(no subject)

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

First post. I'm not well-read in the Anitaverse at all (read one, skimmed others, read the comic, seen lots of excerpts and reviews), and so I've hesitated joining the com, or saying anything too mean (I'll probably continue hesitating on that one), based on, well, my scanty qualifications.

Still, I read something today that was rather like a lightning strike, and I wanted to share. (I've Googled to see if it's shown up in this community before, and I can't find it.) It's an old blog entry by Kit Whitfield (an author I first heard of in this com) on a permutation of the Mary Sue -- the "Snappy Sue."

The fit is so apt it's kinda scary, I think.

Writes Whitfield (naming no names):

"A variant of Mary Sue becoming increasingly common in female-written and -marketed fantasy fiction. Snappy Sue is an empowered chick, generally urban and frequently in her twenties or older, who's respected/admired/worshipped for being a Strong Woman. Unfortunately, the author continually asserts her strength by giving her a tendency to take her temper out on all around her. This, oddly, makes people admire her more."

[....]

"Though she owes much to the rise of feminism, Snappy Sue fundamentally doesn't like women. She tends to be surrounded by men and have few female allies - female heroism is in short supply here, and Snappy gets all of it. ..."

Full blog entry:
http://www.kitwhitfield.com/2006/09/mary-sue-gets-mean.html

It's really fascinating.

(The preceding entry is also pretty fun: Mary Sue in the time of George Eliot)

Comments

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

Hee! Oh, KS is mean. But having copyedited one or two of these... I don't blame her one bit.

But I think it really just supply and demand. Book sells. Publisher cries "awesome! more sales!" which becomes "we need more of same!" Author complies, regardless of whether there is inspiration, time, or a worthwhile story floating around in their head (and regardless of whether they were really talented to begin with). Deadline looms. Author hits upon formula. Formula sells. Fans get comfortable with the familiar. Author continues to dish out crappy formula. Lashers cry.

I've seen some stuff pass under my pen that has ASTOUNDED me in its... phenomenal, all-encompassing, unequivocal [insert string of adjectives and/or mute-handwaving here] badness. Stuff where I'm literally offended, where I've had to, like, put it down and go walk around the block. Seven months later I come face-to-face with wall-to wall gushing, five-star reviews on Amazon.com. So somebody's satisfied.

Every so often I think "DAMMIT! I know grammar! I can describe things! I could write this shit!!!"

But, ya know? I couldn't. I can't finish anything. Having the attention span and fortitude to complete some of this stuff is more than half the battle - more than luck. And if the masses are buying, the masses must want what they're getting.

So what can you do? I put the commas in, breathe deep, and try to read "better" stuff in my spare time.

Aw Jesus. Depressed now... ^__^

[ravenhaley.livejournal.com]

At this point, I don't think any Publisher care. They got only have one or two left on contract for LKH to write. After that, I think or at least I hope they tell her to fly a kite and they aren't going to publish anymore of crappy books.

Speaking of Amazon.com, they want to sell the books they have and get rid of them. I saw once they got the paperbacks of DM, they took down the most helpful review. Of course, that review was a one star. On the front page they had two five star reviews so people would think this is a good book.

Also if you see the tour LKH is going on, it isn't big. I think someone up stairs is cutting back on whatever they are taking. LKH is going to conventions and that is pretty much about it for this tour. So I think it is safe to say that LKH isn't going to get the sales she wants for this next book.

[freulan1.livejournal.com]

Something very odd seems to be happening at Amazon.com. I just looked at the reviews for _Narcissus in Chains_ and there seem to be at least three times as many positive reviews as I remember when it first came out. Also, the date of October 17, 2001, appears on a review describing changes made to the paperback, rumors from the years since the book came out, etc. Does anyone know how to find an older version of these pages and see if reviews have been moved, deleted, or had their dates changed to put positives in a more prominent position?

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

What I wonder as well -- do the reviews people leave for the paperback version get separated from the reviews for the paperback? I've seen movie/DVD reviews get smashed up into one long thread, but I'm still unclear on how books are handled. (On Amaonz UK, I've seen the reviews remain separate for separeate editions of a book.)

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

I mean the hardcover, dangit! Do the reviews people leave for the paperback version get separated from the reviews for the hardcover? (And my last-ditch attempt at editing after pushing "send" seems to have resulted in a website called "Amaonz"...) Amazon.uk!!

[freulan1.livejournal.com]

Both editions of _Narc._ had 555 comments; both of _Cer._ had 382, etc.

I've never seen two editions of the same book with two sets of comments there.