tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266108914902271629.post4666949953498781085..comments2023-09-25T08:48:48.104-07:00Comments on John Vigor's Blog: How to write a best-sellerJohn Vigorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215080385571534292noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266108914902271629.post-6861209427469561352016-10-17T02:13:48.775-07:002016-10-17T02:13:48.775-07:00It's the same in my neck of the woods. Can...It's the same in my neck of the woods. Can't be a serious award winning writer unless you can 'çonstruct' dense novels with 'complicated' characters exhibiting all manner of emotional scars and vices, all due of course to being a member of an oppressed and marginalised minority within a cold and uncaring society and a storyline as dark as possible. <br /><br />Meanwhile I have a tradition of reading great stories to my daughter over many years. We've done The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, bought all of Arthur Ransome's books and have got through Swallows and Amazons, Swallowdale, Peter Duck, Winter Holiday and are currently reading Coot Club. Wonderful stories full of adventure. Yes Ransome's are a little sanitised (the matter of ablutions while boating/camping is conveniently forgotten), and sometimes unrealistic (Peter Duck) but the characters have a sense of genuineness about them, the imagery is vivid, what is hinted at and left unsaid is often delightfully rich and the tales are uplifting rather than the depressing/violent/sexually interwoven dirges that seem to abound these days. They have inspired her into learn to sail courses (though being able to wear a gold, two silver and a bronze medal belonging to our recent Olympic sailors may have also been a contributing factor!)<br />Meanwhile Mr. Ransome's books are sneered at as superficial/idealistic/ probably racist and naive by the learned literary figures of today. No matter. We've still got quite a few to go and will enjoy them all.Mike Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13608595343334341583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266108914902271629.post-65178006600581186772016-10-13T22:19:35.064-07:002016-10-13T22:19:35.064-07:00Wow, what a complicated process.
Wouldn't it ...Wow, what a complicated process. <br />Wouldn't it just be simpler to be a crippled, black, hispanic, female, orphan, non-Christian/Jew, with undefined sexual preferences, who was bullied, can't read or write yet wants to be a writer, who just happens to produce a one time, completely unrealistic, over-long story filled with words everyone has to look up, writing about social situations in which individual integrity is less important than group acceptance, while having some un-provable connection to the voting committee?<br />Yes, the "judges" are absolutely honest.<br />Just write a story "they" want to project to the world, and be THE person, "they" want to make famous. it's that simple. (it will help if you are part of the "borg")<br />Frankly, the PP has been a joke since they awarded the prize to Harper Lee in 1961, for a story Truman Capote wrote over a weekend, after he saw her useless manuscript To Set A Watchman and his/her publisher spent six months filling in the blanks of his 5000 words.<br />Seriously.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13607936175624677644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266108914902271629.post-44837774834820407812016-10-12T16:04:24.955-07:002016-10-12T16:04:24.955-07:00"suspend belief"?
... then you really ..."suspend belief"? <br /><br />... then you really haven't been to Newfoundland (and Labrador) SV Pelagiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14428198462359637369noreply@blogger.com