Is what you are writing necessary? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T12:05:49Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/is-what-you-are-writing?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A192362&feed=yes&xn_auth=noIf you truly believe writing…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-10:537324:Comment:1926542009-04-10T13:03:21.155ZDana Kinghttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
If you truly believe writing and art are "necessary," it must be because they enrich the soul. To say you believe that, then, in the next breath say "our individual sense of right or wrong is immaterial" is disingenuous at best.<br />
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No doubt art helps many people to "momentarily forget their misery;" let's not forget how much of that misery may have been caused by the creation of that work of art, the pleasure of its enjoyment having been denied to them. Or, in the case of the medieval princes…
If you truly believe writing and art are "necessary," it must be because they enrich the soul. To say you believe that, then, in the next breath say "our individual sense of right or wrong is immaterial" is disingenuous at best.<br />
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No doubt art helps many people to "momentarily forget their misery;" let's not forget how much of that misery may have been caused by the creation of that work of art, the pleasure of its enjoyment having been denied to them. Or, in the case of the medieval princes referenced above, the work of art may have been denied to anyone not considered to be born "noble" enough to share it.<br />
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Why am I writing? I enjoy it, and I have received feedback that others enjoy reading, and, frankly, I enjoy receiving that feedback. I will never confuse what I do with timeless art, but it can still help people "forget momentarily their misery," if only to give them a laugh or provide an interesting tale to hold their interest. That's noble enough for me. Entertainment and seeking ans…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-10:537324:Comment:1926482009-04-10T12:59:42.322ZJohn Dishonhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/whiteskwirl
Entertainment and seeking answers about what it means to be human isn't necessary for survival, but it is necessary for our own personal solace. You said you may think your work is necessary to you at the moment, but not more than a speck in the big picture, but the big picture is made up of many tiny specks, and "the moment" is all you have. The book you're writing now may not feel important in the future, but something else will.<br />
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So the book you're writing now may not specifically be…
Entertainment and seeking answers about what it means to be human isn't necessary for survival, but it is necessary for our own personal solace. You said you may think your work is necessary to you at the moment, but not more than a speck in the big picture, but the big picture is made up of many tiny specks, and "the moment" is all you have. The book you're writing now may not feel important in the future, but something else will.<br />
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So the book you're writing now may not specifically be necessary, but entertainment and reflecting on what it means to be human are both endeavors that humans have pursued from the beginning, so there must be some need to do it. Writing is just one way to do it. Thomas: I think that editor w…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-10:537324:Comment:1926422009-04-10T12:43:19.797ZJude Hardinhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/festus
Thomas: I think that editor was using the word "necessary" in some grand sense that I just can't relate to. Fiction doesn't cure disease or feed the masses. It exists to entertain, and sometimes to seek answers about what it means to be human.<br />
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I would never try to inflate the importance of my own work by calling it "necessary." It might feel necessary to me, at the moment, but as a rationally-minded person, I realize whatever I might accomplish as an artist (even, say, winning the Nobel or the…
Thomas: I think that editor was using the word "necessary" in some grand sense that I just can't relate to. Fiction doesn't cure disease or feed the masses. It exists to entertain, and sometimes to seek answers about what it means to be human.<br />
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I would never try to inflate the importance of my own work by calling it "necessary." It might feel necessary to me, at the moment, but as a rationally-minded person, I realize whatever I might accomplish as an artist (even, say, winning the Nobel or the Pulitzer) is nothing but a speck in the big picture. "Those who do are suffering f…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-10:537324:Comment:1926012009-04-10T04:00:15.788ZBenjamin Sobieckhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BenjaminSobieck
"Those who do are suffering from some sort of delusions, I think."<br />
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You're spot-on, Jude. Anyone who says their work is necessary is delusional. Get over yourself.
"Those who do are suffering from some sort of delusions, I think."<br />
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You're spot-on, Jude. Anyone who says their work is necessary is delusional. Get over yourself. Those of us in love with the…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-10:537324:Comment:1925952009-04-10T02:10:15.182ZJude Hardinhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/festus
Those of us in love with the written word find it hard to imagine a life without books; but, I think there's a danger in thinking our contributions are necessary or even important. Of all the thousands and thousands of writers throughout history and in the world today, relatively few have been or will be remembered. Surely most writers, even the really good ones, don't believe their own work to be "necessary." Those who do are suffering from some sort of delusions, I think.
Those of us in love with the written word find it hard to imagine a life without books; but, I think there's a danger in thinking our contributions are necessary or even important. Of all the thousands and thousands of writers throughout history and in the world today, relatively few have been or will be remembered. Surely most writers, even the really good ones, don't believe their own work to be "necessary." Those who do are suffering from some sort of delusions, I think. Yeah, I'll maintain that New…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-10:537324:Comment:1925732009-04-10T00:05:13.972ZEric Christophersonhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/datahog
Yeah, I'll maintain that New York is over-represented in crime fiction too. Hardly a comprehensive list, but there are the old-timers including Stout, Woolrich, Puzo, and Sanders and the more recently deceased, e.g., Westlake and McBain, along with the still active Block, and there's Price, DeMille, Rozan, Starr, Fusilli, Carr.<br />
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The last Peter Abrahams I read was partly set in NY. One of the Lincoln and Child series is set there. There's Bayard's Poe sleuth, a Ken Bruen, Haddon's Curious…
Yeah, I'll maintain that New York is over-represented in crime fiction too. Hardly a comprehensive list, but there are the old-timers including Stout, Woolrich, Puzo, and Sanders and the more recently deceased, e.g., Westlake and McBain, along with the still active Block, and there's Price, DeMille, Rozan, Starr, Fusilli, Carr.<br />
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The last Peter Abrahams I read was partly set in NY. One of the Lincoln and Child series is set there. There's Bayard's Poe sleuth, a Ken Bruen, Haddon's Curious Incident and Motherless Brooklyn. There's a Benjamin Black (i.e., a John Banville), and a new author by the name of Jason Pinter has a series set there. And honestly I've noticed a lot of writers who never really made it, but who based books in NYC, so I can't really recall their names.<br />
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I'm sure I'm leaving out loads of authors, but it's a very popular setting, it seems to me, partly because the people who make publishing decisions are very familiar with it, I maintain. I've heard some editors say they buy what interests them, that it's no good trying to figure out what the public wants, and what interests a lot of them is, surprise, surprise, home turf. Wow, what a great discussion!…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-10:537324:Comment:1925702009-04-10T00:05:12.769ZNaomi Hiraharahttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/gasagasagirl
Wow, what a great discussion!<br />
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I guess how I define "necessary" is what we as writers are bringing new to the genre, what void are we filling. Each person has a distinct voice, but sometimes it takes a while to craft and chip away at that voice.<br />
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This point about being necessary helped me to think about my own series--am I seeking to just prolong my series because it contributes to my livelihood? Or is each book "necessary" to the body of work that I'm trying to create? I agree that we…
Wow, what a great discussion!<br />
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I guess how I define "necessary" is what we as writers are bringing new to the genre, what void are we filling. Each person has a distinct voice, but sometimes it takes a while to craft and chip away at that voice.<br />
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This point about being necessary helped me to think about my own series--am I seeking to just prolong my series because it contributes to my livelihood? Or is each book "necessary" to the body of work that I'm trying to create? I agree that we shouldn't overthink our creative attempts, but I think there's some value in reflection from time to time--especially for those who are trying to get published.<br />
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Is art/story/writing necessary? Not as necessary as food, shelter, good health, and family/friendship. But from the beginning of time, humans have felt the need to share stories, either orally or through drawings and then writing. There have been times in even our nation's history in which we've limited certain people's access to information and written stories, proving that reading and writing are powerful tools. Too bad we've taken these things for granted. It's a silly comparison. We d…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-09:537324:Comment:1925652009-04-09T22:01:12.012ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
It's a silly comparison. We don't get to choose. Every life is at the mercy of larger forces, and our individual sense of right ot wrong is immaterial. All I know is that many generations of human beings have had their lives enriched by art. Art gives them something to live for, to dream about, to aim for. It helps them forget momentarily their misery. You cannot put a price on that. And you cannot rob future generations of that.<br />
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Why are you writing, if you don't believe in the importance of…
It's a silly comparison. We don't get to choose. Every life is at the mercy of larger forces, and our individual sense of right ot wrong is immaterial. All I know is that many generations of human beings have had their lives enriched by art. Art gives them something to live for, to dream about, to aim for. It helps them forget momentarily their misery. You cannot put a price on that. And you cannot rob future generations of that.<br />
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Why are you writing, if you don't believe in the importance of what you do? Necessary. The word itself is…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-09:537324:Comment:1925602009-04-09T21:42:25.924ZJude Hardinhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/festus
Necessary. The word itself is neither vague nor hard to define.<br />
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Necessary: Absolutely essential; indispensable.<br />
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Oxygen is necessary. Food is necessary.<br />
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I suppose it could be argued that art is sustenance for the soul; but, try offering a hungry man his choice of <i>Moby Dick</i> or a bag of rice.<br />
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He'll take the bag of rice every time.<br />
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This is a paragraph from a query letter I mocked up for my work in progress:<br />
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When seventeen-year-old asthmatic drummer Alexander “Maddog” Maddox dreams…
Necessary. The word itself is neither vague nor hard to define.<br />
<br />
Necessary: Absolutely essential; indispensable.<br />
<br />
Oxygen is necessary. Food is necessary.<br />
<br />
I suppose it could be argued that art is sustenance for the soul; but, try offering a hungry man his choice of <i>Moby Dick</i> or a bag of rice.<br />
<br />
He'll take the bag of rice every time.<br />
<br />
This is a paragraph from a query letter I mocked up for my work in progress:<br />
<br />
When seventeen-year-old asthmatic drummer Alexander “Maddog” Maddox dreams about shape-shifting into a bloodthirsty beast, he chalks it up to late-night pizza and Creature Feature comic books. But, when a local farmer reports the ghastly slaughter of a prize-winning lamb, and Alex wakes with dried blood on his chin, it soon becomes clear these are no ordinary nightmares. Convinced through flashes of clairvoyance that human victims (including his girlfriend) are next, Alex must race against time--and a flamboyant ghoul named Roary Rory from Respiratory--to prevent the future from happening.<br />
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Is any of that "necessary"? Nope. But it might be fun. It might entertain a certain demographic. When you get down to it, that's all we can really ask of literature and other forms of art. Getting all lofty and calling something "necessary" just makes me want to run the other way. Is this true for crime fictio…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-09:537324:Comment:1925442009-04-09T20:35:27.292ZJohn McFetridgehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JohnMcF
Is this true for crime fiction? I actually know very little crime fiction set in New York.
Is this true for crime fiction? I actually know very little crime fiction set in New York.