Gimme A Break

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

RECIDIVA

Gimme a name or names of your favorite authors. Plus! If you get put in solitary for a month, what book would you want to spend the time with?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

AMICUS

I checked on Mr. Shute, and I am well acquainted with ON THE BEACH and A TOWN LIKE ALICE. I will check out another one or two of his books.

 

[JamesSD]

How do you teach enchantment?

You can't, or at least it's very difficult.

This is why most "How To" books focus more on the mechanics, which you can teach.

 

[Recidiva]

RECIDIVA

Gimme a name or names of your favorite authors. Plus! If you get put in solitary for a month, what book would you want to spend the time with?

Robert Heinlein - "Stranger in A Strange Land"

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - "Good Omens"

Tom and Sharon Curtis - "The Windflower"

Any one of those three would be excellent company. Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance in turn.

For Philosophy/Nonfiction:

Charlotte Joko Beck - "Nothing Special" - Zen Buddhist Dharma talks.

Lao Tzu - "The Tao Te Ching" (unfortunately not in Chinese, but a good English translation will do)

Khalil Gibran - "The Prophet"

Every one of these books makes me feel as if I'm in good hands and in the company of minds that have a wider breadth and wisdom than my own.

Those six are probably the books I've read the most, because every time I re-read them I find something new, something in the allegory and meaning, that I've missed before.

If my mind gets tangled up in trivialities, these books provide a framework, a mental trellis, I can climb. The view is different after reading them, and the view is always clearer and more positive.

Not brain candy so much as brain rehab.

 

[gauchecritic]

Synthesis is what matters. You can learn all the technical aspects you care to, if you can't write something new (and I don't mean like no other story before) if you can't write something in a new way then all that learning will be for nothing.

As for audiences, your readers will be those that like what you write. (= some readers)

ETA I just remembered something. I tend to like some of those stories on Lit. that are by (I assume) Indians (from India). Their spelling is often incorrect, their themes leave a lot to be desired and their sentence construction is not exact, but I like them I think perhaps because I have to work that little bit harder to read them.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

RECIDIVA

Zen Buddhism reminds me of graduate school. One of my professors was a nasty little bastard (about 5 feet tall). I was warned he didnt like tall(er) men. And he rode my ass for several weeks, until I guessed what his game was. He wanted verbal violence against men. So I took the hint and criticized my work worse than he did; I was merciless with me. And he loved it. If he graded something of mine "D," I argued for the "F" I really deserved. If he verbally chastised me in front of the class, I demanded to know why he was so lenient and caring. I got a "B" for the course.

 

[Stella_Omega]

RECIDIVA

I think we're all on the same page about the basics. The problem for me arises when we forget why in hell we're writing. Who's the target audience? Critics? Grammarians? Mom?

Florence King made the same point when she used examples of 'erotica' famous authors wrote. If she didnt identify one sample as 'erotica' I would never have guessed it. For all I knew, the writer was talking about the process of making a tire or describing how an automatic dishwasher works. The critics orgasmed over this guy.

Different writers have different target audiences. I began writing erotica when I bought book after book and was disappointed in so very much of what I was reading-- I wanted something that was intelligent, intellectually appealing, a bit romantic, and very, very, filthily, graphic. And horror stories and death endings don't turn me on. And I love stylistic writing and strong voices. So, that's what I aim for when I write. My styles don't seem to resonate with the masses, but the masses have plenty other things to read anyway-- I need porn too!

I totally agree with you on the subject of "famous writer's erotica"
One reason is that so many "Famous Writers" lived in times that did not encourage erotic expression. And what the hell makes people think that a detached intellectual voice is sexy?!

Vladimir Nabokov is one exception. And I am not talking about "Lolita" either. He wrote one gorgeous romantic epic novel, called "ADA; or Ardor" that is oddly ignored by the critics... truly erotic and written with all the verve and wordplay that a reader like me could possibly want.

I agree, talent is not intelligence. I should know, I have plenty of talents myself! But my whole family is talent-ridden, and unless you know what to do with that talent-- unless you are able to harness it-- it's just a big lump in your brain that gives nothing. There has to be some sort of ability, skill, learning, anything-- something that the talent can hang from.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

GAUCHECRITIC

I like Indian stories because theyre so animal matter-of-fact and uncomplicated.

 

[Recidiva]

RECIDIVA

Zen Buddhism reminds me of graduate school. One of my professors was a nasty little bastard (about 5 feet tall). I was warned he didnt like tall(er) men. And he rode my ass for several weeks, until I guessed what his game was. He wanted verbal violence against men. So I took the hint and criticized my work worse than he did; I was merciless with me. And he loved it. If he graded something of mine "D," I argued for the "F" I really deserved. If he verbally chastised me in front of the class, I demanded to know why he was so lenient and caring. I got a "B" for the course.

Definitely. "Going with the flow" can be very fun. I'm much more of a Zen (my thoughts are not reality) or a Tai Chi (flexibility and use someone's force against them) or a "Art of War" (if you have to go to battle, you've already lost) person.

 

[Stella_Omega]

RECIDIVA

Zen Buddhism reminds me of graduate school. One of my professors was a nasty little bastard (about 5 feet tall). I was warned he didnt like tall(er) men. And he rode my ass for several weeks, until I guessed what his game was. He wanted verbal violence against men. So I took the hint and criticized my work worse than he did; I was merciless with me. And he loved it. If he graded something of mine "D," I argued for the "F" I really deserved. If he verbally chastised me in front of the class, I demanded to know why he was so lenient and caring. I got a "B" for the course.

That's a trick I learned too, in improv acting classes-- it's a lot of fun.

 

[amicus]

http://www.nevilshute.org/biblio.php

An Old Captivity

"Like many of Shute's novels, he starts in the first person, and changes to narrative after the first chapter. A time translation occurs in the middle of the book --- another device which fascinated the author so much. The pilot finds himself, weary with the strain and responsibility of the expedition, dreaming of a long journey with a beautiful girl back to the Viking era, their Greenland colony and discovery of the American continent.

Romance and aviation are the tools of Shute's story telling trade, and this novel is no exception. The author's communicative skill enables him to describe the personality of each character in a way which attracts the undivided attention of the reader."

~~~

This is perhaps my favorite of Nevil Shute's work.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

STELLA

You expressed James Fenimore Cooper's sentiments exactly. "I can do better than this crap." And he did.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

AMICUS

I enjoyed ON THE BEACH. I relate to Shute's calm in the storm demeanor. I sweat the small stuff, and remain calm in the worst crisis.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

STELLA, RECIDIVA

Psychiatrist Milton Erickson called it UTILIZATION. Use whatever they bring. If they swear theyre Jesus, put them to work in the wood shop.

 

[Recidiva]

STELLA, RECIDIVA

Psychiatrist Milton Erickson called it UTILIZATION. Use whatever they bring. If they swear theyre Jesus, put them to work in the wood shop.

Woody Allen:

A man tells a psychiatrist "My brother thinks he's a chicken." The psychiatrist responds, "Bring him in and I'm sure I can cure him." To which the man responds, "I would, but we need the eggs."

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

RECIDIVA

Did i tell you the story about the mother and the boy who was referred to me by his school?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Okay STELLA gimme the names of some books I just gotta read.

 

[Recidiva]

RECIDIVA

Did i tell you the story about the mother and the boy who was referred to me by his school?

Not that I recall. Tell! Tell!

 

[Luna_Wolf72]

Not that I recall. Tell! Tell!

I am stalking reci...

 

[Recidiva]

I am stalking reci...

I am pouncing Luna!

 

[Luna_Wolf72]

I am pouncing Luna!

LTNS....BTW it's official I will be back up to LIT posting slut status in no time at all...

 

[Recidiva]

LTNS....BTW it's official I will be back up to LIT posting slut status in no time at all...

Well, really, it's about damned time you slacker.

 

[Luna_Wolf72]

Well, really, it's about damned time you slacker.

Yes mommy. I am sorry. Beat me later??

 

[Recidiva]

Yes mommy. I am sorry. Beat me later??

*happy clapping*

Yes! Yes! With tea and cookies.

 

[Luna_Wolf72]

*happy clapping*

Yes! Yes! With tea and cookies.

No one loves a smart ass....

well except for me.