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Velociryx
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of Candle'Bre
Apr 1999
time: 05:19
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See...that's just the thing, GP...I'm not the least bit sorry I didn't get them (the novels) published via traditional means. In fact, in the case of "Five Days," I didn't even try! Based on the success of the POD model, I didn't feel the need to. I have found a way to do a classic end-run around the traditional publishing world, and I'm quite happy with that. In my mind, doing it that way....my way, is much more fulfilling and satisfying than having it all handed to me just because I know someone or develop some contacts inside the traditional industry.
The victory is so much sweeter when you have to really work for it....get creative and find a way to make it happen all on your own.
That's also why I have such high confidence in the Candle'Bre team. We're not doing things by the book. We're not doing things according to the way it's "supposed to be done," but you know something odd? It's working anyway! It's working cos we're out there, day in and day out making the magic happen.
And, we're doing it our way....that's really cool. 
So...if your cutting comments were meant to bait me into a fight, it's not working...there is no fight. We have a different way of doing things, that's all.
Maybe our way will prove to be pure folly....but what if it's not? What if it's not....
-=Vel=-
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xRamsesx
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of Candle'Bre
Oct 2001
time: 00:19
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GP, instead of providing constructive criticism as you originally claimed was your intention, your latest posts have been nothing more than personal attacks directed at Vel. He's been too much of a gentleman to attack you back, and even in his last post where anyone else would have burst right back at you he just brushed it off.
It's no coincidence that all the guys & gals on the team volunteered to help when Vel brought up the idea of Candle'Bre. I'm sure I speak for all when i say we all have the uptmost respect for Vel. And what respect we had for him initially has grown ten-fold after working with him for only a few weeks.
I suggest you take a moment to think about that. After all, "cutting comments" are easy to make, staying civil is much harder to achieve.
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Velociryx
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of Candle'Bre
Apr 1999
time: 05:19
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Oh...I don't think anybody regards you as evil, GP....I would say, if I had to guess, that your comments stem from two possible things (could be wrong here, this is just me musing):
First, you're testing the limits of our policy of openness. See if we get all defensive if things aren't always glowing and positive. If that's been a part of it, I think we passed the test thus far.
And second, because a genuine spirit of openness and collaboration is almost unheard of in this or any other business. Everybody's gotta protect their turf, under the traditional model. It's okay to quietly shop around for ideas, so long as you can make everybody think they were really yours all along, in the end.
But that's not how we do things...it's not what we're about.
Case in point....a minor example, but it's important for illustrative purposes:
'bout two months ago, the team leads (Cathy and Ramses) and I were mailing back and forth about the project, and finding ways of getting timely, accurate information into the hands of everybody involved in the project. Cathy recommended a Candle'Bre newsletter as a vehicle for doing that, and both Ramses and I thought that was perfect! So...I started up a thread and made the announcement to the group as a whole, and got a number of virtual pats on the back for an outstanding idea.
Now...at that point, I could have done the very same thing that happens sooooo often in the "regular" business world. Nobody but Ram and Cathy KNEW it wasn't my idea, and I could have nodded and smiled and accepted the kudos for bein' so darned smart.
But that's not what happened. I told everybody that if they wanted to thank someone, then Cathy was the person they oughta be thanking, cos the idea was hers entirely.
A bit later, I got a number of e-mails on that topic, essentially saying how refreshing it was to work on a project and in an environment where credit was given so freely for ideas that turned out to be wildly popular.
That kind of thinking permeates everything we do...everything we touch. It fosters a great deal of trust and harmony in the work envrionment, and it does amazing things to creativity. Nobody holds anything back....and that's awesome. You don't find that in many (if any) corporate offices. Too much turf protection going on for it to happen.
But of course, it's another thing that sets the group and our methodology apart, and in the business world, when something is unlike the rest of the herd, it is viewed with suspicion at best and outright disdain at worst.
So despite how it might appear, it's not all about holding hands and singing Kumbayah....there's a method to the madness. When people study chaos theory, the first thing they're struck by is the sheer seething randomness of it all.
The second thing they're struck by is the spooky sense of order that stands behind all that randomness....
-=Vel=-
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moomin
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Moo Like In Moomin
Jul 2000
time: 05:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Velociryx
'bout two months ago, the team leads (Cathy and Ramses) and I were mailing back and forth about the project, and finding ways of getting timely, accurate information into the hands of everybody involved in the project. Cathy recommended a Candle'Bre newsletter as a vehicle for doing that, and both Ramses and I thought that was perfect! So...I started up a thread and made the announcement to the group as a whole, and got a number of virtual pats on the back for an outstanding idea.
Now...at that point, I could have done the very same thing that happens sooooo often in the "regular" business world. Nobody but Ram and Cathy KNEW it wasn't my idea, and I could have nodded and smiled and accepted the kudos for bein' so darned smart.
But that's not what happened. I told everybody that if they wanted to thank someone, then Cathy was the person they oughta be thanking, cos the idea was hers entirely.
A bit later, I got a number of e-mails on that topic, essentially saying how refreshing it was to work on a project and in an environment where credit was given so freely for ideas that turned out to be wildly popular.
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While I agree your handling the situation was good, you really shouldn't hold the corporate world to the standards of Dilbert. While corporate politics grow with the size of the company and can get quite ugly, there are lot of good managers who wouldn't imagine taking credits for co-workers ideas, if not out of the goodness of their hearts then simply because they're not crazy enough to take the morale hit.
Where I work, we got an conference system where people not only log their ideas but where the team actually votes on them - we done away with all but one meeting per fortnight in this manner. I have the right to veto, which I've used exactly twice in as many years. Openess and sharing is certainly not lacking in any decent commercial environment. And stealing ideas of stifling creativity is so far from our agenda I wouldn't know to where to begin if somebody suggested we'd do that.
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TCO
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Richmond, VA
Jan 1970
time: 00:19
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Sometimes my points are acerbic. Because (A) I like that kind of teasing, (B) I need to get you to think.
Depending on situation, amount of each rationale may vary.
But at the end, even if I tease you, I like y'all and want you to do well...even think that I may toughen your skins to help you. And that having a tough skin and ability to look at the project (at least occasionaly) in a dispassionate manner can be helpful.
And I sometimes have some real content points.
Last edited by TCO on 09-05-2002 at 11:25
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SpencerH
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Co-Ruler of my patch of land south of Birmingham Alabama
Feb 2002
time: 23:19
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GP, keep throwin those curve balls. I hope these guys keep knockin em out o the park.
Last edited by SpencerH on 29-05-2002 at 16:07
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