A Goodreads user
asked
Isaac Marion:
Which book of yours was it that annoyed Trump? I'd really like to read that one. Thanks!
Isaac Marion
Ok, I've explained this one thoroughly on all my other networks but I haven't covered Goodreads yet so let's do this.
That tweet that's been going around was part of an IMAGINARY dialogue I wrote between me and Donald Trump in which he attacks my book, The Burning World, for increasingly ridiculous reasons and I offer increasingly ridiculous rebuttals.
It was parody. It was fiction. It was not real.
The idea was to channel Trump's famously petty online persona to highlight some of the topical elements of the book--which are very real and sincere. It was a comedic framing device and a minor joke amidst the generally ignored stream of my Twitter feed.
Then to my astonishment, the first tweet in the series went MASSIVELY VIRAL, being ripped away from all context and thrust into a national spotlight for which it was never designed. Suddenly famous activists were reposting it as further evidence against Trump's character--as if any more is needed--and people were rallying to my cause to defend me against Trump's attacks and...
...it got weird. It got out of hand. And a lot people got mad about it, claiming I "lied" and created "fake news" in order to boost my sales. This is a perspective I can't understand, because fiction is not lying. Parody is not lying. And the random tweets of a fiction writer are not "news," fake or otherwise. I did not submit them to CNN to be reported to the world. There is no reason they should be held to the standard of national events coverage. They are a fiction writer's tweets.
I can understand being a little embarrassed for thinking a joke was real, but the fact that parodies of Trump can be mistaken for fact no matter how absurd they get should embarrass only one person.
And yes, the book IS against everything he stands for, so I have no doubt he would hate it if he ever...uh...had someone read it to him.
That tweet that's been going around was part of an IMAGINARY dialogue I wrote between me and Donald Trump in which he attacks my book, The Burning World, for increasingly ridiculous reasons and I offer increasingly ridiculous rebuttals.
It was parody. It was fiction. It was not real.
The idea was to channel Trump's famously petty online persona to highlight some of the topical elements of the book--which are very real and sincere. It was a comedic framing device and a minor joke amidst the generally ignored stream of my Twitter feed.
Then to my astonishment, the first tweet in the series went MASSIVELY VIRAL, being ripped away from all context and thrust into a national spotlight for which it was never designed. Suddenly famous activists were reposting it as further evidence against Trump's character--as if any more is needed--and people were rallying to my cause to defend me against Trump's attacks and...
...it got weird. It got out of hand. And a lot people got mad about it, claiming I "lied" and created "fake news" in order to boost my sales. This is a perspective I can't understand, because fiction is not lying. Parody is not lying. And the random tweets of a fiction writer are not "news," fake or otherwise. I did not submit them to CNN to be reported to the world. There is no reason they should be held to the standard of national events coverage. They are a fiction writer's tweets.
I can understand being a little embarrassed for thinking a joke was real, but the fact that parodies of Trump can be mistaken for fact no matter how absurd they get should embarrass only one person.
And yes, the book IS against everything he stands for, so I have no doubt he would hate it if he ever...uh...had someone read it to him.
More Answered Questions
Amanda Ramirez
asked
Isaac Marion:
I know you self-published three other novels before Atria Books picked up Warm Bodies, and I was wondering if it was ever discouraging or if there was ever a point where you wondered if you would ever get a novel published "mainstream," so to speak. And, maybe, if you had any advice for how to work through that? I try to remember that I write for me, but some days it's harder to remember than others.
Sara St. Kelley
asked
Isaac Marion:
Hey Isaac! I to start by telling you just how much I enjoyed The Burning World (a lot; I enjoyed it a lot) and that I'm so excited to read The Living. You are rad. Where did you come up with the title The Burning World? I was reading your old blog and I was struck when I was reminded it's called Burning Building. Does the blog title have anything to do with the book title? Or do you just like the word "burning"?
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