Comments on: The Dangers of Mixing Politics and Writing

By: What can J. K. Rowling teach us about writing? – HiddenGemsBooks

What can J. K. Rowling teach us about writing? – HiddenGemsBooks — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 12:10:06 +0000

[…] remains one of the most hotly-discussed authors on social media. Sadly, this is due more to her contentious political beliefs than the quality of her writing, but the fact remains that she’s an author whose contribution […]

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 13:19:47 +0000

In reply to Anna. Ginger -- sorry for calling you Craig!

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 13:03:41 +0000

In reply to Heidi.

Great post, Craig, except for the bit on JK Rowling, for which, like Heidi said above, I doubt you have any evidence to back it up.

JK Rowling’s stand may be “controversial” in light of the current dogma, but it resonates with so many women who feel she gave us a voice.

Steven King’s political tweets express mainstream, authorized opinions that anger the right-leaning folks but align perfectly with the media and political establishment. There is no courage, no sacrifice in that. When he’s dissing Trump, he takes no risks whatsoever.

Rowling, on the other hand, is expressing a view unpopular with the legacy media and political establishment. She receives death threats daily. She is regularly stalked. She was canceled on a few occasions. But (maybe because she was a victim of domestic violence) protecting vulnerable women — and all women and girls — matters too much to her, and so she soldiers on.

I don’t know what your personal politics are, Craig. But if you can take a step back, perhaps you’ll see that thanks to her courage, JK Rowling has now transcended her status of the brilliant author who gave the world the Harry Potter saga. She has become the Uncancelable champion of women’s rights, a true hero for millions of women.

By: Robert (Bob) Brink

Robert (Bob) Brink — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 04:00:02 +0000

Because of the situation in which one party in the U.S. is advocating authoritarianism by denying patently obvious election outcomes and engaging in subterfuge, I cannot remain uninvolved as an author just to avoid offending those who support politicians and movements that undermine our democracy and and the pursuit of justice. I think it is authors’ responsibility to use their platform to stand up for what is demonstrably good and decent and oppose social and political injustices. My most recent book, the legal thriller Blood on Their Hands, is a more engrossing read than Murder in Palm Beach, but is a harder sell because, I am convinced, its related themes are racial bigotry and police brutality. But I’ve received little flak from my blog posts (which may mean they’re not being read), except for one reader who declared his objectivity but proceeded to show that he was clearly biased, dishonest and unfair in his conservative views. I realized he was toying with me, and called him out on it. That ended our email exchanges.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 15:45:11 +0000

Thankfully, Rowling’s comments haven’t hurt her career, and indeed, the success of the soon-to-be-released Hogwarts Legacy proves that people still support her (as any thread on Twitter will tell even the casual observer). Even a cursory look into King’s sales numbers, however, shows his most popular books are decades old.

I do wish you’d provide evidence that these authors have been hurt or hindered by their comments, otherwise your comments feel unanchored.