A Time For Risks - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T08:30:45Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:20207?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A20885&feed=yes&xn_auth=noDianne, have you read The Flo…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-09:537324:Comment:212362007-04-09T21:37:04.016ZSandra Ruttanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Sandramre
Dianne, have you read The Flood by Rankin? I love that book.<br />
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I had been really looking forward to the non-Rebus serial in the NY Times, only the NT Times doesn't seem to think it's important for us to know when it's going to be running - not even my friend in NY can find out and she just asked me yesterday. Grrr. I'd hoped to get print copies but that's likely out so I guess I'm waiting until next year when Orion prints it as a book.
Dianne, have you read The Flood by Rankin? I love that book.<br />
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I had been really looking forward to the non-Rebus serial in the NY Times, only the NT Times doesn't seem to think it's important for us to know when it's going to be running - not even my friend in NY can find out and she just asked me yesterday. Grrr. I'd hoped to get print copies but that's likely out so I guess I'm waiting until next year when Orion prints it as a book. Note to self: Get John one of…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-09:537324:Comment:212342007-04-09T21:33:28.355ZSandra Ruttanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Sandramre
Note to self: Get John one of those 'cat solves the crime' books for Christmas next year...<br />
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(JOKING!)
Note to self: Get John one of those 'cat solves the crime' books for Christmas next year...<br />
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(JOKING!) One of the things I really li…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-09:537324:Comment:212292007-04-09T21:29:03.374ZJohn McFetridgehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JohnMcF
One of the things I really like about the crime/mystery genre is how loosely it's defined and how readers often don't care if the formulas are broken. So, I think more risks can be taken. What song is that, "I've got a story ain't got no moral, the bad guy wins every once in a while," (there may be a prize if you can identify it).<br />
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I don't really care if the books are parts of series or stand-alones or vaguely kind of both. I like the kind of "Swierczy-verse" that's taking shape with The…
One of the things I really like about the crime/mystery genre is how loosely it's defined and how readers often don't care if the formulas are broken. So, I think more risks can be taken. What song is that, "I've got a story ain't got no moral, the bad guy wins every once in a while," (there may be a prize if you can identify it).<br />
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I don't really care if the books are parts of series or stand-alones or vaguely kind of both. I like the kind of "Swierczy-verse" that's taking shape with The Wheelman and The Blonde. It's very much what Elmore Leonard has been doing over 45 books. Elmore's even managed to fill in the gaps and join up his westerns with his current books.<br />
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So, the risks I really like are the ones where the books get away from the detective solving the crime. Some of these have already be…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-09:537324:Comment:208852007-04-09T12:47:35.515ZHelenhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/helenell
Some of these have already been mentioned, but the authors that I can think of right now are: Val McDermid, Ken Bruen, John Harvey, Peter Temple, Gary Disher, and Denise Mina. There are also authors who have branched out with a series of standalones rather than a new series, like Ruth Rendell and Laura Lippman. Sometimes the main reason you follow a series is because you like the character; at other times you like the way the author writes so much that you would read their shopping lists if…
Some of these have already been mentioned, but the authors that I can think of right now are: Val McDermid, Ken Bruen, John Harvey, Peter Temple, Gary Disher, and Denise Mina. There are also authors who have branched out with a series of standalones rather than a new series, like Ruth Rendell and Laura Lippman. Sometimes the main reason you follow a series is because you like the character; at other times you like the way the author writes so much that you would read their shopping lists if that's all that was available. :) I think writing primarily for…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-09:537324:Comment:208722007-04-09T12:25:45.772ZDianne Dayhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/dianneday
I think writing primarily for the money is always a mistake, and the biggest mistake I made myself was giving up my day job, because then I had to write for the money as well as for love. On the other hand, I'd reached a point where writing nights and on the weekends was wearing me out, not to mention having totally depleted anything like a social life, so when I finally got a contract big enough to live on for a year, I quit the day job without really thinking I might be putting myself into a…
I think writing primarily for the money is always a mistake, and the biggest mistake I made myself was giving up my day job, because then I had to write for the money as well as for love. On the other hand, I'd reached a point where writing nights and on the weekends was wearing me out, not to mention having totally depleted anything like a social life, so when I finally got a contract big enough to live on for a year, I quit the day job without really thinking I might be putting myself into a position where I might not be able to get another one. I always forget the age factor, and where day jobs are concerned there sure as heck is one. <br />
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As a reader, I read the author not the series. Though there are some authors where I have preferences among their work. Val McDermid is one -- I much prefer her standalones or the Tony Hill series. Ian Rankin, I'm the opposite. I'm a Rebus fan and couldn't get into the non-Rebus book or two that I picked up. John Sandford, a favorite of mine, I'll read anything he writes. As I wish the heck Elizabeth George would break out into something really new. I think there's a lot of trut…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-08:537324:Comment:205742007-04-08T20:42:29.877Znorbyhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/norby871
I think there's a lot of truth in this. Fans don't like to see authors "wasting" time on pursuits other than the one that they've come to love. Misery, anyone?<br />
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Personally, I can think of one author I would definitely like to see spend a little more time writing books outside of his successful series. He's written a few, and they are, in my opinion, very good. I'd like to see him spend a little more time on them because as good as it is, the series is getting a little stale and perhaps some…
I think there's a lot of truth in this. Fans don't like to see authors "wasting" time on pursuits other than the one that they've come to love. Misery, anyone? <br />
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Personally, I can think of one author I would definitely like to see spend a little more time writing books outside of his successful series. He's written a few, and they are, in my opinion, very good. I'd like to see him spend a little more time on them because as good as it is, the series is getting a little stale and perhaps some time away would do some good. <br />
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Another author I'm a fan of, John Lescroart, does something that I find very interesting. Most of his books focus on Dismas Hardy and the cases he handles. Since Dismas is an attorney in a large firm, there is quite a supporting "cast" of characters in each book. On occasion, a different character will take center stage, as in the latest novel. To me, it's all part of the same series, although some would probably consider some of the books standalones since they don't focus on Dismas, even though he's present in nearly all of the books. It's an interesting way of keeping the stories fresh and different. <br />
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I have found myself giving up on a series because it just gets too disappointing to read-I don't like the direction the author has taken the characters, the plots have become too predictable, too similar, too "ripped from the headlines"-and it's always a tough decision. Dropping an author is like losing a friend-you keep hoping something will change to save the friendship, but there's nothing you can do. What I mean is that if an aut…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-08:537324:Comment:205462007-04-08T19:20:47.788ZSandra Ruttanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Sandramre
What I mean is that if an author goes back to the same old popular series just because they know it will sell, even if their heart isn't in it, it really isn't a creative 'risk'. I perhaps should have made that clearer in my initial thoughts, but there are risks... and there are risks. If someone has three or four books out in a popular series certainly they can be tempted to do a few more (and maybe they should) but I think it takes a lot of courage for an author of a popular series to put it…
What I mean is that if an author goes back to the same old popular series just because they know it will sell, even if their heart isn't in it, it really isn't a creative 'risk'. I perhaps should have made that clearer in my initial thoughts, but there are risks... and there are risks. If someone has three or four books out in a popular series certainly they can be tempted to do a few more (and maybe they should) but I think it takes a lot of courage for an author of a popular series to put it on hold and start something fresh. <br />
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I mean, I'm a die-hard Rebus fan, but I'm looking forward to seeing Rankin do something non-Rebus. Not that I'm accusing him of going to the well one too many times, not at all, but there is a risk with a long-running series of that happening. Some authors never move on to something new because they aren't willing to take the gamble.<br />
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And as for 'mass producing'... there are certainly some authors who've been accused of it. I'm not offering personal opinions on them because I don't read them, but I do see what the readers say on lists and forums. Not sure I'm following--but I…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-08:537324:Comment:205362007-04-08T19:01:03.559ZKeith Snyderhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/noteon
Not sure I'm following--but I was just speaking for myself. Every new project has been a risk, both financial and creative. Moving from an established series and starting fresh just sounds like par for the course to me. Without the risk, what's the point?<br />
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Well, to answer that question myself, the point is money, obviously. Which is a perfectly valid point.<br />
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But for me... It's fiction. It's not mass-produced 11/16" hex-head screws in convenient blister packs. Two different things, two different…
Not sure I'm following--but I was just speaking for myself. Every new project has been a risk, both financial and creative. Moving from an established series and starting fresh just sounds like par for the course to me. Without the risk, what's the point?<br />
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Well, to answer that question myself, the point is money, obviously. Which is a perfectly valid point.<br />
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But for me... It's fiction. It's not mass-produced 11/16" hex-head screws in convenient blister packs. Two different things, two different approaches. EvilKev, that is so true. And…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-08:537324:Comment:205312007-04-08T18:55:01.622ZDADavenporthttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DADavenport
EvilKev, that is so true. And so sad. I<br />
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find that one of my chief joys in reading an author's work is discovering the surprises that come next. If I find myself stuck in a rut, I lose interest. I can't imagine what a writer, or an actor must feel when they feel forced in suppressing their desire to stretch because they are not allowed to. Typecasting in any form of entertainment must feel like death to an artist. And the Catch22 of it all, is that they may be preserving a fan base to a…
EvilKev, that is so true. And so sad. I <br />
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find that one of my chief joys in reading an author's work is discovering the surprises that come next. If I find myself stuck in a rut, I lose interest. I can't imagine what a writer, or an actor must feel when they feel forced in suppressing their desire to stretch because they are not allowed to. Typecasting in any form of entertainment must feel like death to an artist. And the Catch22 of it all, is that they may be preserving a fan base to a certain extent, but are losing other fans along the way. <br />
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On the bright side, it does allow readers like myself the freedom to search out emerging talent and new writers to follow. I am aware of a few authors w…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-08:537324:Comment:204892007-04-08T17:43:56.755ZEvil Kevhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/EvilKev
I am aware of a few authors who tried to do something new because, by their own admission, their writing had become stale and they wanted a new challenge. But their fans were so diehard that they rejected the other series and so many other readers had given up on their works as formulaic rehashes of their early work, that they are forced to return to the tried and true.
I am aware of a few authors who tried to do something new because, by their own admission, their writing had become stale and they wanted a new challenge. But their fans were so diehard that they rejected the other series and so many other readers had given up on their works as formulaic rehashes of their early work, that they are forced to return to the tried and true.