I usually agree, but in this case maybe the author needs to hear exactly that. At least the author might the want to stop boasting about these things (and save his future career etc).
>Maybe a lot of it is a lack of confidence that my ideas are worthwhile.
Or that you simply have high standards for what you "publish", and prefer to be an expert on a topic before sounding off about it. Nothing wrong with that.
It’s better to say I think the authors should have thought about X rather the author is a moron and incompetent for not doing X. You can still say it by critiquing the actions not the character of the person. Similar rules exist in the Houses of parliament around accusations of lying simply because everyone would decend into that as a method of argument. It’s harder to call people out but still possible in my opinion.
Normally I would agree 100%, but in this case the target has more than earned it and the tone matches the impact on the author so I give them a pass on it.
You know, on the other hand, you're calling this person a troll.
I prefer to listen to what they have to say, especially if it means that I have a chance to make my future writing better in some way. (And I already have one concrete issue that I've remembered and passed on to the people that I've been working on my book with, so it's a net win for me.)
> For the record, I am not jealous – I make my money doing literally whatever I want, on projects that I find much more exciting, with ample time left over for nature walks, rock climbing, reading, and more. Unlike these authors, the money I make is not the most interesting part of my story
Frankly, I think you’re being incredibly rude to assume that because someone shared their story on a topic, then it must be their entire identity. It’s just so presumptuous to assume that the author or authors of these pieces have nothing else in their lives of value, because they decided to share this piece of their life.
There’s a lot in your comment I agree with, but this note struck me as just… extremely uncharitable, presumptuous, and rude.
I don't think that's fair to the author. It's an ad hominem that shouldn't have any place whatsoever on HN.
At least this guy is out there sticking out his neck and taking a chance. I might disagree with what he has to say (I usually do), but I have no right to judge him either way and I think that neither do you.
Every serious writer wants a book deal. If he makes a "direction-less advice blog" to do it and manages to write decent stuff once in a while then more power to him.
What I'm trying to say is that argue with him on the basis of content and where he's wrong instead of taking pot shots at him. It's healthier and a saner way, because both of you might just learn something out of this.
Personally, I think it's OK to hold professional writers accountable for what their words convey. If not intended, he still should have been able to realize how others would interpret it.
Everybody makes mistakes and this isn't a huge one, but part of making mistakes is getting called on it.
This is a good point. Maybe I missed the mark here. I'm not a writer, just a reader/appreciator so if my advice is bad from a writer's perspective then I hope the author ignores it altogether.
That's a good point, maybe I should remove the last part. I don't even know they guy. I just don't like seeing people being discouraged from reading ambitiously, no matter who they are. Especially when the numbers add up just fine.
Surely, every author has their own stand. I meant that in some cases making a statement without due facts or figures to back that statement, makes it assumptious and biased.
I am sure this is mostly seen as a positive but this can also backfire in an interview, and later, at work (I see a sibling comment addresses this). If a person leads with saying he has written a book on a topic, and then is unable to provide adequate responses to basic questions, the panel opinion goes south very soon. I have seen this happen.
Think of it as when a candidate claims she knows a language X well, but then is unable to answer reasonable questions around X. Saying you have written a book is like this claim, except dialing up expectations to the max.
Not saying advertising a book is a bad idea, but be aware of the expectations you are setting up.
Giving a bad guy's background in a fiction novel a similar some similar traits someone you don't like for openly being critical of your work is "so dirty and underhanded"? This feels utterly backward.
If you gave me the option of:
A) Having a person publicly criticize my work saying things such as: "I found a man who has long yearned for intellectual stature beyond the realm of killer dinosaurs and talking monkeys"
B) An author will write a d-bag into one of his novels and say he went to the same college and works in the same field as me.
I just think his writing is self-aggrandizing to the detriment of his argument. What's the point of comments on his stories if we can't talk about that?
Still, I’m tired of being sold the story of someone’s life, when it’s their work that will impact mine.
This sentence did it for me - I definitely agree. There's a tendency to focus on life stories these days, and they're given the same importance as the accomplishments of the people whose stories they're looking at, which doesn't seem right.
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