Serenity book.

POSTED BY: Kloud
UPDATED: Thursday, November 3, 2005 22:25
VIEWED: 9673
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INSANITYLATER

Sunday, October 30, 2005 4:39 PM

I've been thinking about the whole "one thruster" thing, and without completely geeking out on it I was trying to think if it would be at least possible. If the side thrusters are used for direction.. doesn't the Serenity have a rear thruster, the big "full burn" guy? If that's the only one that was working, they might have been able to use the shuttle thrusters for direction enough to limp to a repair facility. Of course they would have still had to repair the structural damage and the big hole the windshield before even attempting to leave the moon. Hmm.. time for me to stop, I'm hearing William Shatner's famous "get a life" speech in the back of my mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Serenity NOW!!! ... Insanity later."

GROUNDED

Sunday, October 30, 2005 8:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by KRAD:
Quote:
I'm a little surprised that you say the book was Joss-authorized. I've read a quote from him elsewhere that when it came to the novelization, he handed it off (the shooting script, that is) and had/wanted no further involvement. Did I misunderstand that quote? How should we resolve the apparent conflict in these statements?

Do you have a citation for this quote?
Unfortunately, I do not. I couldn't even be sure it was directly from a Joss interview and not third-hand (or worse). Perhaps it was my misunderstanding of someone's paraphrase of an offhand remark, and got lodged in my calcified brain cells that way.

Could it be you've confused a quote about the Buffy/Angel novelizations? Joss has definitely mentioned on several occasions that he has nothing to do with them.

TETHYS

Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:26 PM

I've got a REALLY good point to make of all this:

First: KRAD...kudos from an "non-professional" writer for getting paid to do the best job there is.

Which DOES lead to my next point. He wrote the book. Got paid to write the book. Joss okayed the book. KRAD got paid to write the book. The BDH's like the book. He got paid to write the book.

Catch the running theme so far? In case you missed it, here it is: KRAD got PAID to write the book! He's a PAID writer. He's a professional. You're not! Deal with it, or zip yer lips.

Now... I've read just about everyone of hsi books, with the exception of the buffy novels, and his writing style is in keeping with each different setting he writes about. As a writer myself, "non-paid", I find it useful to at times change point of view, perspective, etc etc. And if ya REALLY got a problem with that, go read Bram Stoker.

But I digress...the point is this: When you get paid to do it, when you get awards for doing it(myself on that one), then and ONLY then have you earned the right to be a literary critic.

"Those who write, write. Those who can't, critique"--person who's name I forgot.

If I offended anyone with my humble opinion, to bad. :P

"I aim to misbehave"
I am: http://redwing.hutman.net/%7Emreed/warriorshtm/bigcat.htm

TETHYS

Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:26 PM

I've got a REALLY good point to make of all this:

First: KRAD...kudos from an "non-professional" writer for getting paid to do the best job there is.

Which DOES lead to my next point. He wrote the book. Got paid to write the book. Joss okayed the book. KRAD got paid to write the book. The BDH's like the book. He got paid to write the book.

Catch the running theme so far? In case you missed it, here it is: KRAD got PAID to write the book! He's a PAID writer. He's a professional. You're not! Deal with it, or zip yer lips.

Now... I've read just about everyone of hsi books, with the exception of the buffy novels, and his writing style is in keeping with each different setting he writes about. As a writer myself, "non-paid", I find it useful to at times change point of view, perspective, etc etc. And if ya REALLY got a problem with that, go read Bram Stoker.

But I digress...the point is this: When you get paid to do it, when you get awards for doing it(myself on that one), then and ONLY then have you earned the right to be a literary critic.

"Those who write, write. Those who can't, critique"--person who's name I forgot.

If I offended anyone with my humble opinion, too bad. :P

"I aim to misbehave"
I am: http://redwing.hutman.net/%7Emreed/warriorshtm/bigcat.htm

DONCOAT

Sunday, October 30, 2005 10:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by tethys:
I've got a REALLY good point to make of all this... [snip]

Huh.

That's the first time I've ever heard anyone claim that non-writers, or non-published writers, have no right to have or express their opinions about books.

I've never written or acted in a SF TV show either. Does that mean I'm not allowed to say that I think Firefly is better than any other televised science fiction since (at least) Star Trek TOS?

Furthermore, I didn't see anything in the original post to the effect that opinions were being sought only from professional writers. Now, if that were an implied condition, how many responses (positive or negative) do you think there would be in this thread so far?

Hmmm, let's consider the career arc you're proposing:
Student -> Struggling Unpublished Writer -> First-Time Published Writer -> Successful Writer -> Blocked, Frustrated Writer -> Former Writer -> Critic
You may be on to something after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

THRAWN

Sunday, October 30, 2005 10:47 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by tethys:
I've got a REALLY good point to make of all this:

...

When you get paid to do it, when you get awards for doing it(myself on that one), then and ONLY then have you earned the right to be a literary critic.

This is my least favorite argument ever. It is in no way necessary for me to be able to do someone's job for me to criticise their doing it. Honestly. Have you ever had a professor you didn't like? Have you ever watched a sporting event and seen an athlete fail spectacularly? Have you ever read a newspaper article that confused you, or didn't cover what it should have? Did you hear about the giant mess of "relief" efforts that was the Katrina aftermath?

In all these cases, are you allowed to say "this person didn't do their job well"?

YES!

Your point, in fact, should lead to exactly the OPPOSITE conclusion. He gets PAID for what he does, I give him MONEY, so if I don't like it, I have EVERY right to say that it was bad, and that I didn't get my money's worth. If instead it was free, complaining seems a bit churlish, since I lost nothing in the reading.

That all said, I enjoyed KRAD's novelization immensely. Your argument nevertheless holds no water at all.

TETHYS

Sunday, October 30, 2005 11:17 PM

I rather liked the novel as well. Expressing an opinion is something I would NEVER condemn. it is simply all the KRAD bashing I see going on around here latey. People are flat out blasting him for writing a novel differently than they would or liked. It's not HIS fault that some people don't care for it. Then again, that always leads to the "If ya don't like it, change the channel" argument. If someone doesn't like it, well... Don't read it! And certainly don't trash the author.
This is the third thread at the least that I have seen on a board of "supposed" accepting and understanding people. Granted, mos tof us here ARE...it's simply the one's that aren't are currently hogging this particular thread and others like it.
Yes, you have the right to view your opinion, but simply that you paid $5.95 to purchase the book does NOT give anyone the right to tell KRAD how to write his novels.
Bear in mind the proverb of "walk a mile in a man's shoes". I've read four of his novels, bought every single one. That in no shape, form, fashion, or another give me the grounds to tell him how to write his novels.
My point was simply this: unless you are a professional writer (which I am currently semi-pro), editor, or publisher, don't expect KRAD to simply change how he writes or what. Don't bash him because you didn't like his style or narrative. Keep in mind this: 1) He is a fellow browncoat! 2) He wrote Serenity: The Novel! One of our own wrote the damn thing. I see alot of ingratitude and not a lot of appreciation for that. That's irritates me more about this than so-called "literary critics".
Don't expect another response to this post. That is all I have to say on this issue. Give him your appreciation whether or not you liked the book or what have you. I'll leave you with a quote that is applicable both to Browncoats and to this particular "debate".

"To those who believe, no explanation is neccessary. To those who do not, no explanation will do."

"I aim to misbehave"
I am: http://redwing.hutman.net/%7Emreed/warriorshtm/bigcat.htm

LIGHTMEDARK

Sunday, October 30, 2005 11:51 PM

From the Joss Answers Questions article on the main page (i think this is what was referred to):

Quote:
Questions from : www.destinything.com

First all, a big thank you to everyone involved for taking the time to include webmasters in the promotion of Serenity. It's great to be able to give something back to Joss after so many years of entertainment! With regards my question, whilst reading an extract of the "Serenity" novel, I was struck by a line claiming that River was particularly afraid of a certain crew member. This got me wondering how much involvement you have with novelisations. Do you provide specific background details such as this and, on a similar note, has there ever been a proposed plot development in a "Buffy" or "Angel" novel where you've had to put your foot down?

I don't have much involvement. I just don't have time. If I started to read them I'd just get frustrated and have to write them myself. This would cause fewer movies and shows. I just whistle and look the other way. Hope ya like 'em!

---
inch towards daylight

THRAWN

Monday, October 31, 2005 12:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by tethys:
I rather liked the novel as well.
...

You said you won't say any more, but I'd still like to respond to a couple of small things. Ignore them if you like; I still think this is worth saying.

I don't understand the distinction you're drawing between expressing a negative opinion and "bashing". If I didn't like the book, of course I would like it to have been written differently; that's what "I didn't like the book" means. That's not "telling KRAD how to write his novels"; the novel is already written! We can't make him write it differently; it's published already! No, what people are doing is expressing that they do not like the style in which it was written, which is entirely personal preference, and entirely an opinion.

And the sentence "unless you are a professional writer (which I am currently semi-pro), editor, or publisher, don't expect KRAD to simply change how he writes or what" is utterly ridiculous. Why does the fact that someone is professional have anything to do with how much their opinion should impact how he writes? As you yourself have said, he gets paid for writing it, and as long as he gets paid, how its written is entirely his choice. That doesn't mean criticism is useless, mean-spirited, or in any way unjust.

Finally, I'm sure everyone, regardless of their opinion on the book itself, loves that KRAD posts on these boards, and that he is a fellow fan. That is another issue entirely from enjoying the book; I've gotten into some quite spirited debates in other threads about events in Serenity and not once was I ever angry that the person I was arguing with was a fan. This is a discussion board; it's here for discussion, both positive and negative. KRAD posts here, and participates in discussions about his novel that come from both sides of the spectrum. That's incredibly admirable, and no one is saying otherwise.

I enjoy reading opinions I disagree with; in this case, people's complaints against the book are some of the items I found most charming. KRAD also wrote the characters in ways that I disagree with a bit, but in reading his interpretations, I understood my own interpretations better. His point about canon is very relevant here - this is his version of what goes on in the characters' heads; it doesn't have to be anyone else's. It's another viewpoint on a piece of art (Serenity) we all admire greatly. I treat it almost as more of an analysis than a retelling, and I appreciate it as such.

DONCOAT

Monday, October 31, 2005 12:48 AM

Thank you, Thrawn. I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm very impressed that you jumped to my defense (so to speak) even though your opinion of the novelization differs from mine.

In case anybody is still unclear about this: I was expressing my opinion about the book, not KRAD personally or any of his other work (which I have, in point of fact, not read). I too appreciate the fact that he posts here, where anyone can express an opinion on his work. That takes some guts! I know how an author feels about his "babies", and it can't be pleasant to see that not everyone shares those feelings.

KRAD, if you were personally offended by any of my remarks, I apologize and assure you I had no intention of causing that offense. I'm glad that others are enjoying your book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

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