The theme for this week’s episode was inspired by the conversations I had yesterday with some writers on Twitter. As a result, today’s questions may not be as fun as the ones I’ve asked in past episodes. Still, I encourage you to answer them with as much enthusiasm as you’ve answered my past questions. It would mean a lot to me, especially because I’m using the first two questions as a survey.
So What Would You Rather Do?
- Would you rather ghostwrite for a blog that pays you $5 for every article you write, or guest blog for a popular blog that doesn’t pay its contributors?
- If you submit your work to a lit mag, and the editors deem your work to be of poor quality, would you rather they published it like that out of pity, or would you rather they rejected it and offered you constructive feedback.
- Would you rather write a novel that gets adapted into a movie or one that gets adapted into a TV series?
Don’t forget to send in any suggestions you have to me via my contact page.
This month has been rather eventful, wouldn’t you say? What are the state of things where you’re reading this from? And, more importantly, how are you coping? I really would like to know.
Shards of Bards 
I’d rather be a guest blogger. I don’t write for money. I used to write under a pen name, because I wasn’t writing for popularity, either, but found that with my name on my pieces, people I know were more likely to read them.
I would rather have the rejection with constructive feedback. The worst is rejection without being told why!
TV series – multiple seasons! I think a movie would necessitate editing out details for the sake of time, and it would drive me crazy to see details I had so painstakingly constructed end up on the cutting room floor.
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Perfect as the movie adaptation of “Harry Potter” is, I’ve always wished that it were a TV series instead of a movie series for the same reason you mentioned. There were lots of details in the book that didn’t make it to the movie adaptation, but I guess this was because the movie producers had to prune the story for the sake of time.
I agree with what you said about rejections that don’t provide constructive feedback. They really are the worst, and I almost made the mistake of sending someone something like that earlier this week.
Thank you so much for your answers. They’re always so insightful.
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Thanks for the thought provoking questions. 😉
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Thanks for the insightful answers. 😉
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I’m always writing with enthusiasm when responding to your posts! They’re just so engaging and thought-provoking.
1. One of my fellow bloggers suggested I watch “The wife” (2018). I haven’t finished it but it’s definitely stirred up some thoughts already. Ghost-writing is definitely controversial. $5 is not worth it to me. I’d rather publish a a guest blogger. It would have to be A LOT of money (something that would enable me to quit my full-time job) for me to consider ghost-writing.
2. I don’t understand that one. Why would they post it if they thought it was of poor quality? Is it just because they are trying to fill the space and don’t have enough of material? I probably would not mind. If I submitted it, then, it means it’s not terrible. There will always be someone who things it’s good or bad. I think getting our names out there is important. Yes, I would still ask for feedback. Maybe ask them to provide it and then rewrite it in time so they can still publish it?
3. Good question! I think a movie is the goal. That’s when you make it big. A TV series is not quite there. That’s what the industry says. A TV series can get cancelled in the middle of the story. It’s out of your hands. A movie, once done, goes through and that is that.
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Thank you, Goldie. You always have a way with words. I’m so flattered that you would feel that way about my posts. Just so you know, I feel the same way about your blog posts.
I became a ghostwriter because I wanted to save for university. But sadly, the money I earn from it is too meagre to compensate for the efforts I put into writing. I’ve seen many writers express their concerns about the idea of selling the rights to their work to someone else, and I can totally relate to that. Even for a huge sum of money, I’d still feel bad about writing something I can’t boldly claim as my work — which is why I know that while I may ghostwrite articles, I’ll never ghostwrite a book for anyone.
As for what you said about asking the editors for feedback and rewriting your workbefore they publish, that sounds like a good compromise.
Good point there: TV series can be cancelled anytime, and the decision is out of your hands. Although TV series adaptations have their advantages, I’d rather my novel be adapted into a movie series because it’s plot can’t be stretched into a TV series without becoming boring at some point.
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1. I would rather guest blog for a site that doesn’t pay its contributors.
2. I would rather the magazine reject my article and offer constructive feedback.
I don’t want my poorly written article to get famous. I don’t know who’s reading and I don’t want them to have a poor first impression of my writing.
3. I would rather write a novel that gets adapted into a movie. A blockbuster!
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I wish you had shared the reason for your first answer. I’m wondering if you’d rather guest blog because of the exposure you’ll gain or because you think $5 is too small to earn per article.
What you said in your second answer makes a lot of sense. In fact, if I had to choose, I’d definitely make the same choice. I also wouldn’t want people to think poorly of my writing, so I would appreciate any editor who saves me the embarrassment and provides me with tips on how I can improve my craft.
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I would rather be a guest blogger
Accept the rejection with constructive feedback
Have my work turn into a tv series. I’d know it would be successful as it has been on the number one best seller list.
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Wow! That’s a huge achievement! What’s the genre of your book, and what’s the book about? (Feel free to add a link to it if you like.)
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Not yet written. That’s my future goal
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Well, I’ll be here to cheer you the day you finally achieve this goal.
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Thanks
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1. Tough. I’ve not much interest in using my writing as a means for money, but I’m not sure I’d like too bright of a spotlight, either. Still, I suppose if it came down to it, I’d choose guest blog.
2. I find it rather difficult to live in a world where you can’t be sure if anybody really means what they say… So sincere critique is something I can at least respect, perhaps even be grateful for in the long run.
3. TV series. More time for character development, and any little fun side things. Plus, with a movie, you watch it once and then it’s done. The End! Nothing more. Until you forget half the plot and decide to watch it again. But a series is a more long-term relationship; one which, if well done, can leave you pondering that world and those characters for long after you’ve finished watching.
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These are all interesting answers. Your answer to my second question resonated with me deeply. The world you described is one I’m living in, unfortunately. But that’s a discussion for another day.
What you said about TV series is the complete truth. More time for character development and world building, too. I haven’t seen too many TV series that were adapted from a novel, but the few ones I’ve seen are pretty nice.
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Hi Obinna, I’d rather guest blog for a popular blog that doesn’t pay its contributors? Why? Because being popular, it may lead to other opportunities for me from those who read the blog. It’s more likely to get picked up than the other blog which may not be as popular.
I’d definitely rather they rejected my work and offered me constructive feedback. That way, I can become a better writer. Feedback helps, although it does have to be given helpfully and professionally.
I’d much rather it gets adapted into a TV series with cliffhangers at the end of every episode. That way, you’d get more screentime and, if all goes well with viewing figures, be able to write more episodes.
Have a great weekend.
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I, too, fancy the idea of guest blogging for a popular blog. There are so many benefits one can gain from it, two of which are experience and exposure.
I agree with your second answer. Feedback helps, both the positive and negative type. But it’s important that the feedback be relayed professionally and helpfully, with the feelings of the other person in mind. Feedback that undermines the abilities of a writer usually aren’t helpful.
Cliffhangers are a great idea! They’re like that itch that you don’t ever want to have, yet whenever you get it, you just can’t help but enjoy scratching it. I don’t like cliffhangers, not because I think they’re a bad literary device, but because I’m pretty impatient when it comes to books and movies. Still, when they’re done right, I always enjoy and appreciate them, just as much as I always enjoy reading your answers.
Thanks so much for participating in this week’s episode, Hugh. Have a great weekend!
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guest blog.
constructive feedback n submit again 😀
a movie. because if they turn them into shows in india they make thousands of episodes and ruin the plot -.-
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Hmm, interesting…
I’ve watched a lot of Indian movies, both standalones and movie series, and I’ve seen a few TV series (that I never got to finish, sadly). I’m trying to imagine some of my favourite Indian movies — “Krrish,” “3 Idiots,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” and “Happy New Year” — get turned into a TV series, but I don’t think that idea can work. It would ruin the plot, just as you said.
Why do you think Bollywood makes too many episodes in its TV series? Do you think it’s because they’re trying to make more profit?
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The ones you mentioned, they are pretty good, except Happy New Year. It was a waste of 2 hours 😀
Ummm…Hindi cinema is called Bollywood, Hindi telly isn’t. I don’t think there’s a name or Hindi TV as of now. But yeah, coming to your ques, earlier there weren’t so many episodes in the TV series. From the 80s and 90s, we have shows that were like 8 episodes long or 90 episodes long. But they did have a conclusion. These days, TV shows go like 3k episodes.
As far as I know, it started with a show called ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ (Because mother-in-law was a daughter-in-law once). The makers killed the male protagonist and the audience asked for his comeback. That kind of forced the makers to bring back his character with a plastic surgery and they developed a story how he got into an accident and got his face destroyed. That was the beginning of the ‘lassi me paani milana’ (mixing water to lassi, a Punjabi drink), meaning, reducing (water dilutes) the quality of content. Makers think that a long series would work if it worked in that particular show. However, that’s not the case. They start so many shows with good themes but end up diverting from those themes just because they don’t end the show. While many viewers stop watching them, others go on to see the characters retiring, newer generations (yes generations, not generation) of the main characters taking over.
Also, I didn’t know you had interest in Bollywood. I’m amazed that Bollywood has reached your part of the world.
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3K episodes? But that’s too much for one series! Even animes that are popularly known for having many episodes hardly ever span 3K episodes.
As regards your last paragraph, I don’t have a particular interest in any country’s movie industry. Though I have a keen interest in certain movie genres, like fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, horror, etc. As long as the movie is REALLY good, I’d see it, regardless of which movie industry produced it. Owing to my being a movie freak, I’ve seen a lot of African, American, European, Chinese, Indian and Filipino movies. Here in Nigeria, Indian, Filipino and Korean TV series are very popular among women and young girls. Perhaps even more popular than our own local Nigerian movies.
If you’re wondering why the women folk love them so much, it’s because the series are usually related to love and romance. 😅
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LOL! the last sentence had me laughing 😛 😀
It’s good that you’re open to all sorts of movies. I’m not much of a movie fan. But I understand when you say people are more into work from other countries. Here in India too, people are more in British and English stuff. And I know quite a handful of people who are into Korean drama.
And yeah, I know 3k is a lot! IT IS INSANE!
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Okay, I checked Wikipedia. Most of those soap operas are around 1.5k. But yeah, there are some who have crossed 3k. And 700-1k episodes is like normal here.
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I’m as surprised as I was before you confirmed with Wikipedia. It’s insane!
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Ok here are my answers to your questions.
1. Guest blogger
2. Constructive criticism and resubmit hopefully with better results
3. Movie
I liked the questions as I had never thought about any of those before now. Thanks Obinna!
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Thank you so much for participating, Janie! I’m thinking of continuing this series, but I’m worried I’d run out of questions before long. Maybe I should prepare questions that’d span over six months in advance before I continue? That would mean—three questions every week for four weeks every month—about 72 questions. Wow. We’ll see how it goes.
Just out of curiosity, why did you pick movie over TV series?
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I like the questions for it brings people together when they answer the questions you propose. It also allows us all to show our personalities. It’s a ‘get to know you’ and thought-provoking exercise. I think it’s a great idea Obinna!
I chose movie because I think it’s a snapshot of whatever was written, that time capsule that’s encapsulated in the movie. When it’s finished, it has hopefully positively affected the viewer and when it’s over, the viewer has enjoyed the experience and could use what they’ve gleaned from it.
Thank you for asking me to explain because I hadn’t thought so deeply about why I chose movie. But it feels right to me. 🙂
What did you choose? I don’t remember if you answered in your post.
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Oh, thank you! Since you approve of it, I’ll start brainstorming interesting questions. I’m considering setting a goal that says “Brainstorm two questions every day” starting tomorrow. That way, by the end of this month, I’d have questions to last me through June or even July.
I love your explanation so much. The day I made this post, my answer was TV series. But then someone pointed out that a TV series, even it it’s quite good, could be cancelled if viewers don’t like it much. Another person said that most TV series fall into the trap of not knowing when to stop. They’d just go and and on till viewers get bored of it. When I thought about that, I compromised for a movie series instead, like a trilogy. Best of both worlds if you ask me. 😅
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Oh Obinna, I like the trilogy even better than the movie! Great thinking!!! And I love that you are going to brainstorm the questions. Allow them to flow to you (and they will) but you don’t need to make it definitive that there are 2 questions required to brainstorm every day. You may find that you have more than 2 some days and it will all work out beauitfully!
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You’re absolutely right! Some days will offer more than two, while some, like today, will offer less. Either way, I’m excited to continue the series, and I’m so grateful to you for the inspiration!
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Happy to help inspire you! 🙂
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Wow, I’ve never heard these questions before! Well, here goes:
1) I would definitely rather write without the money, if I knew it was going to reach a fair amount of people. Most of my writing isn’t paid anyways, so I’m used to the “poor starving artist” style of creativity. 🙂
2) I would rather receive the honest feedback. Five years ago, I think my answer would have been different though. After studying scriptwriting, however, I really learned to appreciate the brutal criticism. Better to be humiliated in front of a small group of elites who would like to see you improve, than to receive permanent humiliation in front of the entire world!
3) Ohhhhh this is a TOUGH one. It’s tough because my goal has always been to write a book that gets developed into a feature film, but over the recent years I’ve discovered how much more character development can happen in a TV show. Unless the movie is a series, there is much less time for delving into a complex character and/or plotline. But I do love the neat “package” of a feature film, when it’s well done. I guess I’ll take the cop-out answer and say that I would rather write a script for either of these than write a book that someone else turns into a script. 🙂
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Hey, friend. I apologise for the late reply. I haven’t been blogging actively for a while now.
By the way, these are all interesting answers you’ve shared! Two years ago, I might have preferred to write for a popular blog over ghostwriting for $5. But with the many things (read “textbooks”) I need to buy this year, I’d take the latter option.
Your third answer is most insightful. And this question isn’t quite related to the original question, but have you ever wanted to feature in a movie adaptation of your book, as an actress?
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Ha so true! I do not miss the days of paying exorbitant amounts for textbooks! Hopefully you’re able to find some good deals on used books– that saved me during school!
Great question: the answer is yes. It’s funny you ask that, because it was always my childhood dream to write a book that turned into a movie and then act in the movie. Unfortunately that happens very rarely, but I’ve also found it fascinating to see the ways that different actors are capable of portraying the characters in my scripts. There was one play I wrote where I had two separate casts and the lead character was portrayed very differently by the two different men who played him. Both were brilliant actors, which made both versions of the character believable and compelling in their own way.
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Thank you!
Funnily enough, as children, we shared the same dream. Before I gave acting a try, failed woefully and decided acting wasn’t for me, I’d always wanted to write a riveting story and feature in the movie adaptation—not necessarily as the protagonist (I hated being in the spotlight). By the way, I also find it quite interesting how different people can portray one person differently and yet do it so welI. I suppose that’s why most movie remakes are successful—or not as much of a failure as we’d expect.
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1. It depends on what I’m writing about. If it’s something I’m passionate about, I’d want to be a guest writer. If it isn’t something I’m really into, I’d take the $5.
2. Yes, they should still post it. If I send a work to a lit magazine, I must’ve put a lot of effort into it, and I believe someone out there would relate with it too; so yeah, post that terrible piece of art for me, if you don’t mind😊
3. Series!!!!! A movie might not explore the characters as much as a series would. A movie summarizes the details in about 2hrs. I’d like to see every tiny detail of my book in those seasons.
PS: I’ve been wandering around your blog since😂😂. I’m done… for now. This is really good!💪🏾
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Thank you so much for the kind words, and for exploring my blog, too. I feel so honoured! 😌
#2 is one controversial question. What if people read your work and leave negative reviews, saying you were indisciplined to correct so-and-so mistakes, how would that affect you?
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It’s a pleasure 😊
I don’t mind the negative replies. They help a lot, except the ones that go too far and drift off the main work.
I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not perfect at writing, so anything I’m doing is simply an effort. I’d learn from the corrections, and probably laugh some of them off.
To be honest, it’s easier to receive negative criticism from people I don’t even know than from those close to me.
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I agree, destructive criticism is never a good thing, even when it’s helpful. There are always more polite ways to help writers improve. And I can relate to your last sentence. It’s why I’m often more open with strangers than with old friends.
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Yeah!
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