I was talking to some friends yesterday about the stories I'm working on now. When I said I was working on another story about Oth from Return of the Sword one of my friends looked at me sort of puzzled like. "Didn't he die?" I scrunched up my eyebrows. "No, he didn't die. He's immortal. He gets to choose the moment of his death." My friend didn't seem convinced. "I thought he staggered off and closed his eyes like he was dead." I pondered on this for a moment. "No, I'm pretty sure I remember what I wrote and he just sat down at the rock." That was when my other friend chimed in and said that he thought Oth died as well.
So today I pulled the story up and printed off the last page for them. It's quite clear that he does not die. Just another example of writers writing one thing and readers reading another.
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2 comments:
Oh my goodness.
I'd say "You're kidding, right?" only I know you're not.
I hope you also told them that Oth's story is one of the most favored in the anthology.
Wait. Maybe somebody else should tell them ;)
(raises hand) I read that story. I own a copy of the anthology. Oth does not die.
Good 'nuff? (laugh)
I run into similar misunderstandings all the time, and it's irritating beyond description. I can state something plain on the page -- say, "Finney grabbed up the weapons, tucked the stocks under her arms, and ran" (actual sentence from a current story) -- and then a reader will comment later, "But she didn't have any weapons when she escaped." (Grrrrrr.)
I like to state something and move on, not pound details into pulp for the sake of a few ADD readers who refuse to actually read the darn thing.
Sorry about the soapbox. I'll pick it up and head back to my cave.
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