Neil Gaiman has a gift for turning interview questions upside down, transforming the reporter into an ally against a strawman issue.
For instance, here:
Q: Do you prefer a book that makes you laugh or makes you cry? One that teaches you something or one that distracts you?
A: Yes.Wait, do you think those things are exclusive? That books can only be one or the other? I would rather read a book with all of those things in it: a laughing, crying, educating, distracting book. And I would like more than that, the kind of book where the pages groan under the weight of keeping all such opposites apart.
Gaiman's gift of gab and his early-career association with successful comic books (where he established a significant, stable fan base) have turned him into a household name (as writers go, anyway). Here he is recently, speaking to a graduating class. He offers an aside to independent writers at about the 17 minute mark.
For instance, here:
Q: Do you prefer a book that makes you laugh or makes you cry? One that teaches you something or one that distracts you?
A: Yes.Wait, do you think those things are exclusive? That books can only be one or the other? I would rather read a book with all of those things in it: a laughing, crying, educating, distracting book. And I would like more than that, the kind of book where the pages groan under the weight of keeping all such opposites apart.
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