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Reposted by Priya Sridhar

David Anaxagoras (he/him) @davidanaxagoras.com · 15h

I am so tired of people equating "edge" with "good" writing, and people implying I can't be a serious writer because of the things I love. Bradbury himself inoculated himself early against such foolishness. Love what you love. Write what you love. Tell everyone else to fuck the fuck off.

“Friends made fun. I tore up the Buck Rogers strips. For a month I walked through my fourth-grade classes, stunned and empty. One day I burst into tears, wondering what devastation had happened to me. The answer was: Buck Rogers. He was gone, and life simply wasn’t worth living. The next thought was: Those are not my friends, the ones who got me to tear the strips apart and so tear my own life down the middle; they are my enemies.
I went back to collecting Buck Rogers. My life has been happy ever since. For that was the beginning of my writing science fiction. Since then, I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.”

Ray Bradbury. “Zen in the Art of Writing.”

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

I think one has to be specific about which stories were the “slop” considering when my English classes in secondary school covered Bradbury that my classmates and I were interested in the violence, technology, and threat of nuclear war.

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

He did write stinkers, and he fully acknowledged that he did. The stinkers that were published had to be vetted by an editor in his early days, meaning someone didn’t see him as slop. One could argue he got a pass after 1990 due to reputation, but From the Dust Returned received a Bram Stoker nom.

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

It’s that Bradbury didn’t think he’d make a quick buck off spinning Edgar Wallace’s plot wheel or celebrated an outright worship of ignorance. At least when he was trolling LA libraries and getting critique, he cared about improving himself as a writer despite the financial barriers.

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

Ideally none, I hope. It is concerning just how many formative spec fiction creators didn’t abide by a presumed social contract, so it’d be nice to know that the worst thing a creator did was say yell at a waiter on a bad day but didn’t make a habit of it.

Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

He wrote a whole story romanticizing the affair which ignored how hurt his wife was when she found out according to some biographies. It’s called “The Laurel and Hardy Affair” and is reprinted in some of the larger short story collections.

Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

It also seems he was one of the few writers from formative speculative fiction who wasn’t a creep like Asimov, a groomer of young boys like Arthur C. Clarke, an enabler and child abuser like Marion Zimmer Bradley, or a predator like Harlan Ellison.

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

There are a lot of reasons to judge and criticize Ray Bradbury, like the whole cheating on his wife and defensiveness about how he portrays minorities and marginalized people. But he isn’t sentimental. His wistful stories have the tragic air of knowing that nostalgia for “good old days” isn’t real.

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 6h

I don’t think sentimental “slop” is the same as nostalgia. “Slop” these days refers to what copying plagiarizing software does, not what someone creates while renting typewriters by the hour. Bradbury didn’t even go to college because he couldn’t afford it but he went to libraries.

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 7h

… breathless sentimental slop? Dandelion Wine has a group of kids wishing a serial killer had offed the woman who stopped him. Adults in his short stories show casual cruelty towards the vulnerable. Kids sic virtual lions on their parents and lock up classmates for claiming they saw sunshine.

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

My name is Priya Sridhar. You can find me at priyajsridhar.com

New Superjump article: www.superjumpmagazine.com/the-homestuc...

Medium articles:
medium.com/permanent-ne...

medium.com/permanent-ne...

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Personal blog: priyajsridhar.com/triage/

#writestuff

Priya J Sridhar

Science Fiction & Fantasy Author

priyajsridhar.com

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

It's been a long week.
Which reminds me: happy Banned Books Week! Remember to stand up to fascism in all shapes, colors, and nonsense! #writestuff

a man is talking about reading all the books in about 3.5 weeks

ALT: a man is talking about reading all the books in about 3.5 weeks

media.tenor.com

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

Nieces and nephews are the main reason I still believe we can make this world better. Despite a lot of cruel people making this world worse, somehow a baby or a child will smile at you just because you entered a room. #writestuff

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

Awww y'all are so sweet #Writestuff

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Reposted by Priya Sridhar

WriteStuff @writestuff.bsky.social · 2d

Let's share a poet @februarygrace.bsky.social loves! #WriteStuff

February Grace @februarygrace.bsky.social · 2d

I’d like to share a poet I love. I highly recommend following @josephfasano.bsky.social for the most incredible, moving poetry out there today. His books are masterpieces. #WriteStuff

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

I’d probably be the birds that roost in dead trees. Or the creatures that aren’t morning people. #writestuff

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

I would like to write a book worthy of attaining a good agent and a book deal that would cover some expenses. Plus write or draw a comic or manga series that would also give some peace of mind. #writestuff

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

I don’t know about greatest, but here are my top three including writing:
1. Publishing a work-for-hire and writing four 15 k books in four to five months.
2. Maintaining a regular writing and freelance publishing schedule.
3. Helping transition writestuff when we had to leave Twitter. #writestuff

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Reposted by Priya Sridhar

February Grace @februarygrace.bsky.social · 2d

A3: My greatest achievement is surviving to get to be 54. My greatest writing achievement was having my debut novel reach number 1 in Steampunk on A*azon. But I felt more successful when someone told me they reread the book once a year, or that it was their favorite book. 🥰#WriteStuff

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

Holy mackerel. I feel like reading this in an English class would give context, since it reads like the writer was disillusioned and desires to learn wisdom. #writestuff

Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

Don’t let someone else determine your worth. Especially if they started doing that when you were a kid and they were an adult. #writestuff

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

I’m a fan of both science and silence lol. But I tend to crave silence when people are being too loud and arguing. #Writephant

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

Aloha! My name is Priya Sridhar. I think my favorite poem is Ray Bradbury’s take on Byzantium. #writestuff

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 2d

medium.com/permanent-ne... thoughts about Banned Books Week. #writing #bannedbooksweek

Banned Books Week: Monday Thoughts

Handling the fascist fear of controversial books.

medium.com

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Priya Sridhar @priyajsridhar.bsky.social · 4d

www.superjumpmagazine.com/the-homestuc... #homestuck #superjump

The Homestuck Pilot Has Been Released

As the Homestuck memes would say, "UPDATE"

www.superjumpmagazine.com

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