On Fri, 7 Aug 1998, Guy Under The Bridge . wrote:
 

I will never understand the mentality behind self-insertion fics. They 
have no purpose. They have no dramatic value. They are not entertaining, 
except, one assuages, for the writer.

I agree completely, except for the simple fact that this isn't true. There
_is_ an audience for certain SI fics. Just ask the UF folks.

Now, while I can't abide the things personally, and while my taste is
admittedly superior to everyone else on the planet, to state that there's
no audience for em is like stating that fish can't swim.
 

Now, I -do- understand that people like to talk about themselves--this 
is also a childish impulse that people grow out of (the cappuccino 
silver-spoon carried-through-life adults are the exception). All 
self-insertion fics are the products of minds that are (still) immature.

I think all us fanfic writers are fairly immature in some sense. Otherwise
we wouldn't create the stuff we do. Storytelling, in the final analysis,
is just the developed version to a little kid's imaginary tales. ("I
didn't break the window, giant rabbits with uzis did it.")

Blanket statements, as a rule, tend to be fairly silly, though. I'm sure
there are mature SI writers. Somewhere.

I apologize to all offended parties, but I call them as I see them.

Indeed. Admirable quality. But I can't help but notice that the majority
of your calls, of late, have been of the 'this is unmitigated crap'
variety. How about showing us something positive as well, eh?

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