Day 276: Cloudy Day

7 Responses to Day 276: Cloudy Day

1. Tony says:

   January 3, 2012 at 11:04 pm

   For “not saying much,” I’d listen to a ramble that long every day. You addressed the Ridan situation, self-publishing, your future publishing prospects (with a publishing order?), successes and failures in your past works, thoughts on your ongoing novel, and all of the other usual stuff. That’s a pretty good episode IMO.

   Your thoughts on Pip and sidekicks I found to be most interesting. I think we really do miss Pip in the second half of the Share series because there is no replacement. Ishmael never again has a friend that not only offers the same dynamic as Pip, but I suspect the rank issue probably plays a part as well.

   Ishmael was also in need of friends. We learn right in the beginning that he had no friends–his mother has been what he had and she was now gone. Tanyth is obviously in a different situation. Though equally alone she doesn’t convey that same sense of loneliness. I can’t really imagine what the story would be like if she did have a sidekick. She seems to actively try to not get to know people and even when she does she still doesn’t seem to me as though she needs them.

   I’m not sure the two are comparable, really, but I still can’t help but compare. Tanyth’s story is all about reaching the end goal, after all, whereas Ishmael’s just seemed to be about the journey.

   Reply
2. Tara Li says:

   January 4, 2012 at 12:27 am

   “It’s not a face I see…” Sounds to me like the opening line of Ish at Port Newmar, reflecting on the past. Maybe a touch of the koan about the face you had before you were born (to go with the tai chi)?

   Reply
3. Tara Li says:

   January 4, 2012 at 12:38 am

   With respect to Ridan: I think you’ve been more than fair to them, really. They did very well for a while, but now they seemed trapped, judging from their website, in a stack of back catalog of well-known authors – I know *I* wouldn’t mind picking up A. C. Crispen’s Starbridge stories once more. And yet, they likely would not *have* those bigger names if it weren’t for the start you, Marshall Thomas, Leslie Moore, and the others gave them. Without ya’ll, as far as I can tell they were strictly a vanity press for Michael’s works – which is nice, but a far cry from the independent publisher level. Loyalty has to go both ways – and I am not sure you’ve gotten the loyalty from them that they have from you.

   Still, there is nothing wrong with letting it go a bit longer. You talk about leaving money on the table – possibly, but there’s a large difference between not making money, making money, and making as much money as possible. The latter is a nice idea, but it’s also one of the things that causes larger corporations to become sociopathic. We don’t need to run the ship full steam ahead all of the time – sometimes we should putter along and take a look at the really cool waves of light from glowing bacteria in the water behind us.

   As the Prophet Valentine Michael Smith told us:

   Waiting Is.

   Reply
4. John H says:

   January 4, 2012 at 12:56 am

   I think Tanth needs an apprentice. She has spent all this time learning all the stuff and when she is gone what happens to it. Could be and interesting Pip like person.

   Reply
   • Tara Li says:

     January 4, 2012 at 3:07 pm

     At this point, though, John, Tanyth more or less feels like an apprentice herself, I suspect, though she’s actually doing the journeyman part of learning. The point of her travels is to learn, and complete her Masterwork. Only then, I think, would she feel confident enough to take on an apprentice. Look at her visit to Ravenwood, and how she really didn’t want to teach, only teaching because she felt she *had* to, to keep those kids from dying in the future. (And other than Frank, I suspect she felt like every person in the settlement was a kid).

     Reply
5. Tony says:

   January 4, 2012 at 5:59 pm

   Wow, have you seen the comments on your amazon page over the past week? Sounds like some mighty unhappy people there. 🙁

   Reply
   • Nathan says:

     January 4, 2012 at 6:47 pm

     I hadn’t seen.

     Sigh.

     Just left a long-ish response. Wish it were better news. Must go walk NOW or it’ll be another afternoon walk.

     Sigh.

     Reply

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