Comments on: Four Years of Effort, Two Bad Reviews

By: Likely Stories » Blog Archive » Writing vs. Acting

Likely Stories » Blog Archive » Writing vs. Acting — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 15:54:23 +0000

[...] The synchronicities continue. Last Thursday, I discussed the difference between writing and acting. Last Friday,Â I called the JT Leroy hoax “theater.” And in Robert Stone’s Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties, which I finished reading last night, heÂ writes aboutÂ aÂ moment in 1958 when an acquaintance suggested he study acting. Stone was already consideringÂ a writing life, but wasn’t entirely sure of his ambitions: Compared to the rocks, the shoals, the silent storms I knew were out there in the endless progression of empty rooms that were the writer’s inheritance, a life of performance seemed very attractive. [...]

By: Bill Ott

Bill Ott — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:10:11 +0000

Keir nails it once again in his comments about how it is hard to disassociate the reviewer side of your self from the human being who may, on occasion, be in a position to meet and chat with authors. It happens to all of us, and one of the most difficult parts of this business is not letting that personal contact stand in the way of an honest review. For me, I think it’s the sheer difficulty of getting words on the page that gets you through any possible personal conflicts. It’s hard enough to find the words to express how you feel about a book without filtering in how feel about the author. If I can manage to say how I feel about a book in 200 words, I’m usually spent–and don’t have time to worry about what the author will think. Sometimes deadlines are a blessing.

By: GraceAnne DeCandido

GraceAnne DeCandido — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:38:26 +0000

I am so glad to see this. It tells the truth. As a reviewer (for Booklist and others) of many years’ standing, let me say that Keir tells it.