Places to go, things to do...

[agilebrit]

Today, I have to go to:

the library
the bank
the post office

I may go to Borders also, for, lo, I have coupons, one of which is only good tomorrow. But 40% off a DVD box set is nothing to sneeze at, and scoping them out beforehand to see what's in stock might be a good idea.

And I'll do all that after Rush is over, because that's after the lunch hour and most people are off the road by then.

Other things:

• Post Faith&Mal fic at jossverse_xover (done)
  
• Find missing Spike:Asylum comic (done)
  
• Some editing work on "Another Day, Another Apocalypse," based on _aadler's excellent beta notes (did a prologue)
  
• Poke the Gargoyle fic, using the notes I've got at the end of it

In other news, I love my FFN reviewers. Really, I do. But when I get a review like this for "Starting from Scratch":

NO! It can't end like this! Please, make this a story, it's really good! :)

It makes me want to reach through my screen and strangle them. HOW IS IT NOT A STORY??? It's five thousand, four hundred and sixty words. *breathes heavily*

Okay, I'm not so arrogant as to think that she's read any of my other stuff...but has she read any of my other stuff? If there's anything I'm notorious for, it's open-ended endings. And what in the world in my profile makes her think I'm capable of anything longer? I've got FOUR that are over ten thousand words...out of sixty-two, not counting the seven drabble collections. According to FFN's stats, my average work is 2,834 words. "Starting from Scratch" is twice as long. DEAL WITH IT.

*pants*

Comments

[emptyfuneral.livejournal.com]

I had a reviewer who decided that a football rps fic I wrote was utterly depressing because I killed one of the characters, and then she suggested that I write a sequel in which the surviving member of the pair kills himself in despair. Because I'm sure that wouldn't be too depressing. There are some really crazy people out there.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

o.O

Logic go boom.

[bookishwench.livejournal.com]

I had one request a sequel/continuation of a one-shot fic. At the end of that one-shot, every single character was dead. Huh?

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

People are so strange.

I was actually afraid that people would ask for a sequel to my horrific ReaverFic, so I put a note at the bottom saying "don't even think about asking for a sequel to this." So far it's worked, but I'm just waiting, because there's always one out there...

[snarking-boojum.livejournal.com]

Calm thyself A.B. I'm certain she didn't mean to be rude, so remove hands from hair, and stop yanking. Explain politely that this is as far as you’re interested in writing, and if your admiring commenter would like to take the story further, they are welcome to do so. You, however, will politely decline, as you've enjoyed writing it, and see fit to leave it where it’s at.

If you have to resort to your caps lock key, its time to take a step back, and breathe. :)

As for length, this is Your Writing Buddy speaking - word count does not a story make. A story is A Person in A Place with A Problem. They try to solve The Problem and fail. They try again, and fail again, likely making it worse. They try a third time, succeed by doing what they want to do least, and are punished/rewarded for it. Story. Not word count.

Now, gentle reminders aside, it’s a fun little piece of writing. Don't take her warm praise as a demand, just enjoy the fact you have a fan. That’s something more that some of us have yet. ;)

Y.W.B.

-Boo

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Well, see, it's not just this review in particular. I constantly get people asking me to continue a fic I've labelled as "complete," and it's to the point where it gets on my nerves. For someone to ask me to "make it a story," when it's already a story, is just icing on the cake--and the "make it a story" review has happened to me before. Thus my venting. I realize that by "story," they mean "multi-chaptered behemoth," but I really don't write those, with a couple of notable exceptions.

Of course, part of it is probably my own guilt in not actually solving Spike and Illyria's problem. They're stuck, end of story. *sigh* The thing DOES beg for a sequel...

*eyes already-full writing plate* Yeah. When Hell freezes over.