Neil Gaiman: "George R.R. Martin is not your b!tch!"

[Werthead]

Interesting post by Gaiman.

It's unrealistic of you to think George is "letting you down".

Look, this may not be palatable, Gareth, and I keep trying to come up with a better way to put it, but the simplicity of things, at least from my perspective is this:

George R.R. Martin is not your bitch.

This is a useful thing to know, perhaps a useful thing to point out when you find yourself thinking that possibly George is, indeed, your bitch, and should be out there typing what you want to read right now.

People are not machines. Writers and artists aren't machines.

You're complaining about George doing other things than writing the books you want to read as if your buying the first book in the series was a contract with him: that you would pay over your ten dollars, and George for his part would spend every waking hour until the series was done, writing the rest of the books for you.

No such contract existed. You were paying your ten dollars for the book you were reading, and I assume that you enjoyed it because you want to know what happens next.

When you see other people complaining that George R.R. Martin has been spotted doing something other than writing the book they are waiting for, explain to them, more politely than I did the first time, the simple and unanswerable truth: George R. R. Martin is not working for you.

And yes, the initial tagline is going to be a T-shirt

 

[BookStop]

Thank you, Neil Gaiman! I've been telling my hubby that very thing for years, but it doesn't have much impact coming from me. Now from Gaiman...

 

[HareBrain]

Very good post from Mr Gaiman, but the level of hero-worship in the comments was kinda disturbing.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

Quite an interesting blog post. Thanks Wert!

Now where can I get that T-shirt?

 

[The Judge]

I don't know. I think I must be showing my age. Am I alone in finding the use of the word 'bitch' as a synonym for woman (aka slave) wholly offensive? I can grasp that Gaiman was being deliberately provocative in using it, but the very fact he thought he had to use it in this contect is depressing.

*Goes back to her needlepoint after polishing up her antimacassars*

J

 

[Boaz]

While I was heartened to see that Neil Gaiman publicly posted in support of George Martin, I feel Gareth was undeserving of Gaiman's crass response. I've seen comments and questions by posters (I'm including myself) that completely deserved just such an answer. Gaiman's post left me feeling that he'd had a very, very, bad day and was taking it out on Gareth.

I've dealt with the loss of a parent... or rather I've dealt with the loss of a parent very poorly. I missed deadlines at work and at home. I failed to please those closest to me... I could not imagine rising to the effort of trying to please millions. I feel for Neil Gaiman on this point.

Judge, I was first called a b**** twenty four years ago. My first thought was that's a sickening thing to call someone. In the next moment I thought since I'm a guy, does that make him gay?

Naming another man as a b**** in an attempt to emasculate him only further degrades women. It shows a lack of respect and value.

On the one hand, I try to imagine Gaiman using the word in an attempt to gain Gareth's attention and shock him into seeing things clearly. On the other, I wonder how an award winning author cannot come up with a better way of expressing himself. I think most top authors would express themselves more eloquently.

The decay of western civilization is all around us. I lament our self-destruction of the English language and even more so for our values and mores.

Gaiman, in my opinion, said the right thing with the wrong attitude. I know he's making a valid point, but it feels like he's got an axe to gringd. (I hope my post does not sound that way, too.) Maybe he should run his blogs and posts by his editor first.

 

[The Imp]

The truth of the matter is, GRRM did in fact enter into a contract with people who began reading ASOIAF. Why? The answer is simple, even though no one ever mentions it. Had he been publishing stand-alone novels no one would be saying a word about his next book. There might be some that would be complaining that he hadn't written anything but what would eventually happen would be he'd become a memory and his popularity would diminish.

But he's writing a series, and there's a huge difference between doing that and writing single books. One of the main points of a series is to get people hooked and to exponentially increase book sales by having someone who loves the series tell someone about it and assuming they like it as well, you've just sold 4 books rather than 1. For the people that have already read the books there is a need created in them to "crave" the next book almost in the same way an addict "craves" their next fix. By starting a series the writer, in my opinion, enters into an agreement to produce material and ultimately finish the series in a fairly timely fashion. In exchange, the reader commits to starting the first book, having the knowledge that more will follow.

Having said that, I'll also say that I think GRRM has been doing his best to produce the next book. Some people can work non-stop on a project, others need to do multiple things. I think GRRM needs to be doing other things to stay "fresh". It's also clear that he's been having issues with parts of the plotline, something that can stop a series or novel dead in it's tracks.

So, is GRRM anyone's "bitch"? Of course not. He can do whatever he likes whenever he wants. All he owes anyone is a good faith effort to get the series done as quickly as possible. Unless you think he's intentionally ignoring ASOIAF to aggravate his fans it's probably best to just be patient, or, say the contract is broken and I'm moving on.

 

[viZion]

Ugh, the comments on that blog are borderline disturbing. "OMG TEEHEE HE SAID BITCH HE'S SO AWESOME LET'S MAKE A T-SHIRT!". Sorry, but Neil Gaiman completely overreacted to the questions being asked. Gareth, the questioner, seems to be writing some honest questions and expecting some rational answers. Question 1 is a very valid question and he almost completely ignores it. Question 2 was a tiny bit whiny but still didn't deserve the initial reaction Gaiman gave it. At least he did calm down a bit after the initial outburst but by then the damage was done. It could be that he was having a bad day like Boaz said or it could be that he really is just a pretentious jerk artist. Either way, I'm certainly not in the crowd of groupies hailing this as some huge victory over the Martin haters.

 

[Werthead]

Gaiman has mentioned before that he gets whinging emails and letters because he's refused to write another long Sandman series and he's repeatedly put off the sequels to American Gods and Neverwhere despite promising they'll be along someday. So I think his temper snapped a little bit at yet another query about writers and writers' 'obligations' to their audience, even if it wasn't about him personally.

 

[Boaz]

Three people very close to me are authors. One was told by a prominent author... "A book is like a baby. Once you give birth to it, it takes on a life of it's own. You can try and guide it, but you cannot control it."

Once an author releases a book, it's public. People will make of it what they will. Books take on lives (or deaths) of their own according to each reader. Some do not live up to expectations, while others become monsters.

For instance, did JK Rowling imagine that the first Harry Potter book would propel her to become the most prominent author on the planet? I sincerely doubt it. I think if she'd sold a million copies, then she'd have been ecstatic. Harry Potter became something she could no longer control... the public has embraced him and taken the story to heart.

I'm sure it's easy for authors to snap when the public confuses owning the book with owning the writer. But since he's a professional writer, I guess I assume that Gaiman would take a bit more time editing anything with his name on it.

Public criticism is nothing new. I'm sure even Shakespeare had pressure from the public to finish his next play, but the sheer volume of communication was not like we see today via the internet. Nowadays, celebrities are denied privacy... everything they do is public knowledge. It's tough to imagine, but I'm sure even Edgar Rice Burroughs and Louis Lamour had times when they were behind deadlines. Was their pressure less because of the lack of global communications? You could certainly argue that.

I'll be disappointed if Martin never finishes the entire story, but I'll enjoy the ride as long as it lasts and know that I definitely got my money's worth.

 

[soulsinging]

Ugh, the comments on that blog are borderline disturbing. "OMG TEEHEE HE SAID BITCH HE'S SO AWESOME LET'S MAKE A T-SHIRT!". Sorry, but Neil Gaiman completely overreacted to the questions being asked. Gareth, the questioner, seems to be writing some honest questions and expecting some rational answers. Question 1 is a very valid question and he almost completely ignores it. Question 2 was a tiny bit whiny but still didn't deserve the initial reaction Gaiman gave it. At least he did calm down a bit after the initial outburst but by then the damage was done. It could be that he was having a bad day like Boaz said or it could be that he really is just a pretentious jerk artist. Either way, I'm certainly not in the crowd of groupies hailing this as some huge victory over the Martin haters.

He didn't ignore question 1, he directly answered it with a resounding 'no.' His point being, authors don't owe anybody anything.

I agree 100% with what Boaz said about the internet and mass communication. It used to be a very rare phenom indeed that could induce mass hysteria... prior to the internet, I think only Star Trek had the kind of fanatical devotion that is commonplace now with ALL media... be it a rock star, a tv show, comic series, or people hooked on the latest good novel series.

I have no sympathy for the kid asking the question and all the sympathy for Gaiman/Martin. To have a bunch of unbalanced psychopaths stalking your every move, flooding you with whining at best, hate mail at worst... who wouldn't snap? Who can fault him for getting fed up and laying down quite clearly what he feels he "owes" people.

How about what those readers owe the writers as a way of thanks for the enrichment they received from the years of toil those artists put into their work and their courage in sharing it with the world?

 

[viZion]

He answered "No" to the very last part of question 1 which why I said he mostly ignored it. The first two parts were pretty interesting and actually sympathetic towards authors! I read the post again to make sure I didn't miss it. Definitely wasn't there. Doesn't matter, I still think he overreacted. There's no rule that says great authors/entertainers/artists/etc are automatically really cool people. Quite a few them are jerks. Gaiman was a jerk in that post. Martin, on the internet, has been a jerk (I've heard he's quite a nice guy in person though).

 

[Hilarious Joke]

As long as GRRM finishes the series before he dies (or even if he somehow finishes it after he dies as a vampire or some such), I don't mind how long it takes. In the big picture what will be remembered (I hope) will be the masterpiece itself, not how long it took between installments.

 

[dustinzgirl]

Judge, I was first called a b**** twenty four years ago. My first thought was that's a sickening thing to call someone. In the next moment I thought since I'm a guy, does that make him gay?

Naming another man as a b**** in an attempt to emasculate him only further degrades women. It shows a lack of respect and value.

On the one hand, I try to imagine Gaiman using the word in an attempt to gain Gareth's attention and shock him into seeing things clearly. On the other, I wonder how an award winning author cannot come up with a better way of expressing himself. I think most top authors would express themselves more eloquently.

The decay of western civilization is all around us. I lament our self-destruction of the English language and even more so for our values and mores.

You realize that most cuss words are hundreds and hundreds, even thousands, of years old?

Sometimes the smallest words have the largest impact. Thats what he was going for.

 

[soulsinging]

He answered "No" to the very last part of question 1 which why I said he mostly ignored it. The first two parts were pretty interesting and actually sympathetic towards authors! I read the post again to make sure I didn't miss it. Definitely wasn't there. Doesn't matter, I still think he overreacted. There's no rule that says great authors/entertainers/artists/etc are automatically really cool people. Quite a few them are jerks. Gaiman was a jerk in that post. Martin, on the internet, has been a jerk (I've heard he's quite a nice guy in person though).

That last sentence is quite telling to me... that GRRM is supposedly very nice in person. Maybe these guys are not jerks at all. Maybe they're just nice guys at their wit's end that simply don't know what to do anymore about all the jerks among their fanbase?

I spend some time on a Pearl Jam forum, and there is the same sense of entitlement: the same amount of whining that albums take too long, tours aren't big enough, they don't get as much info as they deserve, the band hasn't come to their house to bake cookies for them and show how much they appreciate them buying the albums... frankly, it kind of disturbs me.

The internet has spawned a bizarre strain of fandom... one that is very selfish and demands instant gratification. These people imagine some sort of personal relationship with the artist that is completely delusional. GRRM owes it to them to stop doing what he wants with his life and sit down and finish "their" book. Pearl Jam owes the oldest fans front row tickets because they are the most loyal fans and the band is nothing without them (Pearl Jam has said it kind of creeps them out that the same people sit front row at every one of their shows and they've had stalkers that took their hatred to the point of violence).

I think the fact that this is becoming an increasingly common situation indicates that the problem is the fans and their obsession. When more and more and more major artists are coming out and expressing similar sentiments to Gaiman, bemoaning their lack of privacy and concern over the demanding nature of their fans, I think it's safe to say it's not the artists that are the problem (jerks, as you say). It's the fans. They're behaving more like petulant children every day and authors and musicians and the like are on the ropes and running out of ideas as to how to handle it. Tough love is as legit a response as any. When did our culture become so wussified that nobody can be slapped with the blunt truth anymore? We need to dance around it and give some PC sugar-coated response to these guys?

 

[dustinzgirl]

Its more likely that they are just normal people who can be nice and mean depending on how their day went.

Well, normal humans with writing superpowers.

 

[thesoothsayer]

The truth of the matter is, GRRM did in fact enter into a contract with people who began reading ASOIAF. Why? The answer is simple, even though no one ever mentions it. Had he been publishing stand-alone novels no one would be saying a word about his next book. There might be some that would be complaining that he hadn't written anything but what would eventually happen would be he'd become a memory and his popularity would diminish.

But he's writing a series, and there's a huge difference between doing that and writing single books. One of the main points of a series is to get people hooked and to exponentially increase book sales by having someone who loves the series tell someone about it and assuming they like it as well, you've just sold 4 books rather than 1. For the people that have already read the books there is a need created in them to "crave" the next book almost in the same way an addict "craves" their next fix. By starting a series the writer, in my opinion, enters into an agreement to produce material and ultimately finish the series in a fairly timely fashion. In exchange, the reader commits to starting the first book, having the knowledge that more will follow.

QFT.

I'll feel disappointed and cheated if the series is not finished since I bought the books expecting a conclusion. I also understand the frustration some fans must be feeling because of the long wait, especially those who have followed from the very start. Waiting for a conclusion to something can leave you with a gnawing feeling inside your chest and just bothers you to no end.

Fortunately for me, it's something that I've gotten used to since the first novel I bought as a very young kid was book 2 of a trilogy. After making sense of that, it was a few years before I managed to find book 1 and 3 to finish it.

 

[viZion]

Tough love is as legit a response as any. When did our culture become so wussified that nobody can be slapped with the blunt truth anymore? We need to dance around it and give some PC sugar-coated response to these guys?

Wussified...nah? But if he wanted to go off on a fan I'm sure he has hundreds of really bad emails to choose from. He chose one that was reasonably written and not really that whiny so he came off looking like an a-hole instead of making the questioner appear that way.

I personally don't *expect* anything from Martin, Gaiman, or any other author or entertainer. I'd by lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in how long it takes Martin to put out a book though. One of the ways I deal with it is to come to a forum like this to discuss the series. Interacting with other fans is as interesting as reading the books for me.

 

[TK-421]

Didn't know we all of sudden became prissies at the use of the word b!tch.

 

[KESpires]

I think Gaiman's reaction is perfectly suited to the kind of hatemail a lot of authors in Martin's or Rothfuss's place get when people get pissy while waiting for the next installment in a series to come out.

I think Rothfuss said it well. Concerning opening an email from a prick wanting to know "WTF WHEN IZ BUK 2 CUMIN OUT?" He said it was like finding a turd in your cookie crisp.

Priceless.

And Gaiman's comment should be a t-shirt. If the day comes where I'm lucky enough to be invited to a con or speak on a panel there, I shall wear it. Maybe Martin will be there.

And that concludes K. E.'s fantasy land trip for the day.