From: Don Granberry <lunohoco@lunohoco.com>
I came to the FFML in hopes of receiving some help with my writing. I
have indeed received what I must consider invaluable help in this
regard. In addition to that help, I have also been the recipient of
complaints which fell well outside the limits of what may rightly be
considered commentary and criticism. The overwhelming majority of the
latter were in private and more than one was vituperative. I have also
received much in the way of praise and encouragement from the FFML
membership, the majority of which was also sent to me in private. On
balance though, my experience with FFML has been negative.
I am sorry to hear that, and I would encourage you to ignore most of the
rants and flames that posting to the list can generate. There's always
a heckler or two in every crowd. Don't let the flames scare you away
from writing.
While I do not claim to have been mistreated, I have been witness to the
outright mistreatment of beginners other than myself here on the FFML.
Beginners make mistakes. That is why they come here, to get help in
correcting their mistakes. So here is my question, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Fire away!
How is it that a matter of plot choice constitutes a mistake?
Only a poorly planned plot constitutes a mistake in my book.
Self-Insertion? Who cares? You have seen too many of them you cry? So?
Does that not mean that you should know how to write a good,
self-insertion piece and be able to help a beginner with such a work?
A good point! While the bulk of self inserts end up being very... how should
I put this... well, wish fulfilling, there are a few out there that I feel are very well
written. A little reasearch and I'll be able to come up with the titles for those fics,
it's been years since the last time I read one.
A Ranma1/2 story that "fixes" everything. So? Oh, you mean you have seen
too many of those as well? That means you should be able to help a new
author write a superbly entertaining one, right?
Another good point. The "fix 'em up" stories can vary greatly in how well they are
written. Depth is the key to writing this kind of fic, or any fic for that matter.
You know how you want them to end up, all you have to do is show the reader
how this comes to pass in a believable fashion. People rarely change overnight
without some sort of trauma.
Now I am informed that a story based upon the Ranma1/2 stories must fall
completely within the realm of "Martial Arts Sex Farce," for it to be of
any entertainment value or, by some other criterion unknown by me, to be
somehow acceptable to veteran members. "Martial Arts Sex Farce" strikes
me as being a rather narrowly specialized field of writing. Further, I
must admit to being deeply puzzled by this emerging rule, inasmuch as
several of the more popular works based upon the Ranma1/2 stories are
nothing of the kind. Is this now the emerging consensus? Must we
indeed attempt to be self-made clones of Takahashi Rumiko before we can
expect help with works based upon these characters?
Bah! There _is_ no rules when it comes to writing a fanfic! No need to
become a clone to try and write your story! The characters are human
too. Situations change, therefore the characters change. It is how you
depict it that counts! Do not let the narrow opinions of a few people
affect what you write. If its a suggestion to improve a scene, fine. If
its a comment designed to help you achieve greater impact, fine. If it
happens to be someone that wants you to write within narrow standards
that squash your creativity, ignore them!
Write what you will, and write it well. Even the most outlandish ideas
are fully acceptable.
I have one last question and a request for you, my fellow FFML
Participants. Are we participating on this list to help each other, or
does this list have some other purpose? If there is a primary purpose
for the FFML other than giving and receiving help with the task of
writing fiction, would someone be good enough to explain to me what it
is? I would very much appreciate it. I hate to think that I may be
intruding where I am neither wanted nor welcome.
We are here to help each other, and to share our imaginations. That
is my belief for the purpose of the list, and is supported by the FAQ.
To quote the FAQ under the heading: What is the Fan Fic Mailing List?
The fanfic mailing list (FFML, or ML for short) is a forum for authors
and fans to discuss fanfics (fanfiction stories) with an anime/manga
theme that are posted to the FFML. Generally, this means stories
involving settings, characters, props, attacks or any combination of the
above from anime/manga.
That sums it up very nicely.
Another wind blown missive from,
Ben Bradley
http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/bay/5151
"Never give up on your hopes and dreams, for the moment you do is when
they are forever out of your reach."