In the city of Iravati, on the world of Skardu. . .

[rolanni]

. . .there lived a scholar who had three daughters, and they were the light and comfort of his elder years.

A reader stopped me after a panel at some con or ‘nother in order to tell me what was wrong with “Veil of the Dancer.”* The essence of their complaint was that it was written in “fairy tale” language and yet it wasn’t a fairy tale.

I told them I thought that was one of the story’s strengths.

No.  Authors, according to this earnest young person, aren’t supposed to “mislead” readers.

…and here I thought that was my job.

In any case! Quiet Knives (including “Veil of the Dancer,” and the title story)  and With Stars Underfoot (including “This House,” and “Lord of the Dance”) — Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Numbers 9 and 10, respectively — have today been uploaded to Smashwords.  There remain only 13 more chapbooks and a novel to process.

In other news, Mozart has this morning been out to Deepest Unity, braving yaks and chickens, and sheep the size of Colorado in order to see his stylist.  He is now returned, and sporting the Summer Shorts.  He looks. . .adorable, that’s the word.  Adorable.

Many thanks to everyone who weighed in on databases!  I am much enlightened, and more than ever determined not to enlist as a database programmer in my twilight years.

Me and the yellow pad are headed for the couch, now.

Hope everyone has a pleasant evening.

——
*Why do people do this? Do they think I’m going to rewrite the story, or recall all the magazines/chapbooks/webpages in which the offending narrative appears?  Or — what, exactly?

Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[xengar.livejournal.com]

"*Why do people do this? Do they think I’m going to rewrite the story, or recall all the magazines/chapbooks/webpages in which the offending narrative appears? Or — what, exactly?"

I think it's a case of "Don't do that again," ignoring the fact that there might be other readers out there with different tastes who actually like the story or stories in question and might want more like it. Self-centeredness, basically.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I'm reminded of the other reader I met who felt that characters in science fiction novels got in the way of the Cool! Science! Stuff! for which they read science fiction novels...

[mat-t.livejournal.com]

I can kind of see that. I just can't get into some SF because the author spends so much time on the Cool! Science! Stuff! that the characters feel kind of incidental and two-dimensional.

Not that there's anything wrong with that kind of SF...I just don't enjoy it. I much prefer the character-driven style that you guys use.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I can see it too -- and there's lots of Cool! Science! SF out there for folks who like that. It just doesn't happen to be what we're writing about.

We want to talk -- and have been talking for more than 20 years now -- about what it means to be human; what it costs to be human; the importance of becoming/remaining/growing as a human, despite the Cool! Science!, the Implacable! Enemy!, the Bureaucratic! Paper! Pushers!

[catlinye-maker.livejournal.com]

I just reread that story, and I adore the way it's written. I suspect Xengar's right with the entitlement issue, though it may just be saying the dumbest thing possible when faced with famous author; I often cringe at the stupid things I say on meeting people who really impress me.

At least you know you made a lasting impression. ;)

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

saying the dumbest thing possible when faced with famous author

LOL!

Now, if only I was a famous author...

[keristor.livejournal.com]

To many of us you are famous author! OK, most of world is not recognising this, but is their misfortune (and, your missed fortune!).

[estara.livejournal.com]

*drum roll* *rim shot* Shaka laka BOOM! ^^

Don't Ascribe to Malice what can be explained by ignorance

[(Anonymous)]

Assuming you actually want an answer to the question...

I suspect the person in question felt strongly enough about being betrayed (er, misled) by the divergence between the style and story that it was worth telling you.

How else would you know that some fraction of your readers were not happy with it and are prefer something else ?

Feedback always says something about the giver, and may have validity elsewhere. Your job in this case is to see if there is anything useful to be gleaned from it and thank the reader for caring enough to want to improve your product. Their job is not to engage in effective or consistent communication.

I know that when I give feedback that requires either superhuman effort to go back in time and remake the world or to take into consideration the impact it had on me when doing something in the future, I strongly expect the path of least resistance. Actually, in some cases, I do it just so I don't have to carry that judgement around.

Bob

Re: Don't Ascribe to Malice what can be explained by ignorance

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Your job in this case is to see if there is anything useful to be gleaned from it and thank the reader for caring enough to want to improve your product.

Actually, my job is to break the box, at least for a moment, and enough so that someone else can see what's outside.

So...someone complaining of betrayal only encourages me.

Re: Don't Ascribe to Malice what can be explained by ignorance

[estara.livejournal.com]

"Actually, in some cases, I do it just so I don't have to carry that judgement around."

which I understand from the rest of your comment to mean

"Actually, in some cases, I [give feedback] just so I don't have to carry that judgement around."

I do that, too, sometimes. It's called selfishness. Then they can carry the weight instead of me. I doubt that is how creative development and change work - although it might work with writing a better English homework or something that is similarly formulaic.

Hmm.

Why do people do this?

[barbinbandon.livejournal.com]

I don't know. How smart is it to approach and author you don't know, somebody pretty impressive, and tell them "I don't like something you wrote. You wrote it wrong."

I suspect something about attention-getting, albeit negative attention.

If you're gonna call 'em back, you can't have mine.

[saruby.livejournal.com]

But, you see, I think it is a fairy tale. One of the best kind, where the heroine rescues herself.

[maddoxa.livejournal.com]

I came to say this too; happy family, broken up, then revenge and rescue - what's not Fairy Tale-ish about this?
I loved it.

[orlacarey.livejournal.com]

Funny this post should come up the same day as Seanan McGuire talking about someone complaining about the way she chose to write her latest novel (http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/362721.html).

To which I have the same response - And no one (besides maybe the editor) gets to try to influence where an author writes her books. Well and co-writers, and writing groups if the author asks an opinion.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Oh, that will have gone over well.

Thanks for the link -- I'll pop over and see what she has to say.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Seanan's much more patient than I am.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

But she's also a bard and a filker, that person might just end up in a song instead. "Don't get mad -- get even!" And "Never annoy a bard, for your name is unusual and scans to Greensleeves."

[micheledear.livejournal.com]

You know, one of the things I love about your books, your stories, your tales, your fables.... There is always in them a sense of you and Steve, the which I truly adore, but also there is a different flavor to each character's viewpoint. A "characteristic" flavor, if you will.

This is one of the things that really draws me to your stories - the way the characters are different, and break the box, and show me yet another way to be human, to live, to love, to grow, etc...

The theme music in my head that goes with each character is like that... Different for everyone, with underlying themes, but until Quiet Knoves, I didn't really KNOW why her theme music was the way it was, and suddenly it all made sense.

I thought her origin story was beautiful and true to her, and I really appreciate the vast array of beingness that you bring to the page for us. In some cases the "fairy tale" rings quite a bit truer to life than anything else.

As for that reader, I suspect she is merely inexperienced in reading, and perhaps, also in living or loving or growing... So, she can look outside the shattered box shards and learn something, or she can crawl back into the ruins and pretend she never saw anything. Either way it's really up to her.

Your job is to do YOUR job. Which you do beautifully. If she doesn't like it, she can go back to reading Barbara Cartland (no offense, I went through a phase where I loved her books).

I am rambling. But I think I managed to make my point in there somewhere. This is why writing is not MY job. ;)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

I must admit to a slight wonderment as to what exactly the story would look like if it was the kind of fairy tale that this reader apparently expected? A little more wish-fulfillment, a little less reality in the mix? What does this reader think makes a fairy tale? The fairies in the garden?

Ah, well, isn't it good that we have stories of so many kinds? So that I can enjoy stories like this, and that reader can enjoy... perhaps the various colored fairy books? Or Peter Pan, which must be a fairy tale since it has a fairy featured in it?

Enough rambling. I certainly enjoyed the tale, no matter whether it is fairy or nay. And as someone else mentioned, no, you can't have it back. Shudder. The idea of recallable stories, perhaps recalled due to a complaint by someone... now that's horror!

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I believe the complaint was that a science fiction story should use "science fiction appropriate" language, and that "Veil" didn't use that "appropriate language." Which it doesn't, quite deliberately.

I happen to reject the idea that there is only one language appropriate to This and language that is inappropriate to That. One might say, for instance, that Clonak's euphemism of gathering up the sundered blossoms of the DOI was not only absurdly poetical, but inappropriate to the hard, distressing actions actually being performed.

Which it is, quite deliberately.

Had "Veil" actually been a fantasy, then we could have had -- a genie! Oh, but wait! Wasn't the curiat a genie, really? Granting wishes before they were even made, with a good helping of "be careful what you wish for"?

Man, reading is hard.

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Ah, so Bradbury and most of the new wave should be repressed. Give me that old time SF, and nothing else will do?

What an odd complaint. Although not the first time I have heard that the wine of SF should be kept in old bottles, none of these new skins, flavors, and smells for true-blue adherents. I do wonder why the literature of speculation should be thus constrained, but I suppose I don't have the proper attitude.

Please, do continue to use whatever twists of language, character, plot, problem, and so forth seem best for the stories you are telling. And don't worry, some of us will happily tread the measure that you've boldly laid before us. Even if it is in the air.

As long as it works...

[tomato-addict.livejournal.com]

"Veil of the Dancer" is one of my favorite chapbook stories.

I have read (I think) everything in the Liaden Universe (with the exception of Ghost Ship). I like the fact that although all of the Liaden Universe stories are "kind of related", they do not feel formulaic. Each story is unique, so since "Veil" actually is a fairy tale, why shouldn't it start like one?

The main character is a young girl who finds a magic book that transforms her into something other than what she is.

I always think of Inas / Natesa as being kind of a feminist - assassin Cinderella...

That's what fairy tales are supposed to be all about, anyway - magic and transformation.