(no subject)
As when one embarks on any new endeavor, entering into a new fandom requires a certain level of openmindedness. One never knows what one might encounter, and an open mind and a shut mouth are both excellent attributes.
That said, wow. Just. Wow.
I believe I mentioned before that many of the people who write MCR fiction are quite a bit younger than me. Like, less than half my age. Which is fine. But writers of that age are very rarely experienced writers, even in the "I've been writing stories in my bedroom for five or ten years and now I'm going to put them on the internet" way that many fanfic writers of, say, my generation are experienced. (Oh my god, I just used the expression "my generation" about fanfic. I'm The fucking Who, here.) They're young, both chronologically and experientially, and what they're writing would be termed, in polite circles, juvenalia. The only difference is that readers didn't used to have to read juvenalia because it wasn't published. Because it SUCKS.
Okay, that's me being a bit of a snob about this whole thing, because really who am I to judge? I mean, going through the sucking phase is an important part of the whole "becoming a writer" thing -- everyone does it. And I encourage young writers to go through the whole sucking phase because after you do that, you get be an experienced writer and that's a cool thing to be even if you ever only do it for fun about bands on the internet.
But, god! My eyes, people.
I think I was just spoiled by the breadth and depth of the talent in the popslash community, talent from all four corners of every possible fandom that came together and united for one great shining moment in the Camelot of Sparkly Dance Boys before dispersing into the wild once again. I know that kind of synchronicity doesn't come along every day, and I'm certainly not anticipating it in MCR. Still, though. sigh. A boy can dream, right?
I mean, I wish that most of the writers in My New Fandom ("MNF") didn't put disclaimers in that said that they didn't check for spelling problems and we should forgive them.
I wish that every single story wasn't a multi-chapter multi-pairing WIP dramafest that involved (a) crying, (b) suicide (c) "ropes of cum" or (d) all of the above.
I wish that people didn't beg for comments in order to keep writing the dramafests.
I wish that the stories only used one verb tense all the way through.
I wish that one would end happy. I know that's a lot to ask for when you consider the source, but come on. One story? Gerard has to have had a happy moment once in his life. He's not Conor Oberst for fuck's sake.
I wish that authors didn't tell me in advance that their stories sucked (although many times it's not exactly a lie).
I wish that there was less sex and/or more good sex (see above re: ropes of cum).
I wish that there was more conversation that sounded like boys talking and less that sounded like Days of Our Lives.
I wish that some of the stories showing a basic understanding of the classic dramatic arc.
What I don't wish is that the people writing now would stop writing. Many of them show promise and some of them are already quite good. And, like I said, it's part of the process. They're's now way around it, but through it, and I get that. I do. But I wish they would all get through it and get really good a lot faster because this is All About Me and I need some of the good crack, people, and most of what I'm getting is Sweet and Low.
P.S. No, I'm not talking about you. Everyone else, but not you.
That said, wow. Just. Wow.
I believe I mentioned before that many of the people who write MCR fiction are quite a bit younger than me. Like, less than half my age. Which is fine. But writers of that age are very rarely experienced writers, even in the "I've been writing stories in my bedroom for five or ten years and now I'm going to put them on the internet" way that many fanfic writers of, say, my generation are experienced. (Oh my god, I just used the expression "my generation" about fanfic. I'm The fucking Who, here.) They're young, both chronologically and experientially, and what they're writing would be termed, in polite circles, juvenalia. The only difference is that readers didn't used to have to read juvenalia because it wasn't published. Because it SUCKS.
Okay, that's me being a bit of a snob about this whole thing, because really who am I to judge? I mean, going through the sucking phase is an important part of the whole "becoming a writer" thing -- everyone does it. And I encourage young writers to go through the whole sucking phase because after you do that, you get be an experienced writer and that's a cool thing to be even if you ever only do it for fun about bands on the internet.
But, god! My eyes, people.
I think I was just spoiled by the breadth and depth of the talent in the popslash community, talent from all four corners of every possible fandom that came together and united for one great shining moment in the Camelot of Sparkly Dance Boys before dispersing into the wild once again. I know that kind of synchronicity doesn't come along every day, and I'm certainly not anticipating it in MCR. Still, though. sigh. A boy can dream, right?
I mean, I wish that most of the writers in My New Fandom ("MNF") didn't put disclaimers in that said that they didn't check for spelling problems and we should forgive them.
I wish that every single story wasn't a multi-chapter multi-pairing WIP dramafest that involved (a) crying, (b) suicide (c) "ropes of cum" or (d) all of the above.
I wish that people didn't beg for comments in order to keep writing the dramafests.
I wish that the stories only used one verb tense all the way through.
I wish that one would end happy. I know that's a lot to ask for when you consider the source, but come on. One story? Gerard has to have had a happy moment once in his life. He's not Conor Oberst for fuck's sake.
I wish that authors didn't tell me in advance that their stories sucked (although many times it's not exactly a lie).
I wish that there was less sex and/or more good sex (see above re: ropes of cum).
I wish that there was more conversation that sounded like boys talking and less that sounded like Days of Our Lives.
I wish that some of the stories showing a basic understanding of the classic dramatic arc.
What I don't wish is that the people writing now would stop writing. Many of them show promise and some of them are already quite good. And, like I said, it's part of the process. They're's now way around it, but through it, and I get that. I do. But I wish they would all get through it and get really good a lot faster because this is All About Me and I need some of the good crack, people, and most of what I'm getting is Sweet and Low.
P.S. No, I'm not talking about you. Everyone else, but not you.