why do we write? and who should read it?
I got a lovely feedback-mail yesterday *waves in general direction of california*. the lady who sent it only recently found my tales, read them though they were "only pg-13" and liked them enough to tell me. like many others she thinks that more people would read my stories if I would write more smut and aim for a higher rating.
this sort of fits to a recent discussion on the erestor-list about the way erestor is portrayed, and that he's mostly paired with glorfindel. it was a good discussion, by the way, very civil.
the point is: if, in real life, company X pays me good money to write an article about the advantages of software Y, then I do my job and write it. I don't have to be enthusiastic about software Y, I don't have to use software Y, and I couldn't care less about software Y. I get paid, I do it.
fan- or original-fiction, however, is a completely different kind of thing. I can only write stories that are in my head. somebody might give me an inspiration and set a plot bunny free, but I can't write what's not there. I could, for example, never write hobbit-fics. doesn't mean hobbit-fics are bad. only means that *I* can't write them. I like hobbits in the books and on the screen. but not in my fics. my apologies to masters frodo and sam.
I love feedback. heck, who doesn't? it's great to hear that people took the time to read something I wrote, and it's even greater if they let me know. it's also great to hear if somebody does not like what I write - you can't improve if nobody ever criticises you. the readers are important - if they weren't, I would not put my stories online but keep them for myself, after all. once you publish your tales online, people will react in some way.
I don't have a gazillion of readers. I know that, compared to other authors, my stories are read by a small percentage. but - so what? I mean, I never had the intention of becoming the most-read lotr fanfic author. I write down the stories I have in my head, and some people like them. others don't. fair enough! I guess I could get more readers if I wrote porn. or include bdsm. violence. a little bit of twincest.
but that's not me. I can't write it. I don't want to write it. there are so many author's out there who do, and without a doubt better than I could. so, why change my stories? no need for it.
I have often been told to stop calling myself or my stories "boring". you see, for me, being boring is not a bad thing. most people live boring lives. so the few exciting things that happen are all the more precious.
I love my versions of erestor, glorfindel, elrond etc. they are mostly formed after people I know, and have a good part of myself in them. I could never let erestor wield a whip and hurt glorfindel, because my erestor would never do this, my glorfindel wouldn't want it, and I could never write it.
I have been very lucky - I found this corner of the lotr fandom with lovely people who encouraged me to write, who told me they like what I do and sometimes honestly told me "this is crap". I'm very grateful for you guys. but first and before anything else, I write for myself. I have to like it. I have to be happy with it. if I like it and the readers like it as well - fantastic! one happy author here! I write it and nobody else but me likes it: ah well! such is life! as I said: I can only write what's in my head, and I can't change my stories to adjust to demands or to fulfil somebody elses fantasies. it's about my fantasies, and if they don't correspond with the ones of the majority - well. not much I can do about it.
on the other hand, we have the canon police who howls in pain at warnings like "mpreg" or "sap". well, my dears: I write fluffy, silly and romantic tales with a happy end. real life can be very ugly at times, and personally, I don't want to see the ugliness continued in my tales. not every story must have a deep meaning. sometimes, one needs nothing but light entertainment. writing entertaining stories is no crime.
yes, I write sappy "bodice rippers" (I'm in love with that term!), and I love writing them. I love writing stories with silly elves, female orcs with a crush on lord elrond and chief advisors with elflings. I love writing about rogue balrog-slayers and their silly brothers. I love writing, period. so bad news for you guys: I will continue to write these tales until the day when my imagination stops giving me ideas for stories.
and that's absolutely the only thing which could stop me!
erestor
this sort of fits to a recent discussion on the erestor-list about the way erestor is portrayed, and that he's mostly paired with glorfindel. it was a good discussion, by the way, very civil.
the point is: if, in real life, company X pays me good money to write an article about the advantages of software Y, then I do my job and write it. I don't have to be enthusiastic about software Y, I don't have to use software Y, and I couldn't care less about software Y. I get paid, I do it.
fan- or original-fiction, however, is a completely different kind of thing. I can only write stories that are in my head. somebody might give me an inspiration and set a plot bunny free, but I can't write what's not there. I could, for example, never write hobbit-fics. doesn't mean hobbit-fics are bad. only means that *I* can't write them. I like hobbits in the books and on the screen. but not in my fics. my apologies to masters frodo and sam.
I love feedback. heck, who doesn't? it's great to hear that people took the time to read something I wrote, and it's even greater if they let me know. it's also great to hear if somebody does not like what I write - you can't improve if nobody ever criticises you. the readers are important - if they weren't, I would not put my stories online but keep them for myself, after all. once you publish your tales online, people will react in some way.
I don't have a gazillion of readers. I know that, compared to other authors, my stories are read by a small percentage. but - so what? I mean, I never had the intention of becoming the most-read lotr fanfic author. I write down the stories I have in my head, and some people like them. others don't. fair enough! I guess I could get more readers if I wrote porn. or include bdsm. violence. a little bit of twincest.
but that's not me. I can't write it. I don't want to write it. there are so many author's out there who do, and without a doubt better than I could. so, why change my stories? no need for it.
I have often been told to stop calling myself or my stories "boring". you see, for me, being boring is not a bad thing. most people live boring lives. so the few exciting things that happen are all the more precious.
I love my versions of erestor, glorfindel, elrond etc. they are mostly formed after people I know, and have a good part of myself in them. I could never let erestor wield a whip and hurt glorfindel, because my erestor would never do this, my glorfindel wouldn't want it, and I could never write it.
I have been very lucky - I found this corner of the lotr fandom with lovely people who encouraged me to write, who told me they like what I do and sometimes honestly told me "this is crap". I'm very grateful for you guys. but first and before anything else, I write for myself. I have to like it. I have to be happy with it. if I like it and the readers like it as well - fantastic! one happy author here! I write it and nobody else but me likes it: ah well! such is life! as I said: I can only write what's in my head, and I can't change my stories to adjust to demands or to fulfil somebody elses fantasies. it's about my fantasies, and if they don't correspond with the ones of the majority - well. not much I can do about it.
on the other hand, we have the canon police who howls in pain at warnings like "mpreg" or "sap". well, my dears: I write fluffy, silly and romantic tales with a happy end. real life can be very ugly at times, and personally, I don't want to see the ugliness continued in my tales. not every story must have a deep meaning. sometimes, one needs nothing but light entertainment. writing entertaining stories is no crime.
yes, I write sappy "bodice rippers" (I'm in love with that term!), and I love writing them. I love writing stories with silly elves, female orcs with a crush on lord elrond and chief advisors with elflings. I love writing about rogue balrog-slayers and their silly brothers. I love writing, period. so bad news for you guys: I will continue to write these tales until the day when my imagination stops giving me ideas for stories.
and that's absolutely the only thing which could stop me!
erestor