tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post114752406595284351..comments2024-03-08T03:18:48.591-05:00Comments on Lotus Reads: Whitney Otto on Kaavya VishwanathanLotus Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-1148422397009832802006-05-23T18:13:00.000-04:002006-05-23T18:13:00.000-04:00Hi, Tim!Wonderful of you to stop by. The picture- ...Hi, Tim!<BR/><BR/>Wonderful of you to stop by. The picture- Saraswati,Hindu Goddess for the Arts - isn't she lovely?<BR/><BR/>Ahhh, true, how could I forget Joyce Carol Oates, she's amazing, isn't she? Been meaning to read her novel, "The Falls" for the longest time now.<BR/><BR/>I hope you will visit again.Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-1148421972630966702006-05-23T18:06:00.000-04:002006-05-23T18:06:00.000-04:00Jean, thanks so much for the comment, it's always ...Jean, thanks so much for the comment, it's always nice to read a different opinion. The one common characteristic I've found in all the overachievers I've known ( and I'll admit I don't know too many :) has been this terrible fear of failing, and this is why when Otto mentioned the paint-by-number approach, it just made sense to me, but I see your point about OA's not being followers and that makes sense too! :)Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-1148416480948404522006-05-23T16:34:00.000-04:002006-05-23T16:34:00.000-04:00Hi~Just wanted to say I liked your site--the photo...Hi~<BR/><BR/>Just wanted to say I liked your site--the photo is lovely. About the NYT piece, I agreed with it, too...until I realized that there's a living, breathing, contradiction of Otto's thesis at Princeton: she's called Joyce Carol Oates, and it seems a bit difficult characterizing her as a "slacker" :D<BR/><BR/>Anyhow...I'm happy I surfed to your site, though~have a great day! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-1148396292741825762006-05-23T10:58:00.000-04:002006-05-23T10:58:00.000-04:00I don't know if I agree that an overachiever hopin...I don't know if I agree that an overachiever hoping for instant success is particulary likely to follow a paint-by-number approach to anything. I would think very few overachievers are followers and that almost no one with an initial paint-by-number approach to something will stand out from the pack. Even in the case of best-selling authors who churn out formulaic works every year, no doubt their first successful work was different from what else was out there. Just a thought. As for Otto's slamming this gal's use of a college admissions consultant, from what I've heard about college admission these days in the States, it's become 'the new normal.' Horrific but true. But I totally agree with her point that underachievers and great writers may very well overlap. Overachieving is about doing, moving, acting; it doesn't leave a lot of time in the day for watching, listening, thinking. So I think if you're a confirmed people watcher and contemplator, then you're well on the way to having the ideas and observations to produce great stories. Best of luck!jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11489874966789011940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-1147611774597717352006-05-14T09:02:00.000-04:002006-05-14T09:02:00.000-04:00True, Dorothy! Infact, there have been times when...True, Dorothy! Infact, there have been times when I found an autobiography interesting, but so badly written that I wished so much the author had thought to employ the services of a ghostwriter!<BR/><BR/>Hi, Susan and thanks a bunch for the link which I will be checking out shortly! Anytime you find something you think I might be able to use on my anthropology blog, please throw it my way! Thanks so much!Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-1147592067152253242006-05-14T03:34:00.000-04:002006-05-14T03:34:00.000-04:00Hi Lotus, Sorry, but I just opened the New York T...Hi Lotus, Sorry, but I just opened the New York Times website and today there's a story about the dangers of skin-whitening creams in Asia. Thought you'd be interested (if you don't alrready know) <BR/><BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/world/asia/14thailand.html?hp&ex=1147665600&en=600051ffe7e45547&ei=5094&partner=homepageSusan in Italyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03504876361780195313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-1147559160360572052006-05-13T18:26:00.000-04:002006-05-13T18:26:00.000-04:00I agree -- Otto's take on the whole thing is inter...I agree -- Otto's take on the whole thing is interesting and makes a lot of sense. People certainly don't always write solely because they love writing -- I'm reminded of people who use ghost writers. They haven't done anything wrong, but they are equally uninterested in "writing" as we usually think of it.Rebecca H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10825532162727473112noreply@blogger.com