layne67

I think she needs a push ( lots of them ) to start writing that fic again.

Btw, imagine 'Birthright' after Casey was healed, and he and Zeke went on roadtrips together to fight the aliens. Sounds familiar?

And I want to ask YOU how you got the awesome ideas and plots for all your fics!

From:

i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com

Btw, imagine 'Birthright' after Casey was healed, and he and Zeke went on roadtrips together to fight the aliens.

Awww. *melts*

There might be aliens in different states, right?

How do I get ideas? Why of course from Dean, Sam, Jensen, Jared, Frodo, and Elijah themselves.

And from you, too! :D

From:

claudia603.livejournal.com

I think it's such a gift that all these brilliant, "undiscovered" writers are taking the time to gift us with all their lovely writings! It really underlines the fact how lucky we are! We get to read all this for free! As a writer, I feel like it's a gift to SHARE the inner weirdness of my mind with friends and anyone else who wants to read. It's so great! *hugs*

By the way, I ahve a random question for you. You're right on the equator, right? When it goes from daylight to night, does it happen very suddenly or is there a transitional "sunset/dusk" period of time? M and I were discussing it this morning...

From:

You know, earlier on when I first discovered fanfics, I soemtimes felt this twinge of guilt whenevr I read all those awesome stuff for FREE ( and that include your fics, Claudia ) and sometimes I felt like maybe I should send the author a check or something!

We do have twilights but they're very short, about 15 minutes or so. I actually didn't realize that until I read this book in which a British person who was visitng Africa commented on the almost non-existense of the sunset/dusk period there. I guess it's because of the angle of the sun, it being almost directly overhead, so that when it sets, it sorts of just "went down".

Edited Date: 2008-01-18 05:50 pm (UTC)

From:

wickedtruth.livejournal.com

I've never been jealous of someone else's style of writing. Awed, amazed, delighted, but never envious. When I talk about not being good enough, I mean not good enough for me, not compared to some other author.

I don't read as much now as I used to, but I would often read fanfic (particularly in the HP fandom (oh the shame)) and want to send the fic to JKR's publishers because this supposedly amateur stuff was miles and miles better than the stuff that was published. It frustrates me no end that these people aren't being recognised by everyone.

Edited Date: 2008-01-18 06:04 pm (UTC)

From:

Oh you read HP fanfics? I read them, now and then, not much. The only characters that give me slashy vibes are James/Sirius, and unfortunately there's not much of those around. And Fred/George, too, but then I've always had this brothers kink.

And Fran, please don't stop writing ever. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are GOOD!!

Edited Date: 2008-01-19 04:05 am (UTC)

From:

wickedtruth.livejournal.com

Oh you read HP fanfics?

*mumbles* I used to write them...

♥

Thanks sweetie. I think I'm finally coming to believe that maybe I don't suck that badly, but I don't think I'll ever believe anything else. I think I will *always* think I could (and should) do better. But that's part of what drives me to try writing new things, or sign up for things like Sweet Charity - once upon a time I would never have had the guts to do something like that, or to tackle an original fiction. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! ;)

From:

Uhm, you don't happen to write James/Sirius or Fred/George, do you?

And ALL THE BEST with the Sweet Charity!!

From:

wickedtruth.livejournal.com

Afraid not sweetie - I tended to write Harry/Draco or Lucius/Draco angst fests. There was a series of Harry/Draco kink fics (not unlike the Sam/Dean kink series, now I think about it...) Different kinks, mind.

Thanks darling ♥

From:

mews1945.livejournal.com

I hate it that Oselle thinks others are so much better than she. I agree with you, that Birthright is one of the best fanfics ever written. It blew my mind at the time, and I wish it was still around, because I'd love to be able to read it again.

I can only believe she'd write kickass SPN fanfic if she did it.

From:

I was hoping for another 'Birthright', one that she'd write with Baylorsr, perhaps, but with Sam and Dean instead. Oh well ... :(

From:

Oy! Hon', I have to tell you for your own sake that I could not

disagree

with this person more. She says flat out that what she feels when she reads fanfiction is primarily envy when it's good. That means her brain is working overtime to compare herself to other people and take their and her measurement for worthiness. I know it's something she probably can't help, but I can't imagine anything more hurtful to the human spirit and the need we all have for creative expression and storytelling our lives. Envy is something we should all try to overcome, not succumb to.

What if we went through life with this attitude all the time? We'd look at other moms and think they are better and just give up. Maybe we'd never cook again because there's always another person out there who cooks better than we do. I'd never do any beading certainly because nearly every piece I see on display at the bead store is better than my work. I'd never do any stitchery because I've seen so many others' pieces that were so much more technically difficult and beautiful than what I can do. And we certainly would never write or choose to express ourselves via written word. What a terribly destructive attitude!

Writing fanfiction is about expressing one's own love for characters, for storytelling, for wordplay, imagination, and for being able to do it in a fairly safe environment (minus the occasional troll or annoying flamer). It's not supposed to be about playing a game of one-upmanship and measuring of one against another. It's supposed to be communal, supportive, encouraging. In the 3 fandoms I read, the folks who get into the competitive who's-better-than-who game and keep score of who's the best and who doesn't measure up are usually very unpleasant people, so let's not even go there. Let's try to be as unlike them as possible, and that means not letting ourselves have bad feelings when we read wonderful writing.

Reading fanfiction is also about love for characters and storytelling. Why not just read and appreciate? When I read a great story, such as big_pink's Red universe or the work of many of my LOTR fandom friends, I don't feel envy and hurt; I feel awe, gratitude, and appreciation. Sure I may wish that I could have such talent and insight into character and plot, but that doesn't compare to having envy at such a high level that I would never write.

We all can believe others are better than us at something and still try our own hands at it and know we've done our best and hopefully entertained some friends along the way. Why should we have to feel it needs to be THE BEST or nothing? No, no, no. That's just stifling and sad. I hope you don't feel this way because I would hate to think that you are withdrawing from writing because of comparing yourself to others. We all read stories that are great, good, okay, and sometimes plain bad. We all enjoy many stories that aren't THE BEST. And that's perfectly okay and worthwhile.

Another thing in response to her post: writers are not "discovered." They labor over manuscripts, send them to many, many publishing houses and have them rejected many, many times before one finally publishes them. She doesn't know very much about the business, but many famous authors were rejected repeatedly before getting recognition, and many only got recognition after their deaths having been discredited or even mocked while alive.

I hope she can find a way to have a more healthy attitude when she comes across people of talent for her own sake.

*hugs*

From:

I think she's just going through a writer's block, that coming at a time when she's reading something that is truly brilliant ( yes! I've read big_pink, and omg how I wish she writes slash, too!! ) must be a blow to an already fragile -- hmmm, what's the correct word to use - ego? What I mean is, she has written, a lot, and what she wrote are all great, and to find yourself in a situation where nothing comes out must be depressing. I hope she'll snap out of it, and yes, that's because I'm being totally selfish here - I want to read her SPN fics!

I wonder what big_pink would say if she read that *ponders*

Btw, have you read Oselle's SPN short fic Thursday's Night (http://oselle.livejournal.com/282858.html)? I love it!

From:

Haven't read that one. I'll check it out. Thanks! I hope for her sake she can begin to feel better about herself and her writing. It's a shame to lose something you really enjoy.

I read an article a few months ago by an American writer who has won many awards, Jane Smiley, in which she talked about once getting a terrible writer's block that last a couple of years. Her cure for it was to read like crazy, everything she could get her hands on. She found it inspired her and broke through the block eventually.

*hugs*

From:

Just read it. It was brilliant! And I left a comment.

From:

Now you know why I want her to write more SPN!

From:

I wonder what big_pink would say if she read that *ponders*

Oy vey! I hope she never does! The only reason my post wasn't flocked was because my flock isn't working and freaking LJ Support has NOT been supportive thus far! Oy!!

*dies*

From:

She'd fangirl you :DD

The way I do. Which unfortunately I won't be able to once you start locking your posts! :/

From:

Well, you could always friend me you know. I don't bite. I have fits of hysteria now and then, but I don't bite!

From:

*mumbles*

I have. Err, you need to friend me back :)

From:

Um, duuuuuuuuh. I don't check my Info page too often. Will friend asap as soon as I can remember how.

From:

OK, friended back. Sorry about that!!

From:

writers are not "discovered."

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one point. The business has changed since the internet came along -- it moves at a ridiculously fast pace and literary agents and editors are constantly on the prowl for fresh talent. They really do keep an eye on who's writing what online. While these cases are the exception to the rule, there are people whose blogs, fanfic or even message board writing has springboarded them to a professional writing career -- without the customary years of heartache and stacks of rejection slips. Probably few, if any, of these writers will turn out to be the next Hemingway (or even the next Stephen King!) but the point is that getting into the business of writing this way is not unheard of. If you're interested, here are a couple of articles on the subject:

From The Wall Street Journal

From The New Yorker

From:

I've read the New Yorker article before. No where is it referring to fanfiction bloggers that I'm aware. Some political and "social commentary" bloggers indeed have been getting book deals, but the total number out of all the books published in year's time is very small.

Even smaller in the case of fanfiction writers. The WSJ lists a couple of examples, but it's really rare in the industry still. If you want to get published in the recent future, your best bet is still not to wait to be "discovered" via your fanfiction blog. It's to submit a manuscript to a variety of publishing houses or publish some other sort of well-written original material online.

I stand by what I wrote about being discovered because I think you've taken a tiny number of examples and may be assuming this is commonplace today. Sorry, but we'll have to agree to disagree.

However, fanfiction can be a good training ground for future fiction writers who hope to one day get published, but first they're going to have to prove their mettle at creating original characters in original situations before they or anyone else can know if they truly have what it takes to create truly good original fiction.

From:

I think you've taken a tiny number of examples and may be assuming this is commonplace today.

Not at all. I even said that these cases are the exception to the rule. But however rare it is, it's still part of the business of publishing as it's practiced today. It may be a tiny part but it's there. And because it's there, if I were in the business, someone who writes as well and as prolifically as

big_pink is exactly the sort of writer that I'd approach to see if she had the interest and the material to move into a mainstream career. I wouldn't be setting a precedent by doing so.

From:

i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com

Chloe, can I love you more? *sniffs*

I don't know if you're aware or not but the first months of my writing fanfic days were filled with envy. I found this world, I tried my hands on it, and then - bam! There are just so, so many very good writers there. I felt very little and I thought I'd never write again. I am in awe of those people, but I still envy them. I even envied Emma, despite everything she has done to me. And I think she knows that, too, because she so kindly kept encouraging me and trying to lift my self esteem. I even emailed someone else who then told me that Emma couldn't be more supportive to me. That was such a bitter, bitter time for me.

But then I thought why I should spend time being bitter? Why not doing something about it yourself, write and keep writing so at least I don't even forget how to do it.

I would quote your comments but I'd end up quoting everything there. :) But this one especially gives me something to think more, and it's not only about writing.

Envy is something we should all try to overcome, not succumb to.

I've never heard of that being said before and I think that is so right.

♥ you much.

Edited Date: 2008-01-19 04:32 pm (UTC)

From:

That's why I said I think we should try not to have bad feelings toward another writer when we read something that is really good. It's just not healthy. We end up bitter and feel like we are keeping some kind of score. This isn't supposed to be a sport where one or two people win all. It's simply a form of human expression and creativity. It's for the individual to enjoy as an individual, and if a few friends grab on for the ride, that's even more fun.

This is also why I really hate all the fanfic award things out there. I think they're pointless, absurd, and usually do more harm than good. I hate unnecessary competitiveness, elitism, and exclusivity in all its forms.

Well, I'm certainly glad you kept writing and found your way out of darkness into the dawn, and I hope this sort of shyness about not being good enough doesn't keep Layne from writing, which is why I wrote what I did in response.

From:

*grins*

Oh well, I'm a reader more than a writer, so it doesn't really bother me all that much. But the writing bug does bit me now and then, and that's when I'm like, c'mon, "WORDS! COME TO ME WORDS!!" I have the images in my mind but no words! *facepalm*

From:

theartoffic.livejournal.com

I never read 'Birthright', I just came too late to fandom for it, but I feel really bad that she feels this way :(.

I disagree with her when she said that there's no point in writing anything herself when the gold standard is already out there. I agree with you, there's always room for more, and the 'gold standard' fic might seem that way to some but not to others, and those others might be looking for the fic that she would write (i hope that makes sense :P).

*hugs you* :D

From:

I hope she and Baylorsr will put it up again. It's a wonderful series. It's set post-invasion, Casey was sent to a mental hospital, Zeke was sent to prison. Zeke "kidnapped" Casey after Casey was discharged and they were basically on the run since then, mainly from the people who were trying to cover-up the alien thing. Ths story is gen, but Zeke LOVES Casey ( could be read as underlying slash ) and he would die for Casey.

Mouth-watering, yes? Except perhaps for the gen thing heheh.

From:

Except perhaps for the gen thing

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Shame on you. A little coy slap-n-tickle is all those boys will ever get up to!

From:

I was re-reading the story again, on parts that I love - the kiss in Minnesota OMG I love that part so very much, Casey reaching for Zeke in bed when they were at the safe house in Montana, when Zeke came *this* close to killing Casey just before Delilah found them, Zeke cleaning Casey up after his grand-mal *cries* - love them so much!

And then I think of Sam and Dean under your very able hands and you'd understand my disappointment when you announced your hiatus.

But you'd still write the shorter fics, wouldn't you? 'Thursday Night'- lenghts fic/ficlets *nudges gently*

Edited Date: 2008-01-20 04:32 am (UTC)

From:

If something came to me, maybe. I don't know. That Thursday Night thing was just sort of a lark.

From:

lilybaggins.livejournal.com

I have Oselle on my flist but missed that post---thank you for linking! What she said pretty much sums up my thoughts exactly.

From: