At 08:25 AM 02-07-1999 -0500, you wrote:
(This was originally going to be an MST, but I didn't even bother. I
did, however, feel that at least one person--other than
Tybalt--needed to point out the folly of begging for fanfic award
votes on the FFML. With a little actual C&C on the side.)
While I'm not one to follow along on a bandwagon and essentially
say 'Me too!' I do have a few novel comments about Lurker-san's
post. Fair warning and forgive the expansion on this rant.
*snip*
Well, again, I hate to break it to you, but you've demeaned yourself
for naught. Be honest with yourself here: what makes you think you
have a chance against Kenko's "Girl Days"? Or against the myriad
other very *good* fics on that ballot?
Don't write fanfiction if all you care about is winning the monthly
fanfic awards. You're missing the entire point of fanfiction. This
isn't a race, it's not a contest. It's a hobby, something we do
mostly for recreation.
Sorry for the rant folks, but it needed to be said.
I think Lurker-san is totally right in this regard; if you're
only writing to win those awards or looking for fame and glory,
then you're in the wrong boat, luv. Try working for M$ or something.
Writing for a lot of the faithful out there is a hobby,
definitely. But some of us want to write for a living as well. I
know quite a few who use fanfiction as a tool to perfect their
writing styles. It helps writing in a familiar world, and as I see
it, if I can write memorable fanfics then I just might be able to
write well as a professional later on.
Using the list here to try and promote a work in that regard
is...well low, to be honest. I've always seen most elections as a
popularity contest. Whether that is the case or not isn't the thing
here, however. If you truly think that your fic is something that
is worth giving an affirmative on, it will be. Don't ask for votes.
Really, you shouldn't give a d**n about votes.
I may be rather silent as compared to the majority of lurkers
on the list, but I do get upset at the aspect of using fanfics as a
basis of popularity contests. When I post something anywhere, even
my own webpages, I get scared. Why? I'm rather hesitant to share
my work. It's more or less because of how I feel about my work,
but also, it's because it's a part of me that I want to express
through my own words and the situations I create, and I'm shy about
letting things all out to an audience. (Yes, I get stagefright too,
bigtime.) But I do go ahead with posting anyways because of the
hopes that I can make whatever I write the best it can be, through
C&C and talking things over with other authors like myself.
My personal note here is to take a note from some of the more
mentionable authors on this list than myself. You don't see them
making an allcall for votes, do you? And how many of them get
awards from those lists? Calulate that out, and see what posting
an allcall to this list will get you in the end.
So with that, I'm done. Back to the world of fics and C&C.
Lasha and ja ne!
Lany
______________________________________________________________________
Delany Brittain
turtyl@montana.com , turtyl@megami.net , turtyl@otaking.org
turtyll @ AIM, 19152118 @ ICQ
http://www.otaking.org/~turtyl/
Student, Uni. of Montana; Member, Studio YOGIPIGS; Aspiring, Author
-----
"Um...they're always corrupted. That's why they call them
governments."
--17 May, 1999
The Megami Project -- http://www.megami.net/