Scott Pixello's Blog, page 14
October 24, 2013
Do autographs matter?
Sean Burke has some interesting things to say about the persistence of the autograph but one of the unnoticed consequences of the rise of e-books is the weakening of this concept.
A friend of mine used to collect autographs until I pointed out that these treasured items he was buying could have been scribbled by a monkey. Overnight, he stopped. I had destroyed his hobby. I didn't have the heart to say if they had been scribbled by a monkey, it probably would have made them more valuable.
A friend of mine used to collect autographs until I pointed out that these treasured items he was buying could have been scribbled by a monkey. Overnight, he stopped. I had destroyed his hobby. I didn't have the heart to say if they had been scribbled by a monkey, it probably would have made them more valuable.
October 23, 2013
Do books matter?
A friend of mine and I were arguing about whether books mattered any more these days. He said they didn't. I said they did. I won the argument hands down when my friend was knocked off his bike by a van carrying a delivery to a local bookstore.
October 22, 2013
Nothing to do with books
Are the folks in goodreads-land interested in more than books? Of course they are.
The much-publicised case of a possibly-abducted blond girl in Greece got me thinking. Firstly, it made me think about the terrible trade in child misery. Secondly, it made me wonder how many other children have been taken. And thirdly, just a small part of me (a part of which I'm not proud) thought exactly how much I could get for my own pair of feral monsters.
The much-publicised case of a possibly-abducted blond girl in Greece got me thinking. Firstly, it made me think about the terrible trade in child misery. Secondly, it made me wonder how many other children have been taken. And thirdly, just a small part of me (a part of which I'm not proud) thought exactly how much I could get for my own pair of feral monsters.
October 21, 2013
WH Smiths- shock horror
The WH Smiths/Kobo debacle reminds me of a teacher giving a lengthy project a tick and an average grade rather than actually reading the material and then being exposed red-faced whenever there's a case of plagiarism. There's a similar situation in Germany at the moment with politicians and their PhDs. Did WH Smith really have no idea what it was putting out in its own name? The amazing lack of supervision in a world of mass surveillance is both shocking and strangely comforting in its flawed humanity. That said, if my kids had googled 'dino-porn', I might not be feeling so philosophical.
October 20, 2013
why animals don't read
"The only activities I could think of that humans do that have no other animal equivalent were smoking, body building and writing." (Douglas Coupland, Life After God)
Would an extract from Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography on how he gave up cigarettes represent the pinnacle of Coupland's argument?
Would an extract from Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography on how he gave up cigarettes represent the pinnacle of Coupland's argument?
October 18, 2013
Never-ending book shame
Found myself doing the never-ending book quiz amongst a million 'displacement activities' to avoid doing what I'm supposed to be doing- writing. Worst of all, like Who Wants to be a Millionaire, after a while I get quite blase and think surely I must know the answer to a particular question (even if I've never actually read the book). It's like the literary version of 'beer goggles,' thinking if I can just get a bit of a run going I can somehow get my average back nearer 100%.
It takes a certain kind of person to make up questions too- one who seems to love Little House on the Prarie, Little Women and The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm sure this person is very nice and I do appreciate their hard work but I also know it's not definitely not me. Doesn't stop me guessing all their questions though. Doh!
It takes a certain kind of person to make up questions too- one who seems to love Little House on the Prarie, Little Women and The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm sure this person is very nice and I do appreciate their hard work but I also know it's not definitely not me. Doesn't stop me guessing all their questions though. Doh!
October 16, 2013
Booker glory
So Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries wins the Man Booker Prize- what, if anything, does this tell us?
As the youngest ever winner, perhaps there are fewer age barriers than previously?
As a long, structurally complex novel, that works have to be deemed 'difficult' in order to win (thinking about Oscar roles linked to disability)?
Or maybe, just maybe, that novels can still be important enough to be talked about? Perhaps, like the whole Harry Potter phenomenon, it isn't important whether the books themselves are great literature, more that people are reading & being passionately engaged with fictional worlds.
As the youngest ever winner, perhaps there are fewer age barriers than previously?
As a long, structurally complex novel, that works have to be deemed 'difficult' in order to win (thinking about Oscar roles linked to disability)?
Or maybe, just maybe, that novels can still be important enough to be talked about? Perhaps, like the whole Harry Potter phenomenon, it isn't important whether the books themselves are great literature, more that people are reading & being passionately engaged with fictional worlds.
October 15, 2013
Jane Austen? I don't think so
I'm wondering how annoyed people are going to be by the language I'm using in my upcoming Roman Britain series. Not in the sense of anything offensive but it's purposely written as a cross between Asterix and Blackadder.
It seems that fans of historical fiction get very hot under the collar by anything perceived to be less than 100% authentic. Which I can understand.
The problem is very few readers really know much about historical linguistics & the actual language of AD 59 would be completely unrecognisable. Readers should look at Shakespeare, Chaucer and particularly early Anglo-Saxon without notes before complaining. And then don't.
It seems that fans of historical fiction get very hot under the collar by anything perceived to be less than 100% authentic. Which I can understand.
The problem is very few readers really know much about historical linguistics & the actual language of AD 59 would be completely unrecognisable. Readers should look at Shakespeare, Chaucer and particularly early Anglo-Saxon without notes before complaining. And then don't.
October 11, 2013
The business of comedy
Been thinking a lot about comedy recently, not just for my book Gagfest UK but also how it has developed in the last decade or so.
Some British comedians like Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle have really embraced the twitterverse as their short-form gags closely reflect the need for brevity, while storytellers like Jim Jeffries have found a whole new audience via YouTube.
Writing words which other people find funny is one of the easiest things to disparage but one of the hardest to do. New Technology consumes material at a ferocious rate, so it requires teams of prolific writers to feed the comedy machine. At the same time, there's a lot of comedy around (clubs, tours, arena shows, designated TV channels etc). Is this a good thing? I'm not always so sure.
Some British comedians like Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle have really embraced the twitterverse as their short-form gags closely reflect the need for brevity, while storytellers like Jim Jeffries have found a whole new audience via YouTube.
Writing words which other people find funny is one of the easiest things to disparage but one of the hardest to do. New Technology consumes material at a ferocious rate, so it requires teams of prolific writers to feed the comedy machine. At the same time, there's a lot of comedy around (clubs, tours, arena shows, designated TV channels etc). Is this a good thing? I'm not always so sure.
October 10, 2013
maps, caves and Keith Ramsbottom
Been busy researching all things Roman for my upcoming Keith Ramsbottom series and I've just realised the need for a map. Haven't used/needed one in a book before but I think I will here.
Got me to thinking how maps, like letters, are one of the casualties of the digital Age. Yes, there are plenty out there but if something doesn't have a Net 'presence' it doesn't exist. The fun thing is, I've found a cave- a real one- that doesn't exist at all online & I'm going to put it in the sequel, currently residing in my head under the snappy title of The Emperor Strikes Back.
Got me to thinking how maps, like letters, are one of the casualties of the digital Age. Yes, there are plenty out there but if something doesn't have a Net 'presence' it doesn't exist. The fun thing is, I've found a cave- a real one- that doesn't exist at all online & I'm going to put it in the sequel, currently residing in my head under the snappy title of The Emperor Strikes Back.
