You know what?

[agilebrit]

I think my Fanfic!Muse might be dead.

I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, I'd like to keep my hand in. Instantaneous feedback is nice. I'm comfortable with these characters. They're fun to play with.

On the other hand, I realize that fanfic is the red-headed stepchild of writing, and it's held in contempt by a lot of people who really have no understanding of the several subcultures within it. That being said, I'll always have affection for it and will defend it to all and sundry until a definitive legal ruling comes down. You say "copyright infringement," I say "fair use"...to-may-to, to-mah-to.

So...I think I may have moved beyond fanfiction. I've written four original stories, beaten two of them into enough submission that they're (probably) ready to send out, am editing the third, have no idea what I'm going to do with the fourth, and have begun a fifth.

Also, I have the sneaking suspicion that the last few fanfics I've written...kind of suck. And I've had that feeling for a fair while. It's like they're being forced. While I bang my head over the origifics, it's a different feeling than the one I get when I'm banging my head over fanfic. I have one other ficathon to write for and a title to come up with for the cya_ficathon backup I just finished, but after this, I'm just not sure I'm going to be writing much more fanfic unless a Plot Bunny grabs me by the throat and won't let go.

So, if you're here to read fanfiction? Probably not going to be happening much. And if you want to defriend me, then I'm shiny with that. Of course, it's always "Defriending Amnesty Day" around here, anyway, but I thought I'd throw that out there.

That being said--I've created a filter for concrit for my origifics. About nineteen of you are already on it. Being on it puts you under no obligation whatsoever, and I'm going to make a locked post later for the folks that are already on it, so they will know who they are. If you wish to be on it, drop me a note, and I'll add you to it. :)

Comments

[baron-waste.livejournal.com]

Well, you're exactly right. You've seen the Geek Hierarchy Chart: Fanfic is an inherently teenybopper activity, akin to cutting out pictures from fanzines and pasting them with glitter to your scrapbook. If they're smart, and good, fanficcers grow up to be real authors.

Obviously you're making that metamorphosis now.

[Me, I come at it bassackwards: I wrote stories off and on for years, never got published, now I'm doing fanfic because the wellsprings of imagination are running dry but I want to keep my writing skills up, just in case something changes somehow. Let someone else be creative; I'm just trying to stay abreast of basic narrative writing.]

[aadler]

I don’t know if you’re citing common opinion while withholding your own, or if you agree with those sentiments. In either instance, I’ll take point in expressing my own disagreement.

Fanfic is typically young-adolescent behavior, in that it’s far more common among pre- or early-teens than in gainfully employed adults with functioning social lives. Is this because it represents immaturity, or just because grown-ups have less free time and more other things competing for priority? Play-acting, too, is more common among children than among adults, but that doesn’t mean all acting falls into the same category. Fanfic is no more inherently immature than is acting.

People who write fanfic do it for many different reasons. Yes, no question, I’ve seen that far too many of them do it for purposes of wish-fulfillment, self-insertion, gooey romanticism, or really awful porn. Some of them, though, do it for love of the fandom, appreciation of the characters, membership in a community, or simply because the original movie/book/series so excited their imaginations that they feel compelled to express the ideas thus generated.

My personal focus is on the Buffyverse. Granted, most Buffyfic is inferior, simply because most fiction period is inferior and fanfic has fewer filters. ‘Most’, however, doesn’t mean ‘all’. There are some really good writers out there, and the best of them turn out material that’s markedly superior to the authorized Buffy/Angel novels currently in print.

I don’t object to generalizations; they’re useful and largely accurate. I would suggest, however, that a prudent person would refrain from applying the generalization to every member of a group, insisting that it pertains equally to all of them merely because it holds true for many of them.

[baron-waste.livejournal.com]

Cool your jets, spaceman - as I said, I've been known to write it myself, for much the reasons you give, and I'm forty-odd years old.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Hey, if original writing is where your head is at now, hurray! Writing you can get paid for and widespread recognition is a huge plus. I can hardly complain if you stop writing fanfiction since I still have so many of your stories yet to read. I would very much like to be on your concrit list, but I won't be offended if you choose not to.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

You're already on it. :)

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

:)

[garnigal.livejournal.com]

I'd love to be in your concrit filter. Good writing is good writing, and I know yours is good writing.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

You're added. :)

[aadler]

I’m a bit disappointed, because I enjoy your fanfic, and your personality, in almost exactly equal measures. If that’s where you are, though, that’s where you are. I still have stories I want to do (about a dozen of them, right now), but I myself expect eventually to focus on writing original fiction and submitting it for publication. I can hardly blame you for moving to that arena ahead of me.

I’ll happily remain on your concrit list, but if you do any more actual fanfic, be sure and bring it to my attention.

[whirligigged.livejournal.com]

That's really cool. Fanfic is great, but if you're forcing it and it's no fun, then there's no real point. Plus, you know, original fic! Awesome. I'm personally too lazy to make my own characters at this point. *headdesk* I'm working up to it! Maybe.

Would you mind adding me? I'm afraid I'm little good for concrit, so it's cool if you don't, but I just like your writing.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

You're added. :)

[crayonbreakygal.livejournal.com]

You're probably just burned out. Maybe sometime in the future, you'll pick up the fanfiction pen again. Or you'll get one of the stories published and we'll all go "I knew her when". Good luck!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Writing is writing, and if you are happy making the switch, more power to you. There is a future to original fiction that fanfic can't follow.

I can't defriend you. You've made one of my favorite icons!

[laii.livejournal.com]

huzzah for original writing! I'd love to read them, but i'm just college student, so understandable. But I've read your fanfics and they have far more substantial than most that are out there. So you can do it. I know you can!

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

You're added. :)

[hitchhiker-42.livejournal.com]

I know I lurk more than comment, but I'd like to be on your concrit list.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

*adds you* First story is here. :) Enjoy!

[bullet4fob.livejournal.com]

that's really great that you are happy with your original writing.

i fully support your move away from fanfiction (but maybe b/c i am like the only person on the internet who doesn't care about fanfiction) you should stop wasting your good ideas on someone else's characters.

can i be on the new filter?

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

*adds you* Two stories so far at this link.

Sadly, most of my good ideas (before I started writing origific) were pretty fandom-specific--and so far, only one of them has been translate-able to original fiction, although I'd love to figure out how to scrape the serial numbers off "Assimilation." However, that one I was able to scrape the serial numbers off of has spawned two stories in the same 'verse, so now I'm basically writing fanfiction of my own stuff. *snerk*