tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post4232953929817904795..comments2023-10-03T11:41:21.191+01:00Comments on The Truth About Lies: Who in their right mind writes a sequel?Jim Murdochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-79870464865996622132009-08-13T02:15:23.879+01:002009-08-13T02:15:23.879+01:00What is amusing, John is that the first novel I ev...What is amusing, <b>John</b> is that the first novel I ever attempted was a sequel to <i>The Hobbit</i> blissfully unaware as I was at the time that something called <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> was kicking about. Of course the whole point to this post was an excuse in my own self-deprecatory way to introduce you all to my very own sequel, <a href="http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.com/2009/08/son-of-so-who-in-their-right-mind.html" rel="nofollow"><i>Stranger than Fiction</i></a>. <br /><br />And, <b>Jinksy</b>, yes, that's a good way of putting it and I'd like to think that I had the good sense to stop at one sequel. I cannot pretend I don't have mixed feelings about it. I may never have intended to write the thing but now it's done I can't say I exactly hate it either. You can read all about it in the <a href="http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.com/2009/08/son-of-so-who-in-their-right-mind.html" rel="nofollow">sequel to this post</a>.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-70273061646463826392009-08-12T20:22:32.886+01:002009-08-12T20:22:32.886+01:00I think writing is the same as painting or drawing...I think writing is the same as painting or drawing. The art lies in knowing when to stop. It's all too easy to turn a picture into a muddy mess, if the 'stop' point isn't recognised... Sequels come in the same category.Jinksyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01686101468214361004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-15610675112421070072009-08-12T17:23:18.577+01:002009-08-12T17:23:18.577+01:00Jim, I surely agree about sequels, and it does see...Jim, I surely agree about sequels, and it does seem even worse when other authors execute them. I know a guy who recently wrote a sequel to, of all things, Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" (he emerged from thousands of applicants to get the gig) and since he's an otherwise serious writer, I imagine he's at least a tad bashful about this book. But he's also no doubt laughing all the way to the bank.John Ettorrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18229971392235689875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-87918619208335476112009-08-12T00:46:34.986+01:002009-08-12T00:46:34.986+01:00Mariana, can I ask why you find another author wri...Mariana, can I ask why you find another author writing a sequel to a book such an affront?<br /><br />I think I can see it would be bad from the perspective that a potential nobody could get fame on the coattails of somebody like Salinger, but it is good from the perspective of creativity.<br /><br />But I would like to know your views.Rachel Fentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10046917627054462214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-81565478861121393312009-08-11T12:54:02.885+01:002009-08-11T12:54:02.885+01:00Glad I could entertain you, Dave and I've just...Glad I could entertain you, <b>Dave</b> and I've just dropped you an e-mail. If you click on my profile you'll get it anyway.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-34095835948794475782009-08-11T12:33:58.540+01:002009-08-11T12:33:58.540+01:00The whole business of writing sequels - why, how a...The whole business of writing sequels - why, how and when - has always intrigued me. As now does your encylcopaedic knowledge of the subject. A fascinating trawl through the best of them. Congrats are in order. <br />One further thing. Could you email me so that I can reply. I'm having trouble contacting you. Maybe have the address wrong. Thanks Jim.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-63273029530570562962009-08-11T10:50:55.583+01:002009-08-11T10:50:55.583+01:00Really that is so ackward, I find it awfull, how d...Really that is so ackward, I find it awfull, how did this guy dare do that? it is almost like a violation.<br /><br />Thanks for claryging jimMariana Sofferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13351209522681966230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-79043730430133702682009-08-11T10:04:55.753+01:002009-08-11T10:04:55.753+01:00Thank you for that, Rachel, I think TV series are ...Thank you for that, <b>Rachel</b>, I think TV series are a different beast entirely. A pilot is aired with the sole intention of spawning further episodes. When I conceived this article I was thinking about those works which were originally one-offs, like <i>Billy Liar</i>, but, for whatever reasons (the success of the original usually) they decided to revisit the characters. I'll talk more about this in the sequel to this article. And, yes, I planned a sequel right from the off.<br /><br />And, <b>Mariana</b>, I think you may have misread that. Salinger has not (as far as anyone knows) penned a sequel to <i>Catcher in the Rye</i>. It was some other bloke and Salinger took him to court over it. The book was banned in the USA but it's available elsewhere not that I'm interested in reading it I have to say.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-62317475890687983572009-08-10T11:07:29.183+01:002009-08-10T11:07:29.183+01:00The beginning of your post made me thing that you ...The beginning of your post made me thing that you where talking about the famous one hit wonders, but from the movie-book kind of content. But it turned out you where speaking about the law of diminishing returns, always money ends up driving how things turn to.<br /><br />I would have rejected to write a sequel too, came on it was doom to failure for sure, it could never be as good as the first one was, neither as succesfull.<br /><br />I would stay with the salinger book rather than with the other one, and man I can not belive the news here, a sequel after such a long time, guau. Anyway that is the book I like the least from him I like much more the other 3 ones, specially the 9 stories and franny and zooie, but also the one that was made from 2 book parts was not that bad either, it was good, just a little confusing to understand. So why would he do a sequel of that book, and not of the greatest 3 ones, that have this amazing characters of the wise kids from the radio program.<br />Excelent post by the way.<br />bye jim and thanks for the infoMariana Sofferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13351209522681966230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-469158385918049162009-08-10T08:59:40.684+01:002009-08-10T08:59:40.684+01:00You're on form Jim - a jolly good read! Can...You're on form Jim - a jolly good read! Can't you justify a sequel by paralleling it to a tv series then, they make a pilot, it works, is popular, they comission a series...then another? Although, I suppose then you'd have people asking authors to cancel the sequel due to a drop in potential reading figures. You know what will happen now though, authors will say (as standard) they always planned for the story to continue...it wasn't just because they wanted to pocket a load off the back of the other book's success!Rachel Fentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10046917627054462214noreply@blogger.com