Embracing the Mess
An interesting criticism of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) is that it’s ‘fan service’. I wasn’t aware that fans desired plot holes, shallow characterisations, contrived narrative, an incomprehensible edit, and the return of a villain long dead. They were never on my wish list. I don’t think they were on anybody’s. The Rise of Skywalker isn’t fan service. It’s damage control. It’s Disney backtracking from what they’ve given us and trying to find the Star Wars in their Star Wars. And they accomplish that in the tiniest and briefest ways. The Rise of Skywalker puts the trio of main characters in an adventure together. It gives Rey an…
The Star Wars Conundrum
As a writer, I live by a simple rule when it comes to revision: if two of my alpha readers cite the same issue, then I must (absolutely non-negotiable) address that issue – even if I vehemently disagree with what those readers are saying. Where two people have seen a problem, others will also. When I’ve worked as an editor, I’ve seen writers steadfastly defend their narrative. Working on an anthology about eight years ago, I had one author refuse to address a plot point that four editors had cited. I told him we were a representation of his readers. He refused to be moved. The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy…