[Rant] Someone real...
Andrija Popovic
One of my most vivid convention memories is listening to a panel
discussion in ConfurenceEast 2 on writing. Paul Kidd headed the panel
and he regaled us with many tales, including this one (Please bear with
my funky memory. I don't have the tape of the panel right here...):
Once, at a Furry con, he was signing items for people when a young man,
black sketchbook clutched to his chest, noticed his Guest badge. "What
have you done?" asked the young attendee. Paul listed some of his
credits and the attendee looked impressed.
"You drew for all that?" the attendee asked.
"Uh, no, I'm a writer..." replied Paul.
"Oh," said the attendee. "I thought you were someone real..."
When this story gets passed around, most people wince sympathetically.
They know how hard it is to be a writer in this fandom if you haven't
had a novel published or made some high profile noise.
But it still doesn't make it any easier. And, frankly, it hints at a far
worse problem.
Everyone reading this now probably knows what it's like to be dismissed
out of hand, or to have something you've given blood, sweat and tears
for treated like toilet paper by someone. The exprience is painful,
disheartening, and cruel, especially when unintentional or done blindly.
Now imagine an entire community acting that way. Imagine a whole group
of people who enjoy what you enjoy, share your tastes, telling you that
what you do is unimportant at best. Imagine hordes of people saying
you're not 'someone real' because you chose to use your pen for prose
instead of pictures.
Being a writer is difficult enough as is. Even in regular SF fandom,
where the artist/writer situation is reversed in comparison to furry
fandom, there's a high standard of work to live up to and a constant
expectation each book has to be better than the next. It's hard writing
a short story, much less a novel or multiple novels. Anyone who tells
you otherwise is either utterly brilliant or lying through their teeth.
Now, imagine writing stories for people who look at all your work, at
your hours in front of the computer writing, revising, agonizing over
every sentence, as filler between pictures. All the standard
expectations are there, but aside from maybe two people saying, 'Hey,
cool story in Yerf' you hear nothing back.
We don't write these stories just for ourselves. We write them for other
people to enjoy. And, yes, we like hearing that they've been enjoyed. It
keeps us going through the days when we're pounding our heads against
the wall, wondering why we couldn't be content to just watch TV like
everyone else.
I don't mean the above to say that artists don't work hard. They do, and
they often wear may hats as well. Most of the artists I know are also
writers. But those of you out there that write and draw, which of the
two gets the most attention? Which of the two are you recognzed for?
The literary arts need more promotion in the furry community. Not just
to heal a few bruised egos, but because we're in danger of losing
something very important to this fandom for lack of encouragement.
Worse, the aliteracy that dominates the world at large could devour this
fandom.
Not illiteracy, which means a person does not know how to read, but
aliteracy. A person knows how to read, but doesn't bother to do so. Take
last year's Anthrocon for example. We had several signs posted in very
prominant places stating the hours of operation and art show rules.
Despite being right in front of most people's faces, they ignored those
signs. It became an exasperating experience.
Finally, a staff member said: "We can't use signs anymore. Furries don't
read. If it doesn't have artwork, they ignore it."
While everyone discussed creating 'mini comic books' with art show hours
and rules in them, I flashed back to the film version of Farenheit 451.
Nothing was written down save for the comics. Everything came through
TV. And everyone had become cattle.
The ability to create or relate tales and _record_ them is one of the
greatest achievements this species has ever accomplished. Genn, the
Gelfling in _The Dark Crystal_ described writing as "Words that stay."
They stay and wait. Wait for someone to read them and unlock the power
hidden there.
But if no one reads them, they stay, and wait, and die.
I'm ending this rant with a plea: Support literature in furry fandom. If
you're a writer, _don't_ get discouraged! Rally together with other
writers. Get your works published and PROMOTE them. Get people to read
them. Get word of mouth going for you.
If you're an artist, support your writers! When you're making a new
portfolio to sell at Anthrocon, ask your writer friends to kick out a
brief story to go with the 'folo. It'll be great promotion for both of
you and you'll stand out from the rest of the folio crowd. Encourage
your customers to read the stories in the magazines you appear in. Draw
for short stories. Help your writer friends promote their work and get
published. One art form should complitment, not dominate, the other.
<sigh> Well, I've said my peace. </rant>
Andrian
--
Andrija Popovic
vu...@erols.com
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
ka...@my-deja.com
Andrija Popovic <vu...@erols.com> wrote:
> Well, since we're ranting... Be warned, this could be long.
>
>
>
group
> of people who enjoy what you enjoy, share your tastes, telling you
that
> what you do is unimportant at best. Imagine hordes of people saying
> you're not 'someone real' because you chose to use your pen for prose
> instead of pictures.
>
Confusion, I expected it to be packed..standing room only. The room
didn't even fill up... Why do I think that, at any other regular scifi
con, I wouldn't have had a chance to even see her, much less speak to
her.
> Being a writer is difficult enough as is. Even in regular SF fandom,
> where the artist/writer situation is reversed in comparison to furry
> fandom, there's a high standard of work to live up to and a constant
> expectation each book has to be better than the next. It's hard
writing
> a short story, much less a novel or multiple novels. Anyone who tells
> you otherwise is either utterly brilliant or lying through their
teeth.
>
> Now, imagine writing stories for people who look at all your work, at
> your hours in front of the computer writing, revising, agonizing over
> every sentence, as filler between pictures. All the standard
> expectations are there, but aside from maybe two people saying, 'Hey,
> cool story in Yerf' you hear nothing back.
I try to give feedback to authors when I can, but yes, you are right.
I don't hear much about furry stories.
>
> We don't write these stories just for ourselves. We write them for
other
> people to enjoy. And, yes, we like hearing that they've been enjoyed.
It
> keeps us going through the days when we're pounding our heads against
> the wall, wondering why we couldn't be content to just watch TV like
> everyone else.
>
> >
> Not illiteracy, which means a person does not know how to read, but
> aliteracy. A person knows how to read, but doesn't bother to do so.
Take
> last year's Anthrocon for example. We had several signs posted in very
> prominant places stating the hours of operation and art show rules.
> Despite being right in front of most people's faces, they ignored
those
> signs. It became an exasperating experience.
>
And not limited to conventions, I'm afraid. We post endless signs in
the library, which are completely ignored by most customers. It is a
fact that people don't bother to read anything they are not forced
to..and they resent it when they must read instead of getting
information verbally.
> Finally, a staff member said: "We can't use signs anymore. Furries
don't
> read. If it doesn't have artwork, they ignore it."
>
> While everyone discussed creating 'mini comic books' with art show
hours
> and rules in them, I flashed back to the film version of Farenheit
451.
> Nothing was written down save for the comics. Everything came through
> TV. And everyone had become cattle.
>
>
> >
> I'm ending this rant with a plea: Support literature in furry fandom.
If
> you're a writer, _don't_ get discouraged! Rally together with other
> writers. Get your works published and PROMOTE them. Get people to read
> them. Get word of mouth going for you.
>
> If you're an artist, support your writers! When you're making a new
> portfolio to sell at Anthrocon, ask your writer friends to kick out a
> brief story to go with the 'folo. It'll be great promotion for both of
> you and you'll stand out from the rest of the folio crowd. Encourage
> your customers to read the stories in the magazines you appear in.
Draw
> for short stories. Help your writer friends promote their work and get
> published. One art form should complitment, not dominate, the other.
The situation is very ironic, considering that scifi literature is
the way MOST fans encountered "furries". How many times have I seen a
post about Alan Dean Foster, or Anne McCaffrey, or the Redwall series,
or the Jungle Book? Most furries I speak with are familiar with these
books, and many haunt bookstores. The book "kiosk" in the Dealer's Den
at Further Confusion was browsed regularly.
>
> <sigh> Well, I've said my peace. </rant>
>
> Andrian
>
> --
> Andrija Popovic
> vu...@erols.com
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.
>
--
Kagur
Andrija Popovic
ka...@my-deja.com wrote:
> In article <8bglh5$ja7$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> Andrija Popovic <vu...@erols.com> wrote:
> group
> > of people who enjoy what you enjoy, share your tastes, telling you
> that
> > what you do is unimportant at best. Imagine hordes of people saying
> > you're not 'someone real' because you chose to use your pen for
prose
> > instead of pictures.
> >
> Confusion, I expected it to be packed..standing room only. The room
> didn't even fill up... Why do I think that, at any other regular scifi
> con, I wouldn't have had a chance to even see her, much less speak to
> her.
<Andrija pauses for a moment to stop choking on his tea> Wha? Oh, jeez.
Kagur, you're right. At a regular SF convention C.J.'s panel would be
packed. The woman is considered a pioneer in both fantasy and SF. Her
books are consistant sellers and she's regularly nominated for Hugo and
Nebula awards.
Not to mention the fact that her Chanur series is considered one of the
keystones of Anthropomorphic literature. It set the standard for the use
of animal-based aliens in SF, IMHO. That fact that her panel was so
sparsly attended, especially on the West coast where Furry fandom really
began, is not a good thing.
> > Now, imagine writing stories for people who look at all your work,
at
> > your hours in front of the computer writing, revising, agonizing
over
> > every sentence, as filler between pictures. All the standard
> > expectations are there, but aside from maybe two people saying,
'Hey,
> > cool story in Yerf' you hear nothing back.
>
> I try to give feedback to authors when I can, but yes, you are right.
> I don't hear much about furry stories.
There are so few venues for stories these days. Most people would
rather spend money on comic books (where, again, the artist gets the
most attention unless you're Neil Gaimen) or on artwork.
I was thinking of submitting a short story for the program this year
but, part of me is thinking 'Why bother? It's not like anyone's going to
read it? I'm just filler between pictures...'
> > Not illiteracy, which means a person does not know how to read, but
> > aliteracy. A person knows how to read, but doesn't bother to do so.
> Take
> > last year's Anthrocon for example. We had several signs posted in
very
> > prominant places stating the hours of operation and art show rules.
> > Despite being right in front of most people's faces, they ignored
> those
> > signs. It became an exasperating experience.
> >
> And not limited to conventions, I'm afraid. We post endless signs in
> the library, which are completely ignored by most customers. It is a
> fact that people don't bother to read anything they are not forced
> to..and they resent it when they must read instead of getting
> information verbally.
We're becoming a nation of sloths, alas. :(
> > If you're an artist, support your writers! When you're making a new
> > portfolio to sell at Anthrocon, ask your writer friends to kick out
a
> > brief story to go with the 'folo. It'll be great promotion for both
of
> > you and you'll stand out from the rest of the folio crowd. Encourage
> > your customers to read the stories in the magazines you appear in.
> Draw
> > for short stories. Help your writer friends promote their work and
get
> > published. One art form should complitment, not dominate, the other.
>
> The situation is very ironic, considering that scifi literature is
> the way MOST fans encountered "furries". How many times have I seen a
> post about Alan Dean Foster, or Anne McCaffrey, or the Redwall series,
> or the Jungle Book? Most furries I speak with are familiar with these
> books, and many haunt bookstores. The book "kiosk" in the Dealer's Den
> at Further Confusion was browsed regularly.
During one of the flame wars, a person noted that AFF does not represent
most of Furry fandom. Unfortunately, this is a double edged sword. I'm
becoming increasingly convinced that the people who take an active
interest in anthro literature do not represent most of furry fandom. :(
I'm not sure if the few of us who are left can change things. When that
kind of apathy sets in, it's hard to uproot.
> --
> Kagur
Andrija
ka...@my-deja.com
> rather spend money on comic books (where, again, the artist gets the
> most attention unless you're Neil Gaimen) or on artwork.
>
> I was thinking of submitting a short story for the program this year
> but, part of me is thinking 'Why bother? It's not like anyone's going
to
> read it? I'm just filler between pictures...'
I hope you do, because I enjoy reading such stories.
We're becoming a nation of sloths, alas. :(
> >
> > The situation is very ironic, considering that scifi literature is
> > the way MOST fans encountered "furries". How many times have I seen
a
> > post about Alan Dean Foster, or Anne McCaffrey, or the Redwall
series,
> > or the Jungle Book? Most furries I speak with are familiar with
these
> > books, and many haunt bookstores. The book "kiosk" in the Dealer's
Den
> > at Further Confusion was browsed regularly.
>
> During one of the flame wars, a person noted that AFF does not
represent
> most of Furry fandom. Unfortunately, this is a double edged sword. I'm
> becoming increasingly convinced that the people who take an active
> interest in anthro literature do not represent most of furry fandom.
:(
>
> I'm not sure if the few of us who are left can change things. When
that
> kind of apathy sets in, it's hard to uproot.
True, although the problem may also be that most works of
anthropomorphic literature are not highly illustrated, and readers are
forced to use their imagination plus the writer's description to create
the "pictures". The fandom simply provides the pictures directly,
short-circuiting the need to use imagination to "see" a character.
>
> > --
> > Kagur
>
> Andrija
Andrija Popovic
ka...@my-deja.com wrote:
> > There are so few venues for stories these days. Most people would
> > rather spend money on comic books (where, again, the artist gets the
> > most attention unless you're Neil Gaimen) or on artwork.
> >
> > I was thinking of submitting a short story for the program this year
> > but, part of me is thinking 'Why bother? It's not like anyone's
going
> to
> > read it? I'm just filler between pictures...'
>
> I hope you do, because I enjoy reading such stories.
Thank you for saying so. :) I think you're in the minority, however.
No disrespect to the many hard working artists out there, but the
'instant gratification' factor inherent in the visual arts is hard to
compete with. That's why comic book artists get more recognition than
the writers. The first thing people notice is the art. They tend to
forget there is a writer behind it all.
khromat
> ka...@my-deja.com wrote:
> > Andrija Popovic <vu...@erols.com> wrote:
> > > > Now imagine an entire community acting that way. Imagine a whole
> > group
> > > of people who enjoy what you enjoy, share your tastes, telling you
> > that
> > > what you do is unimportant at best. Imagine hordes of people
saying
> > > you're not 'someone real' because you chose to use your pen for
> prose
> > > instead of pictures.
> > >
> > Confusion, I expected it to be packed..standing room only. The room
> > didn't even fill up... Why do I think that, at any other regular
scifi
> > con, I wouldn't have had a chance to even see her, much less speak
to
> > her.
Alas, as is typical, I didn't see C.J. because I was at my table... and
most dealers rarely remember to look at the schedules because they're
consigned to the idea they'll be stuck at their tables. Another
double-edged sword.
> <Andrija pauses for a moment to stop choking on his tea> Wha? Oh,
jeez.
> Kagur, you're right. At a regular SF convention C.J.'s panel would be
> packed. The woman is considered a pioneer in both fantasy and SF. Her
> books are consistant sellers and she's regularly nominated for Hugo
> and Nebula awards.
>
> Not to mention the fact that her Chanur series is considered one of
> the keystones of Anthropomorphic literature. It set the standard for
> the use of animal-based aliens in SF, IMHO. That fact that her panel
> was so sparsly attended, especially on the West coast where Furry
> fandom really began, is not a good thing.
Urg.. I'll have to dissagree with your idea that C.J. set the standard
for furry aliens in SF (Cordwainer Smith and H. Beam Piper come
immediately to mind), but I agree she's among the Golden Age writers to
create believable and sympathetic aliens.
(My own personal rant: Fred Patten did a compilation of furry-based
liturature and I never saw it, but all I ever heard in the 80's was
Chanur and Spellsinger and I *know* there's a heck of a lot more SF/F
liturature with furry interests out there, some dating back to the 30s.
Talk about *forgotten*!)
> > > Now, imagine writing stories for people who look at all your work,
> at
> > > your hours in front of the computer writing, revising, agonizing
> over
> > > every sentence, as filler between pictures. All the standard
> > > expectations are there, but aside from maybe two people saying,
> 'Hey,
> > > cool story in Yerf' you hear nothing back.
Something I think I realize about the problem between the written arts
and the visual arts... graphics are easily shared among others. You can
have 8 people staring at an image and immediately discuss its virtues
and faults, but reading is a one-on-one experience, even if you choose
to speak it aloud to share the words with others. The act of reading is
more entailed, demands more attention from the viewer/reader and
requires more parts of the brain to work together to assimilate (think
about it: translate the characters into a word, hear your mental voice
pronounce the word, translate the meaning of the word, put it in context
of the sentance. To view an image only requires pattern recognition.)
> I was thinking of submitting a short story for the program this year
> but, part of me is thinking 'Why bother? It's not like anyone's going
> to read it? I'm just filler between pictures...'
Believe it or not, I know folks tend to read the short stories in
program books... it's something to while the time waiting for a panel.
;3
> > > Not illiteracy, which means a person does not know how to read,
but
> > > aliteracy. A person knows how to read, but doesn't bother to do
so.
> > Take
> > > last year's Anthrocon for example. We had several signs posted in
> very
> > > prominant places stating the hours of operation and art show
rules.
> > > Despite being right in front of most people's faces, they ignored
> > those
> > > signs. It became an exasperating experience.
> > >
> > And not limited to conventions, I'm afraid. We post endless signs in
> > the library, which are completely ignored by most customers. It is a
> > fact that people don't bother to read anything they are not forced
> > to..and they resent it when they must read instead of getting
> > information verbally.
>
> We're becoming a nation of sloths, alas. :(
But that's been happening for generations, I'm afraid. As soon as an
easier means for spreading information came out, it was preferred by the
majority of people so they wouldn't have to work as hard. The InterNet
is causing it's own problems, too: While you need to be able to read,
everything is given an immediacy and emphasized with colors, sounds, and
images. Reading is now a blipvert to the rest of the content.
> > > If you're an artist, support your writers! When you're making a
new
> > > portfolio to sell at Anthrocon, ask your writer friends to kick
out
> a
> > > brief story to go with the 'folo. It'll be great promotion for
both
> of
> > > you and you'll stand out from the rest of the folio crowd.
Encourage
> > > your customers to read the stories in the magazines you appear in.
> > Draw
> > > for short stories. Help your writer friends promote their work and
> get
> > > published. One art form should complitment, not dominate, the
other.
As always, I think they best solution is synergy... face it, even more
than illustrations, people of Furry Fandom believe the sequential art
and writing of *COMICS* are the highest form of furryness. The fact that
it requires multiple people (in most cases) to produce a comic helps,
but it also hinders the individual from feeling free to chose their own
form of expression. I'm an illustrator and a writer but I have never
done comics and often feel the brunt of neglect. Illustrated stories
would be good to see more often, but again it's more likely to be a
collaboration than a single person so some networking needs to happen to
get that to work.
-- ermine
==================================
home email: KhromatAtInOrbitDotCom
Andrija Popovic
khromat <khr...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> > > All too true. When I went to the C.J. Cherryh panel at Further
> > > Confusion, I expected it to be packed..standing room only. The
room
> > > didn't even fill up... Why do I think that, at any other regular
> scifi
> > > con, I wouldn't have had a chance to even see her, much less speak
> to
> > > her.
>
> Alas, as is typical, I didn't see C.J. because I was at my table...
and
> most dealers rarely remember to look at the schedules because they're
> consigned to the idea they'll be stuck at their tables. Another
> double-edged sword.
Erf. Sorry you missed her.
> > Not to mention the fact that her Chanur series is considered one of
> > the keystones of Anthropomorphic literature. It set the standard for
> > the use of animal-based aliens in SF, IMHO. That fact that her panel
> > was so sparsly attended, especially on the West coast where Furry
> > fandom really began, is not a good thing.
>
> Urg.. I'll have to dissagree with your idea that C.J. set the standard
> for furry aliens in SF (Cordwainer Smith and H. Beam Piper come
> immediately to mind), but I agree she's among the Golden Age writers
to
> create believable and sympathetic aliens.
The following is very much IMHO. :)
To take nothing away from Cordwainer Smith and fellow Hostigos resident
H. Beam Piper, I don't entirely agree. Cordwainer used his Underpeople
as an metaphor for the oppressed, especially in China. Piper's Fuzzies,
while they shared certain traits with many primates, were very much
original creations.
C.J.'s Hani are, unless I'm seriously mistaken, are an extrapolation of
what evolved big cats would be like. Now, mind you, I don't know as much
about lions as I'd like, but the divisions in their society as well as
their biological quirks have distinct parallels to big cat behaviors. To
me, that's is what set the milestone for the genre so far. They weren't
just literary devices, or aliens with fur, they were an extrapolation. A
'what if' about big cats.
IMHO off. :)
> (My own personal rant: Fred Patten did a compilation of furry-based
> liturature and I never saw it, but all I ever heard in the 80's was
> Chanur and Spellsinger and I *know* there's a heck of a lot more SF/F
> liturature with furry interests out there, some dating back to the
30s.
> Talk about *forgotten*!)
Most early SF has been forgotten. It's sad how we're losing our
heritage...
> > > > Now, imagine writing stories for people who look at all your
work,
> > at
> > > > your hours in front of the computer writing, revising, agonizing
> > over
> > > > every sentence, as filler between pictures. All the standard
> > > > expectations are there, but aside from maybe two people saying,
> > 'Hey,
> > > > cool story in Yerf' you hear nothing back.
>
> Something I think I realize about the problem between the written arts
> and the visual arts... graphics are easily shared among others. You
can
> have 8 people staring at an image and immediately discuss its virtues
> and faults, but reading is a one-on-one experience, even if you choose
> to speak it aloud to share the words with others. The act of reading
is
> more entailed, demands more attention from the viewer/reader and
> requires more parts of the brain to work together to assimilate (think
> about it: translate the characters into a word, hear your mental voice
> pronounce the word, translate the meaning of the word, put it in
context
> of the sentance. To view an image only requires pattern recognition.)
As I mentioned to Kagur in another post, images are a form of instant
gratification. They play to the sense we use every waking moment: our
sight. Reading a story takes time, and thought, and energy. In times
like this, that's too much of an investment for most people.
> > I was thinking of submitting a short story for the program this year
> > but, part of me is thinking 'Why bother? It's not like anyone's
going
> > to read it? I'm just filler between pictures...'
>
> Believe it or not, I know folks tend to read the short stories in
> program books... it's something to while the time waiting for a panel.
> ;3
You do? Cool. Glad to hear the stories are being shared. I just wish
most of the writers knew that. Next Anthrocon, I'm definately hunting
down the contributers and chatting with them...
> > > And not limited to conventions, I'm afraid. We post endless signs
in
> > > the library, which are completely ignored by most customers. It is
a
> > > fact that people don't bother to read anything they are not forced
> > > to..and they resent it when they must read instead of getting
> > > information verbally.
> >
> > We're becoming a nation of sloths, alas. :(
>
> But that's been happening for generations, I'm afraid. As soon as an
> easier means for spreading information came out, it was preferred by
the
> majority of people so they wouldn't have to work as hard. The InterNet
> is causing it's own problems, too: While you need to be able to read,
> everything is given an immediacy and emphasized with colors, sounds,
and
> images. Reading is now a blipvert to the rest of the content.
Unfortunately so. Alas, I can't see any way to moderate this trend.
I would love to write for comics. Most of my literary training is in
screenwriting and comic scripts are not that different. Alas, it is hard
to find collaborators. The same goes for a illustrated story.
Hmmm. It would be interesting to start a writer/artist networking
meeting. Writers could bring their stories or scripts, artists could
bring their portfolios and they could mingle, establish working
relationships...
Wish I had a room for a room party now. :)
> -- ermine
> ==================================
> home email: KhromatAtInOrbitDotCom
Andrija
--
Andrija Popovic
vu...@erols.com
Follow the Bouncing Pony!
> As I mentioned to Kagur in another post, images are a form of instant
> gratification. They play to the sense we use every waking moment: our
> sight. Reading a story takes time, and thought, and energy. In times
> like this, that's too much of an investment for most people.
I think you hit the nail on the head, there. I was browsing this thread
and the first thing that occured to me is that it takes a lot less time
to look at artwork than it does to read a story. That's the only real
reason I can think of why I don't read more. (I'm still about halfway
through _Professor_and_the_Madman_... I haven't read it in at least two
months now.) Reading simply takes more time.
.
Not to say I don't read stories. I read Plonq's stuff whenever I come
across it. But then, it's online, which helps a lot since I practically
live online anyway.
.
[WRT stories in conbooks:]
> You do? Cool. Glad to hear the stories are being shared. I just wish
> most of the writers knew that. Next Anthrocon, I'm definately hunting
> down the contributers and chatting with them...
I read one of the stories in FC conbook (by Aetobatus, IIRC) when I had
some free time. I read another story by Allen Kitchen in a conbook,
too. Usually it's something to do in between panels or on the flight
home, though.
.
> Hmmm. It would be interesting to start a writer/artist networking
> meeting. Writers could bring their stories or scripts, artists could
> bring their portfolios and they could mingle, establish working
> relationships...
It would be nice to see more collaborative efforts within the fandom.
One of the complaints I heard once was that "artists shouldn't write,
and writers shouldn't draw". I haven't really read enough furry comics
to say whether I agree with it or not, but I think writers and artists
networking more would definitely by beneficial for all involved in any
event.
.
--
__________________________________________________
Karl Xydexx Jorgensen / Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C.
Anthrofurry II: http://www.xydexx.com/anthrofurry
"If you can dream it, you can do it."--Walt Disney
Andrija Popovic
Follow the Bouncing Pony! <xyd...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> Andrija Popovic wrote:
> > As I mentioned to Kagur in another post, images are a form of
instant
> > gratification. They play to the sense we use every waking moment:
our
> > sight. Reading a story takes time, and thought, and energy. In times
> > like this, that's too much of an investment for most people.
> I think you hit the nail on the head, there. I was browsing this
thread
> and the first thing that occured to me is that it takes a lot less
time
> to look at artwork than it does to read a story. That's the only real
> reason I can think of why I don't read more. (I'm still about halfway
> through _Professor_and_the_Madman_... I haven't read it in at least
two
> months now.) Reading simply takes more time.
I've found that reading is like exercising. It takes a while to get into
the habit, but once you're there you do it every chance you get. And you
start to realize that you can get more done in less time. I've finished
200 page novels in two days just reading a few pages in stolen moments.
> Not to say I don't read stories. I read Plonq's stuff whenever I come
> across it. But then, it's online, which helps a lot since I
practically
> live online anyway.
<chuckle>
.
> [WRT stories in conbooks:]
> > You do? Cool. Glad to hear the stories are being shared. I just wish
> > most of the writers knew that. Next Anthrocon, I'm definately
hunting
> > down the contributers and chatting with them...
> .
> I read one of the stories in FC conbook (by Aetobatus, IIRC) when I
had
> some free time. I read another story by Allen Kitchen in a conbook,
> too. Usually it's something to do in between panels or on the flight
> home, though.
I wish more people would let the writers in the conbook know they've
enjoyed the work there. All the writers I know who've submitted felt
like they were throwing the story away.
> > Hmmm. It would be interesting to start a writer/artist networking
> > meeting. Writers could bring their stories or scripts, artists could
> > bring their portfolios and they could mingle, establish working
> > relationships...
> .
> It would be nice to see more collaborative efforts within the fandom.
> One of the complaints I heard once was that "artists shouldn't write,
> and writers shouldn't draw".
Good gods, where would that put Stan Sakai?
I haven't really read enough furry comics
> to say whether I agree with it or not, but I think writers and artists
> networking more would definitely by beneficial for all involved in any
> event.
I agree. Some of the best works out there are collaborative efforts.
Books like "Usagi Yojimbo" are rare.
ka...@my-deja.com
Andrija Popovic <vu...@erols.com> wrote:
> In article <8bqti3$flo$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> Follow the Bouncing Pony! <xyd...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> > Andrija Popovic wrote:
> instant
> > > gratification. They play to the sense we use every waking moment:
> our
> > > sight. Reading a story takes time, and thought, and energy. In
times
> > > like this, that's too much of an investment for most people.
> > I think you hit the nail on the head, there. I was browsing this
> thread
> > and the first thing that occured to me is that it takes a lot less
> time
> > to look at artwork than it does to read a story. That's the only
real
> > reason I can think of why I don't read more. (I'm still about
halfway
> > through _Professor_and_the_Madman_... I haven't read it in at least
> two
> > months now.) Reading simply takes more time.
And too many of our customers start out their questions by stating,"I
haven't been in a library for years...."
>
> I've found that reading is like exercising. It takes a while to get
into
> the habit, but once you're there you do it every chance you get. And
you
> start to realize that you can get more done in less time. I've
finished
> 200 page novels in two days just reading a few pages in stolen
moments.
::nods:: Put me in a bookstore and you will have to drag me out. Most
of my close friends are bibliophiles and see nothing wrong with spending
an afternoon in a bookstore.
>
> > Not to say I don't read stories. I read Plonq's stuff whenever I
come
> > across it. But then, it's online, which helps a lot since I
> practically
> > live online anyway.
>
> <chuckle>
> .
> > [WRT stories in conbooks:]
> > > You do? Cool. Glad to hear the stories are being shared. I just
wish
> > > most of the writers knew that. Next Anthrocon, I'm definately
> hunting
> > > down the contributers and chatting with them...
> > .
> > I read one of the stories in FC conbook (by Aetobatus, IIRC) when I
> had
> > some free time. I read another story by Allen Kitchen in a conbook,
> > too. Usually it's something to do in between panels or on the flight
> > home, though.
I usually read all the stories in the conbooks, but don't know the
authors well enough to recognize them to compliment them. Heck, half the
time, I don't recognize major artists of the fandom:)
>
> I wish more people would let the writers in the conbook know they've
> enjoyed the work there. All the writers I know who've submitted felt
> like they were throwing the story away.
>
> > > Hmmm. It would be interesting to start a writer/artist networking
> > > meeting. Writers could bring their stories or scripts, artists
could
> > > bring their portfolios and they could mingle, establish working
> > > relationships...
> > .
> > It would be nice to see more collaborative efforts within the
fandom.
> > One of the complaints I heard once was that "artists shouldn't
write,
> > and writers shouldn't draw".
>
> Good gods, where would that put Stan Sakai?
>
> I agree. Some of the best works out there are collaborative efforts.
> Books like "Usagi Yojimbo" are rare.
::nods:: Collaboration between authors and artists would be welcome. I
would love to see what some artists would make of the characters in
Blood Jaguar, for instance.