New Writing Advice Interview
by
It’s a short one this month, but Brent answers a few good questions:
1. Will he ever write in another genre? (If so… what genre?)
2. How has having a child affected his life/writing/plans?
It’s a short one this month, but Brent answers a few good questions:
1. Will he ever write in another genre? (If so… what genre?)
2. How has having a child affected his life/writing/plans?
Link, seeing as it’s not in the OP:
http://www.brentweeks.com/news/extras/writing-advice/new-writing-advice/
Interesting answer on the different genres thing. Would be curious to know what Brent means when he says that approaching a genre outside the author’s area of expertise needs to be done with sensitivity. What does the author need to be sensitive to? The conventions and history of that genre? The current discussions ongoing in that genre, the discussions already closed? The current and past movements of that genre?
I recently read Neveryon, a fantasy story by Samuel R Delany, an author far more well known for his sci-fi. He explores very different themes and writes very differently to other fantasy authors, and while it can make the novel very inaccessible I think it’s actually a great strength of it. It’s not the sort of thing that helps to sell copies, but it means that Delaney presents something unique and valuable, and it’s very interesting from a technical point of view, because he’s coming from such a different perspective. His prose is different and difficult and requires that you pay attention. His plot and characters both totally ignore fantasy conventions, being presented in such a way that you feel that you’re only seeing a bare fraction of what is actually going on, and only understanding some of that which you see.
These are not all necessarily good things. It depends very much on the story. And I’m not advocating deliberate ignorance of the conventions and history of a genre. But I felt like for Neveryon, it worked and was one of the novel’s strengths (unfortunately the story and characters itself were not all that interesting, as Delaney was basically using the novel to explore certain ideas, so those were very much lesser concerns of his).
Not sure how I ended up reviewing Neveryon here, I guess I thought it was relevant.
Anyway, the poll could really use an update, seeing as we’re in February and it’s still a Christmas poll. Kinda showing its age there.
Thanks, Tim, for both. 🙂
Interesting comments on the YA novels and I like the slight dig/acknowledgement of the other B guy who writes Epic fantasy…………..Either way I hold you two both in high regards and regardless of writing schedules (lets be honest his is ungodly fast) you two are moving Epic fantasy into novel new places and providing fan interactions via writing excuses and digital means the whole way.
Thanks, Michael. The nod to Brandon isn’t a dig at all–I think he literally wrote a middle grade novel in a week or something. Maybe I’m misremembering, but it was FAST. I have a bit of an inferiority complex around his output, but I consider Brandon a friend and don’t mean my comment in any snarky way. Thanks for your praise!
Oooh new poll! Excellent.
If the poll is not limited to recent shows, then the correct and only possible answer is Firefly. If it is limited to recent shows, I’ve got nothing unless cartoons and anime count, in which case the answer is very hard to narrow down. Maybe Chaika? Or Attack on Titan? Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero are also good, but I’m yet to see Fate/Unlimited Bladeworks, which is I think still going. If 2013’s recent enough, The Devil is a Part-timer beats all the ones I mentioned. If 2011’s recent enough Stein’s Gate gives it a run for its money. If 2010’s recent enough Angel Beats, and I need look no further, because nothing tops that show (although Spice and Wolf and Stein’s Gate both come close). If Western cartoons count but not anime, then Avatar (or if that’s not recent enough, Legend of Korra, though I’m really not impressed by what I’ve seen so far of that one).
If you let me go far enough back though I’ll be tempted to say Dave the Barbarian.