Fic'ed
I enjoy femslash. I enjoy reading it, I enjoy writing it, and I enjoy being part of a community of people who read, write, and discuss it. A large portion of my time everyday is devoted to femslash in one way or another. I've been reading fic online since 1995, and as such have read my fair share of bad stories. Bad fic can take many forms. For me, a huge trigger is capitalization, spelling, and grammar. I'm a horrible speller myself, and I'm constantly aware of this. I spell-check compulsively. There's no excuse for not doing this. Whenever I click on a story that is weak on any of these things I usually can't concentrate on the plot, and so I utilize my back button and give the fic a pass. Perhaps I should be a more responsible member of this community that I so love and send off an email to the author in question suggesting some areas they could improve upon, but I've never done so. I've always felt that the lack of reviews would send a loud and clear message. Another thing I hate is when you really get into a fic only to have it completely fizzle out and end badly. Again I usually don't convey this to the writer, as I feel it's their right to end the story however they choose. Next time I might simply choose not to invest myself in their work.
Why am I going on about bad fic? I saw something earlier today that troubled the notion of bad femslash and what we should be doing to eradicate it. I've gone through several different reactions today... amusement, pity, anger, sadness, concern. I'm currently working on the second part of a fic, and I haven't been able to write a damn word today, because I've been too busy obsessing over whether or not I'm a bad writer. Like I said, I spend a great deal of time on femslash. The person posting about the plethora of bad fic is someone I respect and enjoy quite a bit, and yet I can't help but disagree with the spirit of her comments. Yes, there's bad fic out there, and yes, you have every right to point it out, both to the author and the community. I just feel like it's a betrayal to take so much joy in it. So what if our stories are filled with cliche and thinly veiled fantasy come to life. We're writing fanfiction not Shakespeare. By the very nature of the genre, we are taking characters not of our own making and implanting them into the situation WE want them in. Should we take pride in what we post? Hell yes! I'm just not sure a public flaying will do anything to improve the quality of writing. Malicious criticism makes people stop writing, not strive to improve.
Poorly written stories are something that every genre, be it fanfic or "real" literature is flush with. Bad fic is a sacrifice to the writing gods. It's what makes the good fic so much more precious.
And with that, I'm going to let go of this and head to bed.
Why am I going on about bad fic? I saw something earlier today that troubled the notion of bad femslash and what we should be doing to eradicate it. I've gone through several different reactions today... amusement, pity, anger, sadness, concern. I'm currently working on the second part of a fic, and I haven't been able to write a damn word today, because I've been too busy obsessing over whether or not I'm a bad writer. Like I said, I spend a great deal of time on femslash. The person posting about the plethora of bad fic is someone I respect and enjoy quite a bit, and yet I can't help but disagree with the spirit of her comments. Yes, there's bad fic out there, and yes, you have every right to point it out, both to the author and the community. I just feel like it's a betrayal to take so much joy in it. So what if our stories are filled with cliche and thinly veiled fantasy come to life. We're writing fanfiction not Shakespeare. By the very nature of the genre, we are taking characters not of our own making and implanting them into the situation WE want them in. Should we take pride in what we post? Hell yes! I'm just not sure a public flaying will do anything to improve the quality of writing. Malicious criticism makes people stop writing, not strive to improve.
Poorly written stories are something that every genre, be it fanfic or "real" literature is flush with. Bad fic is a sacrifice to the writing gods. It's what makes the good fic so much more precious.
And with that, I'm going to let go of this and head to bed.