[Helen] <a great deal snipped>
2. It's all fine and good to say "Oh, I'll pass this along so maybe
Lawson or Lurker or Bailesu or someone will pick it up"...
Doesn't work that way, folks.
Why not? Because most of us already have more to do than we can
handle.
Take my backload for instance. I've got fics sitting in my 'hiatus'
and 'cancelled' folders that I started back in 96. I gave up on them
because I found better ideas to carry, and most of them I've tossed
out to the list in case some green author with the will but no ideas
might want to pick up on one. That's in addition to recent, better
stuff I've done...a week doesn't pass that I don't get asked "When
are you writing more Onna?" or "Where's the next chapter of Nibun no
Senshi Sailormoon?" The other seasoned, well-read authors probably
deal with even more of it than I do, especially the slower ones like
Zen ^_^. We have more than enough on our plates already, we can't
pile on something someone else came up with on a whim. Well, we
*can*, but it does tend to invite lynching...
[Helen Szeto] Hmmmm....most ideas tend to remain that way, unless...
we feel that they have somewhere to go.
There's also this: Someone who comes up with an idea *should* at
*LEAST* attempt to write a little bit of it. You're missing out on
the best part of the fanfiction process if you don't at least try to
write. Oh sure, you get the satisfaction of reading it and C&Cing it
if someone else eventually decides to write it, but it's the writing
in itself that's the best part of the whole deal. Passing an idea off
to another author should only be done under two circumstances:
(1) You know a *specific* author who would be more suited to the idea
than yourself, and might put a spin on it you never considered.
(2) You've written a bit, but you've locked up on it. You just can't
coax anything decent out of it.
[Helen Szeto] Hehehehe...Personally, I tend to generate a lot of
ideas...and I like to write them down (on computer that is) and
there are days where I'll add bits and pieces... or else jot down
observations that remind me of concepts related... However, I haven't
passed along a fic simply because my ideas work best when I think
about them... and I doubt that many others would be able to picture
the character interactions as I think about them...
[Helen Szeto] <snip>
Oh right, the ol' "I just don't have time" excuse.
I have 3.25MB of fics from the FFML taking up space in my hard drive,
dating back as far as December in some cases, that I haven't even so
much as glanced at.
[Helen Szeto] O_O;;; That's comparable to the nigh 8000 pages of
SM fanfics that I have piled around the book case... not to mention
the
MB's of fics that are on my HD <sigh>
I have a pile of new anime videos sitting on the floor in front of my
television that I haven't watched yet.
I have a pile of Godzilla flicks I haven't watched yet.
I have a pile of manga I haven't read yet.
I haven't taken a 48 hour nap in a while.
Bye-bye, everyone. I won't be writing anymore for six months or so.
I've got too many videos to watch and too much manga to read, and too
many fanfics to read, and then I'll have even more stuff to do to
keep me from writing.
I don't think so. I enjoy writing too much. That's why I put
everything else on hold to do it as much as possible.
Granted, I have more free time than most others...I know some of the
best authors around here have college, jobs, etc etc. and don't get
nearly as much time to write as they'd like. But if you're using time
as an excuse...
If you don't want to write, just say so. If all you like to do is
read 'em, there's no shame in that. But don't make up bullshit
excuses about it. Just say "I don't like writing, but I have this
idea, so if someone who likes to write wants to try it, I'd love to
read it when you get done."
[Helen Szeto] Hmmmm...I ended up writing a bit when I took on
editorial
duties for a fic (it's still in progress though...) I'd often be
reading the
original and make comments about one thing or another...and I'd find
that in later edition/versions of the fic, my ideas and writings would
have been incorporated...
Probably one of the joys of reading fiction is to see the entire
development
process. I've enjoyed seeing the whole growth of a fic, beginning
from
an idea (or two...), the drafts, the revisions and perhaps the final
release.
<snip>
The analysis: The idea has been, and will be, used over and over
again, but nobody's going to approach the same quality level of
Lawson's work, much less improve upon it.
[Helen Szeto] <hehehehe> Lurker-san's latest Suiseiki (sp?) work
reminds me much of Ken Wolfe's Secrets, and certain remarks would
remind me of Chris Davies...I could go on. It doesn't really matter
(to
me at least) about the originality of a concept but where you take the
idea i.e., so many people have written about various aspects of the
Ranma-verse especially with the Ranma/Akane/Ukyou relationships,
but not a single story have been the same. I certainly look forward
to read Suiseiki not because it reminds me of some other writer's
style or whatnot; but because I want to see where he takes this idea
of the NQS/KE wedding in his story.
<snip>
Again, posting ideas is fine, as long as they're ideas you've already
tried to write and failed, or at least as long as you don't try to
give an excuse. "No time" and "too lazy" are excuses. Be honest. Say
"I don't want to write."
Lurker's Phone Answering Message:
"Haro! You leach Noboyuki House of Sushi.
We guarantee derivery in thirty minute, or you get
NO sushi!"
[Helen Szeto] Oh, my! ^_^;
Helen :)
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