Comments on: What can writers learn from musicians? http://telepathicparanoia.com/2010/02/24/what-can-writers-learn-from-the-music-industry/ telepathic on the paranoid level Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:56:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: george ross http://telepathicparanoia.com/2010/02/24/what-can-writers-learn-from-the-music-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-311 george ross Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:55:56 +0000 http://telepathicparanoia.com/?p=180#comment-311 hahaha, said like someone who hasn't read a lot of slush. The problem is, there is a HUGE number of wannabe writers in the world, and most of what they produce is dreadful. And worse yet, it can be hard to tell from the first few pages -- but no one has the patience to read 40 or 200 pages of something to find out whether it's illiterate junk or the next avant garde masterpiece. Maybe you've discovered another big difference between writing and music -- pop music generally exists as 3 minute self-contained songs that go well with visual images. So a band only has to produce one snappy, catchy single with a hip video and it will be passed all around the internet. Novels just aren't like that. Even short fiction isn't like that. When was the last time you watched a video online of an indie-band? When was the last time you read fiction online by an unpublished author you didn't personally know? If you google around, you'll find there are a ton of sites, forums, blogs, etc. where people can post their works in progress. I used to read them occasionally but... the payoff simply isn't worth the pain. hahaha, said like someone who hasn’t read a lot of slush. The problem is, there is a HUGE number of wannabe writers in the world, and most of what they produce is dreadful. And worse yet, it can be hard to tell from the first few pages — but no one has the patience to read 40 or 200 pages of something to find out whether it’s illiterate junk or the next avant garde masterpiece.

Maybe you’ve discovered another big difference between writing and music — pop music generally exists as 3 minute self-contained songs that go well with visual images. So a band only has to produce one snappy, catchy single with a hip video and it will be passed all around the internet. Novels just aren’t like that. Even short fiction isn’t like that.

When was the last time you watched a video online of an indie-band? When was the last time you read fiction online by an unpublished author you didn’t personally know?

If you google around, you’ll find there are a ton of sites, forums, blogs, etc. where people can post their works in progress. I used to read them occasionally but… the payoff simply isn’t worth the pain.

]]> By: Karen http://telepathicparanoia.com/2010/02/24/what-can-writers-learn-from-the-music-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-310 Karen Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:42:25 +0000 http://telepathicparanoia.com/?p=180#comment-310 Maybe what you need is blogs that identify new writing and publish it - people who volunteer to read a lot of slush and publish the best of it, and who build a rep as good critics who can choose well, so that the captive audience is the people who come to that blog every day and read whatever today's short story or poem is. I could totally see doing that. I think you'd be a great person to start the blog, too. Maybe what you need is blogs that identify new writing and publish it – people who volunteer to read a lot of slush and publish the best of it, and who build a rep as good critics who can choose well, so that the captive audience is the people who come to that blog every day and read whatever today’s short story or poem is. I could totally see doing that. I think you’d be a great person to start the blog, too.

]]> By: george ross http://telepathicparanoia.com/2010/02/24/what-can-writers-learn-from-the-music-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-309 george ross Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:40:03 +0000 http://telepathicparanoia.com/?p=180#comment-309 But how? I've chatted about it with my peeps here in the program, but even in a college town with a thriving MFA program, it's hard to see how to make readings by unknowns into popular events. Maybe if they were organized around a theme? And open mic? But how? I’ve chatted about it with my peeps here in the program, but even in a college town with a thriving MFA program, it’s hard to see how to make readings by unknowns into popular events. Maybe if they were organized around a theme? And open mic?

]]> By: cat hellisen http://telepathicparanoia.com/2010/02/24/what-can-writers-learn-from-the-music-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-308 cat hellisen Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:36:10 +0000 http://telepathicparanoia.com/?p=180#comment-308 haha this. I'll jump on the bandwagon. I'm afraid I'm just not punk enough to kick it off haha this. I’ll jump on the bandwagon. I’m afraid I’m just not punk enough to kick it off

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