tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post1217096179425820089..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: content warnings in a query letterJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-4373768743139764892020-03-27T10:48:05.615-04:002020-03-27T10:48:05.615-04:00P.S. I have told Fiancé about it, though. He just ...P.S. I have told Fiancé about it, though. He just said, "OK, I'll read it for you."<br /><br />Huh!Katjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06709262852565003059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25398486167349709572020-03-27T10:46:35.592-04:002020-03-27T10:46:35.592-04:00It seems like I shall never read this story, The L...It seems like I shall never read this story, The Lottery. I'm ALREADY scared! And so this way I still have a chance that it won't stick with me forever. Katjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06709262852565003059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-23495295760469950772020-03-27T10:30:09.759-04:002020-03-27T10:30:09.759-04:00Okay ACFranklin I'll jump in. Sort of.
As ...Okay ACFranklin I'll jump in. Sort of. <br /> <br />As I read the Lottery...the time in which it was written kept pulsating in my mind. Post WWII.<br /><br />I've written this comment four times and each attempt becomes political so I shall back off for now. <br /><br />I did find an 18 minute movie of The Lottery made in 1969. This is all just creeping me out. Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25429535826403277192020-03-27T08:53:19.992-04:002020-03-27T08:53:19.992-04:00Question for the group:
Do you find horrifying the...Question for the group:<br />Do you find horrifying themes or character-centric horror scarier? Having just read The Lottery, I find myself firmly in the latter camp. Probably in part because it reflected my current opinion of government.ACFranklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142026970098432631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87494416250012368032020-03-27T08:47:16.138-04:002020-03-27T08:47:16.138-04:00Okay boys and girls that I would read this during ...Okay boys and girls that I would read this during these troubling days of who will live and who will die...well...eeeeeeek!<br /><br />And nightmusic Mwahahahahahaha... back atcha.Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-74814833702828217092020-03-27T08:14:14.164-04:002020-03-27T08:14:14.164-04:002Ns And now...it will never leave you...
Mwahahah...<b>2Ns</b> And now...it will never leave you...<br /><br />Mwahahahahahaha...<br /><br />Sorry, couldn't resist, but it really is just that kind of story.nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15199589793843647262020-03-27T08:10:15.295-04:002020-03-27T08:10:15.295-04:00I read it.
OMGI read it.<br />OMGCarolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-19014616452643613112020-03-27T07:46:24.402-04:002020-03-27T07:46:24.402-04:00Thanks all for The Lottery info. I bought it becau...Thanks all for The Lottery info. I bought it because anything that gets this kind of reaction on the reef...I WANT TO OWN IT.Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-29927611856558010752020-03-26T22:37:38.818-04:002020-03-26T22:37:38.818-04:00The Lottery stuck with me. Also Harlan Ellison...<br />The Lottery stuck with me. Also Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream. Nasty piece of excellent writing that's stuck with me. You can read both online at no charge. I recommend doing it in the morning so you don't (1) stay awake all night, or (2) have nightmares.<br /><br /><br />Dena Pawlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-22301558728459957152020-03-26T18:10:25.494-04:002020-03-26T18:10:25.494-04:00Shirley Jackson's The Lottery and Bradbury'...Shirley Jackson's The Lottery and Bradbury's The Veldt still send shivers down my spine, but are firmly lodged in my memory. In general, I can't remember what I went upstairs for, three minutes ago, but I remember these. I also remember (although I can't remember who wrote it, and am too lazy to look it up) the flash fiction entry here about the airport thief who stole the purse of a woman during the ebola outbreak. Are scary things more memorable?<br /><br />I hope everyone is doing okay. I'm holed up in my woodland cottage for the duration.Panda in Chiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160375490647791433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-85656124553176779722020-03-26T16:35:44.057-04:002020-03-26T16:35:44.057-04:00Content warnings are interesting because they'...Content warnings are interesting because they're considered basic etiquette within online writing communities but not in publishing. On AO3, for example, writers either mark major content warnings (graphic violence, main character death, rape, and/or underage relationships) or explicitly opt out (“Choose not to use archive warnings”). These warnings appear before a story's summary. Writers can also add additional warnings for things like eating disorders, homophobia, abuse, etc. The purpose is to say upfront “I'm dealing with a subject that's a deal-breaker for some readers. Proceed with caution if this is you.” It doesn’t always translate to graphic. A story about rape recovery would include a warning, even if the actual rape isn’t on the page at all. Maybe “explicitly deals with” fits better?<br /><br />Online, it’s bad form to "trick" readers by not including the appropriate warnings, even if it spoils a plot twist. If someone wouldn't open a story with a content warning, they aren't going to like it if you spring it on them either. I don't think queries are the place for them, but I get the impulse to include content warnings somewhere. I’m curious how an agent who grew up with the online norms would feel about them.Rebecca Taurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13579017360563337748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-39476262978446760892020-03-26T14:28:08.899-04:002020-03-26T14:28:08.899-04:00I return to The Lottery again and again. And The H...I return to The Lottery again and again. And <i>The Haunting of Hill House</i>. Shirley Jackson was one of those greats, she really sets the hook. There was actually a recent graphic novel adaptation of The Lottery which was aggressively okay. It didn't really elevate the story (for me) or particularly make the case for its existence. The art was (to me) vaguely Edward Hopper-esque but not enough that I could really tell why they'd made that choice and what they were trying to evoke. Really, it made me just go and read the short story again, unembellished.<br /><br />When I was probably too young, I read a couple of collections of Alfred Hitchcock short stories (or stories that he curated), and one of them, I've never been able to find again. It took place in England, I think, because the people who owned houses had "gardens" in that way, and the main characters found a lock of hair that, if they put it on a picture of somebody, could harm them. I know there are a lot of Hitchcock collections, for young readers and otherwise, so it's a difficult haystack in which to find my needle. I think one of those collections is where I first encountered Patricia Highsmith, with her "The Quest for Blank Claveringi"!Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-52291744260542045202020-03-26T14:17:47.442-04:002020-03-26T14:17:47.442-04:00The thing about content warnings is, if I understa...The thing about content warnings is, if I understand them correctly, you put them before something where the viewer may not have a reason to expect the trigger. IE if you link to an article about animal abuse that has graphic pictures, you would put a trigger warning for that. With a book, if the plot is about a triggering topic, that should be clear from the summary and tone anyway. IE the Hunger Games doesn’t need specific trigger warnings because the premise makes it clear what’s going to happen.Shaunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16593125890199143858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-22799971917449931482020-03-26T13:21:00.778-04:002020-03-26T13:21:00.778-04:00...a.k.a. why I've decided not to have my vill......a.k.a. why I've decided not to have my villain appear in person, instead letting the rumors spread. He will be a terrifying ten-foot-tall shadow with eyes of flame by the time I'm done. No, not like Dark Lord of Derkholm. A completely different flame-eyed ten-foot-tall shadow.<br /><br />Omelets are delicious. Eggs. Cheese. Pre-sautéed onions. Greenery--kale and broccoli are good. Micro-greens--I like mustard. Maybe carrots. Salsa.<br />Now I need to stop dreaming of what I can't have. We don't have all the ingredients, so I'll have to settle for eggs and cheese.Alyssa Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01438012212591150209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-50580941612497028592020-03-26T13:17:02.275-04:002020-03-26T13:17:02.275-04:002Ns, you can pick up a copy of The New Yorker and ...2Ns, you can pick up a copy of The New Yorker and read The Lottery. Well, assuming you can time travel back to 1948. Short of that, it's FREE online if you're not a fan of time travel.<br /><br />And why not stay inside today and catch up on some reading! Shirley Jackson is certainly a good excuse to do so.<br /><br />Page-turner that I just finished and would recommend: Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door. The ending didn't <i>quiiiiiiite</i> hold up, but the story is superb and it's super-hard to put the book down for necessities such as eating and sleeping. Plan accordingly.John Davis Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020019400599228492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-38402240995228159162020-03-26T11:30:37.279-04:002020-03-26T11:30:37.279-04:00Colin, with your novel to movie preference, you...Colin, with your novel to movie preference, you've also touched on why Jaws was scary. The music and knowing danger lurked is much scarier than seeing the actual danger (in this case, slightly cheese fake shark). The anticipation of danger is scarier than seeing it. <br /><br />It's also why Alfred Hitchcock Presents "Bang You're Dead" episode is so scary. The viewer knows the five-year-old picked up his dad's real gun instead of his toy gun. But the people he's pointing the gun at don't know, and the viewer keeps waiting for the child to fire.<br /><br />Also, this spoof of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is amazing:<br /><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-lottery-in-stars-hollow" rel="nofollow"> The Lottery In Stars Hollow </a>The Sleepy Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406738871201908077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-76466296342813541652020-03-26T10:59:08.711-04:002020-03-26T10:59:08.711-04:00Most of what Shirley Jackson wrote creeped the hel...Most of what Shirley Jackson wrote creeped the hell out of me. Way more so than more graphic things unless they pertain to animals. But that's not creepy as much as it is cringe worthy.<br /><br /><b>Mr Forti,</b> onions make the omelet! ;)nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-79931710567089484602020-03-26T10:41:23.772-04:002020-03-26T10:41:23.772-04:00Karl, I misread that as "Those Who Walk Away ...Karl, I misread that as "Those Who Walk Away From Omelettes" and thought "who the hell would do that??" But then, there are crazy people in this world. Or maybe the omelette just had onions in it. Totally understand walking away from that garbage.Steve Fortihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06027977543853683231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-80202510685193660002020-03-26T10:09:33.784-04:002020-03-26T10:09:33.784-04:00This is why, in my humble estimation, books are al...This is why, in my humble estimation, books are always better than movies. Of course, I enjoy a good movie just like any other social distancing responsible person. But movies place images into your head, whereas a good book will evoke images from the darkest recesses of your own imagination. A much scarier place! :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42454332070290238572020-03-26T09:49:30.778-04:002020-03-26T09:49:30.778-04:00The problem with 'graphic' is that it limi...The problem with 'graphic' is that it limits the imagination: 'This and nothing more'.<br /><br />The strongest fear is 'Fear of the Unknown' and that makes our current virus scare greater because we don't know if will mutate into something worse. <br /><br />When you write a story you are producing a play to be performed in the mind of the reader and imagination is your greatest tool. Too much detail also limits the imagination. <br /><br />Well, that's the advice I offer crit partners. Sometimes they go into so much detail it stifles the imagination. Mister Furkleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156977719916770984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17254416332696619482020-03-26T09:41:37.570-04:002020-03-26T09:41:37.570-04:00The things that creeped me out most were those tha...The things that creeped me out most were those that engaged my imagination and prodded it through that dark door.<br /><br />It is not the graphic nature of things that screw with you. It is those that unleash the beast you fear from deep in your subconscious.<br /><br />In other words, my personal imagination is a darker thing than how you try to tell me how dark your's is.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-3938382463500316202020-03-26T09:16:39.659-04:002020-03-26T09:16:39.659-04:00In my high school English 1 class we had a unit on...In my high school English 1 class we had a unit on dystopian fiction. There Will Come Soft Rains, The Lottery, The Veldt, and even Metamorphosis haunted me for weeks after. Compelling stuff, and none were explicitly graphic except that one description of a certain animal in There Will Come Soft Rains (I'm trying not to spoil anything and I don't know if it's working)Scribe (Parchment & Ink)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02614726614426786339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12010044213941890522020-03-26T08:45:56.118-04:002020-03-26T08:45:56.118-04:00I'm also guessing agents are a tough bunch whe...I'm also guessing agents are a tough bunch when it comes to reading. If a 1-pg query letter triggers something, I'm guessing they wouldn't stay an agent for long.<br /><br />Yeah, the Veldt (Ray Bradbury) was the scariest for me. How people can gradually assign objects in their life to receive human status (and worse, vise-versa). It's horrifying because it's real.<br /><br />Lottery I could get behind as well.Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-14124830107265902522020-03-26T08:44:43.283-04:002020-03-26T08:44:43.283-04:002Ns I'm 99% sure Janet's referring to Shir...<b>2Ns</b> I'm 99% sure Janet's referring to Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery." Jill Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15260600727956409597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-66609150553575842272020-03-26T08:39:37.361-04:002020-03-26T08:39:37.361-04:00The Lottery by Shirley Jackson - it's amazing...<b>The Lottery by Shirley Jackson</b> - it's amazing<br />E.M. Goldsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18387494005655553037noreply@blogger.com