There are a few well known authors who have become boogeymen for eternally delaying the next installment in their series. Honestly, I side with them. I take the position that authors don’t owe anyone anything. If the joy of writing something isn’t there, it’s going to come out bad anyways. The idea of writing a book out of obligation sounds like pure torture.
I understand the frustration of being a fan of something and being left without a resolution. I was a Maximum Ride fan — I can tell you the pain of watching a series go off the rails because the writer got bored of it is worse than not knowing what happened. Above all, I don’t see the point in harassing authors who don’t want to write anymore. (That includes the collection of writers known as “James Patterson and \________”). If they’ve lost the passion, they’ve lost the passion. Let ’em be.
by ForkShoeSpoon
4 Comments
I would agree. If you want them to write something specific, you can become their patron and pay them to do so (should you have the money and they accept the arrangement). Otherwise, they are independent and should be left to write or not write whatever the want.
G R R Martian for example, I cant side with him considering he’s said so many things bout it coming out soon, if he has all this time to help work on tv shows then he has time to work on his books.
Is no sides an option?
I choose no sides.
I think what tends to chap our collective ass isn’t that they’ve lost the passion but that they won’t just own it so we can get some closure. In some cases maybe he does still think he’ll finish it, but others have become nothing but grifters, stringing people along and dangling sneak peeks for money. If they just said “I haven’t got the juice anymore. Sorry.” I think a lot of people would get it and move on.