Patrick Rothfuss' fans recently paid a MILLION dollars to have him read a chapter from Doors of Stone. Rothfuss says he hasn't written it. That's inexcusable.
Rothfuss lacks a little thing us professional writers call "PUT YOUR ASS IN THE CHAIR AND WRITE WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT." Another aphorism to live by is "you can't edit a blank page." While I sympathize with his difficulties, It seems he lacks even an ounce of willpower. He deserves no one's patience or goodwill anymore. The only thing keeping me from calling him an utter scumbag is that the money he raised was for charity and he, in theory, did not profit from it himself.
Difficulties? Well, he claimed his difficulties amounted to "Trump!!!" Which shouldn't be a problem anymore?
From comments I have received from the fount of information from Twitter is that he took an actual cut of the money, because he's "managing the charity."
However, as Twitter is ... Twitter, we did not edit that into the article, just in case it's BS. Which it might be.
Hm, well I'm not totally opposed to the idea of him taking a cut since he is after all taking time out of his busy schedule to help raise the money. The question is how much of a cut? But that's not really here nor there.
As far as difficulties go, I was more speaking to the amorphous mental/health difficulties he's alluded to over the years and the general pressure he's under. I know quite well what it is like to NOT want to write and to use every delaying tactic in the world to do other things other than the writing I'm supposed to be doing right now (replying to this thread is, in fact, one of those delaying tactics, so I had best get back to it). But in the end, either you sit your butt down and write, or you don't. If you do, you're a professional. If you don't, you are not. Delays happen, health, family, whatever. But over a decade of delays is no longer delays, that is just excuses.
I sympathise with unforeseen delays, but too many Readers have been left dangling by Authors who make their advance and quit mid series. This spoils it for Author and Readers alike. This is the primary reason I've set my goal to FINISH my entire WATCHER of the DAMNED series within the next 3 years. That's 3 arcs and 6-12 books in the next 36 months... not counting the first 6 book WOTD series I ALREADY finished, the associated Audible episodes, illustrations and the TTRPG.
If I can do all this without an advance, the least Rothfuss can do is take that million and buy a lovely studio, sit down and finish his book for his devoted fans.
I may not be Rothfuss, but I'll have an epic series - and if people like it well enough, it will stand as a finished work.
Y'all lost me at the best fantasy novel in past ten years. Over-hyped and making lots of cash - and now not producing... haven't we heard this story before?
This appears a trend some writers. With the time they spend tweeting super threads, they could've written the novels they owe their readers. But they won't or can't. Personally, in Rothfuss' case, he's become complacent thanks to the phenomenal success and then his creativity petered out because he didn't treat writing as his full time job. So he atrophied.
Rothfuss lacks a little thing us professional writers call "PUT YOUR ASS IN THE CHAIR AND WRITE WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT." Another aphorism to live by is "you can't edit a blank page." While I sympathize with his difficulties, It seems he lacks even an ounce of willpower. He deserves no one's patience or goodwill anymore. The only thing keeping me from calling him an utter scumbag is that the money he raised was for charity and he, in theory, did not profit from it himself.
Difficulties? Well, he claimed his difficulties amounted to "Trump!!!" Which shouldn't be a problem anymore?
From comments I have received from the fount of information from Twitter is that he took an actual cut of the money, because he's "managing the charity."
However, as Twitter is ... Twitter, we did not edit that into the article, just in case it's BS. Which it might be.
Hm, well I'm not totally opposed to the idea of him taking a cut since he is after all taking time out of his busy schedule to help raise the money. The question is how much of a cut? But that's not really here nor there.
As far as difficulties go, I was more speaking to the amorphous mental/health difficulties he's alluded to over the years and the general pressure he's under. I know quite well what it is like to NOT want to write and to use every delaying tactic in the world to do other things other than the writing I'm supposed to be doing right now (replying to this thread is, in fact, one of those delaying tactics, so I had best get back to it). But in the end, either you sit your butt down and write, or you don't. If you do, you're a professional. If you don't, you are not. Delays happen, health, family, whatever. But over a decade of delays is no longer delays, that is just excuses.
Someone posted his org's Form 990 on Twitter. Here they are if anyone's interested:
https://www.open990.org/org/900618018/worldbuilders-inc/
I sympathise with unforeseen delays, but too many Readers have been left dangling by Authors who make their advance and quit mid series. This spoils it for Author and Readers alike. This is the primary reason I've set my goal to FINISH my entire WATCHER of the DAMNED series within the next 3 years. That's 3 arcs and 6-12 books in the next 36 months... not counting the first 6 book WOTD series I ALREADY finished, the associated Audible episodes, illustrations and the TTRPG.
If I can do all this without an advance, the least Rothfuss can do is take that million and buy a lovely studio, sit down and finish his book for his devoted fans.
I may not be Rothfuss, but I'll have an epic series - and if people like it well enough, it will stand as a finished work.
Y'all lost me at the best fantasy novel in past ten years. Over-hyped and making lots of cash - and now not producing... haven't we heard this story before?
This appears a trend some writers. With the time they spend tweeting super threads, they could've written the novels they owe their readers. But they won't or can't. Personally, in Rothfuss' case, he's become complacent thanks to the phenomenal success and then his creativity petered out because he didn't treat writing as his full time job. So he atrophied.
xavier
Two years later and we're still waiting? Well, he read *something* I think.
It's so good though