Paperback writer

Not saying we dont know you @I_am_Canadian but what do we know other than you are Canadian? Margaret Atwood is Canadian too...

True, but maybe thats whats needed now a days, a wake up to people reminding them everything they do or dont do has an impact on others that leaves a lasting impression.

Read the book... lol

I havent read much of Margaret Atwood lately, the last one I read was The Testaments. She kinda lost me when she got really into sci-fi with Oryx and Crake.

My favourite of hers was the novel Cats Eye. It was semi-autobiographical although there was a disclaimer on it that said it wasnt an autobiography.

The other canadian author I like is LM Montgomery, who wrote Anne of Green Gables. Other than that, not a lot of Canadian authors get much exposure in nz. I think its fascinating to live in a land that only comes to life each spring, while for half the year everything is under snow and ice and bitterly cold. It takes a certain type of people to endure and stay in that kind of environment. Most would just migrate to warmer climates.

oh ok, interesting, I am not familliar with Margret Atwoods, works.

Sounds like New Zealand is a lot like Canada, some of Canada got snow already and some is still warm and mild. Temprature is dropping and wont be warm again until about March.

its not really similar in terms of geography (we are a long latitude bunch of islands) but it is a commonwealth nation so its more akin to Canada than the USA in terms of govt.


Margaret Atwood wrote the Handmaids Tale. Its become a classic dystopian novel. She set it in the future and referenced the Bible , although shes agnostic.

The Handmaid refered to the story in the Bible where Jacob had 12 sons and a daughter with two wives, Rachel and Leah AND their handmaids. He was populating a new nation. In Atwoods tale, North America is called the Republic of Gilead and nuclear war has devasted the land so men need mutliple wives to reproduce, and women are just relegated to being surrogate wives and handmaidens as there arent enough men to go round. Or something!

Its narrated by a handmaid called Offred, who is the handmaid of Fred. She is charged with having. his child, basically forced to have sex with him but she rebels.

I dont know where Margaret Atwood got the idea from but if you are a fundamentalist mormon or islamic this dystopia and the way it treats women is not too far from reality in a cult.

However reading true accounts of cult escapees is a lot stranger than fiction. But the thing is if you dare to publish the truth after escaping from a cult your life could be on the line.

Tv and movies prefer happy endings and fiction tries to make everything turn out alright but sometimes life is not like that.

Its ok, I understand, I get that, Canada, New Zealand, Austrailia were all formed under the crown of England, at the height of the British Empire.

Ps I am aware of that, I have seen a map of the world. Ironically the birthmark on my chest looks like Italy lol.

Oh ok, is her books worth reading?

That sounds interesting, thanks for sharing.

well I enjoyed them though they are naturally from a womans perspective. It seems a lot of men are afraid to crack open novels penned by females.

I have not read many italian books- any that I remember are either travel ones or ones about art history. Or the Da Vinci Code. lol

I think everyone ought to read more outside their own locality...I guess that why the Seven Sisters saga was so popular as each book was set in a different country. I only read the first book though it was too much cheesy romance for me. The first book was set in Rio.

Thats good, Really? Maybe if men spent more time studying women they might kearn to become better men, fathers and husbands.

As for me I got 2 more posts to check before I go to the funny thoughts forum

JK Rowling, well to give an example, Joanne Katherine? prefers to write under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, I dont know why, does she think people or men wont read her books because she's female?

I dunno, seems acceptable for women to be trans gender but not men!

Its kind of like how boys wont touch a book thats got a female protagonist or a girly pink cover or anything about a princess. Even if its saving said princess from a dragon. Gender apartheid is real....

I too think men should read more female writers because they may actually learn something.

Women read male authors..so? Whats good for the goose is good for the gander right?

Interesting, I am not sure, their is an ethical conundrum, first the hypocrasy of saying its ok for one gender to change genders and not the other and yet scripture clearly states its an abomination for anyone to try and change genders.

True but maybe we should accept boys will be boys and girls will be girls and both genders have their differences.

there are a lot of gender neutral names now, some langauges dont even have genders, so, its a moot point.

scripture doesnt say anything of the kind, it just says men shouldnt lie with men, and not wear womens clothing, it doesnt say anything about women ...just that women shouldnt wear expensive clothes and jewellery! Or shave their hair lol

It doesnt say women shouldnt write or have books written about them...book of Ruth, Esther anyone?

It also speaks of modest apparel.
I think we a should approach the 21st century as a sign of the times in that its the closest to end time prophecy than it has ever been before,

The falling away from God, everyone heeding to itching ears forsaking sound doctrine, everyone doing whats right in their own eyes and its almost as bad as it was in Noahs day with the rise of abominations.

Lers face it the end is near and their is a giod chance we will see it in our day.

every age has had its excess, civilisations have rose and declined all the time. Revival happens periodically.

True, I could use a revical, looking for work is getting discouraging

are there no jobs where you are?

Was reading Friends (gosh thats taking me back) tv Companion to seasons 2 and 3. Writing for tv can be a steady job. But you'd need to be based in Hollywood or wherever theres an entertainment capital in your country. Or if you are songwriting, its where the recording studios are.

Most screenwriters, graphic novelists and song writers collaborate with each other, they write in teams. Its also fast turnaround ..you are looking for a hit. Journalists/reporters write every day and have to work to deadlines. Then theres copywriters who are basically ad people.

This is if you want to make money from writing. Its basically hack work. But its a job.

Ghostwriters write other peoples stories, almost all celebrity memoirs have been ghostwritten.

Paperback writers, depending on how your books sell. could churn out a book each month or every 3 months. If its a series, it will be regular and might become so popular you'd need help. Eg Babysitters club, I think got up to over 200 books and so did Sweet Valley High - freelance writers would write the books but theyd be given plot outlines by the author

Diana Gabaldon had a series that was very popular, called Cross Stitch I think but the latest book in her series was written like at least 10 years after he last. I think the same happened with Jane Auel with her prehistoric romances.

You need discipline to write.

A lot of Christian writers esp pastors, theologists do a lot of research for their books. Its not just something they pop off the top of their head, and they fact check everything. Even if its presented as novel (i.e fiction) the details need to be correct. However they are not limited in their imagination.

Thats the thing with telling a story. Jesus always told parables, and they were fiction but they had a message - a spiritual truth. He spoke to people in parables, those who got them understood, those who didnt just thought he was nuts.