Did JRRT encourage new ME stories?

[davem]

Originally Posted by Feanorsdoom

Did he shirk from borrowing characters or plot elements from other authors? Whatever he thought about the quality of writing that is done in his Me world, I find it unimaginable that he would deny authors their creative impulse, even if that impulse led to continuing his legacy. It is an author with a cold heart (and not one I would admire) who could not be moved to acceptance of a talent equal to or greater than himself. Remember, JRRT was first a reader of myths; second, a speaker of tongues; and only third, a writer.

Well, I 'd argue over your analysis that Tolkien was a writer 'only third'. I consider him to be a great writer, & a writer first & foremost. However, the real reason why no-one should be allowed to follow Tolkien & write more M-re stories has been eloquently & succuinctly summed up by Tom Simon: http://superversive.livejournal.com/49083.html

What you would get is an endless stream of over-written trilogies 'extruded' by hacks. No writer of genius would want to write other people's stories. They would want to communicate their own vision. What publishers want (as Simon makes clear) are long books, churned out as quickly as possible in order to cash in - because apparently that's what the public want to buy. No way would anyone commissioned to write a Tolkien sequel be allowed to get away with writing a story as short as CoH - they woud be expected to produce at the very least a trilogy equal to LotR - whether there was sufficient material to justify it or not. Can you imagine a writer being commissioned to write new M-e stories being allowed the 12 years Tolkien took to produce LotR? No way. They'd be told 'We want a trilogy & you've got a year. Pad it out, man - that's what the public want.

BTW Tom Simon is my new hero - check out his review of CoH if you haven't already done so http://superversive.livejournal.com/49730.html#cutid1