Oh, I'm aware of all that, but there are a couple of things that I decided (and of course I am not exhorting, just explaining myself): one, some influences are subconscious, especially in younger writers. When you haven't much life experience, what you love in media--what inspires you--is going to shine through your work. (I can look back at things I wrote when young and squirm in utter embarrassment at the crassness of echo, yet I can clearly remember that at the time, I thought it was original.) Then, part of this, is riffing. In the Draco Trilogy there was a tone of riffing, which, at least to me, was exactly the sort of smiling homage that Barbara Hambly gave to various TV shows in Ishamel.
Second: after I'd read the kafuffle I got distinctly uncomfortable sensations of "lynch mob!" That always makes me quite wary. Anent this, I believe that Clare's writing group includes some extremely savvy writers who, if she'd perpetrated in her first published book any of the problems attributed to her in the fanfuffle, they would have landed on her with cleated boots. So the echoes here are homage, and really do add to the reading experience.
The main thing is, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book--even during a recent and extremely painful ear ache that felt like hot acid-dipped cattle prods being stabbed through brain and eyes every time I tried to read, I kept sneaking pages.
There's influencing, and then there's wholesale liftings of entire ideas, scenes, and (worst) sentences out of other people's books. I'm willing to grant her the benefit of the doubt on this book, and accept that maybe she's decided not to do that anymore, but she did not come off looking very good in that kerfuffle.
My trouble with City of Bones was that I had read CC's fanfic. Nevermind the plagarism kerfuffle, none of that. What irked me was that, after having read her Draco trilogy, I felt like I had read the book already. I could almost pinpoint to the character trait the Harry, the Ginny, the Ron, the Draco. Worse, I recognized - even predicted - major plot points. I even guessed at the major plot twists very early on, simply based on reading her fanfic.
That kind of really bothered me, and made it harder for me to enjoy it as an original piece of fiction. It wasn't that she plagarized other people - it was that she was ripping off herself. I think if I hadn't read the fanfic, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
Both books were somewhat easy to predict, but I cut a lot of slack because 1) I'm an experienced reader, not a kid reader, and these are aimed at kids, 2) these are first novels, and 3) when I am so thoroughly enjoying the reading experience, I don't mind seeing where it's going, and finding I was right.
(I was more bothered by the grammar glitches in the Berman, but then I had a review copy, so I hope and trust those got fixed.)
I was talking to one of my creative writing profs about fanfic the other day. In general, I'm a big fan of it as part of the writing apprenticeship. Writing in someone else's world, someone else's voice, is a great way to learn about styles, techniques, and etc. If you've never practiced writing in someone else's voice, how will you know when you find your own?
That said, I think Clare is probably suffering from a problem we'll see more and more of: she published her apprenticeship in writing. She put out for everyone to see the stepping stones that were shaping her as a writer. So when the new book is out--the book that's all her work--it feels like a reiteration of the same old thing she's been putting up for free online. (Having read neither her fanfic nor her new book, I'm basing this off of commentary from this blog.) I wonder how much fanfiction will impact the marketability of those writers.
I can't but help be reminded of whats-his-name who ripped enormous chunks from Pern, Star Wars, Bruce Coville, and others when he wrote Eragon--I wonder in a few years he's going to really, really regret that thing. (And, I hope, regret some of his arrogance since that time...but then he's what, barely drinking age?)
I also don't think he shows a quarter of the talent that CC does. But he had a dad who is a whizz in marketing.
You've missed his heavy reliance on "The Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan and his elven language that's quite a bit like Tolkien's (both grown out of Old Norse, I believe). (To be fair, I'd missed the Star Wars similarities until seeing the movie, where they made them so horribly, blatantly obvious that I kept expecting the actor to whine about his blast shield. All of that is very Campbellian, and therefore I can't give Star Wars credit for originality in plot, only in use of plot.)
Paolini is actually a really nice guy, polite to a fault, extremely humble in person. The story he had to tell definitely draws on a million other stories, and jumbles them together in a way that's predictable for most readers (egads--the readers who have the gall to think other writers copied Paolini! I witnessed a whole forum where the readers thought Paolini was the original and everyone else copied him...). But he also does some really interesting things with the nature of consciousness in the dragon character--both Tamora Pierce and Phillip Pullman commented on how well he designed Saphira to feel non-human, to show her alien nature.
I certainly won't defend Eragon as a great achievement in literature, but I don't think its publication will ever hurt Paolini's marketability as an author, and I hope it won't hurt his growth. Will have to read Clare's book to form a comparative opinion. ;)
Nitpicky side comment: Tolkien's elvish owes more to Finnish and Welsh than to Old Norse. (The dwarven names, on the other hand, are ripped straight out of the Eddas, as is "Gandalf.")
Thanks for the correction! I knew he taught Old Norse at one point and got that detail confused. Now I shall have to go reread the group biography The Inklings and relearn about the Coalbiters, of which I have only a vague recollection... ;)
Oh, I'm so glad he's grown a bit in his personal appearances. A few years ago at Comic con he was not quite polite about older authors (such as myself) to the point that I decided to avoid the con in future.
It sounds like he has an instinct for the tropes that work. Because you're right about Star Wars--though I don't buy Campbellian, quite, as even he swiped a lot of his hero's quest and so forth from Mercia Eliade and others, but anyway, a good point.
Give them both ten years to get some life experience and sharpen their skills, and watch 'em soar.
Well, I was a bookseller at the time that I met him, which could make a difference. In fact, I met him just after Eragon got published, so he may have gotten worse. If that's true, it's very sad; I'd thought him to be very nice.
And I love that you've read Eliade and Barfield. I suppose it's a given that you've also read Graves and Charles Williams?
Oh, most people don't notice these things, if it didn't get a final proof. It's just that I am extremely visual, so when I see "books laying all over the table" I am thrown out of the story to deal with the image of books busy, um, mating all other a table, pages rustling and spines creaking, creating little booklets....you see why I said 'bothered' and you can see why most people would not react this way.
Has SF-Site reviewed it? Because if not, I'll spiff up the above (and NOT about book-making!) and fire it off to them.
I'll take most of the blame but also admit that the copy editor was not the most... observant. Repeated sigh. Though I do like the idea of frisky books.
No, I doubt SF would review it. They hated my collection.
Second: after I'd read the kafuffle I got distinctly uncomfortable sensations of "lynch mob!" That always makes me quite wary. Anent this, I believe that Clare's writing group includes some extremely savvy writers who, if she'd perpetrated in her first published book any of the problems attributed to her in the fanfuffle, they would have landed on her with cleated boots. So the echoes here are homage, and really do add to the reading experience.
The main thing is, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book--even during a recent and extremely painful ear ache that felt like hot acid-dipped cattle prods being stabbed through brain and eyes every time I tried to read, I kept sneaking pages.
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That kind of really bothered me, and made it harder for me to enjoy it as an original piece of fiction. It wasn't that she plagarized other people - it was that she was ripping off herself. I think if I hadn't read the fanfic, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
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(I was more bothered by the grammar glitches in the Berman, but then I had a review copy, so I hope and trust those got fixed.)
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That said, I think Clare is probably suffering from a problem we'll see more and more of: she published her apprenticeship in writing. She put out for everyone to see the stepping stones that were shaping her as a writer. So when the new book is out--the book that's all her work--it feels like a reiteration of the same old thing she's been putting up for free online. (Having read neither her fanfic nor her new book, I'm basing this off of commentary from this blog.) I wonder how much fanfiction will impact the marketability of those writers.
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I can't but help be reminded of whats-his-name who ripped enormous chunks from Pern, Star Wars, Bruce Coville, and others when he wrote Eragon--I wonder in a few years he's going to really, really regret that thing. (And, I hope, regret some of his arrogance since that time...but then he's what, barely drinking age?)
I also don't think he shows a quarter of the talent that CC does. But he had a dad who is a whizz in marketing.
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Paolini is actually a really nice guy, polite to a fault, extremely humble in person. The story he had to tell definitely draws on a million other stories, and jumbles them together in a way that's predictable for most readers (egads--the readers who have the gall to think other writers copied Paolini! I witnessed a whole forum where the readers thought Paolini was the original and everyone else copied him...). But he also does some really interesting things with the nature of consciousness in the dragon character--both Tamora Pierce and Phillip Pullman commented on how well he designed Saphira to feel non-human, to show her alien nature.
I certainly won't defend Eragon as a great achievement in literature, but I don't think its publication will ever hurt Paolini's marketability as an author, and I hope it won't hurt his growth. Will have to read Clare's book to form a comparative opinion. ;)
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It sounds like he has an instinct for the tropes that work. Because you're right about Star Wars--though I don't buy Campbellian, quite, as even he swiped a lot of his hero's quest and so forth from Mercia Eliade and others, but anyway, a good point.
Give them both ten years to get some life experience and sharpen their skills, and watch 'em soar.
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And I love that you've read Eliade and Barfield. I suppose it's a given that you've also read Graves and Charles Williams?
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Has SF-Site reviewed it? Because if not, I'll spiff up the above (and NOT about book-making!) and fire it off to them.
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No, I doubt SF would review it. They hated my collection.
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