Writer's Fallout Shelter

Excellent, Bren.

I think the standard, if there is such a thing, can be found in the works we deem "classic." There are certain common denominators found throughout literature that help set apart the mediocre from the sublime.

I agree that much of writing is subjective. Some people consider Rowling a second-rate hack who happened upon an appealing storyline. Others proclaim her as Britain's greatest writer. Considering Britain's legacy for churning out masters of prose, that's quite a stretch in my opinion. Some would rather gouge out their eyes rather then read James Patterson, yet he makes the NY Times bestseller list year after year, after year, after year... Even Faulkner was considered a mediocre writer by his peers.

There are some questions that will only ever have generic, cookie-cutter answers, at best. Questions such as, "What's the trick to being published?" and "What makes a bestseller?" If those questions really had firm, concrete answers, everyone would be the published author of a bestseller, a highly paid Erma Bombeck/Dave Barry clone.

This is only my opinion, but there are some writing questions that only readers can answer, and even then we'll never have a consensus. Meanwhile, we'll swap ideas and opinions, and hope we "get it right."

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"Have you ever been caught hiding bodies in your closet? No? Good place to hide them, uh?"

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