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Literary Snobbery—Dealing With It

February 10, 2010 / Uncategorized / 17 COMMENTS


Dreams-- by Vittorio Matteo Corcos --1859-1933Literary snobbery has been a topic on a couple of blogs lately. So today, I’m blogging at A Good Blog is Hard to Find about how writers can handle encounters with book snobs. I hope you’ll pop over and visit me there.

Also, I’ve got all kinds of excitement coming down the pike this week here on Mystery Writing is Murder. Thursday, the wonderful Margot Kinberg will be guest blogging for me on Prewriting and Research. Margot gives us a glimpse at how research can make our novels stronger.

Friday, the talented Cleo Coyle will be guest blogging a special Valentine’s Day-related post: Genre Blending and Your Character’s Love Life. What defines a mystery? A romance? What should you consider when blending genres?

  1. Literary snobbery is inherently frustrating. You can’t please all readers. It’s humanly impossible. And it’s ridiculous of readers to decide that any book that *doesn’t* please them is worthless. Bottom line: art is subjective.

  2. Great post as always! Literary snobs are everywhere. I like to think they thumb their noses at mainstream writers because they couldn’t accomplish it themselves. It’s really too bad because they’ll be missing out on some great stories and great writing – their loss!

  3. Cool, I look forward to those upcoming blogs and I will check out your article on the other site.

    ann

  4. Oooh! I’m looking forward to these upcoming posts – especially since I do so much genre bending myself.

    I was also really struck by one line quoted in the snobbery post: “A lot of people in this country go through their days numb.”

    Helping people FEEL again is one of the coolest thing we can do. (And it’s something that good literary writers aspire to too.)

  5. Heading over now to check out the post on Literary Snobbery. I plan to make it back for your guest bloggers.

  6. Great stuff. Will pop over to see whatcha got to say. Uh-oh, will the snobs get me for that one?

  7. Michele–Thanks!

    Terry–I need to catch up on my DorothyL reading, for sure. I have a bunch of digests to read.

    Jemi–Thanks!

    Mason–Me too.

    Helen–I think you’ll find Cleo’s article really interesting.

    Ann and Simon–I appreciate it!

    Tamika–I’m excited, too! :)

    Margot–Thanks so much!

    Jane–Thanks!

    K.M.–Great point. Even great literature is going to be put down by people who think it’s deliberately obscure or boring. So true that art is subjective.

    Julie–It’s harder than it looks, isn’t it? I just kind of smile and nod when people say “Oh, I could write those books…” Yeah. Give it a go! :)

    Elizabeth–They might getcha! :)

    Cassandra–I’m looking forward to them, too!

    The Daring Novelist–And when you’re reading a book you feel like *you’re* the protagonist! It’s an integrated experience–I don’t get that from TV or movies. So I really DO feel the things that the protagonist is. You’re so right!

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