by JeffT 21 Replies latest jw friends
renaiaa,
:It's basically "hero seeks out villian" just in a religious setting.
You need to actually read some books, then. Besides Watchtower books, I mean.
Your little "critique" just put John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Jeffrey Deaver, Dean Koonz and the late Michael Critchton out of business!
Oh, well. I'm sure they don't mind. Between them, they've probably made close to a billion dollars writing books you say won't sell.
Farkel
Sounds good to me, I'd pick it up.
I have heard that book publishers work differently these days and some expect you to self publish first (Lulu or Amazon?) and then if you have enough selling they will then pick up your book. (unless you are an already established author) Have you heard this also?
I humbly suggest you take your invective and place it where the sun don't shine.
Farkel
Hello Farkel,
I expressed an opinion - nothing more, nothing less. Unfortunately, even if what you say is better than "opinion" - i.e., "fact" - the writing business is hardly beset by writers being put off by someone else's opinion. A truly great writer takes it all on board, including the harsh rejections. You'll note that JeffT's response was more accepting of my opinion - which is not to say he agreed with it; just that he accepted I had an opinion. He looks like he just might have what it takes to be in this business.
Camille Paglia said it best: "It's the knocks that make you more determined and better at what you do".
:Camille Paglia said it best: "It's the knocks that make you more determined and better at what you do".
So do men who batter their wives and kids.
Farkel
If she would stay the hell out of the way of the TV on Sunday when football is on and get me a beer I wouldn't have to beat her. I only beat her because I love her.
Please tell me that one of the characters in the novel is a JW apologist that goes to "apostate" websites in a futile attempt to recruit new members to the cult.
Please tell me that one of the characters in the novel is a JW apologist that goes to "apostate" websites in a futile attempt to recruit new members to the cult.
Thank you, what a great idea for a victim.
I've heard pro's and con's of the self-publsihing thing. I may try it on lulu if I don't get a bite.
Don't forget to include J K Rowling on the list of writers that got passed up by publishing houses. She was published by the tenth publisher she sent Harry Potter to. I wonder if the first nine have gotten any sleep yet.
Steve is right on one thing, if you don't have a thick hide you have no business being a writer.
This thing will need some work, what I'm picturing will look like "Silence of the Lambs" with a JW twist. It is more about the victims that catching the bad guy, although there will be a pretty good body count just to keep up interest.
So do men who batter their wives and kids.
Farkel
Okay, okay, Farkel. You're right. In your eyes I overstepped the mark and could have chosen to say nothing or sugar-coated my comments. Fair enough. As a child who was literally battered by his JW father, I'll try not to take your gratuitous bait... which is way beyond the feedback JeffT was initially requesting.
steve2,
: In your eyes I overstepped the mark and could have chosen to say nothing or sugar-coated my comments
You know what "Think Tanks" are, I'm sure. Some of the most innovative and novel and grandest ideas have arisen from think tanks. But what most people don't know is that all Think Tanks go by one rule and one rule only: no negative input.
If someone comes up with an idea that seems stupid or unworkable, members are only allowed to try to expand on that idea, not to criticize it. They reason that if it is a bad idea, it will fall of its own weight. On the other hand, if it was a fantastic idea that just seemed to look bad at the outset, the Think Tank will discover that fact, by dialoguing and morphing that idea until it produces something grand.
This is especially true with artists, and I consider writers to be artists. They are extremely sensitive, and harsh critics destroy their spirit and esteem.
I read a great book many years back, being a musician myself. It was called the "Lexicon of Musical Invective" and the book consisted of nothing but critics over a hundred and fifty years panning the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Prokofieff and Rachmaninoff to name a few. The greatest symphony ever written IMHO was Beethoven's Ninth and you should have seen what many of the critics said about that.
Of course, those critics are long dead, and their names are forgotten and their critiques are of no interest to anyone but a very few; while the music of the composers I've just mentioned are loved and played every minute of every hour of every day of the year for the last 200 years, and are loved by each new generation as much as they were loved by the previous generation.
Sometimes the old saw "If you can't say anything good about something, don't say anything at all" is appropriate.
Farkel
Farkel, I respect your right to your well-argued opinion. You speak with conviction and I can agree in large part with what you're saying. But JeffT also said it well when he said that when he put his work out there and directly asked, what do you guys think? it would elicit a range of views, some contrary.
I have re-read my initial response and while it is very frank in its expression it is not in violation of the guidelines for this forum. If it helps, I can always look back at what I've said and conclude I could have expressed myself in a more helpful way.
