Comments on: Things That Scare Me, Pt 1: Puppet Strings

By: Myke

Myke — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:23:47 +0000

I think you hit the nail on the head earlier. The issue isn’t so much that you’ve learned the craft, it’s that where you are in life (and hence your perspective) has changed. Part of this is being informed by your craft, but part of it is that the world resonates differently when you’re 12 vice when you’re . . . how old we are but won’t publicize here.

By: edifanob

edifanob — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:04:28 +0000

Thank you for information about Gerald Tarrant.
I found following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldfire_Trilogy

I added the COLDFIRE trilogy to my list.

By: Peat

Peat — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:38:07 +0000

edifanob, Gerald Tarrant is the Hunter, the ultimate anti-hero in CS Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Tia, in the light of day I know you're right. Last year I started reading Naomi Novik's Victory of Eagles. For the first ten pages, I was hyper-critical of her technique. Then, before I knew it, I forgot about all that crap and just soared through the air with Temeraire and Laurence. I had a similar experience a couple of months ago with The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. It's not that the magic has gone away, it's just harder to find. Still, I am scared to re-read some of my old favorites. Thankfully, that is a luxury I have no time for these days, anyway.

By: Tia Nevitt

Tia Nevitt — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:01:14 +0000

There’s always going to be a book out there that makes you forget to be critical about technique. If you read a book and don’t fall in love with the story, then the technique begins to bother you.

Yes, rereading the stuff I loved when I was 20 is now somewhat painful. But part of the reason it’s painful is because I know the story, and can pay attention to the technique. You can never read a beloved book again and have that same sense of wonder as you had in the first book. But you CAN reread it with a more rational mind, thus being better able to dissect why you loved the book so much the first time.

I read The Once and Future King by T. H. White fifteen times over a span of about ten years. Nowadays, his writing seems somewhat clunky. But I still love the story and when I was 20, it was pure magic.

By: edifanob

edifanob — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:12:30 +0000

First of all, I’m no author. I’m one of the guys who reads what you write. But I can tell you people of the “other” side also have their fears. We are all human beings and we change during our life – some more, some less. And there are people who reflect more and other reflect less.
But I think even you discover the hidden 3-d image as long as you are open-minded able to dive in well written story you don’t need to scare.
And as long as you are able to write such great books like THE PAINTED MAN I’m not afraid that you will become a cynical old man.
Compared to me – in summer I change the target group, leave the one up to 49 – you are a young man.
My fear is: can I read all the books I want until I die. Your sense of time changes when you get older. Time seem to run faster.

And I need to find out who is Gerald Tarrant……..