I think it comes down to more what we are willing to *read* than what we think deserves to be written.
I think anything deserves to be written, as has been established. Quite heartily :) Writers in Puritan American and the Soviet Union used to "write for the drawer," hiding their work, because they could be persecuted and face a penalty far worse than a flame on ff.net for their words. People will decry that--then turn around a flame a teenager who wants to have a little fun with Legolas. What's the difference?
(Besides the obvious difference in hurting someone's feelings or throwing them into the Gulag to rot!)
My thought? Don't like it--don't read it!
I don't like flat-character stories that are often known as "Mary Sues." (See, Juno, you're making me more PC by the minute! ;D) So I don't read them. If I find one, I either stop reading it or read it and don't leave a comment. It's that simple.
But I don't fault the girl/guy who wrote it. I wish more kids would write instead of parking their behinds in front of the TV/Playstation or going out and committing crimes that bring them across *my* desk....
Okay, tangent, sorry! :)
I worry sometimes about how a particular AU detail of my story might resound with readers. Then I decide that if it resounds with them to the point that they are offended by it, then there are plenty of other Feanorian stories out there, and they are welcome to try one of them. I will even recommend a few :D
It's interesting, fanged_geranium (do I call you "Fanged?" ;P) how you interpret Sil canon. I have always seen LotR and Hobbit as bona fide, irrefutable canon. The Sil is touchy canon. I use HoMe to fill in the details where I think they work or ignore them where I think they don't. So it seems that we work in opposite directions!
Of course, I am no canon expert. I do not profess to be. I prefer a well written story to one that is perfect in canon detail any day. Again, though, just my reading preferences! :D
Ai...I'm rambling. Thank you for the wonderful discussion! :D
Absolutely! Although if anyone ever digs out the 'Pride and Prejudice' parody I wrote while I was at school I shall die of embarrassment.
I hadn't heard about the "Mary-Sue" that the author removed from the silm section on FF.net, but flaming a writer to such an extent that they feel pressured into taking their story down is wrong. If you don't have something good to say about a story, why say anything at all?
I worry sometimes about how a particular AU detail of my story might resound with readers
For me, self-consistency within a story is more important than an AU aspect. As you told me before, your story wouldn't work if you stuck to the 'Annals of Aman', so it's actually a good thing that you're not using them.
do I call you "Fanged?"
LOL!
So it seems that we work in opposite directions
You're right - my reasoning is simply that Christopher Tolkien admitted in HoME that he regretted much of the editing he did in the published Silmarillion - like with the rather awkward matter of Gil-galad's parentage. When I write Gil-galad, I always use the final HoME version, merely because it makes more sense to me.
I prefer a well written story to one that is perfect in canon detail any day.
I think it comes down to more what we are willing to *read* than what we think deserves to be written.
I think anything deserves to be written, as has been established. Quite heartily :) Writers in Puritan American and the Soviet Union used to "write for the drawer," hiding their work, because they could be persecuted and face a penalty far worse than a flame on ff.net for their words. People will decry that--then turn around a flame a teenager who wants to have a little fun with Legolas. What's the difference?
(Besides the obvious difference in hurting someone's feelings or throwing them into the Gulag to rot!)
My thought? Don't like it--don't read it!
I don't like flat-character stories that are often known as "Mary Sues." (See, Juno, you're making me more PC by the minute! ;D) So I don't read them. If I find one, I either stop reading it or read it and don't leave a comment. It's that simple.
But I don't fault the girl/guy who wrote it. I wish more kids would write instead of parking their behinds in front of the TV/Playstation or going out and committing crimes that bring them across *my* desk....
Okay, tangent, sorry! :)
I worry sometimes about how a particular AU detail of my story might resound with readers. Then I decide that if it resounds with them to the point that they are offended by it, then there are plenty of other Feanorian stories out there, and they are welcome to try one of them. I will even recommend a few :D
It's interesting, fanged_geranium (do I call you "Fanged?" ;P) how you interpret Sil canon. I have always seen LotR and Hobbit as bona fide, irrefutable canon. The Sil is touchy canon. I use HoMe to fill in the details where I think they work or ignore them where I think they don't. So it seems that we work in opposite directions!
Of course, I am no canon expert. I do not profess to be. I prefer a well written story to one that is perfect in canon detail any day. Again, though, just my reading preferences! :D
Ai...I'm rambling. Thank you for the wonderful discussion! :D
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(The comment has been removed)
:D
I don't have an icon to cuddle back, though...we'll have to suffice for a plain ol' boring ::cuddles Juno back::
And, yes, I worked with the public enough to agree that a good exasperated "PEOPLE!" is needed every now and then :)
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Absolutely! Although if anyone ever digs out the 'Pride and Prejudice' parody I wrote while I was at school I shall die of embarrassment.
I hadn't heard about the "Mary-Sue" that the author removed from the silm section on FF.net, but flaming a writer to such an extent that they feel pressured into taking their story down is wrong. If you don't have something good to say about a story, why say anything at all?
I worry sometimes about how a particular AU detail of my story might resound with readers
For me, self-consistency within a story is more important than an AU aspect. As you told me before, your story wouldn't work if you stuck to the 'Annals of Aman', so it's actually a good thing that you're not using them.
do I call you "Fanged?"
LOL!
So it seems that we work in opposite directions
You're right - my reasoning is simply that Christopher Tolkien admitted in HoME that he regretted much of the editing he did in the published Silmarillion - like with the rather awkward matter of Gil-galad's parentage. When I write Gil-galad, I always use the final HoME version, merely because it makes more sense to me.
I prefer a well written story to one that is perfect in canon detail any day.
I agree.
Reply
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