*sigh* When authors should know better.

[roseembolism]

I won't really go into the latest racefail controversy, AKA "Mammothfail". I just want to point out that it's really a distressing feeling to read the comments of an author you respect, and find yourself muttering "No, No, no! Just, stop. You're NOT helping. I know you're trying to support your friend, but you're making things worse. No see, you're still typing. That's bad. Aw, no, not with the metaphors, just back. Away. Slowly."

A part of my mind is trying to adapt the Tom Leher song "Who's Next" to Racefail, as I wonder who the next author I respect is going to make the mistake of explaining their way deeper into a mess.

Comments

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

In my WiP, I'm going to have mammoths, certainly. Maybe even hyperintelligent psychic mammoths. Or ground sloths. Maybe even saber tooth tigers. Psychic ninja saber toothed tigers. Given a past culture that created entire species for aesthetic reasons, the possibilities are wide open.

But I'm not going to erase a race in order to have them. That would be all kinds of idiotic.

[seawasp]

Well, as a writer, I reserve the right to erase any race, continent, civilization, individual person, planet, or whatever from my work if I don't think it plays a part in my work, and to add, modify, or otherwise change anything else in any way, shape, or form that amuses me. It's MY universe, written for ME, and I am writing exactly and only the story I want, the way I want. As I've often said to people in discussions of books and reading: "I'm not writing for 'the reader'; I'm writing for ME. If the reader wants to come along and enjoy my story, that's fine, but what I'm doing is writing the stuff no one else will write for me."

Also, if you have hyperintelligent psychic mammoths and ninja sabretoothed tigers, you have just erased the race in question anyway, unless they're a chattel species to the HPMs or NSTs.