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I spent the last week searching 8 books for a scene I recall that impressed the hell outta me when I read it years ago. I found it yesterday, but its totally different from my recollection. I'm amazed at how my head changed the details.
I knew you were post-modern at heart, James; after all, for a reader, a text is merely a pretext to write your own text (Umberto Eco).
George V. Higgins said: BAD WRITERS PLAGIARIZE. GREAT WRITERS STEAL.
"a modest canon: That great poets imitate and improve, whereas small ones steal and spoil."
- W. H. Davenport Adams, in The Gentlemen's Magazine, 1892
Since then it has been revised, imitated, and stolen by many, including T. S. Eliot, Pablo Picasso, and Steve Jobs.
Who the hell is George V. Higgins?
Never mind. I looked him up. I'm not that fond of crime lit, but do read some. How would you rate Higgins, James? Should take a read?
I bought almost all of his books. They made movies of the early ones, but I don't care for the last books. Elmore Leonard said Higgins taught him how to write.
http://www.elmoreleonard.com/index.php?/forums/viewthread/239/
I'll try one of his early ones, then. Thanks, James.
Story of my liferealized so many mistakes
I agree, but when you get real old...Damn you do get stupid! or at least I have.Story of my life
...and realized so many mistakes.
I miss Noir Trash (more famous here as Jamesbjohnson) he tried to have serious discussions about writing style, but was always harassed by a handful of regulars who didn't like the fact he was harsh in his critiques, and also an Archi Bunker type who didn't pretend to be PC. He helped me a lot because I responded to his "Listen, Elsie, you have some talent, but you're a hot fucking mess who has no idea what he's doing." and other supportive comments. Few years later he sent me an e-mail that he bought my first BDSM novel. "Well, well, the bitch put his big boy pants on and learned some new tricks"
I imagine he may have passed by now, he was up there in years and declining health.
But he's one of the best "Fuck you stories" here. He never published anything and the people who always attacked him claimed its because he couldn't. He posted a slew of stories that didn't do great score wise because they were about trashy people doing shitty things, but a lot of people remarked on his writing ability.
He also won a green E under an alt pen name that he only shared with a few of us, his detractors claimed he was lying and if he wasn't to show it to everyone, and he never would and I always admired that.
We could use a couple more like him these days. Way too much high fiving and back slapping and tip toeing around people's feelings here. Anyone who didn't like him was simply too soft.