Not your b****

[huinare]

I thought this was pretty funny.  I'm not sure how funny it is if you haven't read Neil Gaiman's reply to a fan complaining about GRRM's legendary "glacial" writing.

The "Write Like the Wind" song itself?  I get why it's amusing to people waiting on the next book (I suppose I'm among them now).  I'd probably get it more if I'd been reading the series since '98 like some people have.  I also get why it's really kind of annoying in that it reflects that entitled attitude.  It's not exactly easy to write a hugeass saga, especially with millions of people twiddling their thumbs and complaining if they see you doing anything that's not working on the novels.

Comments

[engarian.livejournal.com]

OK, that was pretty darned good! LOLOL.

- Erulisse (one L)

[huinare.livejournal.com]

"Sorrrry Neil Gaaaiman" *snicker*

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I am less sympathetic toward GRRM's snail's pace. Sure, I write my fan fiction at glacial speed, but the writing that I am paid to do? That constitutes my livelihood? That's a different story. I take that very seriously.

Granted, GRRM does not face hard and fast deadlines from the likes of the FDA and EMA, but we aim for these deadlines because of money. For example, filing Tecfidera at the May deadline instead of Feb/March would have resulted in significant lost financial opportunities. I'm also held accountable for my writing, although not by fans, but instead by my employer and the customers, that is, the patients who will take those drugs.

Delays on the part of GRRM also constitute lost financial opportunity (albeit on a different scale) as I see it, so it's baffling that he is not more diligent.

So it's not so much entitlement that makes me wholly embrace "Write Like the Wind," but lack of respect for GRRM as he produces increasingly bloated novels that he takes ages to eck out and are still in need of good editors. As the ditty correctly points out, other novelists have produced large bodies of work in a shorter span of time. I sniff a lack of discipline on GRRM's part, and given this is his livelihood (as opposed to a hobby like fan fic), I must raise a skeptical brow.

And what the heck? Why not feel entitled? After all, I'm his customer. ;^)

[huinare.livejournal.com]

I'd imagine he finds himself financially secure enough that writing-as-livelihood may not be a motivating factor for him. Your line work, yes, deadlines are crucial. It would be nice if GRRM tried to take the deadlines he seems to set for himself more seriously, certainly, and would make him look less wishy-washy to fans.

And you won't find me disagreeing that the work would benefit from an editor. Nonetheless, I do have a deal of sympathy. I'm sure the wild popularity of the books and the show is hard to deal with in some ways. I do believe he's serious about his writing but that it's ballooned out of control (e.g. the over-explaining, the need to have the same thing seen from the eyes of seven different character etc). My sympathy might come from the one novel I began writing in a similar narrative style (several different third person limited viewpoints). From my experience, that's the style most conducive to spiraling out of control because suddenly one wants to give every freaking character their own say. I frankly never want to write novel-length thing that way again.

I might be over-sympathetic just because I can easily imagine how out of control a project like ASoIaF could become. But accountability to readers is a good thing of course; my standards of accountability are apparently rather lower than yours. ;)

[wheelrider.livejournal.com]

I did see that blog, and loved that reply.

Although I confess I haven't started reading that series yet, partly because I don't want to blow through it and then join the chorus of complainers...

[huinare.livejournal.com]

Likely a reasonable concern!