tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post1323079751063681988..comments2024-03-28T11:52:29.432-04:00Comments on Cockeyed Caravan: Storyteller’s Rulebook #88: Sturgeon + Zeno = You'll Never Be On Easy StreetMatt Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07319984238456281734noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-18409208989608781132011-07-07T13:11:33.649-04:002011-07-07T13:11:33.649-04:00Good point, but since everybody is intuitively awa...Good point, but since everybody is intuitively aware of Sturgeon's Law, then on each level 90% of the work will inevitably be perceived as crap (even through some of it is actually good), and 10% perceived as good (even though some of it is actually crap). <br /><br />Obviously, this blog is devoted to the contention that a lot of stuff is falsely undervalued, but it does an aspiring writer no good to assume that they're not making it because the gatekeepers are failing to see how great they are. If they find themselves stuck at a certain level, it's never smart to assume that this is because of misperception. Their best bet is always to keep making their own work better.Matt Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319984238456281734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-51836852215386419932011-07-07T10:39:55.145-04:002011-07-07T10:39:55.145-04:00The 90% that gets left behind is not necessarily &...The 90% that gets left behind is not necessarily "crap." Whenever supply exceeds demand (as it does in all creative fields), an awful lot of good stuff goes unsold.<br /><br />Conversely an awful of bad stuff gets made, despite the daunting odds.christinembirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06980692349293518708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-29758689494164596682011-07-05T16:04:41.324-04:002011-07-05T16:04:41.324-04:00I had the same experience Irwin did, of almost com...I had the same experience Irwin did, of almost committing to one manager, then taking another offer instead, and having the first manager then tell me that he would ruin me. <br /><br />I didn't say it out loud, but I thought, "Buddy, if you had enough power to ruin me, then I would have picked you to be my manager."Matt Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319984238456281734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-57826521584101568672011-07-05T15:03:15.567-04:002011-07-05T15:03:15.567-04:00The key insight to me of the Irwin Handelman blog ...The key insight to me of the Irwin Handelman blog you link to is that Sturgeon's Law also applies to agents and managers. And that no representation is almost always better than bad representation. Frankly, from what I've heard just from a small circle of friends and colleagues, Handelman got off relatively easy with his bad agent. I know people who've had greenlit movies single-handedly sabotaged by spiteful ex-managers.j.s.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-43393156015496277732011-07-05T00:12:39.855-04:002011-07-05T00:12:39.855-04:00As I understand it, decimate has flipped meaning q...As I understand it, decimate has flipped meaning quite thoroughly over the years, so it's hard to identify which which would today be considered "correct". The word was coined when Rome would punish a legion that had showed cowardice, and they would "decimate" it by killing every tenth man. (deci meaning tenth). But in the ensuing two thousand years, the meaning somehow flipped from "destroying a tenth" to "destroying all but a tenth." So Anonymous is right historically and rams is right colloquially, I believe.Matt Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319984238456281734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-12096093626139254232011-07-05T00:05:34.171-04:002011-07-05T00:05:34.171-04:00Actually, I think he got decimate reversed. But I ...Actually, I think he got decimate reversed. But I admire the usage anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-6302329814151611972011-07-04T19:51:32.156-04:002011-07-04T19:51:32.156-04:00Well, you understand Sturgeon's Law -- that...Well, you understand Sturgeon's Law -- that's a lot. And you know what "decimate" actually means. (90% dont...)ramshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06197775203594297901noreply@blogger.com