Magic is in the pen

Voldie was killed by a rebounding AK.

(*facepalms*) Again? Damn it, Voldie! Invest in an uzi already!

Well, that and 9573362527 pags of Harry ranting. I tend to believe he was killed by boredom.

Oh dear. Maybe it really is comparable to Goodkind, then. Richard tends to rant his enemies to death, too. ^_^;

Actually, I have a theory. It doesn't explain why people like Rowling, but it does explain why you and I don't. You said that you get an impression of an author while you read, yes? I do too - and as far as I've been able to tell, it's usually an accurate impression. When Orson Scott Card started ranting about how gays are evil and how we should nuke all Muslim countries back to the Stone Age, I was amused at how shocked people were. I mean, how can you read an OSC book and not realise that he's a bigoted Christian fundamentalist asshole? Every word he says so clearly comes from a bigoted Christian fundamentalist asshole perspective!

But apparently, most people don't get an impression of the author. They... how do I put this? They imagine the story taking place in the real world, when in fact it takes place in the storyteller's mind. So when certain things and indeed certain ideas seem completely missing, they assume it's because it's not relevant to the story and that's all there is too it. But a lot of the time, if an idea doesn't up it's because it's an idea that the author is emotionally incapable of understanding. The best of authors write stories where every human idea is at least implied, not because the author intentionally puts it in there but because "nothing human is alien to her," and so those ideas are part of the way she sees the world.

What I'm getting at, in my usual long-winded fashion, is that most people open a HP book and see a silly little story about wizards. You and me open a HP book and stare Rowling straight in the face - and Rowling is a deeply unpleasant person. How can we not loathe her books, when we hear not just what she says, but what she means?

What do you think of that theory? :)

laugh at will, but I can defend - even Lackey

Oh, I'm okay with Lackey. She's kind of heavyhanded and perhaps a little too trapped by convention (if she wants to write a story that is more about life during wartime than about the war itself, why does she have to make the heroes defeat the tyrant in the last twenty pages of the book? That just defeats the whole purpose!), but she does have a pretty good idea about what human beings act like.

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What do you think of that theory? :)

That you nailed it on the head. I don't know about mostlive in the story. I think this could also explains the really wide difference in attitude towards fandom. The Read-the-author kind of people tend not to be rabid fans, or even nnot to be anything mre than very tepid fans; the Live-in-the-story kind of people tend more to be quite involved fans up to rabid fans.

I think I'll have to think a bit about this. Thanks!

Oh, poor Merceds has lots of defects, but she's readable and never made me foam at the mouth.

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I like that theory, and I may have to use it on people who demand to know why I can't take either Rowling or Tolkien seriously as a writer. Well, Tolkien was also BORING, so for him there's that angle. Sometimes I do fall into a story a bit, but never so far that I can't call the writer on being a complete idiot.

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Thanks. :)

Yes, Tolkien was a complete ass also. You know, sometimes I feel sort of weird knowing that while I adore fantasy, I loathe Tolkien, Lewis, Rowling... pretty much every author who leaps to mind when you mention fantasy. The fantasy authors I like that are really famous are usually ones that are generally considered to be on the fringes of the genre.

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I'm usually more into Sci-fi than Fantasy; you get less idiots there and I just enjoy it more.

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I like sci-fi too, but I tend to find it a little dry. A lot of sf authors give me the impression that they're writing their characters from a psychology textbook as opposed to from personal experience with how people behave. =]

Mind you, there are exceptions, of course. I deeply adore the Gap cycle by... uhm... by an author whom I shall not mention in Jane's journal for fear of upsetting our fragile peace treaty on the subject... ^_^;;

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I kind of like more techno thrillers and sci-fi; Tom-I-am-not-anal-I-am-just-VERY-detailed Clancy most of all. I'm also a fan of K.A. Applegate's Animorphs, Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist (though I'm really more of a fan of the Anime than the Manga) and Yoshiki Takaya's Guyver series.

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Speaking of Guyver, did you get the review?

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Yes, yes I did. :D :D :D Loved it; thanks lots! :D

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Was my pleasure as always. DO correct chapter (my memory she is fried off by the heat) 24? whatever, the doubled one. :P

Will start the third one. Is it finished or not?

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Unfinished. I don't know when I'm going to get either of them done, but I'll let you know when they are.

I don't really know what to do for 24, though. I looked it over; but I couldn't figure out what stuff to remove. Was it the dialogue, or the narration that was the problem?

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Hey, sorry. You're right, chapter 24 now looks alright to me. The first time I read it, it was doubled. I may have been allucinating, one never knows, or FFN may have been acting up. It's perfect now, sorry I confused you.

'm I forgiven?

Do let me know if you finish them, but don't worry. I'm the Queen of Unfinished Fics, y'know? I do understand how it may happen. :-D

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Forgiven. :D

I'll let you know when I get them done; would you like me to tell you when they're updated, too?

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Oh, bliss! Forgiven! :P

Yup, give me a head up.

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HA! Defensive! What did I tell you? :P:P

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Buh?

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Sorry, aimed at

baeraad. Should have said so in post.

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Not defensive! (well, not this time) Just a bit antsy about bringing up the subject, since it would be very hypocritical of me to voice my pro-Donaldson sentiments loudly after I've specifically asked you to take it easier with your anti-Donaldson sentiments. ^_^;

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Was just teasing you.

Luv, mi casa es tu casa. In other words, please NEVER feel constrained when posting in my LJ, fuck knows I'm never even remotely constrained on yours.

NOT being hypocritical, refraining from insulting/hurting/irritating people I like and respect is not 'constraining' myself in any sense of the word.

HUGZ

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You're a Good Sort, Jane. (*HUGS*) :)

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Yeah, well, don't get carried overboard. *does scary things with whip*

:P:P:P

HUGZ

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Fine - you're a Good Sort with a few kinks. ;)

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