I've heard of Jenkins before of course, but haven't seen this post yet. Thanks for the link, that looks very interesting.
I've been feeling really dispirited lately over what seems like a constant influx of derision directed at fanfic.
Really? If anything, the naysayser bring out the stubborn side in me. ;) It doesn't help that their arguments are all over the place, completely uninformed.
Though, did you read the recent article in the Wall Street Journal about fic writers gone pro? That one was actually rather favourable, properly researched, got its facts mostly straight. Nice change from all the sensationalist look-at-the-freaks!!1! articles. (Okay, it still said that slash is often graphic while failing to mention that so's het... but at least it didn't say slash=graphic sex like they usually do.)
Part of that is plain ignorance (I looked down on fanfic when I first heard about it, too, but my opinion certainly changed when I was exposed to good fic!)
Same here. Therefore I fully understand that initial reaction to fic. When I got online and stumbled over alt.tv.x-files.creative, the thought of amateurs writing stories about the show made me cringe. Then, two weeks later I was bored, got curious, started to read one (fortunately it was a good one) and I was hopelessly lost right away.
My dad is the opposite, one of those people who just doesn't get it. I've tried quizzing him, trying to figure out how his brain works, if he gets *anything* out of fiction (nearly everything he takes in is non-fiction; I don't think there's *anything* fictional that he really likes, let alone would make up his own stories about). I'd really like to understand how his brain works, just because it is so different from my own experience.
My whole family doesn't get it, either. Next family gathering I plan to quizz them on the matter, find out how they interact with text. Because they all like to read/watch fiction, they just react to it in a completely different way from mine. (Don't react at all, from where I'm standing, but that's probably the wrong impression.)
It would be really interesting to hear from the anti-ficcers on Lee's blog on this matter as well, but I find that crowd shows a distict lack of respect toward fic writers; it effectively stifles my desire to go over and just ask them.
no subject
I've been feeling really dispirited lately over what seems like a constant influx of derision directed at fanfic.
Really? If anything, the naysayser bring out the stubborn side in me. ;) It doesn't help that their arguments are all over the place, completely uninformed.
Though, did you read the recent article in the Wall Street Journal about fic writers gone pro? That one was actually rather favourable, properly researched, got its facts mostly straight. Nice change from all the sensationalist look-at-the-freaks!!1! articles. (Okay, it still said that slash is often graphic while failing to mention that so's het... but at least it didn't say slash=graphic sex like they usually do.)
Part of that is plain ignorance (I looked down on fanfic when I first heard about it, too, but my opinion certainly changed when I was exposed to good fic!)
Same here. Therefore I fully understand that initial reaction to fic. When I got online and stumbled over alt.tv.x-files.creative, the thought of amateurs writing stories about the show made me cringe. Then, two weeks later I was bored, got curious, started to read one (fortunately it was a good one) and I was hopelessly lost right away.
My dad is the opposite, one of those people who just doesn't get it. I've tried quizzing him, trying to figure out how his brain works, if he gets *anything* out of fiction (nearly everything he takes in is non-fiction; I don't think there's *anything* fictional that he really likes, let alone would make up his own stories about). I'd really like to understand how his brain works, just because it is so different from my own experience.
My whole family doesn't get it, either. Next family gathering I plan to quizz them on the matter, find out how they interact with text. Because they all like to read/watch fiction, they just react to it in a completely different way from mine. (Don't react at all, from where I'm standing, but that's probably the wrong impression.)
It would be really interesting to hear from the anti-ficcers on Lee's blog on this matter as well, but I find that crowd shows a distict lack of respect toward fic writers; it effectively stifles my desire to go over and just ask them.