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Eliezer_Yudkowsky comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread - Less Wrong
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Comments (866)
Literally laughing out loud, here.
But just to be clear, this story represents my outrage at all scientifically uncurious characters everywhere, and even more than that, my unfilled need to read a story where for just once the alleged "genius" characters are actual geniuses.
I was not picking on J. K. Rowling in particular in any way.
It is a work of Harry Potter fanfiction for the following simple reason:
I knew I needed a rapid feedback loop to motivate my brain to write. That was why I was bogging down on the rationality book.
And to the best of my knowledge of the entire world of online fiction, if you were posting an incomplete story chapter-by-chapter, it would get the most reviews if...
...it were a work of Harry Potter fanfiction posted on fanfiction.net.
QED.
I think I know a place on the internet where you can post books on rationality chapter-by-chapter, and get much instant feedback.
Actually, on reviewing this remark later, it's not quite true. My brain generated an idea set in the HPverse because I'd been reading a lot of HP fanfiction, and I accepted it and stopped the search because it was also optimal for getting reviews. However, I've since read analyses showing that Twilight stories are getting more new reviews on FF.net than Harry Potter, and I don't think I'd have been the smallest bit tempted if I'd known the fact in advance.
I think a version of Twilight with a rationalist Bella as the protagonist would be hilarious.
It'd also be very short, though.
You should totally write one!
I'm tempted! And come to think of it, I suppose it wouldn't have to be short; I could draw it out by leaning on the right bits of canon...
But I loaned out my copy of the first book ages ago and it's still gone, so I would need to pirate a copy as reference.
Hopefully Bella can join up with a few other vampires and start taking over the world. It could be very long.
Sent.
All right, all right, I'll at least give this a try. In keeping with the books' title themes, what do folks think of "Luminosity" as a title? (With luminosity as a theme over HP:MOR's emphasis on science, because I don't have the background to competently pull off the science.)
I did it.
Also, I hate fanfiction.net's interface for publishing stories SO MUCH. I'm probably going to just put the rest of this on my own webspace. EDIT: I am still updating on ff.net to get readers from conventional Twilight fandom, but made the story its own website and have changed the link above.
Also-also, my only account on fanfiction.net is Alicorn24. I am not affiliated in any way with anyone else using the word "alicorn" in their username.
Also-also-also, I'm not quite as much of a review junkie as Eliezer is. However, I a) am unlikely to bother with the story if I'm the only one enjoying it, as I do have creative projects with audiences that could benefit from my attention, and b) plan to treat this as a somewhat experimental work. (For instance, the first chapter has no actual in-quotes dialogue, which I did because dialogue is my strongest suit as a writer and it was challenging to work without it.) Info on what works for readers and what doesn't would be good, as well as periodic reminders that someone's paying attention.
Interesting. You might want to revise the description a couple chapters in, once the story has its own identity, but the character seems like someone who might be entertaining to follow.
(As with Harry Potter, I'm coming in with zero knowledge of the base material - Twilight bored me no less quickly than Philosopher's Stone.)
Here goes.
Since I had not read any of the books or seen any of the movies, I lacked confidence that I possessed the prerequisites for reading your fanfic.
It turned out that I did possess the needed prerequisites (for reading Chapter 1) but I almost concluded otherwise and almost stopped reading when I got to the first reference to Charlie because I did not know who Charlie is.
But then a few sentences later it became obvious that Charlie is Bella's father, and I read to the end of the chapter.
In summary, my feedback to you is that this particular reader would have benefitted from a replacing of the first occurance of "Charlie" with "My father, Charlie."
I want to know what happens next :)
Seconded.
In medias res this one. Start it in the middle of something interesting happening.
I wanted to do that - the original book does it - but I haven't yet gotten very well acquainted with my Bella and by the time interesting things start happening, I wouldn't expect her to let me hug so close to canon. I might go back and add something like that in a few chapters.
Is this fic understandable for those that don't know a thing about twilight?
Yes. Neither knowledge of nor affection for the original Twilight series is a prerequisite for reading, understanding, and (potentially) enjoying the fic.
New chapter.
Vote this comment up if you would like a Luminosity fic discussion thread here on LW analogous to the HP:MOR one, and down if you would not.
New chapter. I think I'm going to update daily for a while, but no promises.
I'm having trouble making Bella conspicuously luminous because fictional characters in general are more luminous than real people. (Authors have perfect access to knowledge about character minds, and since the dearth of luminosity in real humans isn't known to most authors, they don't restrict the characters' access to this information much if at all.) I've resorted to some tricks, most notably the notebooks - how do people find Bella's visible luminosity?
I would wait until we have a definite sign of interest - e.g. a conversation about something in the story on an open thread that attracts a fair amount of conversation.
Reviewed. (My fanfiction.net account is "Ronfar".)
I like. Rhymes with sparkles.
I'm in favor of this obviously wrong use of 'rhyme'.
It's a conceptual rhyme.
Here's a limerick following the same principle. (I think I read it in Metamagical Themas; not sure if Hofstadter was the original author.)
It's more allegorical than wrong.
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes."
-- Unknown (though attributed without source to Mark Twain)
Huh? "Luminosity" doesn't rhyme with "sparkles".
"Rhyme" was the wrong word, but I don't know what the right one is. Anyone?
Have you ever read any of L.E. Modesitt's fiction?