The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, founded by yours truly and Max Allan Collins, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Scribe Awards, honoring excellence in media tie-in writing (books based on games, tv shows, movies, toy, etc). The awards were handed out at ComicCon San Diego. The winners are:
Best Original Novel: Robert Jeschonek for Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, a Tanhauser novel
Best Adapted Novel: Kevin J. Anderson, for Clockwork Angels, based on the album by Rush.
Best Audio Tie-in: Nev Fountain, for The Eternal Actress, a Dark Shadows story.
Grandmaster: Ann Crispin, for lifetime achievement in the craft of media tie-in writing.
Here’s an excerpt from Ann’s acceptance speech:
When I heard the name of the IAMTW’s Grandmaster Award, it struck me as ironic that it’s officially the “Faust Award.” I know this title refers to Frederick Faust, who wrote as Max Brand, but to those of us who work in media universes, it sometimes comes down to making a deal with the devil, doesn’t it? Some members of the writing profession look down on those who take on media tie-in projects as having sold out, or assume they’re lazy and can’t do the work to create “real” fiction. Those of us here all know, of course, that nothing could be further from the truth. It is every bit as challenging to write a good tie-in story as it is a good original novel. When you throw in tight deadlines, unreasonable and clueless studio minions, and the rules of story canon, it can be even more difficult than writing an original book.
But a good story is a good story, no matter what universe it is written in.
My dear friend Andre Norton once listened to me complaining about how tie-in writers aren’t respected the way they should be, and remarked, “Being a storyteller is one of the oldest and most valued professions. Without stories to lift us out of life’s problems and doldrums, where would we be? Be proud of what you do.”
Andre was a very wise lady, and her words stuck with me over the years….
To write stories, and to refresh the spirits of many persons thereby, and to make a living at it, is one of the most splendid talents any person can possess. To be so lucky in life, to be so blessed, to be able to depict the plights of characters and show how to achieve a victory over them, and thus to show readers how to think and triumph over their own problems is to perform work of the highest order. It does not matter what the story world is or where it comes from. What matters is the feelings and the ideas and the skill the writer brings to the work. Every one of Shakespeare’s plays except “Love’s Labour’s Lost” was based on characters and stories created by other writers. Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” also. Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,”also. I’d go so far as to say that no writer, ever, works from nothing. At the least, writers work from their own experiences and persons they’ve met. There’s always a context they’ve come across that they did not create. So feel great about yourself and your achievements, Ann. The only rule, really, outside of those of the craft, is to let your talent by your guide. If you are true to yourself, that’s something no one can disrespect you about.
So pleased to have won. I’d wish I’d been there to accept. Maybe next time!
Nev
I’m reading Christa Faust’s first FRINGE tie-in (came out in June, I think) and am enjoying the novel.