Good lord, *don't* encourage her!

[lebateleur]

It looked as though the "I get no applause" author was going to sink quietly into the ML archives without comment. We should be so lucky. Today, another list member posted this gem of a comment:

what I want
to say is that it isn't necessarily how you write but what you choose to
write.

Snipping a little bit, she continues:

(Please don't take this as criticism because that isn't my intent!  I'm just
making an observation that who you write is as important as how you write,
and not everyone will read everything because of that.)

So remember kiddies, reader praise has nothing to do with talent, originality, creativity, and technical mastery. Also, onlist whining about lack of praise is only part of the solution. Make sure you're also writing the most popular pairing(s) in the fandom - that's the real ticket to getting f/b.

Good lord, I've only posted five entries in this lj and I already feel like I'm coming off like a bitch.

Then again, there are so many things in fandom to bitch about...

Comments

[mace-m.livejournal.com]

who you write is as important as how you write, and not everyone will read everything because of that.

Oddly enough, I had thought that people were into fan fiction because they like the characters and enjoy writing. Oh, poor me, deluded for years! Well, thankfully this bright young person has shown me the truth. It has nothing to do with the thrill of a creative effort, the delight for the written word, or succeeding in meeting the limits you had set. It’s all about acquiring the maximal amount of attention and hence the maximal amount of feedback. Well, thank you, I feel so much better for knowing this.

There are some fairly strange implications to be found in that statement. For example, that if the “right” pairing was written, everyone would read every story posted on the list. Hmm, she thinks we have nothing better to do than read fan fiction all day? Some of us have to work or study, and then we have this strange thing called ‘hobbies’. And because the aim is to get everyone to read all the stories, we meet another problem. Not everyone likes the same themes in the fan fiction. Some people might skip a story because it’s h/c, AU or has darkness in it. So, the writer should not only stick with the most popular pairing, but also just write about themes that won’t offend anyone.

Hmm, I think there’s a term for this, and it’s called self-censorship. Definitely a thing worth promoting.

Then again, there are so many things in fandom to bitch about...

Ditto. Bitch on, it’s good for the soul!