tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post7988054657973071095..comments2023-06-24T03:14:25.184-05:00Comments on Chapter and Verse: Literary Success ... in About Fifty YearsWHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14815646433314236886noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-71632220006518383762008-02-17T09:22:00.000-06:002008-02-17T09:22:00.000-06:00Seamus, there are so many great writers toiling in...Seamus, there are so many great writers toiling in obscurity, to use a cliche. Like Jeff Herman says in his agent directory, every year there are a thousand books published that shouldn't be, and thousand that aren't but should. Alas.WHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815646433314236886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-7561473423279114042008-02-15T14:58:00.000-06:002008-02-15T14:58:00.000-06:00I do like discovering writers that have been "swal...I do like discovering writers that have been "swallowed"! :-)S. Kearneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03976476273818980832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-7062089132938868802008-02-11T09:30:00.000-06:002008-02-11T09:30:00.000-06:00Jason, that ripple effect works in so many areas o...Jason, that ripple effect works in so many areas of life. And it certainly works in your blog. Your work is always thoughtful and provocative, both the content and the craftsmanship.WHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815646433314236886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-603884436650945532008-02-11T09:24:00.000-06:002008-02-11T09:24:00.000-06:00I like the Lewis thought also. The internet is an...I like the Lewis thought also. The internet is an unprecedented tool to create, and to experience what is created.<BR/><BR/>I have to remind myself that successes here are important. They can easily have the ripple effect we're taking about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-82306419192729827692008-02-10T13:56:00.000-06:002008-02-10T13:56:00.000-06:00Hi, Monique, and welcome! Thanks for stopping by....Hi, Monique, and welcome! Thanks for stopping by. I think failure goes with the territory, at least in the short term. I'd rather face a grizzley bear than send submissions to agents. I don't know much about screenwriting, but maybe your blog will teach me something :)WHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815646433314236886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-31460812636165924942008-02-10T13:06:00.000-06:002008-02-10T13:06:00.000-06:00That was a very interesting read as I'm still tryi...That was a very interesting read as I'm still trying hard to be recognised and keep on failing. Who knows ... After my death ... Yes, how many floppy discs indeed.Moniquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09349799166295592394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-54941437943926784322008-02-10T12:51:00.000-06:002008-02-10T12:51:00.000-06:00Charles, I will not turn down the whopping advance...Charles, I will not turn down the whopping advance check the day it arrives in the mail, should that day ever materialize. A worker is worth his wages, as the Good Book saith.<BR/><BR/>It is indeed phenomenal to see how many good writers exist in the blogosphere. In a post last November (I think), I spoke of what I called "literary chaos theory." Major publishers may have downsized in the past five years, turning out fewer titles, but new technology is always coming online. Somehow, I think that new publishing paradigms will evolve, with POD just the beginning of a new revolution that we can't completely understand yet. I hope so. The alternative is Orwellian.WHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815646433314236886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-87397723288037867982008-02-10T10:09:00.000-06:002008-02-10T10:09:00.000-06:00I thought I'd commented on this post yesterday but...I thought I'd commented on this post yesterday but it didn't show up. I think it's amazing how much good writing talent I see around the blogosphere among unpublished or "gently" published authors. The same is true of art. Talent is definitely not enough by itself. It's nice to think of authors who finally did get recognition, but it would sure be nice if it happened to more of us while we were alive.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-55278880854895681132008-02-10T09:41:00.000-06:002008-02-10T09:41:00.000-06:00Thanks again, Lana!Thanks again, Lana!WHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815646433314236886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-12649535266602515062008-02-09T13:59:00.000-06:002008-02-09T13:59:00.000-06:00FYI, I responded to your query about my art in my ...FYI, I responded to your query about my art in my comments. I didn't see the "P.S." until I'd already responded.<BR/>(I also posted this in the comments on your other blog, fyi.)<BR/>Best of luck with your writing. :)Lana Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06975996208260144558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-35433230351723257972008-02-09T09:55:00.000-06:002008-02-09T09:55:00.000-06:00Sarah, yes, success is indeed happiness, and I agr...Sarah, yes, success is indeed happiness, and I agree that blogging helps writers to connect and find their readers. That's why I like the C.S. Lewis sentiment so much--that a readership of one is perfectly acceptable.<BR/><BR/>Julie, LOL I was thinking the same thing. It would really make a great premise for a novel! I'm filing that one under "high priority" -:)<BR/><BR/>Written, I've been very happy to stay with small presses that have a print run of a few hundred to a couple of thousand. I'd be equally happy to print up something on POD and have my friends read it. It comes down to loving words and using them because we must. And yes, fame has a distinct downside! I new a NY Times bestselling author--Walker Percy--and he was always hounded to appear at functions and grant interviews and read other people's manuscripts.<BR/><BR/>Scott, people, myself included, get so caught up in running the agent gauntlet that it can drain all happiness from a soul that has labored over a work. It drove me to distraction at times, especially when agents requested my work and then never responded or thanked me for submitting a title that I never sent them. Yes--for pleasure more than anything, not that I frown upon anyone who wants to run the gauntlet. It's an individual decision. I can't swear I'll never try the major leagues again (and I have to help my clients do this), but I can be happy "as is."<BR/><BR/>Marja, the ripple effect is soooo powerful, as seen in the movie PAY IT FORWARD. After mentioning the ripple effect yesterday in this post, I decided to talk about it at greater length in my other blog (the off the wall "talk about anything" blog). I subscribe to the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation newsletter and am always uplifted.<BR/><BR/>Sandy, I believe in synchronicity. We write what we must and then let a higher power decide where it will end up, although our own time schedules are not always met. I believe that when we cooperate with a greater power--when we're open and have the right intention--then things fall into place. We have to take our own ego out of it. Yes, Emily had to wait a very long time :)WHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815646433314236886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-16983462373652358532008-02-09T06:32:00.000-06:002008-02-09T06:32:00.000-06:00This is quite an intro to those whose success came...This is quite an intro to those whose success came posthumously. These folks teach us to write because we have to write because we have to write! Emily D. is the star example of this little truth, isn't she? <BR/><BR/>Knowing this and walking into a major bookstore and knowing books come and go is also a reminder to write well and let fame take care of itself!<BR/><BR/>Thought-provoking. Thanks for taking the time to do this.SandyCarlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10752798823532580733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-10786988613438113082008-02-09T04:44:00.000-06:002008-02-09T04:44:00.000-06:00I do think writing is very undervalued. I agree w...I do think writing is very undervalued. I agree with the ripple effect that's what keeps me going in my work with chidren and why I have a blog. If you change one child you change whole families in the future. If even what I write on my blog gets people thinking than I have set a step towards a better future.Marjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17458942200244031009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-28710917767742669752008-02-09T01:14:00.000-06:002008-02-09T01:14:00.000-06:00I decided that writing should be an enjoyable past...I decided that writing should be an enjoyable pastime, not an obsessive art.<BR/><BR/>I write stuff for the same reason I build stuff, sculpt stuff, design stuff and make up stuff.<BR/><BR/>Because its fun.Scott from Oregonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01331284708780612453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-87468604880832804252008-02-08T20:17:00.000-06:002008-02-08T20:17:00.000-06:00I've occasionally reflected on this sort of thing,...I've occasionally reflected on this sort of thing, Billy. Not as a measure of success but as a justification for my preference to stay out of the limelight. I would hate being famous. Getting published is just proof that my writing doesn't suck!writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-81962823506742582422008-02-08T15:59:00.000-06:002008-02-08T15:59:00.000-06:00Sounds like there's the seeds of a novel in the fi...Sounds like there's the seeds of a novel in the final paragraph....virtual nexushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11955335598875413324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7929073053478779848.post-82377112367528707362008-02-08T14:24:00.000-06:002008-02-08T14:24:00.000-06:00Interesting post, Billy. I love these toiling in a...Interesting post, Billy. I love these toiling in anonymity stories. <BR/><BR/>I think success is finding happiness in what you do. But most of us also want an audience. Which is why I think blogging is such a wonderful tool for exposure. <BR/><BR/>Is a writer any happier reaching a million readers than reaching ten? One's ego may improve, but I think at a certain point, the numbers just become an abstraction.<BR/><BR/>You're right: true literary fame is out of our hands. But I hope all of those wonderful writers still felt like what they were doing was worthwhile. At least on their good days. :)Sarah Hinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13888406261817690010noreply@blogger.com