Hacks

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

Writers who, to get quantity production, rehash old ideas and strew them with such stock pieces as BEMs and PSDs. Fans are tolerant of the hacks who have to do it for a living, but who turn out an occasional outstanding story; but no mercy is shown to the old Palmer stable and others who may occasionally do fair work but 99% of the time are working over the old Save-the-Earth and There-Are-Limits-Beyond-Which-We-Aren't-Meant-To-Go themes -- not to mention (no, please don't!) the running into the well-known ground of the Crafty Earthmen Outwit Stupid Aliens plot, or the dressed-up mundanes.

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

Hack A writer who, in order to get quantity production, rehashes old ideas and plots, and strews them with such stock pieces as BEMs and PSDs. Fans are pretty tolerant of the hacks who have to do it for a living, but can also turn out an occasional outstanding story; but are death on Frederick Arnold Kummer Jr. and for the most part on Edmond Hamilton and Nat Schacher, who may occasionally do fair work, but 99% of the time are working over the old Save-the-Earth and -- There-Are-Limits-Beyond-Which-We-Aren't-Meant-To-Go themes -- not to mention (No, please don't!) the running into the w.k. ground of the Adam Link series, or the dressed-up mundanes.

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