Subject: [FFML] Re: FFML Dying
From: "Kit'ari" <third_child@hotmail.com>
Date: 6/15/2006, 5:57 AM
To: "FFML Story" <ffml@anifics.com>

I joined several years ago, posted a few chapters and a little C&C

Then I had to move, and set myself on vacation until receintly when

I decided to try to finish something I started long ago...



Thus, I haven't been following the list lately at all, so however much

you can take from this, help yourself... :)

Your mileage may vary...



First off, please don't turn the FFML into some blog or web page forum.

I believe e-mail is best suited for the purposes of the FFML.



That said, a true homepage that puts a face on the FFML maybe helpful...

One that can automate joining, and setting whichever flags would be very

helpful...

It was a pain just trying to unset my vacation flag...

Listing authors memberships, and where their stories may be found

could be very useful and promote comunity... maybe...



While I am all for opening the FFML up to more genres, the danger lies

in the chance that instead of C&C mostly going to the "Big 5", it goes

only the Big 6 or 7...



I think what would help most, is if someone could write up something

about C&C, and how to give it...



It's one thing to hand your newly written novel to Tolkien and ask his

opinion. It's quite another to hand him your manuscript and then say:

"Oh, BTW. Do you think you could cut back a little bit? You just go on

and on sometimes that I get lost in the point. I had to skip every other

paragraph of chapter one of the Hobbit, just to feel that the story was

moving along..."



It is hard to give up your baby story to watch it torn up by the dogs of

harsh C&C, but equally hard to start out giving C&C to total strangers...

Especially when you precieve their writing as sooo much better than your

current level...



When I first started, I think most of my C&C was private replies at first...



Maybe have someone were to write up something about how to give

C&C, maybe post that along with the FAQ every so often...



Even encouraging the one-liners "I like this" is better than FF.net.

Sure, you get a lot of "This Rox!"

but you also get a lot more of:

"If this isn't Ranma/Akane I'm not reading,"

"Can you make this Ranma and X, that would rox!"

Reviews based on pairing versus actual content aren't not the quality

of review that one expects from the FFML...



Maybe you thought my story was good, but did you remember the

dialog you had to read 3 times, because you got confused as to who

said what... As the author, I'd like to know that...



Did you figure out in my prolog that I would get Akane and Ranma

together by having Nabiki and Kasumi secretly conspire to create a

spring of drowned boy-type Ranma and, after cursing themselves,

run away with Ukyou and Shampoo because both secretly felt like

they were really men trapped in women's bodies. And that was the

real reason neither had much of a dating life in canon? Maybe my

foreshadowing was a bit much, and I need to tune it down A LOT!



The problem with most C&C going to the big 5, probably comes

from the shear volume of stories already writing for them.

Not everyone has read the full manga, or seen all the Anime, but

I bet they've read a ton of stories. That makes them feel more

comfortable with those characters...

How valuable is my telling you that you wrote perfect scene with Charlie

Brown kicking the football brilliantly, if I don't know that IC Lucy would

have pulled it away at the last second...



The FFML needs to promote C&C, more than just the authors begging.

The synopsis lists to promote all the stories released was nice...

Maybe a list of the least C&C'ed fics, to show were C&C is needed...



While encouraging C&C, if writing about a less popular series,

maybe links to info about it at the top of each chapter might help

encourage people to learn more about it...



I'm half a sleep, so I hope I made at least half sense...



 - Kit'ari...


"I think, therefore I am"
                  Ren� Descartes
"I'm not really here, I just think you see me."
                  Me 

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