Revised My Very First Story... and other rantings and ramblings
Unfortunately, I've felt like warmed-over crap since Christmas. After a ton of tests last week, my doctor's office just called today to tell me to go pick up a 14-day round of antibiotics. Hooray! That's the 3rd round of antibiotics I've been on this year. So, yeah, sick and tired of being sick and tired. Anyway, it's probably not surprising that my muse is pretty darn sick and tired, too. I have really missed writing, though. So, so much. I've found I'm so much happier and more content in general when I have something to write. Why I didn't take this hobby up years ago is a mystery to me. I suppose I was always too chicken before.
The main point of this ramble is that I went back and edited my first story ever, Grand Canyon. It's a Buffy/SPN crossover I wrote in 2011. If you've never gone back and looked at your first story, I recommend it as a writing exercise. It is definitely a humbling experience, but one I think will ultimately help me be a better writer in the long run. I forced myself to only give it one pass (which was VERY hard for me. I can get compulsive.). I could have gotten lost for weeks and weeks cleaning up sins I didn't even know I was committing at the time. But, I have new stories (and more literary sins, no doubt) that I wish to write and I decided I'd just stick to fixing a few of the basics. Hello epithet abuse, overuse of italics, and a disturbing issue with commas. I still have an issue with commas, I think. It's like sometimes I want to go crazy with them and, other times, I don't use them when I should. *shrugs*
Like I mentioned before, it's a very interesting exercise. It made me feel good to realize I have improved, humbled me to realize how much I still had to learn, and I found it fascinating that, for whatever reason, I've completely moved away from 3rd person omnipotent POV. I seem to stick to one POV these days and as I've felt more comfortable with the process I've also allowed myself to be more serious. Don't get me wrong, humor is very important to me. I think everything I write will inevitably be colored by my insistence on finding humor in the worst situations, but I won't necessarily force myself to 'keep it light' (unless it is for bigpretzel, obviously). IMHO, If you can't laugh at yourself and this crazy world, you are in deep trouble.
Well, here's hoping that this round of drugs fixes me and I'm no longer cranky and sad, because I need to write something shiny and new. I don't know if it's just how I've felt lately or if it's the world in general, but what is up with our fandom these days? Just today I saw something about SPN fans threatening a child on several flisty's feeds. A child! That just adds to a lot of crap I've heard lately. It's not just one group of fans, either. Castiel fans are going nuts on one side of the aisle and non-Castiel fans are going nuts on the other. That's just one example. Sam girls, Dean girls... it seems as if every-freaking-corner of this fandom is foaming at the mouth. I have even come across threats against the actors' wives and children. Seriously? Oh, and I've also heard that someone out there thinks they are designated Queen of Fanficland and should publish a list of "badfic" to fulfill some sort of twisted moral obligation. An obligation to who, you might ask? I dunno, my guess is that they're trying to give Lucifer some kicks by proving how idiotic humans can be while he's stuck cooling his heels in the pit. Honestly, who else would demand such a douchey list? Fanfic is free entertainment. No one has to share it with anyone and I'm sure some are probably holding back some great stuff because they're afraid of the self-proclaimed fandom police. Some people need to get a grip on themselves. This is supposed to be fun! If you don't like something, hit the damn back button.
Oh well, I know a lot of great people in this fandom and there are rotten apples in every bunch, but I am so not in the mood for any of it right now. Plus, no one on my f-list acts like a raving maniac, so I'm likely preaching to the crowd. Just take me with a grain of salt. I need to get rid of this kidney infection before I drive myself and everyone else nuts.
The main point of this ramble is that I went back and edited my first story ever, Grand Canyon. It's a Buffy/SPN crossover I wrote in 2011. If you've never gone back and looked at your first story, I recommend it as a writing exercise. It is definitely a humbling experience, but one I think will ultimately help me be a better writer in the long run. I forced myself to only give it one pass (which was VERY hard for me. I can get compulsive.). I could have gotten lost for weeks and weeks cleaning up sins I didn't even know I was committing at the time. But, I have new stories (and more literary sins, no doubt) that I wish to write and I decided I'd just stick to fixing a few of the basics. Hello epithet abuse, overuse of italics, and a disturbing issue with commas. I still have an issue with commas, I think. It's like sometimes I want to go crazy with them and, other times, I don't use them when I should. *shrugs*
Like I mentioned before, it's a very interesting exercise. It made me feel good to realize I have improved, humbled me to realize how much I still had to learn, and I found it fascinating that, for whatever reason, I've completely moved away from 3rd person omnipotent POV. I seem to stick to one POV these days and as I've felt more comfortable with the process I've also allowed myself to be more serious. Don't get me wrong, humor is very important to me. I think everything I write will inevitably be colored by my insistence on finding humor in the worst situations, but I won't necessarily force myself to 'keep it light' (unless it is for bigpretzel, obviously). IMHO, If you can't laugh at yourself and this crazy world, you are in deep trouble.
Well, here's hoping that this round of drugs fixes me and I'm no longer cranky and sad, because I need to write something shiny and new. I don't know if it's just how I've felt lately or if it's the world in general, but what is up with our fandom these days? Just today I saw something about SPN fans threatening a child on several flisty's feeds. A child! That just adds to a lot of crap I've heard lately. It's not just one group of fans, either. Castiel fans are going nuts on one side of the aisle and non-Castiel fans are going nuts on the other. That's just one example. Sam girls, Dean girls... it seems as if every-freaking-corner of this fandom is foaming at the mouth. I have even come across threats against the actors' wives and children. Seriously? Oh, and I've also heard that someone out there thinks they are designated Queen of Fanficland and should publish a list of "badfic" to fulfill some sort of twisted moral obligation. An obligation to who, you might ask? I dunno, my guess is that they're trying to give Lucifer some kicks by proving how idiotic humans can be while he's stuck cooling his heels in the pit. Honestly, who else would demand such a douchey list? Fanfic is free entertainment. No one has to share it with anyone and I'm sure some are probably holding back some great stuff because they're afraid of the self-proclaimed fandom police. Some people need to get a grip on themselves. This is supposed to be fun! If you don't like something, hit the damn back button.
Oh well, I know a lot of great people in this fandom and there are rotten apples in every bunch, but I am so not in the mood for any of it right now. Plus, no one on my f-list acts like a raving maniac, so I'm likely preaching to the crowd. Just take me with a grain of salt. I need to get rid of this kidney infection before I drive myself and everyone else nuts.