When Your Heros Fall
Throughout our lives, certain people take on a high level of respect; we call them heroes. Looking back, I think my first was Evel Knievel, a motorcycle stunt driver with a larger-than-life personality. I was too young to understand the person. I only knew he did incredible jumps. By age ten, I lost interest.
It is hard to pinpoint a person I deeply admired in my early teens. The Dukes of Hazzard and Arnold Schwarzenegger come to mind. I do recall admiring Mel Gibson in my late teens. This was long before his booze rant, but by the early 90s, his interviews turned me off.
The mid-90s were a bleak time because I was no longer a kid. Instead, I was a working adult who had to face reality, which did not leave much room for a hero. Granted, I was a mega Rush fan, but the band members were not heroes. Why? I am not a musician, and we have little in common.
Not much changed until I became a writer. A friend recommended The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Where has he been all my life? I was hooked from page one and read every one of Neil’s books. What an author! His creativity, subject matter, characters, and stories are all over the top. I wish I had 10% of his mind.
What was my hero worship commitment level? 100% If anybody wanted a book recommendation, I would shout The Graveyard Book! While writing, I try my best to think about his concepts and challenge myself to write beyond. And it worked. He indeed inspired me to develop more powerful ideas. Yet, out of respect, I went far out of my way not to copy any of his cherished concepts or include direct quotes from his work.
In an upcoming book, I included a homage scene. A character, Cleopatra (yes, in my story, she is still alive), is discussing a book she enjoyed because the other main character recommended it. Of course, it was The Graveyard Book, and he recommended reading Neverwhere.
While editing the paragraph, I got sidetracked and wanted to know the status of The Graveyard Book movie. It has been on hold for the last ten years, and Ron Howard is rumored to be the director. So, I did an internet search, and Neil recently said there was no news to report. Oh, well. Then, I looked further down the search page.
It turns out that my hero writer is accused of abusing five women, and there is an ongoing court case. It felt like somebody punched me in the gut. I am so utterly disappointed with him. There is so much pain in this world, and he was among the few who stood above the severe problems we face.
I make no excuses for the man. Abuse is entirely unacceptable. So, what did I do? Obviously, I altered the paragraph. Cleopatra read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. From this point forward, I will neither reference Neil nor recommend his works.
What about my prior articles? I will pull one and edit my other words to include a warning. My reasoning for removing the article is that it is now inappropriate. The other articles are technical writing discussions that do not focus on Neil’s work. So, the points are still valid, but I am bound to edit in a warning.
Yet, there is still a potential problem. What if a studio makes The Graveyard Book movie? Will I pay to see it? Gahh!! It was such a great story. Darn it, my answer is no. Part of being a responsible adult is sticking to good morals. What kind of man would I be if I supported a woman abuser? A lousy one.
This whole situation hurts. I am so disgusted with Neil. I honestly thought he was a better person. An inspiring role model for today’s writers. Alas, no. He is a monster and not the monster in his fantastic stories.
You’re the best -Bill
April 16, 2025
It is hard to pinpoint a person I deeply admired in my early teens. The Dukes of Hazzard and Arnold Schwarzenegger come to mind. I do recall admiring Mel Gibson in my late teens. This was long before his booze rant, but by the early 90s, his interviews turned me off.
The mid-90s were a bleak time because I was no longer a kid. Instead, I was a working adult who had to face reality, which did not leave much room for a hero. Granted, I was a mega Rush fan, but the band members were not heroes. Why? I am not a musician, and we have little in common.
Not much changed until I became a writer. A friend recommended The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Where has he been all my life? I was hooked from page one and read every one of Neil’s books. What an author! His creativity, subject matter, characters, and stories are all over the top. I wish I had 10% of his mind.
What was my hero worship commitment level? 100% If anybody wanted a book recommendation, I would shout The Graveyard Book! While writing, I try my best to think about his concepts and challenge myself to write beyond. And it worked. He indeed inspired me to develop more powerful ideas. Yet, out of respect, I went far out of my way not to copy any of his cherished concepts or include direct quotes from his work.
In an upcoming book, I included a homage scene. A character, Cleopatra (yes, in my story, she is still alive), is discussing a book she enjoyed because the other main character recommended it. Of course, it was The Graveyard Book, and he recommended reading Neverwhere.
While editing the paragraph, I got sidetracked and wanted to know the status of The Graveyard Book movie. It has been on hold for the last ten years, and Ron Howard is rumored to be the director. So, I did an internet search, and Neil recently said there was no news to report. Oh, well. Then, I looked further down the search page.
It turns out that my hero writer is accused of abusing five women, and there is an ongoing court case. It felt like somebody punched me in the gut. I am so utterly disappointed with him. There is so much pain in this world, and he was among the few who stood above the severe problems we face.
I make no excuses for the man. Abuse is entirely unacceptable. So, what did I do? Obviously, I altered the paragraph. Cleopatra read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. From this point forward, I will neither reference Neil nor recommend his works.
What about my prior articles? I will pull one and edit my other words to include a warning. My reasoning for removing the article is that it is now inappropriate. The other articles are technical writing discussions that do not focus on Neil’s work. So, the points are still valid, but I am bound to edit in a warning.
Yet, there is still a potential problem. What if a studio makes The Graveyard Book movie? Will I pay to see it? Gahh!! It was such a great story. Darn it, my answer is no. Part of being a responsible adult is sticking to good morals. What kind of man would I be if I supported a woman abuser? A lousy one.
This whole situation hurts. I am so disgusted with Neil. I honestly thought he was a better person. An inspiring role model for today’s writers. Alas, no. He is a monster and not the monster in his fantastic stories.
You’re the best -Bill
April 16, 2025
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