So, I realized I was pretty uncomfortable writing a mostly negative review, and tried to figure out why. I think in this case it's mostly that I know people who know the author
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He does have some fantastic short stories. (And he's totally fine with negative reviews. It's a good bet your review is going to get linked by him tomorrow!) Mainspring definitely has its flaws. I do love Childress, though, and she gets her own point of view in the next two books. Science fiction/fantasy has far too few older female heroines.
Good to know! Childress was one of those early characters that I felt teased with -- I wanted to know more about her and how she got where she was.
I absolutely agree about older female heroines. In fact, a scrap of a novel idea is busy fermenting in the compost pile of my brain, and so far the only really defined part is an older female veteran who's playing music in space-station bars. I want to see more non-twenty-something-able-bodied characters, and I want to write more. Might as well combine them. :)
It's funny -- I have no trouble panning something that's really distant from me (like a big budget movie or a video game) or giving critique person-to-person. It's just the intermediate level that feels so awkward.
I also know not getting defensive at criticism is something I had to really consciously work on, and I know I'm not always there. Still, it's presumably a job-skill in writing, just as in design. I suppose technically it's an important professional skill anywhere, but it's not often taught as such.
I think that's a HUGE part of it -- the book is DONE. It feels so different from giving negative feedback when they can still choose to do something about it.
EDIT: Also, I hadn't followed his LJ in the past, but I think I will if only for the link lists. He posts some really interesting stuff!
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Mainspring definitely has its flaws. I do love Childress, though, and she gets her own point of view in the next two books. Science fiction/fantasy has far too few older female heroines.
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I absolutely agree about older female heroines. In fact, a scrap of a novel idea is busy fermenting in the compost pile of my brain, and so far the only really defined part is an older female veteran who's playing music in space-station bars. I want to see more non-twenty-something-able-bodied characters, and I want to write more. Might as well combine them. :)
It's funny -- I have no trouble panning something that's really distant from me (like a big budget movie or a video game) or giving critique person-to-person. It's just the intermediate level that feels so awkward.
I also know not getting defensive at criticism is something I had to really consciously work on, and I know I'm not always there. Still, it's presumably a job-skill in writing, just as in design. I suppose technically it's an important professional skill anywhere, but it's not often taught as such.
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EDIT: Also, I hadn't followed his LJ in the past, but I think I will if only for the link lists. He posts some really interesting stuff!
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