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   Charlie Stross (cstross@wandering.shop)'s status on Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 21:09:10 JST Charlie Stross

   #WritersCoffeeClub December 3rd

   Do you agree with Tolstoy, who said, "The best stories come not from the conflict between good and evil, but from the conflict between good and good."

   Nope.

   Because I don't believe in good and evil. These are human values, and they depend entirely on where you're standing. (You know who thought he was doing good? Hitler.)

   I prefer Hemingway's three story types: man vs. nature, man vs. man, and man vs. self.

   • Embed this notice
     Steven D. Brewer 🏳️‍⚧️ (stevendbrewer@wandering.shop)'s status on Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 21:22:06 JST Steven D. Brewer 🏳️‍⚧️

     in reply to

     @cstross But where does my sapphic romantasy fit in that? 😉

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     Charlie Stross (cstross@wandering.shop)'s status on Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 21:25:39 JST Charlie Stross

     in reply to

     • Steven D. Brewer 🏳️‍⚧️

     @stevendbrewer Toots are length-limited: sprinkle Hemingway's rule with magic gender-adjustment dust to taste.

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     ploum (ploum@mamot.fr)'s status on Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 22:11:23 JST ploum

     in reply to

     @cstross : I see the Tolstoy sentence as "every side of a story must believe it is the good one". (so basically what you told)

     Like you, I don’t like manichaeism. That’s a problem I have even with classic stories: I don’t see how Sauron can seen himself as doing good, which killed the whole story for 11yo me.

     (I’ve heard here on Mastodon there’s now a book written from his own perspective, it may change my mind on this subject)