Tuesday, February 3, 2015

What hope is there if even Neil Gaiman has doubt? IWSG Post





Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!





Via Tardis Wikia

I've used Neil Gaiman in my IWSG post in the past. He is one of my favourite writers. For Christmas I got my daughter a copy of Fortunately, the Milk, which I think I enjoyed more than she did.
 ;-)
He has written a couple of episodes for that science fiction television show Doctor Who. You might have heard about it on silly geeky blogs...
One of the episodes, The Doctor's Wife
received rave reviews. While the other Nightmare in Silver not so much. Not that it was bad, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Living up to the standard that some had placed upon it made it quite difficult to deliver the same type of euphoria felt in the previous episode. That being said, Neil,(yes we are on a first name basis) was speaking to The Radio Times about what could have been with the script.


“Nightmare in Silver is some people’s favourite but everybody, including me, thinks, ‘oh if we had another week, we could’ve changed this,’ and then you’re kind of stuck with it. I think there are things that could’ve been better, but I also think that the thing I wanted to do in Nightmare in Silver I did: to show people that Matt Smith could act.
“It was one of those things that fascinated me watching Matt, getting to know Matt a little bit: it was sensible people who should’ve known better assuming that the Eleventh Doctor was just Matt Smith, and I’m going, ‘No, that’s a part that he’s playing,’ and he’s an incredible, fantastic actor, who is, as the Doctor, capable of this enormous range, and yet there’ s a lot of stuff he’s not doing. So I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be amazing to have him go up against himself?’ Which is something that even though is a staple of sci-fi drama, is not something that’s ever happened in Doctor Who. Even people who don’t like bits of Nightmare in Silver love the ‘Matt Smith as [Cyber-Planner alter-ego] Mr Clever’ stuff.”
Via Tardis Wikia


So, there you have it even the best of writers would change something after the fact. We just need to accept the things we have done and enjoy them for what they are. 



What do you doubt? What would you change? 

28 comments:

  1. That about sums it up for me as well. ;-)

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  2. Ha, I didn't realise he wrote that episode.
    What do I doubt? Almost everything. What would I change? That. ;)

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  3. It is all relative. For the most part it is great, the only drawback I have is that the kids in the episode seem to need acting lessons.

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  4. I have never watched that episode so I have no idea if it was any good or not.

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  5. it's nice when famous writers write episodes for shows!

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  6. If he would change things, then it's all right when we want to change stuff.

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  7. indeed it is Dezz.
    Now if I could have him write me a story about my life, so it seemed more exciting!

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  8. It's called growing. The things we wrote yesterday was written by a different person -- a person who "died." altered slightly or greatly by the events of the passing 24 hours. The person who gets out of our bed is not the same person who got out of it yesterday. Hopefully, it is a better person, right? I love Neil Gaiman, too. In one of my earlier posts, there is a video where he explores his thoughts on "Fortunately, the milk." :-)

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  9. You never cease to amaze me with your insight Roland.

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  10. I'm super famous in my own mind. ;-)

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  11. I think every writer has doubt. It's normal. We're only human, even the super famous writers among us. :)

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  12. Matt Smith was my favorite Doctor. I liked that episode. It was complex and clever. Didn't know at the time that Neil Gaiman wrote it.

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  13. That is very comforting. The Doctor's Wife is one of my all time favorite episodes! I remember Nightmare in Silver, but not as well. Now I know what I'll be watching during treadmill time tomorrow. :) Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Cool, I didn't know Gaiman wrote for a couple Doctor Who episodes. I think all writers have doubt. It's just a part of the writing process. It happens to the best of us. But what's important is that we keep writing. :)

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  15. One, I love how you have the newest post at the top so I don't have to scroll down to post! Thank you! I LOVE Dr. Who. I've watched it on and off most of my adult life. I can't believe Tom Baker just turned 81!! Happy Birthday to your son, who shares the same day. How awesome is that? I didn't know Gaiman had written those episodes because I haven't, as yet, watched them... but I will, especially now. I doubt myself all the time, but still I continue to press on. I wish I could change my "fear" factor or ignore it better. I hate feeling fearful. Really. Thanks for a great post!

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  16. I loved Matt Smith. By the end of his run as the Doctor he had showed a lot of different dynamics to his acting. This episode helped highlight that thanks to Neil.

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  17. I remember the first time I watched The Doctors Wife not knowing Neil had written it.
    Now going back, it makes it all the more special. Don't let the tears in your eyes make you trip while you watch and run!

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  18. When I visit a page that isn't like this I change the settings, so I don't have to scroll to the bottom. Sorry if I spoiled part of the episode, next time I'll put up a spoiler alert. One thing that I learned this year is that fear is a superpower. ;-)

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  19. I enjoyed the back and forth of the Doctor and Mr Clever.
    I would love to see what Neil could have done if the BBC would have given him more time to write the script.

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  20. I have to admit, Nightmare in Silver is not one of my favorites. But The Doctor's Wife was so brilliant, almost anything pales by comparison!

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  21. He makes a great point on any creative endeavor since there's a point where you have to let go and it's not easy. My Marvel rifhts infographic was shared a few times and I always cringe when I see the first one which is outdated now. Good inspiration David!

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  22. Thanks Maurice. I love when I see your stuff on other sites.

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  23. It is good to see some of the top authors have doubts sometimes. They are able to take greater risks with the writing than us newbies, and I'm sure that sometimes causes anxiety for them, and the constant readers.

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  24. I can imagine success has its downfalls in that everyone expects you to write the perfect story every time.

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  25. I would change.... my age. That's all.

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  26. Yes, being older does have it's perks. Like the Senior Citizen discounts!

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