Originally posted by Ripley the Warmaster+May 10 2005, 06:00 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ripley the Warmaster @ May 10 2005, 06:00 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-James Luceno
Coming from a background of loud music, carpentry, and travel, I still struggle with getting myself to the word processor, and will typically place as many obstacles in my path as possible.
That clearly shows he has no passion. A person with passion for the craft would have no problem with getting to that word processor and transcribing the prose. Luceno sounded like he was writing with a person pointing a gun at him. This miserable state of writing is shown in the prose.[/b][/quote]
DarthSolo already tackled this point quite well. Luceno could not have gotten this far if he did not have some passion for writing. He would have quit and gotten a "real job" that pays better.
Somewhere I saw a really good quote from an author to the effect that writing can still be hard work even for the most talented and enthusiastic writers, and anyone who thinks it is entirely fun and games doesn't know what they're talking about. For now we’ll have to settle for the following quotes I managed to unearth:
Orson Scott Card (http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/lessons/1998-07-16.shtml):
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'> I must warn you that writing, which is a pleasure to you now in such stolen moments as you can devote to it, becomes drudgery when it's the way you earn your daily bread. Yes, there are still good moments when you solve a particularly nasty problem in a story, or when you complete a story that you know absolutely works. But every day when you get up, writing is your duty, and that changes everything. It becomes lonely, frustrating, and it's hard to want to do it. And even when the money comes, it comes in fits and starts. You never know where the next dollar is coming from.[/b][/quote]
Mike Stackpole (http://www.stormwolf.com/data/interview.html):
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>On the most basic level, the biggest difficulty is that folks who want to write don't sit down and write. It is often said that people like "having written," but they don't like the process itself. Without the discipline to sit down and write, no advancement beyond that point is possible. Once you have something written, the biggest difficulty is getting it published. As Manly Wade Wellman always said, "Only you believe you can write. If you quit, you just make it unanimous." By hanging in the game, by still working on material and submitting it you not only get better, but you avail yourself of more chances to get published. After that point, the greatest difficulty is in not taking the risks to push yourself as a writer. You want to always force yourself to do something new, force yourself to grow and stretch for a writer. If you don't do that, you'll get stale and will eventually be forgotten as newer and hotter writers blow onto the scene.[/b][/quote]
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Originally posted by James Luceno+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(James Luceno)</div><div class='quotemain'> For the most part, my original novels are – or were, since they’re out of print[/b]
That is lack of creativity. Working virtually in another person's universe is hack work. There is not enough passion to create a new world set full of characters. Rather pathetic.[/b][/quote]
Actually he has written more original works than SW (though many were collaborations with Brian Daley). Then there are two other movie novelizations and a Young Indy book.
I don’t pretend to know why he hasn’t written more originals recently. For one thing, he seems plenty busy with SW.
Robotech Series (with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney)
'Genesis' (1987)
'Battle Cry' (1987)
'Homecoming' (1987)
'Battlehymn' (1987)
'Force of Arms' (1987)
'Doomsday' (1987)
'Southern Cross' (1987)
'Metal Fire' (1987)
'The Final Nightmare' (1987)
'Invid Invasion' (1987)
'Metamorphosis' (1987)
'Symphony of Light' (1987)
'The Devil's Hand' (1988)
'Dark Powers' (1988)
'Death Dance' (1988)
'World Killers' (1988)
'Rubicon' (1988)
'The End of the Circle' (1990)
'The Zentraedi Rebellion' (1994)
'The Masters' Gambit' (1995)
'Before the Invid Storm' (1996)
The Black Hole Travel Agency (with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney)
'Event Horizon' (1991)
'Artifact of the System' (1991)
'Free Radicals' (1992)
'Hostile Takeover' (1994)
'A Fearful Symmetry' (1989)
'Illegal Alien' (1990)
'The Big Empty' (1993)
'Kaduna Memories' (1990)
'Rio Pasion'
'Rainchaser'
'Rock Bottom'
'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: The Mata Hari Affair'
'The Shadow' - movie novelisation
'The Mask of Zorro' - movie novelisation
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>List wise, I'm refering to the fact we are given Raith Sienar's page and a half background when he is only mention in a sentence, the names of the campaigns Commander Cody fought in, and verious other long-winded stories that have virtually no impact on the story and breaks up the flow of the novel. He even admits it.
<!--QuoteBegin-James Luceno
Ok, let us look at this from another point of logic. Coruscant is a city. The entire planet is a city. It runs entirely on technology. All the travel is done by repulsor lift vehicles. It makes absolutely no snese to throw in a pack of horses. Did nobody else have a problem with this?[/quote]
*raises hand* It did kind of bug me, but not as much as it does you apparently. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif On my extensive list of beefs with Season III, this is near the bottom.