Justine Larbalestier

reading, writing, eating, drinking, sport

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Settle!

Several people seem to be all het up about an essay by Robin Hobb that was posted ages ago. I blogged about it last August and I’m pretty sure it’d already been up for awhile back then. Some are going so far as to say they no longer want to read her books. Their loss. She’s a fab writer.

I has two points to make:

  1. I’m a little astonished that so few people are noticing that Hobb’s screed is meant to be funny. Writ ironical and all that.

  2. Blogging is a disaster for some people. And not for others. Knitting is a disaster for some people.

Hobb was just amusingly highlighting the pitfall that blogging can be for some. Fair enough. I’ve been highlighting the stupidity of writing rules that outlaw entire parts of speech. I’ve even outlawed nouns.

Newsflash: I’m not serious about that. I doubt very much that Hobb believes blogging will suck your soul away.

Can we all settle now? And find something truly outrageous to get up in arms about? Like Scalzi claiming all Australians are goblins. Now that’s a paddlin’!

Posted by Justine at 13:57, 13 March 2008 under Bloggery | 23 Comments »

Comments

  1. anon Says:

    you are so wise.

    March 13th, 2008 at 2:06 PM

  2. veejane Says:

    so few people are noticing that Hobb’s screed is meant to be funny.

    …Generally speaking, it’s easier to notice that an essay is supposed to be funny when it actually IS funny. Weird how that works.

    Besides, everybody knows that all Australians are elves.

    March 13th, 2008 at 2:42 PM

  3. 3. Justine Says:

    anon: that you, maureen?

    Veejane: Generally speaking, it’s easier to notice that an essay is supposed to be funny when it actually IS funny. Weird how that works.

    Come on! Whether you thought it was funny or not—I did—surely you noticed the over the top exaggeration? She writes:

    “But my dear friends, it is NO COINCIDENCE that blog and blood begin with the same three letters!”

    and you think she’s serious? Really?

    Besides, everybody knows that all Australians are elves.

    That’s worse than goblins! You get a paddlin’ and all.

    March 13th, 2008 at 2:50 PM

  4. Lori S. Says:

    I got that she was going for over-the-top, but I also got that she’s got a bug up her ass about blogging in particular, not things-that-distract-you-from-writing in general, and I do think that’s wrong-headed.

    Not wrong-headed enough to keep me from reading her books, though! (If I read them in the first place.) That seems a leetle extreme.

    March 13th, 2008 at 3:52 PM

  5. Tempest Says:

    I think the reason why most folks aren’t assuming it’s meant to be funny is that they don’t know Robin Hobb might be a funny/tongue-in-cheek kinda person and also because it’s sadly not all that uncommon for luddites to write things in exactly that tone and be completely serious. I mean, I did catch that she was being a bit overdramatic, but I thought it was in service of her very serious fear of the intarwabs, which I cannot abide.

    Also, as I stated on my blog, I feel like people who whine, whether in jest or not, about how blogging is the evil enemy of real writing are missing the key point. That people who blog and suddenly find they don’t have time to write? Weren’t going to write, anyway. they were looking for an excuse not to do so, even if they weren’t truly aware of it.

    I procrastinate my ASS off all the time. But when I am ready to write? i do it. I don’t post on LJ, I don’t look at my f-list, I don’t involve myself in flamewars. I just don’t.

    March 13th, 2008 at 4:21 PM

  6. Mary Elizabeth S. Says:

    I thought it was funny, and even more so because there’s some truth in it. (All you have to do is change the word “blog” to your own favored procrastination method.)

    And of course, just because there’s truth in it doesn’t mean it’s *all* true, and it doesn’t mean it’s a universal truth. Procrastinating on something isn’t the same as not doing it, so it’s perfectly possible to blog and also write. Just like it’s possible to write and not blog, or blog and not write, or not do either and doodle in the margins of your notebook instead.

    Or that’s my take on it, anyway.

    ~Mary

    March 13th, 2008 at 4:26 PM

  7. Patrick Says:

    I donot understan. If Australians are not elves, chipmunks, or goblins, what are they?

    Is it true that all Australians knit with their feet while writing?

    March 13th, 2008 at 5:04 PM

  8. Tempest Says:

    “Come on! Whether you thought it was funny or not—I did—surely you noticed the over the top exaggeration?”

    Uh, not to malign poor Robin Hobb, but there are more than few examples of folks writing absolutely exaggerated crazy things and being completely serious. Most recent example: Andrew Burt’s platform for SFWA president. You would THINK that any document that starts off “Greetings, gentlebeings!” would be meant as a riotous joke. and yet… it is not.

    March 13th, 2008 at 5:06 PM

  9. trudi Says:

    Did someone say ‘knitting’?

    March 13th, 2008 at 5:22 PM

  10. Diana Peterfreund Says:

    I guess I am having trouble figuring out what you’re joking about and what you’re not joking about!

    Maybe if we talked on the phone…

    March 13th, 2008 at 5:37 PM

  11. Patrick Says:

    Diana – are you joking?

    March 13th, 2008 at 6:00 PM

  12. deborahb Says:

    Clearly the internet needs to come up with some sort of colour categorisation. If you are joking, colour your posts green. If serious, colour them orange.

    Wait, what about colourblind people?! OK, OK, if you are joking, use black text on a white background. If serious, use white — wait. What about accessiblity issues for the differently-abled?

    OK, ok, so, if you are joking, … *pauses to think* …

    March 13th, 2008 at 6:05 PM

  13. 13. Justine Says:

    I’m a bit shocked that no one is focussing on the important part of this post: Australians are not goblins!

    Trudi: Did someone say ‘knitting’?

    How did you know I was talking about you? Put the needles and wool down and get back to the writing. NOW!

    Patrick: Diana – are you joking?

    Diana’s always joking.

    March 13th, 2008 at 7:54 PM

  14. janet Says:

    It’s true that there are other timesinks besides the internet in general and blogs in specific. But the online world is quite possibly the greatest potential timesink ever created by humankind. Not just for writers, either.

    March 13th, 2008 at 8:07 PM

  15. Patrick Says:

    Look over here, a photo of an Aussie. You can tell by the nice boots.

    March 13th, 2008 at 9:37 PM

  16. 16. Justine Says:

    Patrick: Look over here, a photo of an Aussie. You can tell by the nice boots.

    Blog Overlord: Patrick is now banned! Get thee gone!

    March 13th, 2008 at 10:20 PM

  17. trudi Says:

    How did you know I was talking about you? Put the needles and wool down and get back to the writing. NOW!

    I am scared now. How did she know?

    March 14th, 2008 at 3:00 AM

  18. Patrick Says:

    Blog Overlord: Patrick is now banned! Get thee gone!

    today is sad sad day…

    March 14th, 2008 at 6:40 AM

  19. Elodie Says:

    You have freakishly weird timing. Last night the girl next to me at choir had a book by robin hobb with her (I was all, “heehee looks like robin hood but nope” … ) and now you mention her, when I had never heard the name in my 18 years of life before XD

    March 14th, 2008 at 8:54 AM

  20. 20. Justine Says:

    Elodie: Isn’t really freakishly weird timing as Robin Hobb is a very popular (and very good) writer. She’s my favourite writer of big fat fantasies. And her books under the name, Megan Lindholm, are also fabulous.

    March 14th, 2008 at 10:08 AM

  21. Liset Says:

    i like the essay.
    i’m not against blogs,
    but i’d rather have a novel from my favorite writer
    then a blog.
    yep

    March 15th, 2008 at 2:56 PM

  22. 22. Justine Says:

    Liset: Tragically, some of us would rather blog than write novels . . . Fortunately, mostly we don’t get paid to blog so we has to write novels. :-)

    March 15th, 2008 at 3:01 PM

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