"John Peasley" <fhk-hjr@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
(Quoting Steven Scougall and Dustin Goeller)

And especially for Ranma fanfiction - if you think of an idea, chances
are it's already been done.  Several times.  And when the writing is
dull and the scenario old and tepid and oh so predictable, people just
won't bother reading any further than the first couple of sentences,
unless they have everlasting patience.

Steven, it doesn't take "everlasting patience" to read past the first
few sentences before judging a fic unworthy of reading. This is the kind
of prejudicial attitude that causes a lot of good stuff to go unread.

Furthermore, the point of FFML is to help improve each other's writing.
Fics where the writing is not top class still deserve to be read and
responded to, so that the writers can get ideas on how to improve
themselves.

I beg to differ. Ed Becerra's excellent Legion's Quest series gets
responses just as much as Zen's work. It's not the controversy, that
much is obvious. And you'll note half the responses are sent EXACTLY
as WWolf asked (I believe), and that's via PRIVATE EMAIL.

Wrong. Read the FAQ. Public C&C is good and encouraged.

Am I saying that those who can't stand out should just give up and
quit fanfiction? Of course not. And even if I WERE saying that, it
should be up to you to write. There is a LOT of talent on this list.
Everyone (or most everyone) here has the ability to write a ground
breaking work of art.  But, unless they realize how they need to
improve, they will be stuck in the annals of standard fanfare forever.

And that's why their work needs to be read and commented on, so they get
an idea of what they need to do to improve.

I have noticed that lately, quite a few of people have given up
fanfiction and moved on. I, for one, have pretty much stopped reading
fanfiction all together. It no longer interests me. It seems that
whenever I start reading a fic posted to this list, I feel although
I've read it many times before. I often wonder if I am the only person
who feels this way. Perhaps I've just "out-grown" fanfiction? Perhaps
I am just a twisted SOB with no life? Who knows?

If you've 'outgrown' fanfiction, then just WHAT the HELL *ARE* you doing
here?!

Agreed. This is not a social list, Dustin. It's a list for writers who
are interested in bettering their writing and readers who want to help
them.


Gary Kleppe
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics