I hate to start with yet more questions, but what does BFG and BNF stand for? I get their basic meaning I think in the context but I'm curious what the actual acronyms stand for.
Somehow I never see flame wars. I don't know if my range in the LOTR fandom is so limited that I never come across one, or if it's just my habit of not reading other comments (sometimes I do, but not until after I've left one of my own). I think that's why I kind of have a pollyanna feeling about everyone in this community; I haven't really seen much of the "dark side" of anyone yet.
I definitely have favorite authors, but I try to read anyone if they're writing a pairing that I like. I'm unusual because I'll read just about any pairing with the LOTR boys (I include Eric in that group, he just fits with that group for me). If I don't know a tv show or movie I tend not to read those fics, but sometimes I make an exception. The biggest no read for me is if I don't know who the people are. Just seeing a picture of them doesn't help, I need to feel like I know something about them to enjoy the fic if that makes sense. And I think the only thing I don't read are kids (Harry Potter and, unfortunately for him since he's like mid-20s now, Elijah because I think of him as a 6 year old still - I know, it's silly), but just about anything else LOTR-related is fair game.
When I was strictly a reader I did always try to leave comments whenever I read something. I'm a bit wimpy, though. I don't gush if I didn't like it but I do try to say something positive, even if it's just a phrase that I liked a lot. Now that I've started to write I understand more about where you're coming from. It's weird to put something out there only to be met by deafening silence. I think that's probably why I always try to say something.
I know that I'll never be a popular writer, partly because I'm not as good as others, partly because I don't/can't write smut, but also because I'm too new. I've "heard" so many people say they don't read authors they don't know because they can't take reading poor grammar or horrible fics. I sometimes feel like shouting how do you know it's going to be horrible unless you read it, but I'm not going to change anyone's minds so just let it be. I've also been writing a variety of pairings, so I know that the strict VigBean ladies aren't going to read my Karl/Viggo or my OrliBean even if I begged. And I've only written one VigOrli and since that's the dominant group out there (or so it seems) those ladies are never going to look at my stuff. I think I've decided if the 5 or 6 people I regular communicate with comment on one of my fics if it features their favorite pairing I'll be happy. So far that's been the case, and I think if I don't expect anything more than that I can keep my esteem and ego in tact.
I think I only discovered your writing through the Eric Bana/Ewan McGregor 50kw series (which is why I was surprised when you said you're not into big muscly men; Eric is definitely not a pale pretty boy :-), but maybe it's more of The Rock or Arnold sort of muscly) and I love how you tell a story. But I often don't find writers unless they post in one of the comms; I imagine you'd be discovered by a lot of people who are newer to this fandom if your stories were crossposted. Although you may be doing that; if you're writing mostly Harry Potter I wouldn't be seeing those fics on LOTR comms.
Anyway, writing just because you love to is really the goal, and although I do I'm still in the place where I need some kind of outside confirmation that it's not total crap. One day I hope the lack of any comments won't sting as much as it sometimes does.
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Date: 2007-03-26 11:27 am (UTC)Somehow I never see flame wars. I don't know if my range in the LOTR fandom is so limited that I never come across one, or if it's just my habit of not reading other comments (sometimes I do, but not until after I've left one of my own). I think that's why I kind of have a pollyanna feeling about everyone in this community; I haven't really seen much of the "dark side" of anyone yet.
I definitely have favorite authors, but I try to read anyone if they're writing a pairing that I like. I'm unusual because I'll read just about any pairing with the LOTR boys (I include Eric in that group, he just fits with that group for me). If I don't know a tv show or movie I tend not to read those fics, but sometimes I make an exception. The biggest no read for me is if I don't know who the people are. Just seeing a picture of them doesn't help, I need to feel like I know something about them to enjoy the fic if that makes sense. And I think the only thing I don't read are kids (Harry Potter and, unfortunately for him since he's like mid-20s now, Elijah because I think of him as a 6 year old still - I know, it's silly), but just about anything else LOTR-related is fair game.
When I was strictly a reader I did always try to leave comments whenever I read something. I'm a bit wimpy, though. I don't gush if I didn't like it but I do try to say something positive, even if it's just a phrase that I liked a lot. Now that I've started to write I understand more about where you're coming from. It's weird to put something out there only to be met by deafening silence. I think that's probably why I always try to say something.
I know that I'll never be a popular writer, partly because I'm not as good as others, partly because I don't/can't write smut, but also because I'm too new. I've "heard" so many people say they don't read authors they don't know because they can't take reading poor grammar or horrible fics. I sometimes feel like shouting how do you know it's going to be horrible unless you read it, but I'm not going to change anyone's minds so just let it be. I've also been writing a variety of pairings, so I know that the strict VigBean ladies aren't going to read my Karl/Viggo or my OrliBean even if I begged. And I've only written one VigOrli and since that's the dominant group out there (or so it seems) those ladies are never going to look at my stuff. I think I've decided if the 5 or 6 people I regular communicate with comment on one of my fics if it features their favorite pairing I'll be happy. So far that's been the case, and I think if I don't expect anything more than that I can keep my esteem and ego in tact.
I think I only discovered your writing through the Eric Bana/Ewan McGregor 50kw series (which is why I was surprised when you said you're not into big muscly men; Eric is definitely not a pale pretty boy :-), but maybe it's more of The Rock or Arnold sort of muscly) and I love how you tell a story. But I often don't find writers unless they post in one of the comms; I imagine you'd be discovered by a lot of people who are newer to this fandom if your stories were crossposted. Although you may be doing that; if you're writing mostly Harry Potter I wouldn't be seeing those fics on LOTR comms.
Anyway, writing just because you love to is really the goal, and although I do I'm still in the place where I need some kind of outside confirmation that it's not total crap. One day I hope the lack of any comments won't sting as much as it sometimes does.