note: I use the royal -WE- for the ML...

....to everybody who wrote a reply. Some gave me a good synopsis of
their reasons, while others gave me a run down of why the began writing
fanfiction in the first place. I am not surprised at how strongly you
all must feel about the series that you undertake, for one thing seemed
to be consistant in every letter: and that is you have to like the story
engine, or character, or some aspect of either in order to -want- to
write fanfics.

Many said it was a compulsion to slap these ideas down before they lost
them. Many also said that they do it for themselves and their own
entertainment. I'm surprised that a small handful of us(FFML) actually
make a livelyhood off of writing. That will safely prove that we are not
wasting anyone's time, least of all our own. 

Many also commmented on how much -bad- fanfic they have read. They make
it quite clear that stories can easily have the 'Me Too!' sort of feel
to it, lacking in any effort on the part of the writer, although
strangely enough, no stories or authors were specifically mentioned.

Imagine that. A mailing list with tact, and taste(relatively speaking,
of course. Don't think I haven't forgot that -pommegranet- crack you
made, kun-chan.)

Some also said, or have said in forwards, that they are trying to get
the reader to find a part of themselves somewhere in their works. This
device they like to use frequently, to convey a message, or an opinion
to the reader that they may not have considered. Maybe, the device is
also intended to point out things in your own life you may not have
noticed, or even taken for granted. (Transitions did it for me. My
sister is slowly degenerating with a new kind of neurological disorder.
You can only imagine how Richard's story hit home with me.) In the
ancient words of wisdom of Confucious:'Without knowing the force of
words, one cannot understand man.' It seems that every aurthor agrees
that the force of their words are only as strong as the one reading it.

Very few of you asked for fame, (even if it was flames), consdering such
a thing useless to you(FFML). I consider that surprising as well, but
then I re-think it. I mean, we're not getting paid to do this. If
anything, we're paying ISP's and OnLine Services to do this (unless your
using JUNO, which is free.) Maybe were the crazy ones here. 

I know I'm more than a little off key. And annoying.

But everyone agreed that it felt real good to know that some read
-their- works and that they used -their own time- to look over a story.
I believe firmly that Time and Music are the two most thoughtful gifts
you can give anyone and I feel very special when someone gives up
-their- time to read my story(s). A real sense of humility was conveyed.

No body really dragged (Drug?) the mailing list into their replies,
which I myself thought was a little odd. I feel I should, as it is such
a nice concept; a few hundred people on one ring who love to read, and
some even write, can billboard their ideas for everyone to see and
debate. I think this is one of the greatest tools in improving their
writings, and most people did mention that their writing had impoved
since they began writing fanfics to the list.

It also surprises me, that as many people I have contacted here in
private emails, how many of you are so unassuming and laid back. Never
have I seen an arrogant or condesending word thrown over the list or to
me when I reviewed work harshly, or just asked stupid questions. Well,
there was that one time Whitewolf chewed out that fellow before, but he
apologized in good taste. I'm sure that most of you in the work force
know how many ass-holes there are in the world, and how rare it is to
find such a great concentration of calm, neutral, or even nice people in
one social ring. No one I have associated with here has ever been
belligerent, arrogant, or slothful. Zealous, yes. Confused, or ignorant,
yes. But zeal just proves your devotion, and voicing confusion proves
your inherent desire to understand.

I'm wasting your time, now. Rambling on about things I'm sure you
already know, and seeing as how I've barely been on this list for a
month, my words probably don't carry enough weight, but I wanted to
publicly thank all of you for reading it in the first place and replying
to me.

Thanx again for your time.

Ty.


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