Letters from the Editor

Last week, I wrote about the relevance of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina in modern day society. As we said before, WNW believes that, to understand the literary industry, you need to know the classics. To make this happen, we have decided to take a step back in time and examine the books that made us want to become writers, and perhaps more importantly, realize the significance of these works today.

Our mission to appreciate the classics will begin this week, when Edward Correia takes an insightful look at the American classic Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Edward’s review of this classic, which is posted in Book Reviews, compares the decision maker on the Pequod to the decision maker in the United States. Whatever your political stance may be, there is no denying that Melville’s portrayal of leadership, power and victory parallels the position our country is in today. After reading his review, the staff here at WNW feels inspired to re-read Moby Dick with our new lenses on, and to garner a new appreciation for this classic.

For those who haven’t read Moby Dick, consider this question: If Ahab does succeed in his quest for the whale, what next? What else do you think there is for him to conquer? For those who have read the novel, what do you think Melville would say about the current situation our country is in? As you are reading (or re-reading) Moby Dick, I ask you to consider these questions. Do you agree with Edward’s critique of Moby Dick? Email your thoughts to editor@writersnewsweekly.com

About a year ago, a friend and I started a book club, with a mission to read all the books we wanted to, but never had a chance to tackle. Many of the books we chose for inclusion in our discussions were classics; currently, we are reading Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece, Anna Karenina. I was talking to a colleague, and I mentioned that the book was fabulous; however, the amount of detail could be cut down, and the actual book could probably be significantly shortened. She laughed and said, “It’s long because the people reading the novel at the time of its release didn’t have television! They needed to describe the process of mowing the fields, because unless you worked on a farm, you didn’t know what that meant!” I thought about what she said, and it made me wonder: Are the descriptions in classics like Anna Karenina necessary in today’s day and age? I, myself, believe that the extreme detail in Anna Karenina is somewhat tedious. Does a whole generation of people feel the same way?

As I read these long-winded, detail-filled novels, I realize how important it is to know the classics. There is a reason these books are still in print after one hundred years; the story-telling is timeless, the writing is impeccable, and the issues addressed in the novel are relevant in today’s society. WNW has decided that, as professionals in the literary industry, we need to take a step back and become acquainted (or re-acquainted) with the classics. Each week, we will take a look at a landmark book that changed the way we think about reading and writing. It is our hope that the timeless books we present will inspire your own writing and encourage you to read one of the classics.

This week, I conclude my series on “Libel on the Internet,” a three-piece investigative series begging the question, “What is libel?” In researching libel on the Internet, I came across a few websites that seemed more like havens for cyber-bullying than freedom of expression. With full understanding of the laws, the question remains: Why do people feel the need to make false or disparaging remarks about someone or something online? While each case is different, a hard examination of the people creating these websites needs to be considered. The back-stabbing and name-calling has already gone too far: One website resorts to mocking the first name of a literary agent. Making fun of someone’s birth name? Some critics (with no real experience or knowledge of the publishing industry) have resorted to this type of behavior…but why? One too many rejection letters? Picked on as a child and now taking his or her frustration out through cyber-bullying? Or maybe it’s something less personal. Perhaps these cyber-bullies have ulterior motives we will one day realize. Regardless of the reason, we ask the industry to stand up and take notice. When you browse these websites and read these blogs, ask yourself, “Why?” What is the reason behind these vicious remarks? Are these remarks the result of sound, honest research…or simply lies meant to undermine and discount honest businesspeople?

Until we can understand the root of the problem, the lying, ridiculing cyber-bullying will continue. The good news: Many bullies are caught red-handed and eventually reprimanded for their libelous actions. Some even realize the error of their ways. All we can do is sit back, see what is posted next and wait for these pseudo-literary bullies to get caught with their pants down.

Lisa Burns

This past fall, a friend and I spent a long weekend in Boston. It was the first time either one of us were in Beantown. Needless to say, we looked like your typical tourists, with a camera in one hand and a Foders travel guide in the other. After spending time with the locals in the North End, shopping in Quincy Market and posing for pictures at Harvard, we decided to visit Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau’s inspiration for the American classic, Walden. We parked off to the side and made our way down the dirt path to the lake. About fifty yards away you can see the house (I hesitate to call it a house; it’s more like a well-preserved shack) that Thoreau lived in while he wrote this classic. Being born and raised ten minutes from the city, I never in a million years thought I would find something so natural and so simple, and, well, beautiful. Maybe it was the time of year; the leaves were a cornucopia of colors, including deep rust, plum and bright yellow. The sun was just rising, and the temperature was a cool 50 degrees. Standing on the edge of the river bank and staring at the scenery, I finally “got” Walden. I understood his inspiration, and I wanted to take some home with me. When I got home, I struggled to find a place just one tenth as beautiful as Walden Pond, but alas, to no avail. It got me thinking: I wonder if every writer has a certain “spot” they go to for inspiration? Maybe a local park, a quiet coffee shop or even a home office. I would love to know if there is a place that inspires you. Send me an email and tell the world where you write. I’m still looking for that certain spot I can go to for inspiration here in the city; when, or if, I find it, I’ll let you know.

Lisa Burns

WritersNewsWeekly is proud to be the first online newspaper geared to those in the literary industry. Notwithstanding the date’s traditional meaning, April 1, 2008 is a big day for the WNW staff; we feel that we have taken on a huge responsibility and are ready to deliver what we have set out to do. Our job, from here on out, is to provide the literary industry with up-to-date relevant news, forecast trends, offer thought-provoking insights, and perhaps most importantly, stir up conversation. Our motto says it all: “Writing something worth reading: Doing something worth writing about.” Everything we post we stand behind; we are an open-minded staff committed to keeping the literary industry current with the issues affecting our trade.

I thank you for reading the inaugural edition of WritersNewsWeekly, and I invite you to visit the site every Tuesday for new stories and different opinions. I welcome your letters to the editor. Please email any comments and questions to: editor@writersnewsweekly.com

Sincerely,

Lisa Burns
Editor-in-Chief
WritersNewsWeekly