Neil Gaiman

Everyone, if you have not listened to Neil Gaiman give this speech to students, do so. Stunning and right on the money. And make sure you watch it all the way to the end because he talks about this new world we are all in.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/42372767?color=ffffff

Now back to the workshop for me. Already done with Cliffhangers and now one day from the end of Genre Structure. Wonderful group of people and I’m having fun. This has been great for me. Then a few days of rest and I’ll be back at full speed. Stay tuned, but in the mean time, watch Neil. You will not regret it.

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18 Responses to Neil Gaiman

  1. Neil gave a wonderful speech. I saw the video on GalleyCat. I think I’ll probably watch it again. It was laden with so much insight and was just plain fun to watch.

  2. Wow…. excellent speech. Thanks for passing on the link.

  3. Thank you for the link! I would have missed this without it. Very fun to watch, and inspiring to hear.

  4. Tori Minard says:

    It was a wonderful and inspirational speech. I’ve been feeling kind of down about the whole thing lately, and his words just lifted me up again. Thank you for sharing that.

  5. Awesome, Dean.
    Totally Awesome.
    Enlightening.
    Hit so close to home, I cried at least 4 times — I really can’t say how many times.
    Neil’s address belongs at the top of the list.

    Thanks, Dean.

  6. Ty Johnston says:

    Watched this last night and wanted to give myself a day to think about it before responding … but I’m still not sure what to say. Awesome. Simply awesome. Some of the grandest words for aspiring artists I’ve ever had the honor to hear. Makes me wish I’d been there, and been young again, to have heard those words decades ago.

  7. Ramon Terrell says:

    Words of wisdom. Such an uplifting and amazing speech. Definitely going to watch this a few times. Thanks for posting it!

  8. Vera Soroka says:

    I adore Neil Gaiman, he is a true artist. I listened to a few of his speaches and you are always left with a wisdom that could only come from him.
    His wife Amanda is an indie girl(she rocks) and together they are just so inspiring.

  9. Sam Lee says:

    Here is a Youtube upload if, like me, you can’t get the Vimeo link to work. It’s lesser quality but fantastic content just the same. :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCEtu1o8Wbc

  10. Linda Jordan says:

    Thanks for the link Dean. Love Neil Gaiman. His take on things is always fascinating and he has the ability to say what he’s thinking with such compassion. I love his his ability to stand back and see the whole picture!

  11. Ron says:

    Dean
    As always I must begin by thanking you.

    I have sent the the link to my two sons. What more can I say.

    It inspired me. Not sure how old Ty is but young is in the mind and inspiration lifts us and allows us to do the impossible at any age.

    I will always hope to be an aspiring writer so I can follow your advice and be a writer versus an author. Just write the next story…

    Ron

  12. Dave S. says:

    Great talk! Thank you, Dean!

    Re: age

    Yes, don’t let age stop you from your creative dreams! Writer/director David Lynch released his first album of music last year at age 66, and writer/musician Leonard Cohan is going on tour this year (with a new album) at age 77!

  13. Richard Orlin says:

    Very inspiring. I put ten years into freelancing and gave it up for twenty years of security and a pension. Now that I’m hitting retirement, Neil Gaiman’s speech has inspired me to try it again. Thank you for the link; otherwise I would never had seen it.

  14. Mercy Loomis says:

    Thanks for posting the link, Dean. Neil is my hero :)

    I’m in awe of his ability to use such simple, clear, concise language to express such monumental wisdom and emotion and humble awesomeness. Every time I try and analyze his use of language I get sucked into what he’s saying. Which says it all, really.

  15. Russ Crossley says:

    The only think I didn’t agree with is his comment about there being luck, because i don’t believe in luck good or bad. I do believe in making your own “luck” through hard work and perseverance and continually striving and learning.

    However, a lot of what Neil said was right on the money, the best part was indeed at the end thanks for pointing this out, Dean. The distribution channels have changed yet the publishing industry has no idea what to do about it or where it will end up.

    But I tend to think we writers will be the big winners if we just keep moving forward to the next story. Ultimately though readers (of which I am also one) are the winners because they get great stories not stopped by the old gatekeepers system

  16. Victoria says:

    Wonderful speech! Just loved it.

  17. Dean,
    Thank you for the link. Needed to hear it this morning.

  18. Janet Dawson says:

    What a terrific speech, and definitely something I needed to hear right now.

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