tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post63762844710487205..comments2023-09-29T05:32:04.308-07:00Comments on StrangePegs: The High Cost of MagicAndrew Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-49613744640613609102014-05-13T12:26:51.966-07:002014-05-13T12:26:51.966-07:00TAS: WOW! I'll have to look that up. He was al...TAS: WOW! I'll have to look that up. He was always good at inspiring his fans, and I have to respect him for what he's done for authors rights over the years.<br /><br />Lee: I'd probably have four blogs if I could keep up with writing that many, but I think that's beyond me, at the moment. But I do cover a variety of topics on here, so I guess I'm good.<br /><br />Jo: Yeah, ruts are easy to get into whatever you do.<br /><br />D Biswas: You don't have to someone else stereotype you. People are plenty capable of doing it to themselves, too.<br /><br />Alex H: Well, I don't like the idea of pseudonyms. Why deny the part of your audience that likes the way you write (as opposed to just like what you wrote in a particular story or series) access to other things you've written by hiding it under another name?<br /><br />Loni: Well, honestly, I probably around 50 Anthony novels when I was in high school.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-91061645065012548992014-05-13T07:47:08.065-07:002014-05-13T07:47:08.065-07:00I read 14 Xanth novels over the span of one school...I read 14 Xanth novels over the span of one school summer. I didn't see much of the outside world during those days.<br /><br />It's great you're not limiting yourself! Creativity is much more powerful when it isn't held by boundaries. Loni Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126958230703180761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-19795765563824171692014-05-13T06:02:51.285-07:002014-05-13T06:02:51.285-07:00I hope you do experiment more. I've seen the a...I hope you do experiment more. I've seen the advice a lot that for the sake of "brand", you shouldn't write outside one genre unless you're using multiple pen names, but I don't agree with that. To assume that a reader will only enjoy one genre ever in their life or in their "relationship" to you is like suggesting a baby will only ever eat carrot mush, and will never try anything else. <br /><br />Great post. :)Alex Hursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05556334141936498897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-20519060162404300782014-05-13T05:32:08.697-07:002014-05-13T05:32:08.697-07:00I think authors can easily be pulled into traps li...I think authors can easily be pulled into traps like this. Basically, they can focus in too much on writing just one kind of thing because that appears to be where the money is. They lock themselves into just writing fantasy or just writing romance or just writing... whatever because "that's what people want." Usually, by the time you've realized you've put yourself in a box, it's too late to get out. As Anthony says, publishers don't want anything else from him anymore.<br /><br />That's such a sobering thought. I've seen many good authors go this way. I haven't written enough to be stereotyped, but I can see how this can mess up an author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04283371140346602856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-56601540033828854752014-05-12T17:41:30.806-07:002014-05-12T17:41:30.806-07:00I don't begin to understand Magic, but I do ag...I don't begin to understand Magic, but I do agree that people shouldn't get stuck writing the same thing all the time. Mind you getting in a rut applies to other things in life and are always a bad thing to do and difficult to get out of.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14087140585742801854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-80346056953763752692014-05-12T17:04:33.514-07:002014-05-12T17:04:33.514-07:00That game sounds so complicated--for me at least. ...That game sounds so complicated--for me at least. I never played any games like that.<br /><br />I'm like you. I wouldn't want to be stuck writing the same thing. That's probably why I keep my blog eclectic. And why I have 4 blogs. I love variety.<br /><br />Lee<br /><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Tossing It Out</a><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-44691886264523500372014-05-12T16:50:20.868-07:002014-05-12T16:50:20.868-07:00Wow! There was a great piece on Piers Anthony on ...Wow! There was a great piece on Piers Anthony on NPR not long ago - a true story about a boy who ran away from home to meet him.The Armchair Squidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10739833215220853127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-39877653791448793042014-05-12T13:34:06.121-07:002014-05-12T13:34:06.121-07:00TAS: I went through... I don't know. Book 15 o...TAS: I went through... I don't know. Book 15 or so.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-25742967178109427142014-05-12T13:01:32.345-07:002014-05-12T13:01:32.345-07:00I loved the first Xanth book but they definitely g...I loved the first Xanth book but they definitely got weaker as they went along. Night Mare was the last one I read.The Armchair Squidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10739833215220853127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-66672525922859307782014-05-12T11:49:38.692-07:002014-05-12T11:49:38.692-07:00Alex C: Yeah, they took out a lot of the old stapl...Alex C: Yeah, they took out a lot of the old staples: Terror, Lightning Bolt, Dark Ritual. At the time, it was to slow the game down. Of course, now, with the way they're working the rares, it's sped it back up, just in a different way.<br /><br />JeffO: That's true. But when you trap yourself into writing just one kind of story, people will peg you with the "just a."<br /><br />Emma: Yeah, I don't understand the desire to write just one kind of thing any more than I understand the desire to read just one kind of thing, but I know a lot of people who just read .<br /><br />Briane: I like new ideas. Or old forgotten ones.<br /><br />Jean: I think when you do just one thing, all of your stuff becomes just that one thing. Like with David Eddings. Once you read The Belgariad, there is absolutely no reason to read anything else by him. It's all just lesser versions of that story.<br /><br />Pat: Yeah, that's the problem and why it's so easy to fall into that trap.<br /><br />ABftS: Well, I'm not thinking I'm going to try everything, but trying many things is certainly a good thing.<br /><br />David: There are a lot of categories. The place near me really only hosts Standard and Modern tournaments, though.<br /><br />You should get some of those Loxodon Smiters. heh<br /><br />Tina: If a romance doesn't have a happy ending, is that when it becomes a tragedy?<br /><br />Elsie: On my blog, I tend to just write the things that I'm thinking about. Or have been thinking about at some point, since my idea list hasn't been under a dozen in... um... two years?<br /><br />Ah, so you're at all of the really exciting stuff!Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-13230429270270048102014-05-12T10:57:56.718-07:002014-05-12T10:57:56.718-07:00This was exactly like listening to my hubby after ...This was exactly like listening to my hubby after he's been to a Magic tournament. Like you, he only goes two or three times a year. And that's usually to sell off some cards. <br /><br />I can relate to you about writing. Not so much about my book but about my blog. I had changed it up a bit when I thought I was losing readers because of my content. I started to write what I thought they'd want to read. Then, I realized it wasn't that, it was the time of year, summer. <br /><br />People don't just start reading a blog, then stop reading it because they hate it. The readership just falls off naturally. For me to change the content was dumb. I was trying to please them instead of me. I don't do that anymore. Like you said on my blog the other day - write what you know. Also, what you enjoy.<br /><br />Oh, just a heads up, lots of action going on in House. The whole family is involved after D&D. *wink*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-33866996254477356172014-05-12T08:44:22.668-07:002014-05-12T08:44:22.668-07:00I found it fascinating to understand a bit about h...I found it fascinating to understand a bit about how those types of card games work, and about the money involved. Helps me understand Big Bang Theory better ;-)<br />As always, great analogy. I think if you're a writer, you're a writer and can write anything you want. If all you're trying to do is please your audience, then that is going to affect your story, even dictate it (romances have to have a happy ending for example). Write what you want to write. It's great if people want to read it.<br />I just sent in another column, and had to totally wing it since my source changed her mind at the last minute and didn't want me to write about her anymore.<br />I explained to the editor what had happened, and she said, "This is great. I'll take anything you write." Made me feel good even though it was NOT the type of story I was "hired" to write...<br />Tina @ <a href="http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Life is Good</a><br />On the Open Road! @ <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2014/05/whos-ready-for-4th-annual-post.html" rel="nofollow">Join us for the 4th Annual Post-Challenge Road Trip!</a>Tinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08925730745204736744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-12084287513261776542014-05-12T08:00:58.869-07:002014-05-12T08:00:58.869-07:00I was just talking to my friend yesterday (who'...I was just talking to my friend yesterday (who's way bigger into Magic than I am) about tournaments and all the different categories there have become. It's kind of ridiculous. If you stay on top of things, attaining new cards frequently, you can play a certain style of tournament that excludes legacy cards. Otherwise, you're pitting your deck against people who've been chiseling at a deck for 15 years, spending hundreds of $s on ebay to get the most rare and game-breaking cards... It doesn't leave a lot of room for a casual player like me, with not a ton of $ to throw at it. Luckily, I've gotten my 14 year old son addicted. <br />Unfortunately, this past weekend it became obvious the student has become the master. So I spent probably 5 hours yesterday building and refining a Green/White deck to counter the insane Black deck he's built.David T Listhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01926089396786215115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-33697280349583958782014-05-12T07:32:37.758-07:002014-05-12T07:32:37.758-07:00We're big believers in diversifying. That'...We're big believers in diversifying. That's why we write anything and everything. Our next novel is fantasy, and after that we have a loose idea for a science fiction novel.<br /><br />I think you never know what you're truly good at till you've tried writing everything.A Beer for the Showerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17029139745335325356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-31069897300996050002014-05-12T06:37:27.642-07:002014-05-12T06:37:27.642-07:00Typecasting is a danger in all the arts. But I su...Typecasting is a danger in all the arts. But I suppose if you're making a lot of money at it then it's not so bad. The only problem is when you're typecast and not making money anymore; then you become a has-been.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-84160502391634584582014-05-12T06:20:15.319-07:002014-05-12T06:20:15.319-07:00My son plays Magic, and yes, he too has complained...My son plays Magic, and yes, he too has complained about the high cost of some of the cards needed to really compete. <br /><br />As to writing, I don't think there's anything wrong with focusing on one genre, but I can't seem to do it. So I'm glad you agree that's not a bad thing. Jean Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02047709505502621618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-7508272679469179322014-05-12T06:19:35.892-07:002014-05-12T06:19:35.892-07:00Bravo to you. As always, I didn't follow the ...Bravo to you. As always, I didn't follow the Magic stuff at all, but I did follow the branching out in writing. I like trying new things and seeing what I like or don't like to do. I remember reading "A Painted House" by John Grisham and thinking it was really great. Not so much his "Playing For Pizza," although that was still interesting. <br /><br />It keeps your writing and your outlook fresh to work in new areas and with new ideas.Brianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01616494058636881575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-14751801562261261622014-05-12T05:57:33.656-07:002014-05-12T05:57:33.656-07:00It's an easy trap to fall into, which is why I...It's an easy trap to fall into, which is why I try to make all my books as different from each other as possible, and write in different age categories and sub-genres of fantasy. It can be easy to fall back on what you know works, or what readers want, but it takes away the challenging part of writing, and the drive to improve with each book. Great post!ELAdamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11390894357209056149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-10199453420320180802014-05-12T04:19:36.381-07:002014-05-12T04:19:36.381-07:00When my daughter was young(er), she wanted me to r...When my daughter was young(er), she wanted me to read one of the Xanth books, I forget which one. I found the constant punniness exhausting, and didn't get too far. It was clever for clever's sake, and I just could not get into it.<br /><br />I don't think there's anything wrong with being 'just' a fantasy writer, or 'just' a sci-fi writer, etc. It's entirely possible to write nothing but one particular genre, yet still put out unique stories.JeffOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947660745120963286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-71489146368451677522014-05-12T03:35:18.242-07:002014-05-12T03:35:18.242-07:00They took out the Terror card? That was my favorit...They took out the Terror card? That was my favorite card. With it, I had a Black deck that kicked butt, and like you said, it wasn't made up of rare or really powerful creatures.<br />I am writing another space opera, but it will be different from the other three books. And I still might move into fantasy. If I keep writing of course...Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com