Michael Everett wrote:...It occurs to me that Skimper seems to be trying to build his own sci-fi universe.
As such, I say to Skimper, you might want to use
this site to write about this universe you are making.
I look forwards to reading your first story.
I'm not a great believer in the relativism of truth.
Philosophically, there are always gray areas, areas in which disagreements over things not susceptible to physical proofs can be debated on the basis of reason, insight, and --- yes --- instinct and personal prejudice. A high percentage of such debates' output is, in my personal opinion, high grade crap suitable primarily for fertilizing the fields of mental and moral masturbation, which has had a less than completely positive impact on us --- specifically Western Civilization --- as a whole, but your mileage may vary and I do
not say that
all of it is crap or that philosophy isn't a thoroughly respectable discipline.
Now, having said that, there
are no gray areas in what Skimper persists in posting about the Honorverse. Having an idea, or a question, or a suggestion, or a request for further information not already available in textev are all perfectly legitimate and reasonable subjects for posts. Sharing them with other readers and inviting debate is likely to elicit more complete information, either from those other readers or from the author, and I generally enjoy the debates even if I choose not to take part in them personally. For that matter, some of those discussions and debates have caused me to more fully consider aspects of the Honorverse which hadn't previously been vital to where I was taking the story --- or where I'd simply been making assumptions without thoroughly thinking them through, myself --- which have been both thoroughly enjoyable and highly useful to me as a writer. By the same token, and for the same reasons, making suggestions which are based on an imperfect or incomplete understanding of the underlying tech assumptions is also perfectly legitimate, even though those suggestions may be completely and utterly unworkable in the end. And sometimes there are suggestions for things, which are at least technically feasible under the Honorverse tech assumptions, that I simply don't believe any of the polities in the Honorverse would invest in. In those cases, readers may certainly legitimately disagree with whether or not the in-universe decision-makers (which would, of course, be me, in the end) are making the
best decisions possible. That is totally their right as readers, and I would be astonished if there is any serious reader of science fiction who hasn't had one of those "there's a better way to do this" moments about most of his or her favorite authors. It comes with the territory, and any of you who have spoken with me at cons know that I am
general --- not always; I have my off days --- thoroughly prepared to discuss those suggestions, those decisions, and why the people in the book make the choices they did.
What is
not legitimate, or a profitable use of other people's times, or a reasonable reason to expend photons, or anything remotely approaching courteous to the author who created the universe is to
persist in pushing forward some supposedly brilliant, unworkable, illogical, and poorly thought out proposal which generally ignores the established tactical environment in the interest of finding a solution in search of a problem and
which he has told you will not work. Skimper may say he isn't ignoring me, that he simply sees no reason to argue me about the constraints of my own literary universe, as if that somehow made it a more courteous --- or at least more acceptable --- attitude, but I have to say that doesn't do a single thing to make his rudeness any less rude. In fact, it strikes me as even ruder than arguing with me would be, in many ways, because of the dismissive arrogance inherent in it.
It also strikes me as something he should damned well be doing
somewhere else, since
this literary universe obviously isn't being run to his taste, or he wouldn't need to "ignore" the fellow writing it in the first place.
If I sound ticked, it's because I am. I think there have been two other people over the last 20-odd years to whom I have suggested that if they dislike things I am doing in the books sufficiently to lecture me on where else I should be going with them, or if they are so determined to argue with me about how things
should work (if only I were not so frigging stupid as to fail to see it myself), then they should go find someone else to read. I never like to say that to anyone who's done me the courtesy of reading my books in the past, but I have done it twice because, frankly, the irritation quotient, the arrogance, and the rudeness canceled out the courtesy and simply weren't worth enduring. I am now saying it to a third person. If Skimper can't accept that it's remotely possible that I know how the Honorverse works better than he does, and if he can't do me the elementary courtesy of taking my word for it
and accept it when I explain why it can't --- and
won't --- be done his way, then he is wasting his time reading the books, he is wasting your guys' time here on the forum, and he is seriously pissing off the author who writes the books in question.
I don't normally hold conversations like this in public posts.
This time, I'm willing to make an exception.
