Interview with Author Larry Nicekind! A Sword of Lies Exclusive!!111!!!

[mresundance]

Disclaimer: This post is a parody and made in good humor and with great affection for everyone who has been involved in Legend of the Seeker and "The Sword of Truth" novels. I've been enjoying the books immensely and they have given me food for thought and, yes, inspiration. (Though, not of the grammatical kind

Comments

[ggygax]

I hate fanfiction writers. They are like literary rapists.

So true, so true.

Now bend over Mr. Nicekind. I have something for you.

[mresundance]

OOOOOOH. SNAAAP.

;P

Poor dear just has some unrequitted love!

[ggygax]

BTW, if it wasn't obvious, I found this very funny.

[mresundance]

No I think it was obvious. :)

Almost as obvious as Krog. And THE TRUTH.

[ggygax]

Pstt. Don't tell anyone, but one of the reason I won't read the books is because I know Mr. Nicekind is a libertarian, and I've heard enuff of THE TRUTH to last three or four lifetimes, thank you very much.

I thought the bit where you had Nicekind go off about how the fantasy elements were trivial compared to the THE TRUTH was brilliant. In trying to write fanfic for this show, I've done some research on the books and the fantasy elements are pretty fricking shallow (and the characters equally ridiculously shallow). It's pretty obvious that Goodkind wrote the books as polemic rather than exploration of the potentials in fantasy.

In short: Needs moar monsters.

[mresundance]

Most def. Moar monsters is always a plus.

I am still quite enjoying the books, but it doesn't mean they don't drive me a little nutty now and again. Mostly, it's the writing style. The first book has a lot of - things - the copyeditor and the editor and the agent should have caught, so it's not all his fault, really. The real author himself is also dyslexic, so that might contribute to some of the quirks of his style.

After that it's the too much violence and too much rape. I have a pretty high tolerance. I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy recently and that guy is not gentle when he comes to being honest about violence. I would say, though, that Mr. Nicekind could learn a thing or two from being more delicate with the violence. Not because violence in itself is delicate. But because with things that are so extreme and in some cases awful, the lighter touch is more humane for the reader and the characters. You don't need to be explicit in the extreme cases, usually.

Many writers have written books as a polemic though. The Bluest Eye

[ggygax]

After that it's the too much violence and too much rape. I have a pretty high tolerance...the lighter touch is more humane for the reader and the characters. You don't need to be explicit in the extreme cases, usually.

I hate it when writers use rape in fantasy fiction. Unless you are writing a story about rape specifically, and plan to really deal with everything associated, then 99% of the times you're Doing It Wrong. While there is a certain reality to be dealt with, generally the threat of sexual violence never needs to go beyond the implication stage. It really irks me when male writers use rape to temporarily disempower a female protagonist or, worse, to show how tough she is by having her make a rapid recovery/shrug it off. Or to show that the villain is a bad guy. It's like christ, that's what puppy kicking was invented for

[mresundance]

1984 was always chilling to me, even if the ending didn't always stick right

[philstar22]

But the thing is, in a fantasy setting based on medieval times or whatever, rape is realistic. It happened. We may not like it, but generally in the past men have used rape to control women. I don't find it bothersome in fantasy setting because I think it is realistic.

The violence is actually something I've appreciated about Goodkind because I feel like it is more realistic to the setting than a lot of the whitewashed fantasy where no one good dies, deaths are painless, and everyone is happy.

[mresundance]

Also also: it's entirely too easy for me to critique other writers while I as yet remain pretty un-published. :) And, notably, nothing I've written has sold a bajillion copies or been translated into six languages or turned into a TV series. So! I guess there has to be something in those nutty stories that attracts people, otherwise the books wouldn't have done so well.

[ggygax]

Also also: it's entirely too easy for me to critique other writers while I as yet remain pretty un-published. :)

That Piers Anthony has had a long and successful career writing thinly veiled books about pedophilia is all the proof I need that being published is no great measure of anything.

I'm not envious. Not me!

I guess there has to be something in those nutty stories that attracts people, otherwise the books wouldn't have done so well.

I've heard there is a lot of quality BDSM smut in the books. That tends to sell well.

[mresundance]

That Piers Anthony has had a long and successful career writing thinly veiled books about pedophilia is all the proof I need that being published is no great measure of anything.

I'm not envious. Not me!

Ah, bless. It's a weird whacky world, publishing. Publishers often don't care about quality, so long as they think a book will have audience appeal and sell copies. Preferably a bazillion. With really flashy shiny covers with raised lettering. And ladies dressed in revealing corsets.

Small publishers often do better with recognizing new talent or just under-recognized talent or just trying new ideas. A few years ago the Booker Prize winner The Gathering had only sold 3,000 copies and was published by a small press. Now she's doing very well, I imagine.

So. It's a real mixed bag. The industry is in transition right now for a number of reasons. Hopefully good things will come out of it and it will give authors and readers some new oppertunities.

But it helps to have an agent. A good agent will do everything but sleep with you.

[alorarose]

o.O confused about the libertarian remark.

<~~is a confused libertarian who is ... out of the loop?

EDIT: My google-fu has answered the question for me. LOL.

[philstar22]

MMM. I know what you mean. I read the first book and absolutely loved it. There really isn't much of that stuff in it. I'm halfway through the fourth one, and I am starting to get turned off.