On the death of Ursula K. LeGuin...
...which is very sad indeed, I find myself nonetheless sidetracked into a ramble by obits like this:
coming from actual accomplished writers (TM).
If a fellow fan says something like this, my inner reaction is something along the lines of "Yeah, me too, pity there never was a reading/convention near us, or we didn't have the money or time to attend" or something like that. Because sure. As a lowly civilian (i.e. reader), you can't easily meet a big name writer. Legit.
But when it comes from someone who is basically a colleague of the deceased, it feels somehow different and I just want to roll my eyes and go "Well, why didn't you?"
I mean, I'm aware that they don't all hang out in some kind of hip Famour Writers club where everyone is friends with everyone. But if someone like Diane Duane or N.K. Jemisin wanted to meet up Ursula K. LeGuin, I'd think that until a few days ago, it would probably have been possible to, you know, arrange a meeting. Have their agents call her agent. Organise a joint reading or something. Or just meet up for cupcakes and tea and talk shop. You know what I mean.
So when I read "I would have loved to meet her" from, IDK, earthseafan1977 or someone, it feels sincere and sad; but when I read it from someone who (according to my doubtlessly unfair brain) could have accomplished that relatively easily, it causes raised eyebrows.
I have to consciously step back and remind myself that this is not fair. There are probably a dozen good reasons why it never went beyond "I would like to meet her some day". For starters, you rarely actively consider the mortality of someone you admire until it's too late. I wasn't aware that LeGuin was only two years younger than my grandmother, either - she always came across much younger in interviews, or when she accepted that National Book Foundation lifetime achievement award. People like that feel timeless, as if they're going to stay with us forever. So you're not actually aware that time will at some point run out and you should be making that appointment now rather than in five years' time. Sure. It happens. Lots of people never had that conversation about life, the universe and everything with their grandparents that they always meant to have. That may have happened.
Or even accomplished writers (TM) might feel starstruck, and not dare to approach someone who has had such an impact on the genre. In the same way that newbie fanfic writers wouldn't dare to approach what they perceive as a BNF, maybe these writers also felt beneath notice, and would never have considered themselves equals to LeGuin. Or they were terrified that the Grande Dame would have said something along the lines of "Sure, let's meet and discuss your books! You know, I felt that they left a lot to be desired." The anguish! Better not risk it.
In conclusion, of course writers are people, and life happens to them in the same way that it happens to readers. Which is a good thing to be aware of. But I did need to actively make myself aware of it. Because my first reaction was, nonetheless, "Yeah right, then why didn't you!"
Bad Lyra.
(Sad Lyra.)
- - -
Crossposted via Dreamwidth. Feel free to comment here or there.
coming from actual accomplished writers (TM).
If a fellow fan says something like this, my inner reaction is something along the lines of "Yeah, me too, pity there never was a reading/convention near us, or we didn't have the money or time to attend" or something like that. Because sure. As a lowly civilian (i.e. reader), you can't easily meet a big name writer. Legit.
But when it comes from someone who is basically a colleague of the deceased, it feels somehow different and I just want to roll my eyes and go "Well, why didn't you?"
I mean, I'm aware that they don't all hang out in some kind of hip Famour Writers club where everyone is friends with everyone. But if someone like Diane Duane or N.K. Jemisin wanted to meet up Ursula K. LeGuin, I'd think that until a few days ago, it would probably have been possible to, you know, arrange a meeting. Have their agents call her agent. Organise a joint reading or something. Or just meet up for cupcakes and tea and talk shop. You know what I mean.
So when I read "I would have loved to meet her" from, IDK, earthseafan1977 or someone, it feels sincere and sad; but when I read it from someone who (according to my doubtlessly unfair brain) could have accomplished that relatively easily, it causes raised eyebrows.
I have to consciously step back and remind myself that this is not fair. There are probably a dozen good reasons why it never went beyond "I would like to meet her some day". For starters, you rarely actively consider the mortality of someone you admire until it's too late. I wasn't aware that LeGuin was only two years younger than my grandmother, either - she always came across much younger in interviews, or when she accepted that National Book Foundation lifetime achievement award. People like that feel timeless, as if they're going to stay with us forever. So you're not actually aware that time will at some point run out and you should be making that appointment now rather than in five years' time. Sure. It happens. Lots of people never had that conversation about life, the universe and everything with their grandparents that they always meant to have. That may have happened.
Or even accomplished writers (TM) might feel starstruck, and not dare to approach someone who has had such an impact on the genre. In the same way that newbie fanfic writers wouldn't dare to approach what they perceive as a BNF, maybe these writers also felt beneath notice, and would never have considered themselves equals to LeGuin. Or they were terrified that the Grande Dame would have said something along the lines of "Sure, let's meet and discuss your books! You know, I felt that they left a lot to be desired." The anguish! Better not risk it.
In conclusion, of course writers are people, and life happens to them in the same way that it happens to readers. Which is a good thing to be aware of. But I did need to actively make myself aware of it. Because my first reaction was, nonetheless, "Yeah right, then why didn't you!"
Bad Lyra.
(Sad Lyra.)
- - -
Crossposted via Dreamwidth. Feel free to comment here or there.