Leafing through my copy of the Authors Guild quarterly journal - they had a nice panel on the Art of the Story, and here are some really good quotes that came out of it. I love the first two, which are revealing but completely contradictory on the face of it, until you consider them:

"The way I know what to revise is, your editor tells you. I once got a manuscript back that I thought was wonderful and my editor wrote, 'psychotic ramblings.'" R. L. Stine

"I regard commands from agents, from editors, from publishers as dangerous and I view them with suspicion. My advice to you is: You're the storyteller here, not them. If they could do it, they'd be doing it." Thomas Fleming

(this next one is really dear to my heart)

People wonder why genre fiction has increased its audience so much in recent years. It seems evident to me that literary fiction in the main has given up on story and it ceases to be about anything and is usually about itself...genre fiction...has always been about story." Lawrence Block

Also from R.L. Stine, echoing my feelings exactly:

"I think I'm a little strange. I actually enjoy the writing process. I look forward every day to sitting down and actually doing the writing. I think a lot of writers would say they enjoy finishing it...but I love the actual writing part."

And to me, this sums it all up. I love her understanding that her characters are her friends. From Susan Cheever:

"Storytelling is the thing that unites all genres...nonfiction, column writing, biography...it's all storytelling. This is what we do all the time with our friends. And it's also the way we understand our own lives."

"Storytelling is the thing that unites all genres...nonfiction, column writing, biography...it's all storytelling. This is what we do all the time with our friends. And it's also the way we understand our own lives."

Oh holy damn, yes.

And aw, R.L. Stine. I read the Fear Street and Goosebumps books back in the day. Christopher Pike was better, though.

I read the Fear Street and Goosebumps books back in the day. Christopher Pike was better, though.

Better? How? Or do you mean Pike resonated more with you?

I haven't read either, so I'm curious.

And you'll notice, not one word about "plot" in those quotes. They seem to think like me: Plot is the mechanics. Story is the journey.

Everyone needs to go out and buy Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Gilman. It is wonderful and funny and I am in love with it.

Kristin, is it a book about writing, or is that meant for Literary?

For obvious reasons, I'm partial to "psychotic ramblings".

Um. Oops. It was meant for Literary. But...umm...still a good recommendation.

t looks abashed

Better? How? Or do you mean Pike resonated more with you?

Stine's book were much more formulaic. They were fun to read, mind you. But they were all fairly shallow entertainment, and largely unmemorable. There's something killing teenagers, and our hero and/or heroine eventually finds out who it is. Every short chapter ends with a cliffhanger, be it artificial or genuine.

Pike's books, on the other hand, were longer, just to start. His characters were more diverse. His ideas were more original and far more interesting. I love his Last Vampire series (and, actually, you might want to check out the first book, at least), because it's the only place I've ever seen vampire mythology integrated into Hindu mythology. He goes back to the time of Ram, Sita, and Krishna. It's so fucking cool. I always had this theory that he was Indian and writing under a pseudonym, because nearly every one of his books had something Indian about it, either an Indian character or someone randomly eating Indian food. Pike's books weren't always supernatural, and he had a lot of great books where the murderer was just a psycho. He also wasn't afraid to let his protagonist die. One of his books ended with the protagonist dead, but having left behind evidence of the killer's identity. And finally, when Pike wrote books for a more adult audience, they were really fucking good, whereas Stine's adult book was kind of crappy.

I reread Remember Me a few months ago, the first time I'd read a Pike book in a few years, and while the prose may not be stellar (it's for a young adult audience, after all), the book was still as good as ever. He's one of my favorite authors, and I'm still waiting for the bloody sequel to The Cold One.

I love his Last Vampire series (and, actually, you might want to check out the first book, at least), because it's the only place I've ever seen vampire mythology integrated into Hindu mythology.

Short answer: they resonated more with you.

Short answer: they resonated more with you.

That's unfair to Pike. His books are just better, period. More complex, and oh yeah, he's one of those authors you know actually does research. The first book of his I read showed knowledge of diving technique and the science of the bends, and The Listeners incorporates a lot of Egyptian mythology. Yeah, I thought the Indian things were cool, but he would have been great regardless. The majority of his books were cool for their own sake. I mean, the VCR that recorded tomorrow's news! The author whose muse was a troll creature in the closet...or something, I know that was in one of the book somewhere. They were better, deeper...and oh yeah, there was more sex.