Do Some Damage

btw winner = kieran

2013-05-21T10:44:20.606-05:00

btw
winner = kieran

Good post about a good post. Let me add a couple o...

2013-05-21T08:37:11.698-05:00

Good post about a good post. Let me add a couple of points.

At the Newark Public library, where I have worked since 1986, we ARE the internet access for many of the local citizens.

We have a tremendous amount of information that is not online, no matter what anyone says. Our New Jersey Information Center alone has thousands of unique items. And when I say unique, I'm often talking about the only typewritten copy in the world of an autobiography or local history.

I'm getting tired of the widespread conviction that ignorance makes one an expert on everything. No, ignorance is ignorance.

This is my first exposure to Steve's news. FAN...

2013-05-20T19:51:25.580-05:00

This is my first exposure to Steve's news. FANTASTIC! Well earned and about time.

Live and let live. I agree that going overboard on...

2013-05-20T19:48:44.465-05:00

Live and let live. I agree that going overboard on the disparaging comments insults million of readers. I feel the same way when otherwise respectable writers crap all over James Patterson, and do so with a smug, clubby 'tide like we're all in the same club. It's seems cheap to me.

I hate the hate. He's an author, and people l...

2013-05-20T11:35:58.021-05:00

I hate the hate.

He's an author, and people love his books. How can that be a bad thing? Books are cool. Even if a large proportion of his readership don't buy or read anything else, so what? They've enjoyed the latest adventure. Cool.

If you don't like him? Don't read him. No problem. I don't like olives, so I don't eat them. I certainly don't feel the need to tell people I don't like them and that they shouldn't like them either.

In fact, the current round of bashing just makes me want to read INFERNO. And I think I might, and I'll make up my own mind. And as Steve W says above, while his technical skill at writing might be a bit clunky, Brown's books clearly have something there which keeps people turning the pages. Whatever that X-factor is, it's impossible to define and analyse, and I'm pretty much in awe of any writer who can capture that... thing, whatever it is. Stephen King can do it. JK Rowling can do it.

Maybe if I read INFERNO I might get a bit closer to learning how to get that page-turn-ability that helps sell books by the container load.

I hate the Dan Brown hate. Criticize his writing s...

2013-05-20T11:28:48.000-05:00

I hate the Dan Brown hate. Criticize his writing style, his research, but the personal junk is not necessary. His pacing is amazing, he's capable of creating page turners. Not for me, so much, but why take it out on his reader?

I'm not a fan, and I don't think he's ...

2013-05-20T11:11:16.061-05:00

I'm not a fan, and I don't think he's a good writer, but I'm also uncomfortable with all the hate. It's just modern media, really, modern internet; for or against, love or hate.

Something I can never go with really is the idea of 'brainless fun.' I don't want to switch my brain off. If I did that in a hospital the doctor would check his watch and say the time aloud.

I find that we as a culture have allowed some general agreement to take place that it's okay for us to be patronised. It's okay for some hollywood screenwriters to pocket thousands of dollars without doing their jobs, because it's fun. "fun."

It's the culture of not thinking. Of telling people to switch their brains off in leisure time and stop asking questions.

It's our brains that release the chemicals that make us have "fun," so there is no greater thrill than using your brain as much as possible. We need to stop settling for less.

How does this relate to Dan Brown? I have no idea. I saw a tangent and I ran at it full tilt.

Yeah, you're insulting readers. Is that so ter...

2013-05-20T09:19:32.070-05:00

Yeah, you're insulting readers. Is that so terrible? Don't we complain about every kid being over-praised for every little thing in the name of self-esteem? Now we have to praise people every time they pick up a book, no matter what's between the covers?

I defend Stephen King to book snobs all the time but I can't defend Dan Brown.

Totes agree. Hundred years ago I said a thing here...

2013-05-20T09:06:46.296-05:00

Totes agree. Hundred years ago I said a thing here about Dan Brown's books:

http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/2009/09/dan-brown-code.html

I think people tend to discount what page-turners his books are. I didn't read the one before this new one and I haven't read the new one. Up until then, though, the books moved along swiftly. Weekend matinees. I don't think Dan Brown ever set out to be Chekov.

I think he'll survive people saying mean things about him, but making fun of him also insults his readers, right? I mean, a gabillion people read his books. Seriously. He's a best seller. You can look it up. It's on the internet. So why do people love his books if he's so terrible? Justin Beavers sells millions of songs. Long John Silver's sells tons of food. Jackson Pollock sold many "paintings."

By saying Dan Brown can't write, aren't you insulting millions of readers?

"Reading everything and trying to find someth...

2013-05-20T08:55:57.340-05:00

"Reading everything and trying to find something positive, or something to learn from, maybe that's a better challenge."

It's certainly MOrE of a challenge. :)

To me, what gives others more of a free rein to batter Brown as opposed to, say, JK Rowling or Tom Clancy or james Patterson, is how bad the writing really is. The thriller plots are a bit much, but no more so than a lot of thriller writers. The parodies circulating now about Brown's numerous writing idiosyncrasies are hilarious, and why I can't read any more of him. It makes my head hurt.

I don't begrudge him a penny of his earnings. Anyone who can hit the public's sweet spot as well as he has deserves whatever he makes.

The last book that truly gripped me was Redshirts ...

2013-05-20T08:46:44.134-05:00

The last book that truly gripped me was Redshirts by John Scalzi. At once a humorous book about "Star Trek," it is the most recent book that brought tears to my eyes. And I can barely get through a retelling of it without breaking down, so, if you like Star Trek, I'd recommend it. Moreover, if you are into audio books, Wil Wheaton reads this book and he brings just a little extra snark to the narration. Dan Brown's Inferno is on my summer reading list as well.

I, for one, enjoyed both the Da Vinci Code and Ang...

2013-05-20T08:43:53.927-05:00

I, for one, enjoyed both the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons for what they were: great summer reads. If I can check my brain at the door of a theater when I watch some movies, I can easily do the same thing for books (and comics). I didn't enjoy the Lost Symbol as much despite it's setting of Washington. I'm looking forward to reading Inferno. It's the next book on my TBR pile as soon as I finish the new Doc Savage book.

I'm a hard core outliner, but I like to write ...

2013-05-20T07:17:24.388-05:00

I'm a hard core outliner, but I like to write slowly because things will come to me as I write, and I need time to let them come. I write best when I know what has to happen during the day's business, but as I decide how to tell it, things will come to mind, or this chapter's telling will best be served by a minor change elsewhere. My first drafts are very close to the outline, with some alterations. The second draft consists entirely of making all those little decisions consistent with each other, cutting what became redundant or superfluous, and making a patchwork of plotting and on the spot decisions look as seamless as possible.

Then I start fixing the writing.

Ha! It can be hard to find time to breathe. I th...

2013-05-19T16:27:59.235-05:00

Ha! It can be hard to find time to breathe. I think due to the nature of the business we are always looking for our next job because we're worried that we might not get that next job. But, that being said, it is important for authors to know when they need a break...even if it is only a week or so. I've been on the writing hamster wheel of 5 books in 19 months for the better part of the last two years. I know it is time for me to take a moment and breathe. And after that moment is over, I'll be dying to get back to writing. I'm crazy that way!

Thanks for posting this, Joelle. After listening t...

2013-05-19T08:55:57.116-05:00

Thanks for posting this, Joelle. After listening to deadline mania and writers who are sad that they can't fully explore an idea with a deadline looming, it is good to know that a prolific talent like yourself CAN find breathing room in a fulfilling writing career.

I think it's unfair of readers to demand the s...

2013-05-17T09:50:30.238-05:00

I think it's unfair of readers to demand the same thing over and over from a writer.

OTOH, I'd like to have that problem.

Drives me crazy. Publishers are always complaining...

2013-05-17T09:26:24.045-05:00

Drives me crazy. Publishers are always complaining about finding something new, but nor from established authors, who may be in the best position to come up with something new because they're, you know, talented?

I'll admit to being guilty of this as a reader to an extent. (Not as much as I used to be.) So what? Are the editors afraid their author might find--gasp!--a new audience?

Many congrats to Steve!

2013-05-16T10:54:16.352-05:00

Many congrats to Steve!

I found his list snarky and childish. I'd like...

2013-05-16T08:26:47.739-05:00

I found his list snarky and childish. I'd like to know what crimes haven't been done to death? Rape and child abuse are important issues; they HAVE been written about badly, used as plot devices to excuse lazy characterization. "Why is he evil? He was abused as a child! / she was raped and wants revenge, etc"
Neglecting the truth that most victims of abuse live normal lives and do not become abusers themselves.
When you look at the statistics for sexual assault, scratching stories that involve it off the list seems petty, and frankly idiotic.

And really, cats? Fuck off. It's a matter of taste. I have never read a cat cozy, but if you're so upset about sharing shelf space with Lillian Jackson Braun, seek therapy. I'm sure the cozy writers are tired of being next to "Woman Killed in Graphic Detail on Page One" books that we continually endure. I don't care for puzzle murder mysteries myself, but I don't care how popular they are. To each their own.

I'm also tired of serial killers, but I'd read a good story about one. I liked Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates. It's not as if they stopped existing. Write one from the perspective of the family. The BTK killer was married with children. I know "Dexter" tried to do this justice with Jon Lithgow's character, but that show is a comic book. I'd read the hell out of that book, if Laura Lippmann wrote it (I wouldn't doubt if she has already. I need to look)

The Dogme 95 list and this one both seem crafted as attention-getting exercises by artists who feel unjustly unappreciated by the world. Get over it, and write the best story you can. If you want fame, make a sex video with a bored heir(ess) or something.

Hi Elaine. The story was THE HARD SELL, which you ...

2013-05-15T17:11:33.374-05:00

Hi Elaine. The story was THE HARD SELL, which you prodded around a bit but massively improved.

Well, yes, with magic comes superstition. But with...

2013-05-15T08:42:01.270-05:00

Well, yes, with magic comes superstition. But with ownership comes power. I think we're at the beginning of a shift and, as you say, those user agreements are just something we click on and don't think about. But someone has thought about them in great detal.

With ownership also comes equity and that's where the gaps really start to show up (probably more important than wage gaps).

The iPhone is a magic mirror and your access to everything (that we think is available, we just have to trust it) as long as you're making your monthly payments.

(maybe I read too much John Brunner... ;).

Oh, and the biggest difference between the streaming service and the radio is that the radio had a person come on and tell you what song you just heard and if you wanted, you could even phone that person and often talk to them and ask them to play that song again.

I'm so old I remember when that guy got the job on the radio because he knew a lot about music.

I'll agree with Brian - that "cafe music&...

2013-05-15T08:28:17.022-05:00

I'll agree with Brian - that "cafe music" example made no sense. How was that any different than hearing a song on the radio 20 years ago?

With regards to "owners" vs. "renters", I think it's more and less pervasive than one thinks. Every piece of software you probably use right now is merely licensed to you - you don't "own" it, you pay for the access to use it as long as you don't violate the EULA. Everyone who wets their pants over Amazon's proprietary file format, or subscription-based services and so forth should sit down one day and read the End User Licensing Agreements on the software they rely on every day.

Does the digitization of information change the relationship between owner and provider? Sure. Data on a hard drive or in the cloud is different than a paperback sitting on your shelf. But I can't take that paperback and make unlimited copies of it and back it up to a cloud server or put it on a USB key in case of flood or fire. I can't forget it at home and yet instantly start reading it where I left off on my cell phone. I can't lend it to a friend on the other side of the world with a couple of mouse clicks and a few taps on a keyboard.

And the best part is, paper isn't going away. I have no doubt that a hundred years from now, if someone really wanted a paperback (or "synth-paper-back") copy of one of my books, they could buy one.

I feel like people fear the shift to digital media because they think the content only exists in these supposedly intangible, magical will-o'-wisps of ones and zeros that float away and disappear as soon as you try to hold them. I actually blame this on the obfuscation of how our modern technology works by the change in the nature of how we use that technology. Thirty years ago most people who used a computer every day had to have a fundamental understanding of file paths, processes, data types, and so forth. Today, an iPhone is practically a magic mirror - you "talk" to it, and it does things for you, but most people haven't the slightest concept of how it works. I work in higher education technology management, and the degree to which people have lost the understanding of how computers work is outright shocking. It's no wonder these same people fear digital data - it's essentially sorcery to them, and with magic comes superstition.

"Maybe the future does have us pulling away f...

2013-05-15T08:25:32.399-05:00

"Maybe the future does have us pulling away from the cult of the author."

So sad. I was looking forward to having a cult following some day.

I think this is part of the changing ownership of ...

2013-05-15T07:41:26.025-05:00

I think this is part of the changing ownership of everything - it goes along with file sharing. We will pay a fee for access to everything (to some anonymous corporation that owns the infrastructure we connect to) instead of buying things individually.

This is a huge shift, really, where we'll go from owners to renters. Somehow I doubt there will be much in the way of rent-controls....

I had what I thought was a good comment ready to g...

2013-05-15T07:28:22.032-05:00

I had what I thought was a good comment ready to go, but see Brian beat me to it.

I've always had trouble remembering titles, which is why I've kept a spreadsheet of every book I've read for the past six years. As for the author, if his or her writing is so undistinguished I can't recognize them when I see them again, I probably didn't want to read any more in the first place.

I read about 50-50 now, and I can't say I enjoy one more than the other. The only difference is the pride of ownership when I open the box from Amazon and see and smell books in there, or look at favorites on my shelvs.