Pleasant surprise & brief musing on fanfic
A certain region of my mind is reserved for reading & writing a particular genre of Star Trek fanfic, and it was very nice to be nominated for 3 awards. How reassuring it is for someone who likes narrative to know that other people enjoy the stories you tell! I've enjoyed reading fiction by talented writers in the S/U fan community; I don't know what kind of writing they do in offline/other online life, but their fiction is so well crafted & engaging that I imagine their other work is good, in different ways.
In 'real life' (though of course we all know that online life is just as real and can have powerful, tangible consequences) I've told exactly 2 people that I write fanfic. They're still speaking to me, fortunately (both are empathetic, creative people interested in sociopolitical aspects of popular culture and subcultures, so I ought not to be surprised).
Fanfic writing can be good, if tough, training for a writer...an informal critique group with vocal, opinionated, engaged fans who don't hesitate to say that something is out of character or unconvincing. One can learn proper story structure, pacing, how to create complex characterization...takes as much hard work as any writing but the experience helps. I'm also devoting time to non-fanfic writing (between 2 jobs and the business of life) and the fanfic has helped a bit with craft. One should try to learn from all experiences if possible. So...no regrets, nor any embarrassment. This entry was originally posted at http://zizi-west.dreamwidth.org/38370.html. Please comment there using OpenID.