A long time ago, I would talk about YouTube videos. It was mildly entertaining for me, and boring as hell for everyone else. Sine I write this blog for myself, I was okay with that. Right now, I only really watch a few YouTube videos, unless someone mentions one in a blog or tweet.The other day, I found a YouTuber (sounds like a vegetable) named Haley G Hoover. She is an 18-year-old high school senior who can write. Many of her videos are high school quality, with ideas that high schoolers have. There is a series of videos, however, that I found really entertaining:
Annoyances and Grammar Fairies (1-5)
More Annoyances (6-10)
Annoyances 11-15
Annoyances 16-20
Annoyances 21-25
Annoyances 26-30
There are a few others that are well-done. It is the
She has a bunch of friends who also make videos. I think the common denominator is that they are all about the same age, they read Harry Potter, and they are part of the "in crowd" of YouTube. The rest of the group may be entertaining to teenagers, but they aren't as talented as she is.
I sort of paused, and nearly deleted this blog entry for a couple of reasons: (1) It is boring as hell; see above, and (2) Haley is popular. I have an aversion to anything popular.
I didn't really want to read the Harry Potter books originally because they were popular. Actually, when I read the first one, I thought to myself, "Why is this book so special?" JK Rowling, in my humble opinion, really developed as a writer before our eyes. The forth book was so much better than the first three. I mean, the first three books were good – they had a really good story. But the forth through seventh books - better literature.
And I have seen discussions about who was a better writer, JRR Tolkein or JK Rowling. I mean, I can understand the comparison: they both are known by letters (JK and JRR), not their first and middle names, they both are English, the both started a resurgence in a genre of literature. Lots of similarities. Tolkein was a professor at Oxford, an expert in language. He did real research, and he wrote some wonderful books. He even developed a few languages for his books. The difference I can see is that JK Rowling weaves good stories, but much of what she writes about is borrowed from other people's stories. Well, it doesn't really matter who is a more gifted author. Tolkein will probably never be as popular as Rowling; his work is a bit more work to read.
Now I am just rambling.
If you are inclined, view Haley. I think there is a bit of poetry in her words. I like how she constructs sentences, and how things relate. She had the heart of an author.
3. My Stories. Yeah, I have a few erotic stories here. I know, they are not all that good, but they were fun to write. Don't read them if this offends you (and they represent less than 1% of the content here). These stories have elements of truth and fantasy, some more true than others. Complain about something that is a bit more substantive if you must complain. I have lots of faults.
13 comments:
ltns. it's great to see you've stuck with it. i love the way you write.
Rowling's stories are great, although I don't think her writing fully matured until book six. Book four is still my favorite, but the writing was still cluttered with adverbs and cliches in four and five. Stephen King wrote a criticism that mirrored my own observations after book five. I'm not sure if that had an effect, but the issues we saw were resolved by the next book.
Having read the HP series twice, I think her books actually got worse as they moved along. She got lost in endless exposition, aimless wanderings through teenage angst, and they just got so freaking long!!!
I think she started getting paid by the page...
The very fact that they are splitting one book in to two movies is the death knell to this series. She needs a much better editor.
Having said that, I just started reading "The Hobbit" again for the umpteenth time....
Good post!
Kids today have a knack for the jump cut and video. Not bad. I'm personally a little more fond of Fred. http://www.youtube.com/user/Fred
But she's kind of hot so would I? Sure.
JD: Thanks, sweetie.
Grant: I stand corrected. Stephen King, love him or hate him, knows a lot about writing. So does Grant. Hmmmmmmmm. I wonder if this is a Clark Kent - Superman situation.
Advizor: Tolkein is responsible for some long books as well.
Knot: I don't know Fred.
I found her very entertaining and funny. I follow the Shaytards on Youtube and I'm addicted. He's a radio DJ, but his vlogging is so raw and not so "put together" that I have to watch it. He's hysterical and so is his family.
I was never a fan of Harry Potter - tried reading it and it just bored me to tears. Kids are crazy over these series, which I think is so great because they're actually READING BOOKS!
I'll check her stuff out. Especially if you recommend it, Leesa.
You need to watch Fred. Annoyingly funny.
Deb: I am not a fan of a "reading books" for reading books sake. I remember a cousin who was reading trashy novels in high school. My aunt thould it was good because at least she was reading. If her son was "reading Playboy" I wonder if it would have been any different. But with Harry Potter, I agree with you.
Dr. Deb: Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Knot: I watched a bit of Fred. It was funny, and it should not have been funny. Going to the doctor. Funny stuff.
Comparing Tolkein and Rowling is like comparing Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe.
Tolkien is infinitely more talented that Rowling, also more original, but like you said, he takes some work to read.
Rowling is just like King, she can write, but literature it ain't.
Malach: What I wonder, though, is that will Rowling be literature in 100 years. Time and death have a way of making one's work look better.
I read the whole post, but this line: "I figure, if they sleep with them, they probably are a bit protective of them" was one of the best I've read in a long time. I laughed out loud. Doesn't really apply to my life, because 99% of the hundreds I've bedded I could care less about, but it struck me funny as hell. Thanks for that, hon.
Thanks, Kathi.
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