once again, neil gaiman speaks wisdom

[rivendellrose]

Neil Gaiman efficiently pokes holes in that tired old entitled complaint that writers are 'responsible' for finishing things in a timely fashion for the sake of their readers.

Seriously, I cannot believe the gall of the fan who sent him that question. I really can't. If you like a person's work, you ought to have some small degree of respect for them as a human being, all right? I may not always be thrilled with the rate at which certain authors work (I'm thinking particularly of James Alan Gardner and his "Expendable" series, here, and I assure you that whenever I check his website I do mutter dark things about how much I wish the next book was on its way out) - I'm not unsympathetic to the emotion, here. What I'm unsympathetic toward is the entitled attitude, exactly as Neil noted. Writers are people. Writers have lives.

Neil says it all, and better than I'm ever going to, particularly when I'm tired and hormonal, so just go read his entry. And I'm going to go curl up with a hot pad and try to sleep.

Comments

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Yet another reason to love Neil Gaiman. He's absolutely right, and fortunately he has the clout to follow through on this.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

And fortunately he has the clout to follow through on this.

That made me happy, too. I mean, I've heard a lot of people point out the flaws and false logic in this kind of complaint before, around various fandoms, but people actually listen to Neil. I'm hoping at least a few people will get it through their thick skulls after reading his response.

[irishninja.livejournal.com]

Yay for Neil!

Thanks for the link. :D

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Yay for Neil, indeed! Glad you enjoyed. :)

[irishninja.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I enjoyed it greatly. So much so that I emailed the link to my friends still in the publishing industry. :D (And cross-posted to my LJ, with a citation to you.) :)

[alto2.livejournal.com]

Go Neil! (Why do I still not have a Neil icon??)

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

I don't either, but he's still one of my favorite people. ♥

[penmage.livejournal.com]

Speaking of JAG! I read one Expendable book and loved it and I kind of want to read the rest but I keep getting confused as to the order. Guide me?

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Aren't they brilliant? ♥ Festina Ramos = my hero, totally.

Anyway, fangirling aside - I myself read them slightly out of order, and it didn't do much harm, but I believe the correct order is:

Expendable
Commitment Hour *
Vigilant *
Hunted
Ascending
Trapped *
Radiant

* These three are... strange, as well as potentially difficult to find. I very much enjoyed Vigilant and Trapped both, and Commitment Hour was... interesting. But don't let that last in particular turn you off the rest of the books - I think JAG was still very much reaching for what he wanted the series to be, while writing this one, whereas Ascending and Radiant are, IMHO, him at the top of his game.

Full bibliography (with excerpts) is here at JAG's site. (http://www.thinkage.ca/~jim/novels.html)

I can't wait to hear what you think of them! ♥

[lacrimaeveneris.livejournal.com]

Oi. That fan was amazing. I think Neil wrote a very calm message back, considering that I found the email to be a bit insulting. The phrase "your cat learns to levitate and must be properly documented" made me laugh like hell though. Partly because that little list starts so seriously...

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is, I've heard that kind of argument from fans often enough that it doesn't really surprise me anymore, so much as just annoy the living daylights out of me. I'm glad Neil smacked it down.