tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post8738652215342001769..comments2023-07-08T08:33:50.710+01:00Comments on Speculative Horizons: Comment: Robin Hobb's attack on author bloggingJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763695390241432518noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-44783401872879854072008-03-19T14:49:00.000+00:002008-03-19T14:49:00.000+00:00Mark - well, that's certainly one way of putting i...Mark - well, that's certainly one way of putting it. ;)<BR/><BR/>Steve - all in good time; I have a first edition copy sitting on my shelf. It's too big to read on the commute to and from work, so I'm waiting for a chance to read it. Looking forward to it though.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07763695390241432518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-11961894928043486672008-03-18T16:10:00.000+00:002008-03-18T16:10:00.000+00:00JG ~ You have to read Rothfuss. It wasn't hard fo...JG ~ You <I>have</I> to read Rothfuss. It wasn't hard for me last year to proclaim "The Name of the Wind" as the best fantasy of the year, hands down. It was exceptional. And his blogs sure are entertaining, aren't they?<BR/><BR/>When it comes to authors who blog, I take exception to any author, even the esteemed Robin Hobb, trying to tell other writers how they should be spending their time. Should everyone write exactly the same way as she does, too? Same amount of time? Same word count? Same outline system?<BR/><BR/>I think if an author, be he famous of unknown, wants to take some of their precious time to connect with their audience, either in humorous blogs or more serious discussions, then that is their own business. I actually enjoy the opportunity to get to talk with authors I enjoy and see them more as fully defined people than just a name on a cover that might seem untouchable.<BR/><BR/>Kudos to those who do give of their time. We writers know how valuable that time is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-70155972583465474392008-03-17T13:33:00.000+00:002008-03-17T13:33:00.000+00:00It has the faint aroma of a lady of a certain age ...It has the faint aroma of a lady of a certain age not trusting teh interwebs. Pure evil, these computers. I know plenty of younger authors -- and plenty of old ones really -- who can find the time to blog because it's part of what they grew up with, part of their lifestyle. If you have the time, do it, if not, don't. No need to complain. Next it'll be the price of bread going up, or moaning about kids today just having no respect for their elders. And don't get me started on the queues at the post office...Mark Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04829431641572291176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-67871406070871459762008-03-17T09:38:00.000+00:002008-03-17T09:38:00.000+00:00Sara: Good point, I do agree that there's no point...Sara: Good point, I do agree that there's no point to blogging unless the posts are interesting and worthwhile. <BR/><BR/>Karrde: Good post also, and I agree that gReader and other programs are easy ways of keeping track of your favourite authors - hence the usefulness of blogging!Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07763695390241432518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-51266449276670627752008-03-16T20:05:00.000+00:002008-03-16T20:05:00.000+00:00I read this the other day when GRRMartin pointed t...I read this the other day when GRRMartin pointed to it, and I think it's completely wrong.<BR/><BR/>I've been rereading some Piers Anthony stuff, and got to his author's notes. Then over 5 seconds I though, I miss these, why don't other authors do them, wait... their called blogs now. So I started digging through the tubes hunting down all the authors I read blogs.<BR/><BR/>I have to disagree with the comment that established authors don't need them. I think they need them just as much. It's too easy for me to not be looking at the authors that I have 20 novels of theirs on my shelf. But if I've got their blog in my gReader, then even if they only post once a month, I'll see the notice that something new is comming out.Jake Di Torohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872385058209588001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-42137357317221116452008-03-16T15:59:00.000+00:002008-03-16T15:59:00.000+00:00Really depends on the author, though, doesn't it? ...Really depends on the author, though, doesn't it? You don't really need a blog to advertise yourself, you can have a website that doesn't include journal type posts (much like robin hobb) and this might be sufficient.<BR/><BR/>Blogging really does take up a lot of time, and a lot of effort, especially if you want to make a good impression as someone who is a professional writer. If that time is worthwhile for someone to spend, then go for it, but for some people that just doesn't work.<BR/><BR/>And some author blogs can be really boring at times, going over such things as wordcount and such DAILY. Interesting to see, yeah, but if that's the bulk of your journal for 2 months, it's pretty boring for readers who aren't interested in a writer's stats.<BR/><BR/>I think it really depends how people go about marketting themselves. There's no NEED for a blog, but if it works, great.<BR/><BR/>I also don't really think Hobb was as serious as all that. I think her writing of that rant was fairly tongue-in-cheek :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-24176644646692980842008-03-14T23:12:00.000+00:002008-03-14T23:12:00.000+00:00Do not even mention Terry Goodkind. The mere menti...Do not even mention Terry Goodkind. The mere mention of his name makes me feel like vomiting...Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07763695390241432518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-77196340260020639512008-03-14T17:39:00.000+00:002008-03-14T17:39:00.000+00:00JG, that only works when they HAVE a personality w...JG, that only works when they HAVE a personality worth revealing, though eh? (thinking of Terry Goodkind)Todd Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10141151129135759156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-35945093213547118742008-03-14T17:33:00.000+00:002008-03-14T17:33:00.000+00:00Anonymous - if blogs help with fan interaction and...Anonymous - if blogs help with fan interaction and help to develop a loyal fanbase, then surely they go some way to aiding the author's earning of their living? Just a thought. <BR/><BR/>TD, good post. I certainly agree that blogs give the author a chance to be more than some sort of unknown entity and to reveal their personality a bit more.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07763695390241432518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-83866308274089665882008-03-14T16:19:00.000+00:002008-03-14T16:19:00.000+00:00Whoops, sorry anonymous person. It looks like I w...Whoops, sorry anonymous person. It looks like I was saying your opinion was "absolute silliness" when I actually meant Hobb's rant was. You posted your comment as I was typing my [lengthy] one.<BR/><BR/>There are two sides to this and I do respect the other side, I just think making a blanket statement as Robin has is unfair and unfounded.Todd Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10141151129135759156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-59752657535732128092008-03-14T16:16:00.000+00:002008-03-14T16:16:00.000+00:00Absolute silliness. Blogging does not consume any...Absolute silliness. Blogging does not consume anyone's life that I know of because it is a completely optional action.<BR/><BR/>I read several authors' blogs that I enjoy and none of them post daily (or even weekly, most of the time) so I can guarantee that rather than blogging pulling them away from their novel projects, it is actually the other way around.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I don't "write" every day, and I have four active blogs that get posted semi-often because it takes less of a time and attention adjustment to post something relatively short. When I want to "write," I really want to focus on my story, my characters, and push away everything else (this is why I am commonly found writing at Starbucks which forces you to pay for internet usage and therefore discourages that type of distraction).<BR/><BR/>When I can't "write," I blog. When I can't blog, I usually "write."<BR/><BR/>Robin Hobb's rant encourages a complete lack of everything that a writer should exhibit if they want to garner fans: their human side. Do we really want our authors to be deified arbiters that only communicate with us through the filters of their editors and "what makes good fiction?"Todd Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10141151129135759156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5411517893000706576.post-62746607453483502672008-03-14T16:11:00.000+00:002008-03-14T16:11:00.000+00:00I do agree with Hobb, people read books in the fir...I do agree with Hobb, people read books in the first place and not some palaver. If you are aspired author, write books that you can sell not blogs that may be fun but they do not help you make a living.<BR/><BR/>just my 2cAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com