Tim Waggoner Is Right

I haven't posted a blog in a while, I know. I'm sorry for that and will try better in the future. As an excuse, real world problems have gotten in the way but as the reader, you shouldn't care. You should only care if I have content to give. And admittedly, I'm failing at that.

What brings me to writing today is this blog by Tim Waggoner:

http://writinginthedarktw.blogspot.com/2024/08/dealing-with-problematic-authors.html

Tim is an incredible writer and I can't recommend him enough for those who love the genre. He always has great insights into horror fiction and the craft of writing itself. In this blog entry, he examines on a very personal level the “problematic authors” and how he deals with them. How do we handle writers like J. K Rowling whose works inspire many around the world but have shown less then tolerant tendencies of late. How do we separate the person from the art?

For my part, it’s often very hard. The relationship between a writer and a reader is a rather intimate one. When I read a book, I’m essentially reading the mind of the author. That is very intimate act creating a very personal relationship, at least for the moment you are between those pages. When an author “shows their ass” (as Tim says in this blog), it feels like a violation. The offending author has cheated in the relationship. That betrayal can be hard for many readers to take. Usually there is a long mourning period.

In most cases, I still read their works. Sometimes, I’ll go back and read them as soon as the scandal hits. I still read Edgar Allan Poe, even after I discovered he married his 13 year old cousin. I suppose you can say I view those works as the resulting children from the writer/reader relationship. And by god, I have full damn custody!

We need to remember that authors are people and not gods, or even devils for that matter. They are human, working in the human condition, like all of us. We shouldn’t put our writers up on pedestals to be worshiped and followed. It’s unhealthy for both parties in any relationship. It also makes any betrayal that much harder to handle.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide how they want to handle authors they love acting like morally bankrupt assholes. Tim gives some great suggestions on his own journey here. Read it and make your own decisions.