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I was thinking earlier (yes, I know that this usually leads to bad things happening -- bear with me here).
There's the DIY network, there's the prerequisite music channels, there's G4, there's the SciFi channel, there's probably an "artist" channel out there somewhere. And I was wondering what kind of shows would be on a writer's television channel.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know why there's not a writer's channel.
You see, there's very little that such a channel could really air; all I can think of is interviews with authors, movies based on books, and perhaps shows on how to battle writer's block or good sources for research. A few big-name authors could probably have their own television shows, if they agreed to it, but I have no idea what they would DO aside from answering questions and maybe reading from their own books. (And for me at least, it's a lot harder to pay attention to words when they're being spoken than when they're written. Especially when there's only a talking head to pay attention to. This is partly why I have trouble paying attention in class.) Most of this information you can get online, or in books, or in Writer's Digest magazine.
Not only that, but most writers are, obviously, better with the written word than with public speaking or being on camera. Having a writing channel would be kind of silly when the main demographic is more likely to be typing away or reading a book than flipping on the television.
Plus, I shudder to think what Laurell K Hamilton would do with her own television show. (Even if they didn't give her one, she'd probably demand one and throw a hissy fit when she didn't get her way.)
There's the DIY network, there's the prerequisite music channels, there's G4, there's the SciFi channel, there's probably an "artist" channel out there somewhere. And I was wondering what kind of shows would be on a writer's television channel.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know why there's not a writer's channel.
You see, there's very little that such a channel could really air; all I can think of is interviews with authors, movies based on books, and perhaps shows on how to battle writer's block or good sources for research. A few big-name authors could probably have their own television shows, if they agreed to it, but I have no idea what they would DO aside from answering questions and maybe reading from their own books. (And for me at least, it's a lot harder to pay attention to words when they're being spoken than when they're written. Especially when there's only a talking head to pay attention to. This is partly why I have trouble paying attention in class.) Most of this information you can get online, or in books, or in Writer's Digest magazine.
Not only that, but most writers are, obviously, better with the written word than with public speaking or being on camera. Having a writing channel would be kind of silly when the main demographic is more likely to be typing away or reading a book than flipping on the television.
Plus, I shudder to think what Laurell K Hamilton would do with her own television show. (Even if they didn't give her one, she'd probably demand one and throw a hissy fit when she didn't get her way.)
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This random thought of yours is rather interesting, y'know, and it got me thinking about this as well. The reasons you came up with about the main demographic is probably why someone *hasn't* started some sort of a fiction network yet. I know there's BookTV, which seems to only cover *very* yawn-worthy nonfiction stuff, but that's it. But you have to wonder...book-inspired shows/movies could actually fill up a good bit of slots, and a truly creative person could probably come up with some interesting shows to air.
But I guess we bookworms/writers aren't as lucrative a public as would-be chefs or artists, hm? Ah, well. We have our craft! ;)
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I think another reason we don't have a fiction network is that the finished product of our creativity, while just as worthwhile as other art forms, is not nearly as shiny or easy to show off as, say, a music video, or a sculpture, or a movie with five hundred thousand explosions (yay, explosions!). Fiction has to be translated from the page to the screen for the viewer to be able to actually appreciate it, and that's extra work and money. That, and I'm wondering how one would go about producing a "how-to" show on writing.
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Heh, and you're quite right about the results of our creativity, of course. It's not like they could just film the pages turning, someone reading, and somehow make it entertaining. (Oooh, remember when they used to do that with books for little kids? I used to love that shit. XD Don't mind me showing my age.) Anything that requires more money and effort, as you pointed out, is less likely to be realized. A "how-to" writing show would be tough, too, yeah, without putting everyone to sleep...particularly since everyone seems to have their own little ritual that works for *them*.
But we could *damn* sure come up with some snarky, bad-author-bashing talk shows! ;)
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You know what show I miss? Reading Rainbow! That was a good show until I realized that explosions held my attention more than talking animals.
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...particularly if said explosion involves incinerating a certain fallen-from-grace, former-vampire-hunter-turned-slut. ::innocent smile::
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And hell yes, we can set it to Beethoven! Really isn't anything better for a huge, dramatic explosion of fire and necromancer parts, yes? ;)
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