I so much hope you know that when I talk about being "the next JK ROWLING!!!11111" I am so kidding that it blows through the ceiling of the "kidding" meter. I don't have any hope for that kind of success, nor do I think I'd want it, or handle it with any kind of grace. I'd probably end up in a room with really soft walls.
Her money, well I'd take about a quarter of that, but that's why I'm going to play MegaMillions today. I've got a better chance at that mofo than I do at massive literary success. Lightning, she does not strike three writers in a decade. Maybe not even two. :)
Joke, seriously. Every time.
When it comes to really why I dwell on someone like JK so much, it's for a reason similar to why I dwell on Smeyers. It's personal. I like her. I think she's gracious. She cares about what she does and--I know this is considered a faux pas in entertainment but I like it anyway--she sends a really positive message.
Believe me, I skipped through most of the last Harry Potter. Sometimes her writing itself kinda leaves me hanging, and i actually didn't enjoy the overall ending of the series. I had some face-palm moments with the HP series for sure. But, I just love her.
And in no way, in this world or any of those alternates, would I truly dream of that level of success!
I feel the same way about King. I love the man. There's no question that he's written the same five novels over the last twenty years, but he also cares about what he does and he seems an overall genuine dude. Reading the latest Stephen King is like vacationing in the coziest little cabin all wrapped in a bathrobe with a cup of hot chocolate. I don't know, he comforts me. I respect his success. And I really believe he's like the Shakespeare of our time, because Shakespeare wasn't this stuffy guy writing high-toned literature for snobs; it's only in HUGE retrospect that it's like that. He was writing for common people, to make them LOL and give them a huge, bloody, satisfying body count at the end of tragedies. He happened to be a genius, but that wasn't the point back then.
Another writer who I love more than her books is Margaret Weiss. I'm not the biggest fantasy fan, but she's got this one character, Raistlin Majere, that she writes so beautifully that I read her entire 20+ book series. I literally skipped entire chapters in each book and scanned the pages for a capital R. "Elves, elves, elves, RAISTLIN? Awww, 'Rain.' Drat." But she seems like a nice lady and again, she cares about what she does so I appreciate her.
Gosh, it's been an age since I took a writing class or even spoke to any of my old professors. I should. And you are TOO right about being too close to this one particular story. You know when this novel was at its best? When I was writing other stuff for kicks. Man, I should do that.
THANK YOU, and also, I feel like I need to make a whole 'nother LJ post about writers and why I like them now because you got me thinking. :D
Re: part 2
I so much hope you know that when I talk about being "the next JK ROWLING!!!11111" I am so kidding that it blows through the ceiling of the "kidding" meter. I don't have any hope for that kind of success, nor do I think I'd want it, or handle it with any kind of grace. I'd probably end up in a room with really soft walls.
Her money, well I'd take about a quarter of that, but that's why I'm going to play MegaMillions today. I've got a better chance at that mofo than I do at massive literary success. Lightning, she does not strike three writers in a decade. Maybe not even two. :)
Joke, seriously. Every time.
When it comes to really why I dwell on someone like JK so much, it's for a reason similar to why I dwell on Smeyers. It's personal. I like her. I think she's gracious. She cares about what she does and--I know this is considered a faux pas in entertainment but I like it anyway--she sends a really positive message.
Believe me, I skipped through most of the last Harry Potter. Sometimes her writing itself kinda leaves me hanging, and i actually didn't enjoy the overall ending of the series. I had some face-palm moments with the HP series for sure. But, I just love her.
And in no way, in this world or any of those alternates, would I truly dream of that level of success!
I feel the same way about King. I love the man. There's no question that he's written the same five novels over the last twenty years, but he also cares about what he does and he seems an overall genuine dude. Reading the latest Stephen King is like vacationing in the coziest little cabin all wrapped in a bathrobe with a cup of hot chocolate. I don't know, he comforts me. I respect his success. And I really believe he's like the Shakespeare of our time, because Shakespeare wasn't this stuffy guy writing high-toned literature for snobs; it's only in HUGE retrospect that it's like that. He was writing for common people, to make them LOL and give them a huge, bloody, satisfying body count at the end of tragedies. He happened to be a genius, but that wasn't the point back then.
Another writer who I love more than her books is Margaret Weiss. I'm not the biggest fantasy fan, but she's got this one character, Raistlin Majere, that she writes so beautifully that I read her entire 20+ book series. I literally skipped entire chapters in each book and scanned the pages for a capital R. "Elves, elves, elves, RAISTLIN? Awww, 'Rain.' Drat." But she seems like a nice lady and again, she cares about what she does so I appreciate her.
Gosh, it's been an age since I took a writing class or even spoke to any of my old professors. I should. And you are TOO right about being too close to this one particular story. You know when this novel was at its best? When I was writing other stuff for kicks. Man, I should do that.
THANK YOU, and also, I feel like I need to make a whole 'nother LJ post about writers and why I like them now because you got me thinking. :D