4 Replies to ““Author of the Week” Interview Online”

  1. I don’t have any patience with writers who say they’re doing it for themselves. Who are they kidding? They sat on their collective ass and filled up a stack of blank paper with words with no intention of them being read? I’m so sure.

    Actually, I’m doing that right now. My current NaNovel is third in a freakin’ trilogy, for crying out loud, of a story that would not dream of inflicting on the general reading public. I’m doing this third one to get the characters out of my system and hopefully put the thing to rest, but I would wither with embarrassment if someone who isn’t me were to read the result.

  2. Yah, and I’m the same way about early draft. But you intend to mine if for something you want to send out, yah? There are writers who write only for themselves, but I still think they either intend at some point to be read. I’m not talking about “trunk” writers with no intention of ever submitting or publishing; I’m talking about writers who submit for publication, or workshop their stories. I’ve had writers hand me manuscripts while saying, “I write for myself.” My response is to give it back and say, “Okay, then you read it.”

  3. But you intend to mine if for something you want to send out, yah?

    Not this one. If I do anything, it will be to revise out some of the inconsistencies and clumsiness and retain it purely for my own personal entertainment. I enjoy spending time with these people, but I don’t think anybody else would. The setting is wobbly at best, the conflicts too easily resolved, the whole thing is pretty much gushy, blatant wish-fulfillment. So, no, I don’t really think this one is ever going to be ready for prime time, but it’s still fun to write and fun (for me) to reread.

    But, then again, just because this particular work isn’t intended for an audience, it doesn’t mean that none of my writing is ever going to be intended for an audience. (You wouldn’t have a copy of my ‘proper’ novel if that were the case.)

  4. I didn’t say I have no patience with writers who sometimes write things for themselves. I’m saying I have no patience with people who say that they write for themselves. I call bullshit on that one. Or maybe I’m just constitutionally incapable of understanding it.

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