Comments on: As others see us…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 03:35:00 +0000

Me, I'm still trying to find my way to the workers' entrance:-) Meantime, I hang out with writers in the hope that some of their talent will rub off.

Now and again I get a piece to critique written in about the same standard of English as that person's. I always tell the writer that everyone has a story. It's skill in getting it on paper that counts. And that includes, for heaven's sake, decent grammar, spelling, punctuation and syntax.

By: White Sorcerer

White Sorcerer — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 02:09:00 +0000

oh dear the grammar….Dennis here btw.

By: Simon Haynes

Simon Haynes — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 18:10:00 +0000

I’m still adding fuel to the fire on the original topic, even though I was just trying to put it out.

By: Glenda Larke

Glenda Larke — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 07:59:00 +0000

Jenny - that was tactful?

Fiona - did you know Stephanie and my agent got together yesterday somewhere in the UK? Making connections, obviously...my ears were burning.

Anghara - I saw that you had posted, went and posted what I had said, then went back and read yours! You are inspirational, you see.

Ah, Karen, Simon H., Anghara, Jenny, we know the truth, don't we, and that path to the workers' entrance...

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 04:59:00 +0000

You go girl! You said it exactly what I was thinking.

I just wish I was as tactful as you were about it:)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 18:39:00 +0000

I wanted to stand up and cheer when I read your response, Glenda!

The sooner (s)he realises that being a writer is bloody hard work the better! If a few pointed replies help so much the better...

It might be that I'm overly protective of my writer friends but I find the assumption that writers are only published because they know the right people really offensive. 'Cause acquisitions meetings are really just an excuse for editorial and marketing etc to have a nice cup of tea and catch up on office gossip :P

But it might be that I'm in a particularly ranty mood about this, too ;)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 10:08:00 +0000

heh – did you write this before or after or concurrently with my own rant on LJ? [grin]

By: Glenda Larke

Glenda Larke — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 08:08:00 +0000

I was annoyed at the time, but I rather feel sorry for the guy now. He just doesn’t get it. Any of it. He’s like all those American Idol contestants – the ones who can’t sing a note – and still think they have a chance of being a celebrity, then swear at the judges when they don’t make it.

Self-righteous? Maybe. I’ve earned the right. But I shan’t everdo it – sooner or later along comes a young author aged twenty or so, (Zaidie Smith, a few years back now, springs to mind) who writes a fantastic book that knocks everyone endways, and we old sloggers have to shake our greying heads and pretend we aren’t as jealous as hell.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 07:13:00 +0000

Self righteous? Not at all. Just sick and tired of smiling and pretending insenstive and insulting assumptions like that, written in barely recognisable English, don’t matter and can’t hurt. They do and they can, demonstrably. To hell with being PC about stuff like this. Why should it be tolerated? And why should writers apologise for defending themselves from such public ignorance and insult? Are you suggesting we are somehow not worthy of self defence because we’re the ‘lucky’ ones, as opposed to this individual?

By: Simon

Simon — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 06:24:00 +0000

o boy. hehe.

don't get too self-righteous, now...

;)