the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes

Gerry Quinn · 18 Jan 2011, 01:06 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:06:47 -0000
Subject: (urth) the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes
References: <SNT123-W55D70BC05BB71ACE31371ECFF40 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <6BF03B127529443C81E494B26B972438@jill>


From: "Lee Berman" <severiansola at hotmail.com>
>>Gerry Quinn:
>>But the main reason is what one can see so often on this list:  people get
>>caught up on some idea they think must be the secret key to a Wolfe story,
>>or mistake metaphor for plot - and end up building tottering towers of
>>babble that don't make any sense at all in terms of the concrete elements 
>>of
>>the story.
>
> Such honesty is refreshing. The metaphor of boys playing with toys is apt. 
> Every daycare
> is populated with those who delight in building block towers and those who 
> delight in
> knocking them down. I think when people's roles are so explicitly defined, 
> there is less
> cause for argument and strife.

The block towers of small children were not the metaphor.  Nor do I delight 
in knocking them down.

When some adult constructs something which they intend to be part of a 
load-bearing structure, I consider that I'm doing them a favour pointing out 
reasons why it needs to be modified befure being usable as such.

- Gerry Quinn

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