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May. 25th, 2012 06:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Currently reading a professional novelist's take on the same story that EL James did with 50 Shades. Silvia Day's Contemporary Novel - Bared to You, is not as good as Shades, which is odd, considering she's a professional novelist who has written more than 20 books. But like a lot of professional novelist's in this genre, regrettably has a somewhat dull boilerplate style, weak dialogue, and conventional sentence structure. Doesn't take a lot of risks. That said - she does write hot sex scenes. Actually the dialogue during the sex scenes isn't bad.
I'm learning more and more what Ursula Le Guinne meant when she said there's a difference between a well written tale and one "rightly told" or that is compelling and brings you into the story - so much is in the how, but not necessarily in the craft.
I rather like pulp for what it is. I don't need it to be more. I find the people trying to make The Avengers into more than it is - rather funny. People, can't you admit you like a comic book movie? It's okay. We won't think less of you. Sigh. People forget back in the day, Shakespeare and Dickens were pulp novelists and dramatists. Marlow was the literary guy. And look how that turned out? Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino is pure pulp, but hey it's fun and memorable and great. Granted I tried to...ahem...rise Buffy the Vampire Slayer above the level of pulp, and yes, several episodes were quite amazing, it's still pulp but great pulp and lasting. Literary can be overrated.
2. Speaking of Buffy...Mark Watches ...is a bit clueless. Poor dear was completely confused by the episode Crush. His first question was - "Who killed all the people on the train? It doesn't make sense it was Drusilla? They never say." Uhm...yes, they did. There's a shot of her doll, Miss Edith, in the overhead bin. Not that most observant bloke on the planet, Mark, which does explain the insane X-Files love or not as the case may be.
Also he completely missed why Buffy asked Willow to rescind Spike's invite...what did he think the focus of the scene between Joyce, Willow and Buffy was about??? Hello, Spike.
Not surprised he hates Spike in this episode or is repulsed by Spuffy...admittedly Spike creeped me out when I initially saw the episode when it first aired ...over ten years ago.
It was in 2000, I think. Now, I see the episode in a completely different way. I was a lot younger back then (around Mark's age actually 28-35), and a bit dumb. The whole series sort of gets turned inside out after you see certain episodes. That's why I fell head over heels in love with Buffy, because you see it one way...before you watch an episode, then suddenly a completely different way after you watch an episode, and if you re-watch, it's like wait, oh I don't remember seeing that...and you are seeing the show in whole new light. Few shows change that much each time you see it. Few things do. The tv shows and books I love are the ones that I find new things in each time I read or watch them. It's also why it is sooo entertaining to watch new viewers watch these shows, unspoiled, because you think - you poor stupid fool, you have no idea, your opinion about these characters, this series, everything is about to change completely.
Some day, I'll write a long rambling meta post about the ups and downs of shipping a highly controversial and at times fandom splitting character in a diverse multi-fandom. It's not fun. Well it is...in a way, or at least interesting, but also highly frustrating. I don't recommend for the faint of heart. Unless you stick purely to character specific fansites with like-minded folks (which is sort of dull from a meta perspective), and even then..
3. Good work day. Got out early. Have a much needed three day break. Been killing myself work-wise. And not getting much sleep. Feel wrung out and fat or just bloated. But today, accomplished a few things - negotiated a big structural design contract, and I think it went rather well. And set up a site tour. Yay me. On a less optimistic front...I still haven't heard back from friend on the second part of my book or the email response that I sent her. Which I guess means I can kiss that avenue goodbye. My flirtations with publishing always end in the same result: You're a really really great writer, but we want a page-turner like Stephen King or John Grisham! Change your story! Hmmm...maybe I should check out e-publishing.
Also
I'm learning more and more what Ursula Le Guinne meant when she said there's a difference between a well written tale and one "rightly told" or that is compelling and brings you into the story - so much is in the how, but not necessarily in the craft.
I rather like pulp for what it is. I don't need it to be more. I find the people trying to make The Avengers into more than it is - rather funny. People, can't you admit you like a comic book movie? It's okay. We won't think less of you. Sigh. People forget back in the day, Shakespeare and Dickens were pulp novelists and dramatists. Marlow was the literary guy. And look how that turned out? Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino is pure pulp, but hey it's fun and memorable and great. Granted I tried to...ahem...rise Buffy the Vampire Slayer above the level of pulp, and yes, several episodes were quite amazing, it's still pulp but great pulp and lasting. Literary can be overrated.
2. Speaking of Buffy...Mark Watches ...is a bit clueless. Poor dear was completely confused by the episode Crush. His first question was - "Who killed all the people on the train? It doesn't make sense it was Drusilla? They never say." Uhm...yes, they did. There's a shot of her doll, Miss Edith, in the overhead bin. Not that most observant bloke on the planet, Mark, which does explain the insane X-Files love or not as the case may be.
Also he completely missed why Buffy asked Willow to rescind Spike's invite...what did he think the focus of the scene between Joyce, Willow and Buffy was about??? Hello, Spike.
Not surprised he hates Spike in this episode or is repulsed by Spuffy...admittedly Spike creeped me out when I initially saw the episode when it first aired ...over ten years ago.
It was in 2000, I think. Now, I see the episode in a completely different way. I was a lot younger back then (around Mark's age actually 28-35), and a bit dumb. The whole series sort of gets turned inside out after you see certain episodes. That's why I fell head over heels in love with Buffy, because you see it one way...before you watch an episode, then suddenly a completely different way after you watch an episode, and if you re-watch, it's like wait, oh I don't remember seeing that...and you are seeing the show in whole new light. Few shows change that much each time you see it. Few things do. The tv shows and books I love are the ones that I find new things in each time I read or watch them. It's also why it is sooo entertaining to watch new viewers watch these shows, unspoiled, because you think - you poor stupid fool, you have no idea, your opinion about these characters, this series, everything is about to change completely.
Some day, I'll write a long rambling meta post about the ups and downs of shipping a highly controversial and at times fandom splitting character in a diverse multi-fandom. It's not fun. Well it is...in a way, or at least interesting, but also highly frustrating. I don't recommend for the faint of heart. Unless you stick purely to character specific fansites with like-minded folks (which is sort of dull from a meta perspective), and even then..
3. Good work day. Got out early. Have a much needed three day break. Been killing myself work-wise. And not getting much sleep. Feel wrung out and fat or just bloated. But today, accomplished a few things - negotiated a big structural design contract, and I think it went rather well. And set up a site tour. Yay me. On a less optimistic front...I still haven't heard back from friend on the second part of my book or the email response that I sent her. Which I guess means I can kiss that avenue goodbye. My flirtations with publishing always end in the same result: You're a really really great writer, but we want a page-turner like Stephen King or John Grisham! Change your story! Hmmm...maybe I should check out e-publishing.
Also
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Re: Me again..
Date: 2012-05-26 01:46 pm (UTC)I overheard a conversation between two people while waiting for the subway a couple of weekends ago. The woman stated she'd never read a book like this before...
And most likely hasn't. There's not much, if any sex in mainstream romance novels - specifically Nora Roberts, Danielle Steele, Janet Dailey, Julie Garewood (who has more than most), Nicholas Sparks,
Judith McNaught...
Nor is there any sex in mainstream best-sellers.
Violence yes.
Also generally speaking? Most erotica or boddice ripper romances including the ones I mentioned above have rape. The 50 Shades books don't really.
And she explains the BDSM in detail, and shows specific things - most haven't seen.
The devil is in the "details".
Another way to explain? Is what was so different from Harry Potter and the other novels? After all Harry was just a coming of age book. About a kid who has troubles in school, meets a bunch of friends, learns magic, and kills the bad guy. BUT what was different was small details.
Keep in mind also that most of the people reading the 50 Shades haven't read the dark erotica genre. Having read both...I found Shades interesting because it depicts someone who is unfamiliar with that world tackling it. But again so much of this is subjective.
I was thinking to myself this morning...part of the problem is we're trying to understand why someone likes something we don't. For example?
I don't understand the appeal of Breaking Bad - it's no different in my opinion than about 20-30 other tv series and movies I've seen. What's the appeal of this show? But if I step outside of myself, I realize, well it is actually different in the "details". Sure its the conventional irredeemable noir tale of the good guy gone really really bad, but how it was told is different...and hence the appeal.