Wilcox (we're still friends — in fact, when he moved out, he really just moved round the corner) alerted me to this rather old — in technology terms — article Tony Martin wrote on The Scrivener's Fancy about popular fiction and the author Lee Child.
I rofled like a maniac rofler who was kicked out of Rofling University for being too damn good at rofling. In a sea of favourite bits, here's my favourite bit:
So, hang on, these literary cunts, they’re…what? Lazy? Slacking off? Leaving the reader to ‘do all the work’? I assume he’s referring to that half-arsed concept ‘ambiguity’, a concept that is, according to Child, completely devoid of enjoyment. Actually, I remember reading a lot of books where you didn’t have to ‘figure anything out’ and where ‘the work’ was already done for you. I used to love those books…when I was fucking five!
P.S. I inspired myself and got Less Than Zero from Blockbuster. I'm sick, so I got five movies to watch in bed after I finish a chunk of work I have to do. Review will follow. (Of the movie, not of the chunk of work.)
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4 comments:
Ginge --
You might like to listen to Lee Child, Matthew Reilly and another besteller writing sheila here -- http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s2871243.htm. Interesting debate, but the blockbuster writers have to feel proud about something, don't you think? In addition to the pots of money they make. Ro xxx
Clearly they do. Child: "I could write a Martin Amis book. It would take me about three weeks, it would sell about 3000 copies like he sells. And they are jealous of that skill."
Is that the actual show Tony was talking about?
P.S. Love to you darling! Are you well?
I am indeed well, though working in an excruciating job at which I'm more and more often tempted to slope off and see something on the interweb that is actually, like, interesting. Such as your stuff.
The Seccombe has a blog these days too -- have you seen it? It's at http://seccombe2010.anat.org.au/
She's having fun with the scientists.
Yes, that's the show Tony Martin was talking about. I showed it to my students. They laughed in a kind of horrified way at parts of it, but they're all more than a little bit interested in what makes a bestseller a bestseller. That's what happens when you approach publishing from the point of view of the industry rather than of littretcher.
Love to you too. How are things with you? I guess we could / should continue this conversation on email or facebook or summat. xxx
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