Three arguments (about fanfic) that I'm sick of seeing

[tawg]

I was reading a blog last night written and maintained by Lee Goldberg (I initially didn't know who he is, but in reading I discovered that I've seen a lot of the shows he's worked on and heard of two of his novels before). I was cruising the fanfiction tag of his blog (spoiler: he's not a fan of it). While there were certainly posts that I agreed

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[annlarimer]

Beyond the Beyond is based on a rather charming episode of the 90s series She-Wolf of London, which is well worth a look. (You don't need to know the show at all, just be vaguely familiar with Star Trek via cultural osmosis. It's on DVD.) The book, alas, is made of bile and dulled razors, the characters are thin, and the jokes aren't funny (one character has a fax machine in his bathroom, and accidentally wipes himself with William Katt's resume - oh my sides). Fandom isn't undeserving of a good old-fashioned savaging, but this wasn't it. Shame, 'cause he totally has the experience to write it from. I don't know if it was a lack of distance or that his writing just kinda sucks.

Do people who draw constantly get told that they should give up this doodling bs because clearly what they really want is to be a professional artist?

It's framed more in terms of a backhanded complement ("Why are you working HERE?"), but yes, some do. (There's also the assumption in comics and manga fandom that absolutely every reader wants to be a pro artist when they grow up.) And it's just as annoying as when it happens to writers. I don't know if it happens to musicians as much. I hope not.