tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post8535128140289007794..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: It Sucks To Be A Fire Hydrant In A Pissing ContestUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-7935347915624524202011-10-10T16:28:43.750-05:002011-10-10T16:28:43.750-05:00You know, maybe a month of craft in November is a ...You know, maybe a month of craft in November is a good idea, Jay. I'm with you - I have a hard time coming off as a know-it-all. I have to view it as passing on advice from what I've learned in my own experiences.<br /><br />Dana, great summary. Selling talk always produces arguments.<br /><br />I'm not ashamed to admit that I have a problem with Pepsi, and it's 100% because of their ads. Coke's ads are nicer and Pepsi's are cutthroat, and I don't like the nastiness, so I'm hard-core loyal to Coke. So much so that today, when the Coke machine was down, I decided to go without caffeine.<br /><br />LOL, John. It does make it hard to raise the level of discourse, doesn't it?<br /><br />Sean, I do think story is critical. I think I'm a better storyteller than writer, per se, but am always striving to improve. I can't stand books where people are showy with words that don't actually say anything.<br /><br />Circuitmouse, I'm just glad to know I'm not alone. That's what I always liked about blogging - a sense of connection.<br /><br />Patti, I have that exact same dilemma. I don't know how to find the balance.<br /><br />Mike, I think we can shift things, and that the best times are ahead... but we have to recognize that there's a fork in the road, and one way leads to a washed-out bridge and the other leads to paradise. :)Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-22143414989565005902011-10-10T13:45:23.490-05:002011-10-10T13:45:23.490-05:00Thoughtful post, Sandra. However, it reads like a ...Thoughtful post, Sandra. However, it reads like a sad dirge, a requiem to good times gone. In fact, the best times, IMHO, are ahead.<br /><br />Now that I think about it, you've inspired me to write a blog on this topic for my own website.Mike Dennishttp://mikedennisnoir.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-2063093127984299282011-10-10T12:57:26.743-05:002011-10-10T12:57:26.743-05:00In the early years, most visitors to my blog were ...In the early years, most visitors to my blog were other writers so I talked a lot about writing--not advice but what I was wrestling with.<br />Now my readers are mostly readers so I am reluctant to talk about writing very often, knowing it excludes them. I just posted one about writing for later in the week, knowing it will exclude some of them but sometimes I really have question.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-3700520154500429692011-10-10T11:53:37.569-05:002011-10-10T11:53:37.569-05:00That post title would be a helluva great short sto...That post title would be a helluva great short story title (I don't know about a book, though).<br /><br />You have no idea how much solace you provide to writers out there wherever-they-are that can exhale knowing someone else is saying what they're thinkin'....circuitmousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15331630643043133780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-60951189776006229032011-10-10T10:20:47.751-05:002011-10-10T10:20:47.751-05:00To me, it's all about story, whether it's ...To me, it's all about story, whether it's from a self-pubbed author or a famous one. I just discovered a tremendous author, who was tradionally published, had an agent, screen right sales, etc... but ended up pulling his latest from submission and self-pubbed it. Best damn crime / heist story I have read this year.<br /><br />The anti-self pub sentiment is still very much alive and well around some writer forum sites, where so-called experts are dishing out advice, and not in the kindest of ways. I find that these types are the same one's who follow agent blogs, kissing ass, with the hope of getting noticed.<br /><br />If it is a good story, I'm in, doesn't matter how it got published.Sean Patrick Reardonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14051252366031997054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-67864387125484872532011-10-10T10:01:41.433-05:002011-10-10T10:01:41.433-05:00A while ago Dave White nailed it: tell me what you...A while ago Dave White nailed it: tell me what you like and why.<br /><br />I think you're right, people talk about sales because that's something you can measure and assign a number.<br /><br />When it comes to craft I think it's like music. Lots of people can learn to play a musical instrument and some people will write new music that other people like. You can learn to write the same way you can learn to play already written music - that's craft. The next step is the tough one.<br /><br />If we could figure out what it is, we could talk about it ;)John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-32390019402698920412011-10-10T06:54:32.363-05:002011-10-10T06:54:32.363-05:00I hadn't thought of a correlation between less...I hadn't thought of a correlation between less craft talk (I've noticed it, too) and the recent e-publishing spike, but now that I do, you're right. They did occur at about the same time. Maybe we're thinking the sun rose because the rooster crowed, but it's food for thought.<br /><br />You and Jay are both right about the change in proportion of craft vs. publishing advice on blogs. The quality of comments seems to be down, too. That could be because talk of writing provokes thought, and talk of selling provokes arguments.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-89775120632524155632011-10-10T05:52:43.522-05:002011-10-10T05:52:43.522-05:00I agree (with both you and Chuck) that there's...I agree (with both you and Chuck) that there's been too much of a shift from craft to publishing.<br /><br />You need to learn to make the sausage before you learn to sell it. Both are important steps to me getting a hot dog, but I think one is getting preference over the other.<br /><br />Funny thing is, I've always been hesitant on craft talk. I don't do it much because I don't feel qualified to preach to others, and when other folks do it I take it with a grain of salt. And we don't do much craft talk here on DSD (for my part, again, it's not because I don't have craft talk to give, I just don't feel qualified to do it.)<br /><br />But how to change the balance? Well, I think supply and demand must come in to it more than we think. More and more people are writing about the publishing end because more and more people want to read about that.<br /><br />The only way we can shift it back, I guess, is if we get down and start producing a higher volume of craft talk, and give folks the other thing to read.<br /><br />Maybe November, a time when half the internet will be doing nanoonimoowromomomimmo, DSDers should sign up to a full month of craft talk? Try and push the content balance back a bit?Jay Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08764183157841848163noreply@blogger.com