How's THIS for a stupid statement?

[Mythsaje]

Writers of the Future "it's what keeps science fiction alive" says Orson Scott Card.

:rofl:

I went to one of their award ceremonies and the first hour was a "L. Ron Hubbard is GOD, or at least the Messiah" spiel.

Bleh.

[1monster]

1. I've only read one Orson Scott Card book. It was so bad, I wasn't inspired

to read another. And yet his books fill a whole row at the book store.....

(And I love fantasy literature. :shrug:)

[Momgonepostal]

2. That was my experience exactly

A friend told me how great he was, so I checked out Treasure Box from the library. It was truly bad. And I wanted to like him, I really did. I've never been motivated to read any more of this books.

[Mythsaje]

3. I kinda liked the early books in the Alvin the Maker series

because they had a unique perspective...they got old quick, though.

[pitohui]

4. "writers of the future" is funded by a legacy from l ron hubbard

i think they are somewhat obligated to bow in his general direction

while i'm conflicted somewhat by the source of the funding, anything that encourages new SF writers is probably a good thing in the end

card and hubbard are both majorly icky, i agree but...to some young people that prize $$$ could make a real difference

more $$$ out there for young writers is better than less $$$ out there for young writers, just show up late for the durn speeches! :-)


i'm guessing you got close to a prize or maybe won a prize if you attended, so kudos to you! (not trying to violate privacy so don't feel obligated to deny or confirm) :evilgrin:

[Mythsaje]

5. I saw the list of winners...

Maybe 10 to 15 percent of them ever went on to do anything significant in the genre. It's not "keeping sci-fi alive." It's self-congratulatory bullshit, in my opinion. Then again, it's associated with L. Ron Hubbard...self-congratulatory bullshit seems par for the course.

[pitohui]

6. yes but...

way fewer than 10 percent of any random group of writers will ever be paid $1 for their writing, and with the fraught state of the publishing industry today, i don't think giving out $$$ to writers, and maybe 90% take the money and never write again, and 10% take the money and go on another month and get some momentum going on their career is terrible

i know people who have gone literally over a decade, as in one case 20 years, before being paid one dime for his writing as a professional

you don't think that's stress on his family?

look, elron is shit, card is shit, you got no argument from me on that score

but anything that throws some $$$ in the general direction of aspiring writers -- i just can't crap on that

it's an open secret that winning "writers from the future" don't mean much, but if it puts food on the table for a WRITER, that's something more than nothing in my book

[Mythsaje]

7. Oh, I don't think the contest is a bad thing by any measure...

I just don't think that statement has any basis in fact. Writers are keeping sci-fi alive. Every last one of us. We do it because we love it, or because we HAVE to write.

I wrote for years before getting a single real shot at anything...being told that I was dreaming if I ever thought I'd get anywhere. That's pretty typical, I think. But I kept doing it and kept believing I could and I did.

[pitohui]

8. ok two thumbs up for your post, would read again

:-)

i agree absolutely w. what you are saying here

card is a blowhard, we don't need to put too much attention to him