Today, discuss how far you think a writer can reasonably go, away from his or her own life. What are the dangers? The rewards?
How far away have you ever gone? How’d that work out for you?
You may have heard of a fellow named Dan Brown. He’s written a few novels. He may break out soon. His latest,
Infeno, just hit with a 4 million hardcover first printing. So yeah, the kid may make some dough.
His writing style has been attacked and parodied, as in this from The Telegraph:
The critics said his writing was clumsy, ungrammatical, repetitive and repetitive…They said his prose was swamped in a sea of mixed metaphors.
So here is today’s Reader Friday question: How much does style matter? Dan Brown weaves the kind of story that people absolutely lap up on the beach or at Starbucks, or while listening to their iPods as they jog. Sure, his style is not going to win any awards, but so what?
Or is there a what to consider?
Mr. Harlan Ellison, a writer who has never been known as a shrinking violet, once had a slight disagreement with his publisher. That incident is recounted here.
Tell us, have you ever wanted to react just that way? What were the circumstances? How did you handle it? What would you counsel a young writer regarding when to be, er, demonstrable in his or her ire?
Okay, you’re stuck on that proverbial desert island. No one around, but for some strange reason there’s a movie house and a trained monkey that knows how to run the projector. What three films would you want to have with you, one from each category:
1. Drama
2. Comedy
3. Musical
(We at TKZ will try to air drop you some popcorn)
What’s your favorite line from a book or movie? I know there are a lot to choose from, but whenever I’m asked that I always go immediately to the great Bette Davis in All About Eve, turning to the partygoers and saying, “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” (You really have to watch the clip and listen to the voice for the full effect).
What’s your favorite line?
