Kevin's Watch

If preston's post had been, "lol ur books sux!" then I'd agree.

But like I said, if SRD doesn't want to hear criticism, then he probably shouldn't have an "official forum" like the Watch, he shouldn't have a GI, and he damn sure shouldn't post criticism.

Luci, if that's the case then the Watch should be yanked off the net this instant, and all book reviews should be banned. I thought SRD's response was childish. Why should he (a succesful author) feel the need to make an example of someone who didn't like certain aspects of his writing?

That's just petty.

man you are one stubborn man.

See my edit.

we disagree on this Cail man. not a problem. i have a different opinion of the situation. no big deal.


ps....


i see The Watch and the GI as two different things.
criticism here makes sense, we dissect and discuss here.
criticisim in an INTERVIEW does not make sense to me.

Lucimay wrote:there's a lot of know-it-all's out there who'd just LOVE a chance to tell an actual published author how they screwed up.

Not to mention all the people who actually don't like his books at all, and would love to tell him so. At least all of us here do like it, though we have our various opinions about this or that. But what about the actual SRD-bashers (who we know there are lots of)...

Preston could have easily phrased his comments as a question, such as "i've noticed that over the course of the series your style seems to have changed from intense physical descriptions to a more subtle style. i've wondered if this is because your priorities in telling the story have changed, or ..." and I'm sure he would've answered it gladly, like he did with the recent question about the pacing of Runes and what that meant for the rest of the books. (his gracious answer was essentially "don't judge the whole thing just by the first book, just like w/ the Gap series. Hang on to your hats!" )

Geez, Luci, I know you obSESS about Cail's ass, which is, abmittedly, a force to be reconned with, but don't you think you could stay off it for just this once?

yes exactly relayer. exactly.


dAN? you're gonna reconnoiter with Cail's ass????

Change the name to The One Ass, and I might consider using it against an Ur-vile wedgie or something.....

Lucimay wrote:i see The Watch and the GI as two different things.
criticism here makes sense, we dissect and discuss here.
criticisim in an INTERVIEW does not make sense to me.

Calling the GI an INTERVIEW is stretching things there a bit. It's a very informal Q&A that SRD felt was a good thing to do. He had to have realized that some of the people who post to it are going to take issue with his style/characters/stories. Rather than make some sort of phyrric example, why not just delete the stuff you don't want to answer (which I'm sure he's done with the "lol u suk!" messages he's gotten).

And don't forget Luci, this is the "official" SRD forum, and we know he comes in here every now and then. So should we not criticize his work here too?

Look, I understand that no one likes a critic, but I thought he handled this incredibly poorly, and this is one fan he's really alienated.

i am NOT invalidating your opinion. i'm simply disagreeing that he handled it poorly. i think he handled fairly well.

and if he HAS seen the Thoolah posts...ah well...he knows, doesn't he, what some of us think of her. it's not like i don't have criticisms. i just think it was and is a bit uncouth to go to an author's website and give writing advice to a writer. as someone, wayfriend i think, said, it's a bit like bitching about the food at a dinner party.

THOOLAH is a perfect example. There are a great many people here who would love for the first sentence of FR to be something like....."The last thought Linded ever had was, 'My those chipper/shredder blades look sharp'." So if he can handle that on his official forum and ignore it, he shouldn't be above ignoring criticism on his website.

As to whether or not SRD should have posted Preston's criticism (I'm referring to a point made my Cail) - SRD makes it clear in his reponse that he has been criticized for NOT posting criticism in the GI.

So in response he posts it then doesn't answer it (and insults the author)? That's just cruddy.

(btw, he deserves credit for supplying an e-mail address. Most people who post such messages are too, well, let's call it "timid" to risk a personal response.)

this hints to me that he may well have emailed old preston with a lengthier response.

(oh yeah...heh, it was SRD himself that made the "dinner guest" metaphor)

If you don't see the difference between SRD coming over to the Watch and looking for some criticism... and someone putting some criticism in the Question bin ...

I think we're lucky to have SRD answer questions as informally and as conveniently as he does. It's generous. If he has rules, like don't send me criticism, or say please, or refer to me as "Your Authorness" ... heck, I'll do it. If I don't like the rules, I won't use the GI.

No Wayfriend, I don't see the difference. This is his official forum, after all.

All I'm saying is that I'm sure he's deleted hundreds of critical messages. He went out of his way to post that one, then not answer it.

Like school on Saturday....No class.

He would have impressed the hell out of me if he'd addressed the criticism head-on, since he chose to post it at all. If he'd said (again), "No, you're wrong. If you check out my Gap series, you'll see my general progression has NOT been to taper off on the intensity." He could have plugged his book, engaged a fan in a dialogue, and refrained from giving the impression that he's a fussy-pants who wants his dinner guests to be kiss-ass yes men. He could have shown that he's serious about this "writer as warrior" thing. [I know, he uses that phrase to mean "a warrior against his own writing fears," and not to mean "warrior against criticism." But I'd say he's lying to himself if he doesn't list facing criticism as a fear. After all, he's basically said that's why he doesn't read the Watch very much.]

And he could have said that he purposely toned down the intensity as a contrast to Covenant's story in the first chronicles, that this a natural, planned progression rather than an emerging timidity in his later years. Or he could have said, "Just wait, you ain't see nothign yet," and really set his fanbase on fire.

Instead, he just seemed pretentious and unwillinging to face criticism. I think Cail is right; he did himself a disservice. But hey, none of us are perfect. He's still my favorite writer.

Cail wrote:It's obvious SRD doesn't give two craps about what his fans think of him (unless they're stroking him)....

Well, I would beg to differ! But, once again, I'll say that there are ways of going about this! And I agree with Relayer (?): posed as a question it would have come across a lot less "harsh" than it did.

And there are, as far as I'm concerned, rules of engagement. Wayfriend is right: what SRD does (the GI) is generous and generosity should be paid in kind.

Then again, who knows what is going on in SRD's life. Perhaps Preston caught him on a bad day. Who knows. But, hey, I'll embrace SRD's "humanity" any day. Warts and all.

Seareach wrote:

Cail wrote:It's obvious SRD doesn't give two craps about what his fans think of him (unless they're stroking him)....

Well, I would beg to differ! But, once again, I'll say that there are ways of going about this! And I agree with Relayer (?): posed as a question it would have come across a lot less "harsh" than it did.

And there are, as far as I'm concerned, rules of engagement. Wayfriend is right: what SRD does (the GI) is generous and generosity should be paid in kind.

Then again, who knows what is going on in SRD's life. Perhaps Preston caught him on a bad day. Who knows. But, hey, I'll embrace SRD's "humanity" any day. Warts and all.

Cheers, Seareach!! Despite being a best selling author, he does take the time to respond to his fans. Think posting a less than "nice" E-mail makes a difference?? NO! If you don't like what SRD did, try getting a hold of David or Leigh Eddings, they have plainly said they don't want to talk to ANY of their fans, MAYBE answer snail mail, and to send any inquiries to their publisher. THAT'S SNOOTY!!! SRD may have only had a bad day, think about it.......

Well, I understand WayFriends point anyway, which I think was pretty well made.

--A