If you're not passionate enough about what you're writing, you'll be writing crap, and won't get published.
On the other hand, if you're really passionate about what you're writing, you won't easily edit your work or allow others to edit your work, and you won't get published.
The really successful writers are those who have found the right balance between those two opposing forces, the middle ground that lets them get published.
Of course, identifying the extremes doesn't much help one find the middle ground, which is why JMS's advice isn't really all that helpful to aspiring writers.
@Roklimber:
"Straczynski noted that, while it can be frustrating to deal with those who simply want to place all stories inside the same box, there are really only two options: swim with the tide or against it. The best thing you can do is make all the changes you find unimportant while being prepared to stand up for those parts that really are too important to you to change. This give-and-take, while far from perfect, at least allows a more realistic chance of maintaining some measure of creative control."
the problem is that many JMS fans are the worst of the worst "I live in my basement and my sole human interaction is writing computer code over the internet" fanboys....so their "passions" tend to be...computer programming; I've literally seen some Babylon5 fans who had it pretty bad, writing "scifi short stories" in which the heroes were geeky computer programmers hired by the government to hunt terrorists.
Sorry to criticize their..."choice of lifestyle", but that's just lionizing being a computer-addict with little human interaction.
Then again, most of JMS' works tend to have long-winded pontificating speeches on the nature of truth, justice, etc. (his love relationship writing was particularly of the "written by and for Aspies who have no concept of human interaction beyond a comic-book level" lacking all nuance variety.
Watch "In the Perkining" that was a pretty good criticisim
Pretty good advice especially the part of editing. Too many writers go along the lines of "Each Sperm/word is sacred" when it comes to their work. It hurts, I know all too well when I tore apart an 800 page manuscript into 530 pages.
@ManchuCandidate: But it is so damn essential to get someone to edit your work, if not for content, then clarity. It's one thing to edit your own baby, it's another to chop down your buddy's baby, wildly hacking at their prose and monologues they jammed into the story. Hurt feelin's.
@gods-n-clods:
Preach it. My sister (another failed writer) did a lot of the outsider editing. Mix in familial ties... Lots of yelling and swearing, but it got done.
Yes, let's take the script away from a genius and give it to a hack.
By the time this comes out (if it ever does), even the general public is going to be totally over zombies and no one but a few die-hards (har!) will be watching.
From everything read on the script review, MJS script was supposedly a 'godsend' to the zombie movie genre with huge sweeping battle scenes and some 'awe inspiring' shots of zombie destruction.
As one guy I knew said. "Think Lord of the Rings big battles scenes but now put in zombies ripping crowds to pieces as they try to get on sinking rusted hulks to escape."
Another great scene was supposedly the protagonist in the middle of the Great Panic stuck on a freeway with his wife and child. He looks in his rear view mirror to see a wave of zombies literally engulfing every car behind him as it rolls toward where he is. If that idea doesn't cause the ass to clench in terror, I don't know what would.
Maybe MJS went too big in the industry eyes and now they are getting a second writer to tone down. If so, they are doing the supposed epic script a great disservice. MJS is the one person who I believe could put together a masterpiece for WWZ.
@Heath Doolin: Yeah, this saddens me greatly. JMS's script was apparently a thing of beauty, and the man knows how to rock thought-provoking sci-fi. As usual I think the execs couldn't appreciate what he was presenting or didn't want to pony up the cash for it.
Brooks himself says the film is just burning cash. "He’s one of Hollywood’s hot A-list writers, so if they went after him and paid him a mountain of gold, it definitely shows their confidence in this project. They say it’s a positive move because they’re very excited, but the truth is, it’s also positive because they just paid him a buttload of money, and [with] the money they paid him, the money they paid Straczynski and they money they’ve paid me, they’ve really dug themselves a deep hole, so they better make this thing!"
Still, I can't think of a novel I want made more right now than this. Please, please let it finally come together.
I know that Hollywood doesn't work this way, but can't they just get Max Brooks? I mean from WWZ, to the Audio Books, to the Survival Guide, to the fact that based on his lineage I'm guessing he has a pretty good grasp on screenwriting. Whatever.
And as excited as I am for Yonkers, I'm equally excited to see how they handle (and keep interesting) the final battle where they just sit there and fire off a round every 2 seconds and pile body on body for days on end.
@Miss_fortune:Well there you go! Thanks for answering my question. Write away gaggle of screenwriters!
And yeah, really, is there any part of the book we don't want to see? The pilot's trek through the swamp, blind swordsman, celeb house on Long Island. AH It's all so friggin good!!!!
@Garrison Dean: R.O.A.C.H.: The pilots story was particularly a good one! Did the lady really exist? Or was it all in the pilots mind? The blind swordsman was just GREAT!!! Can't wait for this one to get made, whatever stories they include!!
@gdcol1969: I know it's been said a million times, and I'm sure the budget on this film will be seen on screen, but so many good stories this should really be a TV show. Maybe they'll M*A*S*H it.
@Garrison Dean: R.O.A.C.H.: I'd like to see if they have the balls to put "The Trooper" in the battle of Hope. Nothing like a little Iron Maiden in your mainstream movie!!
07/24/09
If you're not passionate enough about what you're writing, you'll be writing crap, and won't get published.
On the other hand, if you're really passionate about what you're writing, you won't easily edit your work or allow others to edit your work, and you won't get published.
The really successful writers are those who have found the right balance between those two opposing forces, the middle ground that lets them get published.
Of course, identifying the extremes doesn't much help one find the middle ground, which is why JMS's advice isn't really all that helpful to aspiring writers.
07/27/09
"Straczynski noted that, while it can be frustrating to deal with those who simply want to place all stories inside the same box, there are really only two options: swim with the tide or against it. The best thing you can do is make all the changes you find unimportant while being prepared to stand up for those parts that really are too important to you to change. This give-and-take, while far from perfect, at least allows a more realistic chance of maintaining some measure of creative control."
07/29/09
07/24/09
"Stay true to your vision, unless it's getting in the way of making a sale."
07/24/09
Sorry to criticize their..."choice of lifestyle", but that's just lionizing being a computer-addict with little human interaction.
Then again, most of JMS' works tend to have long-winded pontificating speeches on the nature of truth, justice, etc. (his love relationship writing was particularly of the "written by and for Aspies who have no concept of human interaction beyond a comic-book level" lacking all nuance variety.
Watch "In the Perkining" that was a pretty good criticisim
07/24/09
Um, way to disprove your own "thesis" in one stunning and ironically long winded comment.
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/24/09
Preach it. My sister (another failed writer) did a lot of the outsider editing. Mix in familial ties... Lots of yelling and swearing, but it got done.
07/24/09
07/17/09
Yes, let's take the script away from a genius and give it to a hack.
By the time this comes out (if it ever does), even the general public is going to be totally over zombies and no one but a few die-hards (har!) will be watching.
07/17/09
As one guy I knew said. "Think Lord of the Rings big battles scenes but now put in zombies ripping crowds to pieces as they try to get on sinking rusted hulks to escape."
Another great scene was supposedly the protagonist in the middle of the Great Panic stuck on a freeway with his wife and child. He looks in his rear view mirror to see a wave of zombies literally engulfing every car behind him as it rolls toward where he is. If that idea doesn't cause the ass to clench in terror, I don't know what would.
Maybe MJS went too big in the industry eyes and now they are getting a second writer to tone down. If so, they are doing the supposed epic script a great disservice. MJS is the one person who I believe could put together a masterpiece for WWZ.
07/17/09
Guy's the spiritual ancestor of Joss Whedon.
07/17/09
07/17/09
Still, I can't think of a novel I want made more right now than this. Please, please let it finally come together.
07/17/09
And as excited as I am for Yonkers, I'm equally excited to see how they handle (and keep interesting) the final battle where they just sit there and fire off a round every 2 seconds and pile body on body for days on end.
07/17/09
07/17/09
i hope they include the ISS astronauts. hell i know it'll be cut but it would be great to see that sequence...
07/17/09
And yeah, really, is there any part of the book we don't want to see? The pilot's trek through the swamp, blind swordsman, celeb house on Long Island. AH It's all so friggin good!!!!
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09