Collected Thoughts

Anytime some stranger walks up, puts a hand on your arm and acts familiarly, even if they seem clickable, feel good, have some charisma, it's going to make you uncomfortable if they invade your personal space. So, that's really what I did when I started -- I invaded -- and why, I think, my original posts in the firefly thread were so offensive to so many. I acted as if I were already a known and well-liked quantity.

Part of that, the reaction in B'cracy, was us being shocked at the exposure and explosion of members/users, it was all...unexpected. But I do understand what you mean, I often read people's LJs or lurk in places and feel familiar and then want to jump in and say things and act as if I know someone and then realize that I don't really and more importantly, they don't know me. I'm not even nothing to them becuase they have no idea that I'm even there. They may know that "random people may read my posts/lj/this mailing list" but they don't know that this particular person wants to talk to them.

So it's weird the way the Internet works, it's a bit, I think, like the way celebrities and fans work. Except, on the Internet it can be like that with anyone. You read about someone or their posts and you think you know them and if you don't actually interact with that person---email them, post with them,talk to them---then they don't know you at all and it's no different than learning about Charisma Carpenter or SMG. Except the person isn't famous. There's a feeling of familiarity and belonging that is false.

Although the celebrity/fan analogy doesn't work exactly.



So, bringing this back around to bad fanfiction -- maybe the same rules apply. Maybe these writers are expecting the reader to see them as they see themselves, well-meaning, fun-loving, intelligent but focused on the story they want to read, so they should be given a pass.

You have a good point. Readers and writers, especially well know fanfic writers or archivists or whoever, will often point out flaws in stories or balk at certain "tricks" that don't work in lesser stories but that work when handled well by really good writers. New comers may see this as unfair "I wrote like that but they say I suck!"

Fandom is different than professional writing because it is hobbyish and friend based on certain levels. So it's hard to say, well yes, what you wrote doesn't work because you can't write as well as X. The first writer will get offended and then if you try "well, it's the same as saying well, professional writer B can't get away with that either, but James Joyce can becuase he's Joyce." You still get the "but this is for fun."

I have to leave for lunch.

Do post this in your journal.