Mars Needs Writers
  • Blog-O-Rama
  • The Store Thing
  • That Thing We Did
  • The Newest Thing

There's this guy, see, named Paul Cosca...

4/23/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
…and he’s an author, and a playwright, and a thinker of thinks. You don’t have to take our word for it. He uses those same words on his website.

Anyone who bills himself as a thinker of thinks has a sense of humor and, a few weeks ago, we started searching for someone who knew how to laugh.  Most importantly, we wanted someone (a) with a sense of humor; who was (b) sane; and (c) willing to review self-published writing.

There are very few people who meet these standards. Here’s why: If you’re sane, why in God’s name would you ever offer to review self-published writing?

There’s no upside to it. If a reviewer is honest and loves a piece, everyone will dismiss what they’ve written because, hey, the thing was self-published. How good can it be? If the reviewer is honest and hates a piece, he or she will get nothing but grief from the author and the author’s fans. (This won’t happen with us, though. In order to develop an aggressive fan base, you have to have fans.)

There was nothing on his website to suggest that P.C. had stripped a few gears so we asked if he’d review Frankenstein, P.I.  The tale has sold a few copies here and there, but no one has ever shared their opinion with the world at large. We love our story and think it’s funny but we also think Crank: High Voltage is hilarious so our taste is more than a little suspect.

We just wanted some input. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d decided that even a bad review would be less depressing than no reviews. In hindsight, we’ve decided we could be wrong about that last sentiment, by the way. We could be very, very wrong.

After we emailed Paul, looking for a review, he wrote back to ask if Frankie was really, truly polished and in shape for a review. This is not something a reviewer typically asks an author unless that author is also his own publisher. Clearly, P.C. had already been exposed to the indie world and he’d learned to ask a few questions.

When the review went live a couple of days ago, all he said was, Here’s the review! with a link attached. He didn’t say if he loved the story or if he hated it so, naturally, we realized he despised our words and wanted us to die. Even before we read his thoughts, we knew we wanted to use our experience for a blog post so we asked him why, exactly, he was willing to review self-published writing.

This is what he told us: “I spent a few years reviewing theatrical productions while living in Chicago, and I really love it. I think reviewers can be such a fascinating, useful part of the process (as long as the reviewer is knowledgeable and fair). I’ll also admit that it’s a selfish thing: I’m currently writing a novel. Authors, readers, and anyone else who is picking up my review or your book would be a part of the community. When my novel comes out, I don’t want anyone to ask, ‘Well, why should I pick it up? What has the guy done for anyone?’ I want them to know that I’ve got the authority to write a novel because I read and love literature of all kinds. And finally…hey, free books!”

We get the “free books” thing but, on reflection, this really makes us look bad. Unlike Mr. Cosca, we don’t read and love literature of all kinds. (Ulysses by James Joyce? The Modern Library ranked it #1 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Renee threatened to stab herself in the eye if she had to finish reading it.) Plus, we haven’t done all that much for all that many people but, please note, we did put two quarters and a nickel in the March of Dimes jar last year.

Since our initial question was a bust, we tried to relate with Paul on a more personal level. Writer-to-writer, we asked him if he had any “forgotten treasures” hidden inside his word processor. You know, works that he’d written but that had been ignored by the world around him. Kind of like, y’know, Frankie.

He said, “The first full length play I wrote was an adaption of Christopher Marlowe’s Faust.” We had to stop him there. We’re trying to connect with the guy but, seriously, FAUST? He adapted a masterpiece, written during Shakespeare’s time, filled with subtext and riddled with blank verse? This was his hidden gem?

“I did a reading of it that was well-received,” Paul told us. “It had a lot of really great moments and some serious potential. But in the end, it will take a full rewrite to get it done.”

But, once he rewrites it, it’s going to be this hot action piece, The Faust and the Furious, where Police Officer Brian O’Conner has to make a deal with the Devil, as played by Vin Diesel –

“No.”

And that’s because his version is actually a lighthearted romantic comedy, 50 Faust Dates, where commitment-phobe Henry Roth meets the Devil, as played by Drew Barrymore –

“No.”

As it turns out, P.C. might like to laugh but he’s just a more serious writer than either member of our team. Always has been, probably always will be.

But can a thinker of thinks enjoy the nonsense that is Frankenstein, P.I.?  His review is here.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Come on in! This

    is the electronic home of Renée Harrell. Did you bring any wine?

    Picture

                       Renée         &       Harrell


    It's about time you got here.

    We aren't kidding about the wine.
     
    This is where we talk about writing...
    ...our writing, mostly. We also discuss kiva.org, Hunting Monsters Press, the magic bakery, self-publishing, pseudonyms, life itself -- a bunch of things.
     
    Thanks for stopping by. It wouldn't be the same without you.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2021
    July 2020
    June 2016
    March 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

    Categories

    All
    101 Things To Avoid Doing Before You Die
    101 Things To Do Before You Die
    2012 Zinfandel Les Enfants Terribles
    50 Faust Dates
    50 Shades Of Grey
    5 Star Reviews
    Abigail Breslin
    Aces Weekly
    Acting Classes Melbourne
    Acx
    Agent Carter
    Age Of Dinosaurs
    A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius
    Alex Adventure
    Alex Cross And The Big Bag Of Gold
    Alex Sheikman
    All Fool's Day
    All Saints' Day
    Aly's Luck
    Amazon
    Amazon.de
    Amazon Eu
    Amazon Preorder
    Amazon Prime
    A. Meredith Walters
    American Horror Story
    Amy C. Cosper
    Angelfall
    Animasher
    Anja Bauermeister
    Anne Glynn
    Annual Income In Tajikistan
    Aphrodite Hunt
    April Fools
    April Fool's Day
    Arizona
    Arizona Museum Of Natural History
    Ashes & Ink
    A Tale Of Two Cities
    Atlanta Nights
    At The Mountains Of Madness
    Audiobook
    Audiobook Narration
    A Very Scary Solstice
    Azatamut
    Azerbaijan
    Babelcube
    Bad Book Covers
    Bad Monkey
    Bag Of Bones
    Baking
    Beautiful Disaster
    Bestessays.org
    Best Fat Burner Pills
    Best-seller
    Best Sellers In Kindle
    Better Off Ted
    Betty Willis
    Bibliomancy
    Bigstock
    Bigstockphoto.com
    Bill Fitzhugh
    Bill Plympton
    Birgit Hausmayer
    Black Adder
    Black Eyed Peas
    Blake M. Petit
    Blast Vegas
    Blog
    Blog-O-Rama
    Bobcat Goldthwait
    Bob's Burgers
    Book Reviews
    Bookrix
    Book Trailers
    Breathless
    Brown Recluse Spiders
    Bucket List
    Buffy The Vampire Slayer
    Business Insider
    Buzz Bernard
    Cambodia
    Can
    Candace
    Cara Nelson
    Carl Hiaasen
    Cassandra Parkin
    Cassysailermoon
    Cast A Deadly Spell
    Castle
    Casual Gourmet Chicken Sausage
    Celtic Cross
    Ceromancy
    Chanel
    Chicken Soup For The Soul
    Choluteca
    Chris Pine
    Christopher Marlowe
    Chuck Palahniuk
    Clams
    Climb Mount Everest
    Clorox Bleach & Blue
    Cobblestone Press
    Cockneys Vs Zombies
    Cold
    Cooking With Pooh
    Corante.com
    Cover Design
    Crank: High Voltage
    Createspace
    Cynthia Vespia
    Damned
    Dancing Days
    Dark Shadows
    David Danger
    David Llloyd
    Dead Sparrow
    Dean Koontz
    Deanna Lee
    Dean Wesley Smith
    Deep Thoughts
    Demon Hunter: Saga
    Depois Que Tudo Ficou Ruim
    Destined
    Detective Novels
    Digital Science Fiction
    Directorio
    D.I.Y. Or Die
    Doctor Sleep: A Novel
    Donald E Westlake
    Donuts
    Dusk Till Dawn The Series
    Easy Peasy
    Ebook Booster
    Ebook Pricing
    Edge Of Tomorrow
    Eerie
    Ellery Queen
    Emf Meter
    Enter The Fist
    Ereaderiq
    Ereader Iq
    Eric Shanower
    Escudo
    Eyewall
    Fake
    Fan Letters
    Faust
    Fawlty Towers
    Felicia Day
    Fergie
    Fifty
    Fiverr.com
    Fl
    Flu
    Fortune-telling
    Fotolia
    Fox In Socks
    Frankenstein
    Free
    Free Kindle Books
    Fried Cockroaches
    Fugu
    Futurama
    Gabbiano Chianti 2010
    Gale Haut
    Geoffrey Chaucer
    George C. Scott
    Germentrude Boggmonstro
    Get-rich-quick
    Ghost In The Invisible Bikini
    Giles
    Girl Detective
    Glee
    Go!Animate
    God Is Dead And I Don
    Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake
    Golgotha
    Golgotha Ar
    Gonxha
    Good Ereader
    Good Show Sir
    Gotham
    Grandma
    Grandmas Denturesc1be08622e
    Griffin Hayes
    Guardians Of The Galaxy
    Gun-jitsu
    Halloween
    Hamish Macbeth
    Harry Potter And The Big Bag Of Gold
    Haunter
    Head-in-a-jar Creator
    Hellboy
    Hilaria
    Honduras
    Hotel Connor
    How To Write A Best-Seller
    How To Write Faster
    H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
    Huffington Post
    Ilibrarian
    Independently Animated: Bill Plympton
    In-tank Cleaners
    Itunes
    Jack Ryan
    James Joyce
    James Patterson
    Janet Evanovich
    Jane Wallace-knight
    J.D. Robb
    Jebediah Buzzard
    Jerome
    Jessie Harrell
    Jim Patterson
    Joe Konrath
    Joel Kinnaman
    John Brunner
    John Carter Of Mars
    John Dies At The End
    John D. MacDonald
    Jonathan Pinnock
    Jo Ramsey
    Julie Kaewert
    Jurassic Park
    Kakamega North District
    Kate Hawkins
    Katy Mattress
    Kdp Select
    Ken Follett
    Kenya
    Kettle Corn Recipe
    Kevin Yarbrough
    Kindle
    Kindle Daily Deal
    Kingdom Hospital
    Kit Foster
    Kiva.org
    Kobo
    Krispy Kreme
    Kristine Kathryn Rusch
    Las Vegas
    Lawrence Block
    LC Kane
    Leanne Salter
    Led Lighting
    Lee Goldberg
    Legends Of Tomorrow
    L. Frank Baum
    Liam Neeson
    Lou Ferrigno
    Louis Armstrong
    Luke Forney
    Luke Reviews
    Luxor
    Magic Promotion Genie
    Malice
    Mangos Mexican Cafe
    Manybooks
    Marian Keyes
    Mars Needs Writers
    Martin Salvador
    Mary Shelley
    Matilda The Musical
    Maybe You Should Write A Book
    M.C. Beaton
    Media Bistro
    Meira Pentermann
    Merri Hiatt
    Method Coffee
    Michael Agger
    Michele Lee
    Mike Mignola
    Moby Dick
    Modern Library
    Mojo Jojo
    Mongolia
    Monk
    Morgan Kearns
    Mother Teresa
    Mrs. Darcy Versus The Aliens
    Murder She Wrote
    Myfreeindie
    Nach Der Katastrophe
    Name Withheld
    Neil Gaiman
    Netflix Daredevil
    New Arrival
    Newman's Own Old Fashioned Lemonade
    New World Fairy Tales
    Niceville
    Nick Hornby
    Nipple Piercing
    Non-Stop
    Norman Spinrad
    Nudiustertian
    Nwf Daily News
    Omidyar Network
    One Bride For Seven Brothers
    One Republic
    On The Writing Of Speculative Fiction
    Open Your Legs
    Other People
    Out Of Print
    Ozma Of Oz
    Paolo Di Giovanni Fei
    Paste Magazine
    Paul Cosca
    Peanut
    Pee Funnel
    Peeps
    Penelope Trunk
    Penguin Books
    Pen Name
    Penn And Teller
    Penn & Teller
    Pest Control
    Peter Cannon
    Phucket List
    P.I.
    Picton Bay South Lisand Pinot Noir
    Pillar Box Red
    Pillsbury Bake-Off
    Pillsbury Wine Company
    Pinyourbook.clom
    Portuguese
    Powdered Milk
    Private Lessons
    Project Gutenberg
    Proxima Books
    Pseudonym
    Psych
    Psychic
    Public Library
    Publishamerica
    Purse
    Quick Rise And Shine Breakfasts
    Rachel Ruiz
    Ralph Daigh
    Rasputina
    Reklamproduktion
    Relentless
    Replica
    Rio
    Ripper Street
    Romance Novel
    Romance Writer
    Ron Goulart
    Ron Perlman
    Rss Feed
    Rune Reading
    Sable Grey
    Salem's Lot
    Scream For Jeeves
    Self-publishing
    Sensualreads.com
    Sequels
    Sexy People
    Shortlist
    Shutterstock
    Sift Reviews
    Six Women Of Salem
    Skottie Young
    Slate Magazine
    Slow Burn
    Snopes.com
    Something Evil
    Something Wicked
    Sometimes You Catch The Shark
    Spanish
    Sparkle271
    Spellbound By Books
    Spodomancy
    Stephen King
    Stephen King's Revival
    Steve Haynes
    Steve King
    Storage 24
    Superblog
    Superfriends
    Supermoon
    Susan Ee
    Taco Barn
    Taiko Pumps
    Take Me To Your Leader
    Tarot Reading
    Tattoo
    Tavush
    Team Imon
    Team Inom
    Tears For Fears
    Thanks For The Ether
    The Atheist's Daughter
    The Black Bridge
    The Death Of A Policeman
    The Death Zone
    The Faust And The Furious
    The Fifth Brother
    The Getaway Car: A Donald Westlake Nonfiction Miscellany
    The Guild
    The Hobbit Movies
    The Holy Trinity
    The Key To Rebecca
    The Land Of Painted Caves
    The Lego Movie
    The List Cafe
    The Lovecraft Chronicles
    The Magicians
    The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
    Theodor Seuss Geisel
    The Old Man And The Sea
    The Powerpuff Girls
    The Shining
    The Slut In The Hut
    The Sphinx Project
    The Stand
    The Summer We All Ran Away
    The Ten Word Game
    The World Swappers
    Thighs Wide Apart
    Tim Minchin
    Tom Clancy
    Tom Cruise
    Torchwood
    Train Diorama
    T.v. Show
    Twilight
    Ulysses
    Unicorns
    Vj Chambers
    Walt Disney
    WeatherBug
    Werewolf Sex
    Wicked Games
    Woody Allen
    Worst Self-marketing
    Writing A Successful Romance
    Writing Careers
    Xtranormal
    Yay!
    Young Adult
    Your Stripper Name
    Zarrowski
    Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance
    Zombeavers

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.