Is it fan wank? Is it self-congratulatory? Or is it just a good laugh on a slow Friday afternoon at work? Well, perhaps I have learned something from KJA: how to circle jerk like a wannabe professional
The Best of...GamePlayer
Write Club
Dr. House analyzes KJAGamePlayer wrote:Gentlemen, welcome to Write ClubThe Hacks Twain in Sandworms of Dune referring to the Butlerian Jihad wrote:They had unleashed countless atomic weapons that not only destroyed the thinking machines, but also trillions of human beings who had been held in slavery.
First rule of Write Club is, you must know how to write.
Second rule of Write Club is, you must...know how...to WRITE!
Third rule is, brevity is our friend, pedantry is not:
They had unleashed countless atomic weapons that not only destroyed the thinking machines, but also trillions of human beings held in slavery.
Fourth rule, don't contradict yourself with florid prose:
They had unleashed a billion atomic weapons that not only destroyed the thinking machines, but also trillions of human beings held in slavery.
Fifth rule, know the vernacular of the fictional world for which you're writing:
They had unleashed a billion atomics that not only destroyed the thinking machines, but also trillions of human beings held in slavery.
Sixth rule, don't treat the reader like a moron. Trust your readers will understand the simple concepts:
They had unleashed a billion atomics that destroyed the thinking machines, and trillions of human slaves.
Seventh rule, write bias when appropriate:
They had unleashed a billion atomics that destroyed the thinking machines, and killed trillions of human slaves.
Eighth and final rule, every time a new mediocre Dune book is written by talentless hacks, a potential literary talent goes undiscovered.
The Dune DemotivatorsGamePlayer wrote:Wow, this interview is a fucking goldmine into the insecurities of Kevin J. Anderson.
My dear gawd, the moron doesn't even realize how transparent he is.
Simply astounding
Diagnosis: Subject is extremely resentful that his most notable achievements in life are not his own work. The Subjects finds it very distressing to have achieved a wide audience only at the charity of a franchise with a large existing fan base who the Subject knows have only the expectation of Star Wars books and no expectation of the authors. The subject will, at every opportunity, attempt to distance himself from the reality of what made and maintains his career. This cry for legitimacy runs very deep and is no doubt compelling the Subject to continue publishing of his own, far less successful books in the desperate hope of somehow making his own mark in science fiction.Kevin J Anderson wrote: Q: Your books have been published since the late 80s. As hard as it might be to believe, there are probably readers out there who have never picked up a Kevin J. Anderson novel, so where would you recommend starting and why?
Kevin: I think my best solo work is probably my Saga of Seven Suns series—seven volumes, and I just finished the last one. That series sums up everything I love about the science fiction genre.
Q: Arguably, the Star Wars tie-novels that you wrote in the mid-to-late 90s including the Jedi Academy trilogy and the Young Jedi Knights series with your wife Rebecca Moesta were partly responsible for your early success.
Kevin: I had published seven of my own novels before I was offered the Star Wars gig. The very year my first Star Wars book hit the bestseller list was also the year I was nominated for the Nebula Award for an original novel (written with Doug Beason)...
...Yes, it did bring my writing to millions of fans who had never heard of me before, and I’m very grateful.
Diagnosis: We have established the Subject's personal dichotomy requires him to publicly accept how he gained his professional success while at the same time deny his own need for franchise exploitation novels to maintain that success. But should the Subject be challenged on his credibility, the Subject will fervently cling to the dubious peer recognition gained through the success of the very books he resents so deeply. These token recognitions act as a shield behind which the Subject can hide to avoid facing his fear of being pigeonholed as a franchise exploitation writer.Q: Focusing on the Dune books that you’ve been co-authoring with Brian Herbert, “Sandworms of Dune” was just released last year which completed the duology that brought to life Frank Herbert’s planned seventh novel in the original Dune sequence. Browsing through reviews, the novel received sort of a mixed response. What are your thoughts on how the duology turned out, and the difficulties of living up to such high expectations?
Kevin: Brian and I have now written ten novels in the Dune universe, and they have been extremely well received, winning numerous awards and being selected as New York Times Notable book (absolutely unheard-of for a novel written in somebody else’s universe), many best-of-the-year lists, etc.
Diagnosis: The Subject lacks confident belief in the strength of his own creative writing and is largely co-dependent upon others. While the Subject maintains an authoritative and even humbly modest facade publicly, the true pathology of the subject is his indecision. The Subject requires feedback on nearly every creative choice and can only then chose a course of action. Thus, co-workers and collaborators act as the Subject's enablers and are external substitutes for the Subject's own lack of confidence and decision making ability.Q: Besides Brian Herbert, Rebecca Moesta and Dean Koontz, you’ve also collaborated with the aforementioned Doug Beason. What is it about teaming up with other writers/creators that you find so appealing and who else do you wish you could work with?
Kevin: I enjoy brainstorming with fellow writers, exchanging ideas, and learning from other writers’ techniques. To me, it’s a natural thing, almost like a game, to work with someone else to tell stories. You have to check your ego at the door, make sure you both have the same vision for the novel, and lean on each other.
Diagnosis: The Subject is unable to come to terms with the socially marginalized product upon which his professional life depends. This speaks volumes of the Subject's need for acceptance beyond the industry in which he has found success. The Subject wants society at large to accept him as a legitimate adult and professional in the mainstream, but cannot accept the fact that his tastes, such as science fiction, are still largely dismissed as low brow. The Subject feels like an awkward weirdo, no doubt due to experiences suffered in childhood and to a lesser degree in adult life. The Subject can sense the unspoken disdain for his line of work, but cannot face that fact. Worse still, the subject is keenly aware the vast majority of his fans are weirdos and while he accepts the financial/critical gains from those consumers, he again resents those responsible for his success.Q: Because of your experience, what are your thoughts on the evolution of fantasy and science fiction (it’s acceptance in society/entertainment/media, productivity of original ideas, the different formats, publishing, etc.) and where do you see the genres’ going in the future?
Kevin: When I was a teenager, I was just the strange geek who read Sci Fi. Today, the biggest grossing films each year are science fiction, dozens of TV shows are SF, genre books regularly hit high on the bestseller lists. It’s become mainstream—and I’m thrilled about it. It’s good not to be the weirdo anymore!
GamePlayer wrote:
Posters and Animations
KJA and Co. as wannabe rappersGamePlayer wrote:
GamePlayer wrote:
Enjoy!