At 11:38 PM 2/17/99 -0500, David A. Tatum wrote:

Is there NO middle-ground here?  I mean, good grief, if you are your
primary audience, than why bother writing it?  After all, YOU can remember
whatever story you come up with without writing it down, normally.  If
you're going to write, pick your target audience.  If this is just a diary
entry so you don't forget something, then your audience is yourself, but
most of the time fanfiction is something other people are supposed to see. 
That said, you shouldn't write something you don't particularly like
writing, because you'll have a harder time writing it...

Simply because you can; there are people like that out there.  
Ultimately, I hope to debunk the idea that writing necessarily
has to appeal to an audience.  It's the process of creation that
should be the most enjoyable.  Otherwise, you're simply
seeking approval via alternate means (in this case, writing).

On certain fundamental levels, writing fanfiction does not
differ from other forms of writing; it was my intent to address
the creative level specifically.  I assume that very few
write fanfiction for a living, and therefor most fanfic
writers do not consider it a chore.  I should hope that most
fanfic writers out there are more interested primarily in exercising
their creative processes than pleasing an audience.

2) If you intend to post your fanfiction, then some
attention to grammar and spelling is required, but
that's *all.*  Your style is your style, and whether
or not you accept or decline critique on the way
you present your story does not reflect on your
qualities as a writer.

I don't get what this has to do with anything the guy said.  He never said
anything about declining critiques or anything like that...

This is not a direct reply to McAvoy's post.  Note the lack of
quotations or even a simple reference to McAvoy's original
essay.  Note the single reference to McAvoy towards the end.
The NXE reference responds not to McAvoy but to Eternal
Lost Lurker.  This is an open letter to the FFML, not a
direct response.

3) Fanfiction is nothing more than original fiction
placed within the setting of an existing fictional
work.  If you're looking to remain true to the canon,
then follow the rules all you want.  If you don't
give a damn about what's canon or not, then shape
your characters whichever way you want to.

*shrug*  If you don't give a damn about something, then don't give a damn
about it.  If people complain because of it, well... don't give a damn
about it.  Why?  Because YOU are the one ignoring the rules, not them.  And
I think your definition of fanfiction is a little off- fanfiction is, by
definition, a derivitive work...  The principles are different from
original work, as derivitive works are supposed to be linked to the series
they are connected to.  Normally, this means remaining true, at least
nominally, to the events that happen in the original series (the exception
being alternate universes, though allowances can be made if a person does
not fully understand all the nuances of the series they are fanficking)

Bull.  There has never, to my knowledge, ever been a universal qualification 
that a derivative work must maintain consistency with the inspiring
work.  The advocation of consistency is a matter of personal taste, not
a general criterion for determining the quality of a fanfiction.  I can--and
so can several other people on this list and off--write a pretty damn good 
GSC story based on a Gamefan article and a preview; it will be inconsistent 
as hell, but a fine read.

I get the feeling you picked up on a very minor point in McAvoy's essay and
got really mad about it from this.  There IS such a thing as bad
fanfiction, and McAvoy was apparently trying to explain some of the
pitfalls that lead to it.  You, on the other hand, appear to be saying that
the writer can do nothing wrong... which I CERTAINLY do not agree with.

What would I get angry about?  It's just a mailing list, man!

Well, I already concluded that consistency within a derivative work is
not necessary to ensure the quality of a fanfic, so I certainly disagree
that it cannot be a criterion for good fanfics.  Let's move on, shall
we?  I also dared to claim that certain general guidelines for fanfic
writing (beyond rules of mechanics) were merely expressions of personal
taste for the responsible critics and those of like mind.  I
still stand behind that claim; I dare say that character development,
theme, and even plot are only necessary when one wishes to present
their stories to an audience that relishes these qualities.  I'd
assume that most audiences at least look for plot, but let's face
it.  I happen to REALLY enjoy lewd pulp novels like The Hunter and
Shaft.  Hell, I really like _Dolemite,_ which has to be the worst
of the blaxploitation films following the strict guidelines for
determining "good" cinema.  Clancy, Bond, Brown and Ludham sell
hundreds of thousands to millions of copies of their novels around
the world, and they aren't exactly the end-all of English literary
legacy.

-The Reverend Prez

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|    Presley H.   | Political Science / Computer Science |
|    Cannady II   | and Electrical Engineering Undergrad |
|<revprez@mit.edu>| at the Mass. Institute of Technology |
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