Comments | nos4a2no9: On quality control in the online 'verse, or why we're spoiled in the dS fandom

nos4a2no9

On quality control in the online 'verse, or why we're spoiled in the dS fandom

Feb 12, 2007 10:31

marag posted a link to an essay on the quality of fanfiction and the possible impact a participatory culture has on issues like artistic merit and quality control. The author makes some excellent points about how valuable fanfic can be as a place where writers can experiment and learn to improve as writers. I've never heard arguments in favor of fanfic ( Read more... )

meta, writing stuff, due south stuff, fanfic

Comments 11

glossing February 12 2007, 17:07:39 UTC

While I agree that dS has a fantastic infrastructure, my experience as a writer in the fandom was - hmm. Disappointing, I guess. I like to joke that I flunked dS fandom, but it's kind of true. Okay, disclaimer time: this is solely my own experience; I only know of one other person who had a similar time. For lots and lots of fans, dS is heavenly. But I never felt that feedback - in terms of discussion and interpretation - and all the other things associated with *writing* communally were valued. At least, they didn't seem as highly valued as a certain core set of interpretations and writing styles. That core soon seemed to me to be impenetrable and off-putting ( ... )

nos4a2no9 February 13 2007, 02:19:37 UTC

I definitely understand what you've come across in dS. The people are lovely but there does seem to be an intense devotion to a certain kind of writerly interpretation of characters and canon that could seem a bit restrictive, particularily if you wanted to present a resistant reading or a story that challenged some closely-held narrative tropes. Luckily my own interests/interpretations mesh with what's going on in the wider community, but I can sympathize with what you experienced. I got into a scuffle in the DCU with Chris Dee and her cronies about writing Catwoman; the experience was pretty wanky and turned me off the DCU for a while, so I think we've found ourselves in the same positions in opposite fandoms. Which is weird :-) I'm so glad to hear you're having a better experience in the DCU, and I wouldn't sweat that "common interpretation with the group" problem. Writing in the comics fandom is *hard* and finding commonality with others is something to be celebrated. But I understand the anxiety all too well.

glossing February 13 2007, 14:16:36 UTC

I think we've found ourselves in the same positions in opposite fandoms. Which is weird :-)
Weird, yes, but also reassuring and kind of *neat* in that synchronicity-sort of way.

I am saddened that there was Selina-wank, since it's not as if she gets *a quarter* of the fics written that she deserves, you know?

Thanks very much for your reply; it took me a bit to read it, since I've become so averse to wank that I expect it around every corner. But what I found instead was a lovely and mature consideration -- *cool*!

And I'm very glad dS is working for you. I harbor such fondness for all those characters.

troyswann February 12 2007, 17:25:04 UTC

Um...

I do believe we have met. In case you've not figured it out by now.

:)

nos4a2no9 February 13 2007, 02:22:21 UTC

I totally called it! But I didn't want to seem rude or presumptuous. It strikes me sometimes, in a very cliched way, how very, very small the world is. Or at least Canada.

troyswann February 13 2007, 03:42:24 UTC

Yes, well, let's just keep it between us, yeah?

troyswann February 12 2007, 17:33:17 UTC

Fly-by ( ... )

ignazwisdom February 12 2007, 21:02:01 UTC

I'll go out on a limb and suggest that accessibility of canon material is a major factor. dS has been off the air in the U.S. for I have no idea how long. You basically have to buy it or find seekrit illicit downloads to fully participate (with the obvious exception of those fans who participate without having seen any of the canon material -- a small number, I think, and I suspect that most of those fans do eventually get their hands on the actual episodes). That requires money, in many cases a credit card, and/or the knowledge and wherewithal to obtain downloads -- I think that skews our participation towards the older and more educated. Harry Potter, just as an example, can be picked up at Wal-Mart. And Buffy's pretty easy to get, too.

I have no idea about DCU, having never participated in it and knowing virtually nothing about it.

God, I love Henry Jenkins. [/fangirling]

nos4a2no9 February 13 2007, 02:26:39 UTC

I didn't really consider the accessibility issue, although the DC Comics fandom sometimes depends on obscure or hard-to-find source material, and it's definitely an expensive hobby to maintain. But you're right: the fanbase probably does skew a little older just because of the age of the show and the lack of easy-to-buy DVDs. And also (this is making me date myself) I was a lot younger when participating in Buffy. Good god, I was just starting high school back then. So perhaps the fandom seems a lot younger to me, although I'm sure most of the BtVS fen are around my age now, or older. Wow.

Thanks for hammering home the fact of my mortality, Iggy! And Henry Jenkins is disgustingly easy to fangirl.

jamethiel_bane February 13 2007, 02:21:22 UTC

I think that fandom is, largely, what you put into it.

I do know that people who have been around dS for longer do not see it as the fluffy huggy place that I do. And certainly, there are people in the fandom who drive me batshit insaneI also know that sometimes I get frustrated with feedback that is only "YAY! Loved it". But that feedback is better than nothing at all. Personally, I try to save any criticism for a private forum, preferably face to face (IM or the like) and I try to make sure it's welcome first ( ... )

nos4a2no9 February 13 2007, 03:03:34 UTC

I think that fandom is, largely, what you put into it.

*nods and nods* And I think this is why my experience in the DCU fandom wasn't the greatest. I was terribly lazy and put no effort into socializing with others and I never participatied in meta commentary or critique. Of course, I wasn't on LJ at the time so the possibilities for fannish interaction were significantly decreased, but I didn't really put anything into it. I don't think I'm putting a lot into dS beyond providing FB to fics I like and seeking out like-minded fans, but it seems, I don't know, easier somehow to interact with people on a personal level in this fandom.

And you're right - some people really are fabulous, others are clearly nuts. But there really is a good, strong beta presence here; my own work has improved by leaps and bounds since hooking up with you and llassah and debris_k and ignazwisdom, all of whom I adore and whose writing I love. So, there's that. And I get what you say about criticism: it's almost painful to work on a huge, involved story (or even a small one you've ( ... )