Rescue Romance From Badfic
I've been thinking lately about schmoop and the fear of schmoop. The term almost always has a trivializing quality: people write tender, intense, loving moments between characters and then say "Oh, it's just schmoop."
Now, we all know that bad schmoop is everywhere. It's probably the largest category of fanfic. Discerning readers cringe; discerning writers try to stay far, far away from That Stuff.
But the fear of schmoop can have bad consequences. In my own writing, I'm afraid to let my characters have romantic moments. I'm afraid to dwell on the pleasures of love. Perhaps some of you feel the same way. And that's a shame, because romance is an amazing thing. Why should bad writers ruin it for the rest of us?
And so, I present the "Rescue Romance From Badfic" Challenge. Select any three (or more, if you like) of the following schmoopy things.
Objects:
Flowers
Chocolate
Champagne
Strawberries/raspberries
A ring or rings
Candles
A love letter
Silk anything
Velvet anything
A drawing or photograph of one or both characters
Places and Events:
A birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, anniversary
A wedding/commitment ceremony (not necessarily that of the main characters)
A special meal
Breakfast in bed
A picnic
The beach
The mountains
A romantic city (Paris, Venice, etc.)
Miscellaneous:
A first kiss
The words "I love you"
Singing, playing music or reciting poetry
A dog, cat, or child
Riding on a carousel or ferris wheel
Looking at the moon and/or stars
Holding hands in public
Now, write a good, non-cliched romantic story using your chosen schmoopy things. Any length, any rating, slash or het, BtVS and/or AtS.
A few guidelines:
1) The schmoopy things may not be used ironically.
2) The schmoopy things may not be "buried" in the story (e.g., if you select Christmas, you can't just say "It was the week after Christmas and . . .").
3) The story must have a happy ending.
Stories are due on or before February 14. (Sorry. Had to do it.) When you're done, post the story to your LJ and put a link in the comments below.
This isn't a contest, so there will be no voting or prizes. Just the joy of well-written romance!
Please feel free to pimp this anywhere you think appropriate (not mailing lists, though, please: I don't want to be flooded with badfic).
Also, additional suggestions for schmoopy things are encouraged.
Happy writing!
(Also, hugs to ros_fod, who encouraged me in this madness.)
ETA: RPF and RPS are acceptable, provided they feature people from BtVS or AtS. (And that's a lot of acronyms in one sentence.)
Now, we all know that bad schmoop is everywhere. It's probably the largest category of fanfic. Discerning readers cringe; discerning writers try to stay far, far away from That Stuff.
But the fear of schmoop can have bad consequences. In my own writing, I'm afraid to let my characters have romantic moments. I'm afraid to dwell on the pleasures of love. Perhaps some of you feel the same way. And that's a shame, because romance is an amazing thing. Why should bad writers ruin it for the rest of us?
And so, I present the "Rescue Romance From Badfic" Challenge. Select any three (or more, if you like) of the following schmoopy things.
Objects:
Flowers
Chocolate
Champagne
Strawberries/raspberries
A ring or rings
Candles
A love letter
Silk anything
Velvet anything
A drawing or photograph of one or both characters
Places and Events:
A birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, anniversary
A wedding/commitment ceremony (not necessarily that of the main characters)
A special meal
Breakfast in bed
A picnic
The beach
The mountains
A romantic city (Paris, Venice, etc.)
Miscellaneous:
A first kiss
The words "I love you"
Singing, playing music or reciting poetry
A dog, cat, or child
Riding on a carousel or ferris wheel
Looking at the moon and/or stars
Holding hands in public
Now, write a good, non-cliched romantic story using your chosen schmoopy things. Any length, any rating, slash or het, BtVS and/or AtS.
A few guidelines:
1) The schmoopy things may not be used ironically.
2) The schmoopy things may not be "buried" in the story (e.g., if you select Christmas, you can't just say "It was the week after Christmas and . . .").
3) The story must have a happy ending.
Stories are due on or before February 14. (Sorry. Had to do it.) When you're done, post the story to your LJ and put a link in the comments below.
This isn't a contest, so there will be no voting or prizes. Just the joy of well-written romance!
Please feel free to pimp this anywhere you think appropriate (not mailing lists, though, please: I don't want to be flooded with badfic).
Also, additional suggestions for schmoopy things are encouraged.
Happy writing!
(Also, hugs to ros_fod, who encouraged me in this madness.)
ETA: RPF and RPS are acceptable, provided they feature people from BtVS or AtS. (And that's a lot of acronyms in one sentence.)