Promoting unusual fic...
So, I've been away from my journal for a while, due to various sorts of busyness, and when I come back, what do I do? Complain, of course! :)
Thing is, I'm not sure this is a problem you can do something about. It may be that because I'm traveling off the beaten path, marching to my own drummer, and all those other good cliches, that I'm just going to have to put up with this. But, I thought I'd mention it, and get it off my chest.
When you write fic, naturally you want others to know about it. If you've got people who are willing to rec you to their flist, that's great. If there's a place where you can post your own listing (such as sga_noticeboard), that's great, too. If not, then it's up to newsletters to put your information out there. And two things that fannish newsletters do a lot of is categorize and abbreviate.
It's understandable, really. I did a newsletter myself for a while, and I know editors are trying to convey as much as possible in a fairly limited space. So, to make it easier to find certain types of stories, they categorize them: gen, het, slash, crossover, AU, etc. They also squeeze as much as possible into one or two lines: title, author, universe(s), category, rating, and URL. If you've written something conventional, such as an SG-1 gen story, or an SGA Sheppard/McKay, everyone gets it, and they can decide whether they want to click on the link. Cross-universe is a little more tricky, but I can still decide whether I think Stargate/Doctor Who is worth my time.
But... what happens if you've written something unconventional? How do you entice readers when you've only got one line and a few accepted abbreviations to get your point across? Now, don't get me wrong; I'm very grateful to newsletters and the maintainers who work so hard. Without them, I and other fans like me wouldn't know where to find such a wide range of material. The problem I'm running into is that newletters are limited in terms of space, and if your work needs explanation, that's going to lose you readers.
Let's get specific: my writing partner aaaaaahz and I are currently working on a Stargate SG-1/Fullmetal Alchemist novel, released in chapters. With a listing like that, you'd expect the characters in both universes to interact, right? And if you don't know a thing about anime, or FMA in particular, you'd probably pass it up, figuring you wouldn't understand or enjoy it. The only problem is, I'm not writing a crossover.
What am I doing? As the primer says: "it's a re-imagining of the Stargate universe, with FMA ideas, plot points, and character traits blended in to create a new and different adventure." In other words, I've dismantled the FMA universe and incorporated pieces of it wherever I think appropriate... a character trait here, a plot point there. The message I have for potential readers is that you don't have to know anything about Fullmetal Alchemist to follow the story. That's precisely the type of thing newsletters have no room for.
So, what's the solution -- not just for me, but for anyone in my position? As I said earlier, I'm not sure there is one. Many fandoms don't have a "noticeboard" type community, where you can write your own announcement. Not everyone has friends willing to rec (and explain) their work. Newsletters deal in volume, not specifics.
I think we may be out of luck.
Thing is, I'm not sure this is a problem you can do something about. It may be that because I'm traveling off the beaten path, marching to my own drummer, and all those other good cliches, that I'm just going to have to put up with this. But, I thought I'd mention it, and get it off my chest.
When you write fic, naturally you want others to know about it. If you've got people who are willing to rec you to their flist, that's great. If there's a place where you can post your own listing (such as sga_noticeboard), that's great, too. If not, then it's up to newsletters to put your information out there. And two things that fannish newsletters do a lot of is categorize and abbreviate.
It's understandable, really. I did a newsletter myself for a while, and I know editors are trying to convey as much as possible in a fairly limited space. So, to make it easier to find certain types of stories, they categorize them: gen, het, slash, crossover, AU, etc. They also squeeze as much as possible into one or two lines: title, author, universe(s), category, rating, and URL. If you've written something conventional, such as an SG-1 gen story, or an SGA Sheppard/McKay, everyone gets it, and they can decide whether they want to click on the link. Cross-universe is a little more tricky, but I can still decide whether I think Stargate/Doctor Who is worth my time.
But... what happens if you've written something unconventional? How do you entice readers when you've only got one line and a few accepted abbreviations to get your point across? Now, don't get me wrong; I'm very grateful to newsletters and the maintainers who work so hard. Without them, I and other fans like me wouldn't know where to find such a wide range of material. The problem I'm running into is that newletters are limited in terms of space, and if your work needs explanation, that's going to lose you readers.
Let's get specific: my writing partner aaaaaahz and I are currently working on a Stargate SG-1/Fullmetal Alchemist novel, released in chapters. With a listing like that, you'd expect the characters in both universes to interact, right? And if you don't know a thing about anime, or FMA in particular, you'd probably pass it up, figuring you wouldn't understand or enjoy it. The only problem is, I'm not writing a crossover.
What am I doing? As the primer says: "it's a re-imagining of the Stargate universe, with FMA ideas, plot points, and character traits blended in to create a new and different adventure." In other words, I've dismantled the FMA universe and incorporated pieces of it wherever I think appropriate... a character trait here, a plot point there. The message I have for potential readers is that you don't have to know anything about Fullmetal Alchemist to follow the story. That's precisely the type of thing newsletters have no room for.
So, what's the solution -- not just for me, but for anyone in my position? As I said earlier, I'm not sure there is one. Many fandoms don't have a "noticeboard" type community, where you can write your own announcement. Not everyone has friends willing to rec (and explain) their work. Newsletters deal in volume, not specifics.
I think we may be out of luck.