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Subject: Re: Reading, A Lost Art

Author: ~Steve-o

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 17:06:46 06/10/01 Sun In reply to: JIM 's message, "Re: Reading, A Lost Art" on 14:52:09 06/10/01 Sun >>I think even someone like Hemingway would have >>problems selling to the mass market. Nobody would give >>a crap about his travels. >He'd be doing what Steve Irwin is doing now. Only with >an outboard motor sponsor. Exactly. My point was that writers of any depth or deep interest are pushed aside by more commercial writers. Stephen King can put out a piece of doodie like "Hearts In Atlantis" yet it's snapped up, rockets up the best seller list, and has a movie deal before King even turns his typewriter off. And don't get me started on Crichton. I've read everything they guy has written, and enjoyed most of them, but I don't believe he can hold a candle to someone like George Elliot or William Golding. I wonder how different "Lord of the Flies" would be if it were published today. So, I do agree with JR's statement that we live in a short-attention "shiny thing" global society. If it's not a pretty bauble, we don't want it. >>Arthur C. Clarke would never make it trying to live on >>pieces sold to pulp magazines. >There are still people doing that, but there aren't >many pulp magazines anymore. No good ones, anyway. Analog is one of the few remaining ones with quality content. But, again, there are few good pulp writers left. Ben Bova, and I can't name a single other that stands out. And, of those who do regularly sell short stories, most, like Pamela Painter, supplement that income by teaching or editing. >>the image of the online writer is an amateur geek who >>writes bad soap operas or X-Files slash. >Isn't that pretty accurate, though? Most web writings >are pretty bad. Even TGC, TFoHG and the RKM Empire, >although better than, say, your average "Star Wars" >paperback, aren't up to the best professional quality >yet. No, of course not. But there are authors who are. And, really, would there be strips like Avalon if Sluggy and Sinfest didn't pave the way? No, there aren't many good authors on the web worth reading, but, I hope anyways, that the percentage will catch up to the ratio of Bad Webcomics:Good Webcomics. >Except for "Do Not Remove". I still maintain that's >brilliant. If only I knew the name of the spirit that was controlling my body at that moment. >Me, I just want to one day fulfill the real Deuterium >Boy's dream where, he's talking with someone he's just met >somewhere in the world, when this person says to >him, "Say, your name is familiar. Have you ever read this >web serial..." I couldn't snip that because the thought is just so beautiful. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]