Quote:
Originally Posted by frahse
Among my greatest heroes are Tolkien, Jack Vance, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Rudyard Kipling and Robert Jordan (who died too young.)
Others too have had great runs and fantastic books, but still those are at the top of my list.
But though those writers have produced great books and material, they are not the only source of great possibilities in literature and here I speak of my first love: Science Fiction.
The reason I say this is because just this week I noticed that LE Modesitt has churned out a good many more books since last I looked. (I have been overly busy with the Financial Market, and family matters though I am not complaining just explaining.)
I think literature has never been more blessed with great authors and great ideas.
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I think there are some authors who are good craftsmen, but struggle a bit with the ideas thing, while there are other authors who have great ideas, but struggle with the craft of writing. The really good ones have both. The authors who are good craftsmen have a tendency to be co-writers or write in other people's universes. It's not so much that the great writers are the only source of great possibilities, it's just that some writers struggle with original ideas. Plus writing in a known universe gives a writer instant access to an audience that they might not have otherwise. For most writers, the issue is finding an audience and an audience finding you. Brian Dailey is probably better known for his Star Wars books and Robotech books than he is for his more original books.
Just as a note, co-writing is not a new thing. Dumas apparently had a stable of writers who expanded out on his ideas and the use of his name, especially later in his career.