artists and hipsters! A haven for the bohemian! A citadel for the urbanely-cool!
Random Guy: I am so gonna get some! Look at the ratio, bitches! 3- 1! I can’t lose!
Steph: This music is inducing a seizure in my person.
Krystle: Yeah what is this shit? And who’s this bitch beside me all up on my shit?
Jana: I think it’s trance. Or dance. Or trip-hop. Or….god I can’t do this. I can’t pretend anymore. Listen, just fucking smile and act like everything is normal. This place rocks. NOW Magazine says so. So keep going through the motions until we can finally get the fuck out and pretend we LOVED it. God I need another drink.
Watchmen was a twelve-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. DC Comics originally published it as a montly limited series from 1986 to 1987 and it was later republished as a trade paperback, which popularized the graphic novel format. To date, Watchmen remains the only graphic novel to win a Hugo Award, and is also the only graphic novel to appear on Time Magazine’s 2005 list of “the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.”
Watchmen is set in 1985, in an alternate history United States where costumed adventurers are real and the country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (the Doomsday Clock is at five minutes to midnight). It tells the story of a group of past and present superheroes and the events surrounding the mysterious murder of one of their own. Watchmen depicts superheroes as real people who must confront ethical and personal issues, who struggle with neuroses and failings, and who—with one notable exception—lack anything recognizable as super powers. Watchmen’s deconstruction of the conventional superhero archetype, combined with its innovative adaptation of cinematic techniques and heavy use of symbolism, multi-layered dialogue, and metafiction, has influenced both comics and film.
The film:
The Watchmen film adaption, set for release sometime in March of 2009, is directed by Zack Snyder of 300 fame – so we already know that even if it does suck story-wise, it’s going to look really, really cool.
The film stars Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode, Stephen McHattie and Carla Gugino.
Set in 1985, Nixon is still president, and we’re on the verge of war between the U.S.A and the Soviet Union.
“Dorchester Publishing and Circle of Seven Productions have teamed up to present a contest offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for amateur and professional filmmakers who also love books. Participants will create book trailers based on their favorite novel in the SHOMI series of modern-day fantasy fiction. The best trailer—as selected by internationally bestselling author Stephen King—will be shown at a movie premiere in New York City as well as a theater in the winner’s home market.”
Holy crap, Batman!
That actually sounds really cool. I still hate book trailers and the whole idea behind them because they seem like a cheap marketing gimmick that will lose popularity in the same way other trends do. Generally they’re boring and cheesy and really, really badly made. But then again, I also tend to act like a crochety old woman afraid of progress and change at times. I actually do want to keep an open mind on this.
Writing by Jana on Tuesday, 22 of July , 2008 at 7:42 am
We’ve been waiting for months now; wondering what the Watch the Skies campaign would yield; downloading our free ebooks and wallpapers, and finally, it’s here.
The site features more free ebook and short story downloads, art, blog posts by well known science fiction and fantasy authors, and a community of fans, giving the whole project a real interactive feel.
It will be interesting to watch this grow and develop over the next year, and I think only good can come from this.
Recently Random House launched something similar with Suvudu, a word I had to google to learn it’s definition (I got bored, someone just tell me what it means, or like Lululemon does it mean nothing?) and it will focus on all things science fiction and fantasy related: books, movies, television, gaming, anime, etc.
What does this mean? Well for one, some really cool websites with some potentially awesome inside information brought to us by well-connected people; and for the other, major publishers are embracing the blogosphere in a major way.
Writing by Jana on Monday, 21 of July , 2008 at 8:18 am
Batman: The Dark Knight finally came out, and like every other Batman fanatic, I eagerly lined up at the movie theatre to see the long-anticipated release.
To sum up my feelings: Wow. OMFG. And just plain…wow.
In the weeks and days leading up to the release I tried very hard to be a good girl: I didn’t read any reviews. I didn’t watch any of the other trailers or the leaked first six minutes that was making it’s way around the net. I wanted to see the movie and not bring any other opinions in with me. I didn’t want to ruin it. Because as we all know; nothing ruins something good quite as much as too much hype and anticipation. I’m glad I did because I was blown away.
I’m not going to post some long, analytical, intellectual, wank here about The Dark Knight; other more qualified reviewers have taken care of that for me. But I do have a few things I want to talk about.
Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker. Amazing. If like me you haven’t paid attention to all the hoopla surrounding his death, seeing him in this performance will blow you away. Yes I’m using that term alot. What makes it so incredible, is that he actually became the Joker on screen.
There is absolutely nothing of this man:
in this character:
Nothing.
I kept searching for some semblance of Ledger underneath that persona, and found none. He managed to create a true psychopath with none of the usual bullshit excuses for the behaviour; but somehow, he made him almost sympathetic at times and not through sob stories or redemption, but through something entirely else. Something you saw in his eyes. Something that’s difficult to pin-point because it’s so intangible. I think it’s that something that marks a truly great actor from a good actor, or a decent one, or a mediocre one. Whatever that is, Ledger had it.
Christopher Nolan
Thank you for taking over the Batman franchise and making it something worthy of cinema instead of the cartoonish garbage it had descended to, and indeed by comparison, had always been. You surpassed the bullshit, and you even surpassed yourself and Batman Begins with this latest offering that had my adrenaline pumping and my eyes glued to the screen in horror. Thank you for not taking (too many) cheap shots or short cuts or giving us a stereotypical villain. Thank you for setting the stage so perfectly for the next installment of the Batman saga.
I love you, man!
Just please don’t screw it up.
For example, by adding Robin into the fray.
Please for the love of god do not do that. Do not resurrect Robin.
I think it’s safe to trust you at this point, but delusions of grandeur and infallibility can creep into the most noble of intentions.
Soto sum up the preceding rambling/gushing: GO SEE THE DARK KNIGHT. Whether you’re a Batman fan or not, just go see it. You won’t regret it
Her second novel, Corvus, will be serialized this fall. Lee runs no ads on her site and has made no money off of this venture…yet, but it will be interesting to see where it goes. A few bloggers have been picked up for publication over the years, though the ones that seem to stand out in my mind are the more controversial ones (Girl with a one-track mind) or humourous (Stuff White People Like or The Phat Free.) I don’t believe this is the easiest road to publication, but I don’t think anyone actually starts up a blog and puts that kind of effort into it with the expectation of it being noticed by an editor or agent.
Nathan Bransford blogs about HarperStudio, in his Imprint of the Future series; which, much like Vanguard Press and Jonathan Karp’s Imprint 12, is another imprint to look closely at. I’m not qualified to say if these are sound business models or not. But they sure do sound that way, and more so, I respect them for actually doing something that seems in the best interest of publishing, their authors, and literature in general. These are not book mills, and this can only bode well for authors now and in the future as publishing slowly changes.
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