A Reader's Rant

[shakatany]

I feel there is in essence an agreement in fanfiction: a writer writes a fic, a reader reads and comments. When a writer breaks that agreement and stops writing that fic a reader is left with little recourse; after all we can't take back our egoboo. The power is with the writer and some writer's words can be so powerful that we readers leave ourselves open to possible heartache whenever we start to read one of their WIPs. It's the one drawback with fanfic as no professionally published work would be available to readers while unfinished.

When ladycat777 told me that she wouldn't be able to finish "Hunt Brother" I was despondent. Unlike other writers like Edibbea, Siege and Shara Nesu whose RL has become difficult, she is still writing more fics, many of which are also unfinished. I haven't flamed her with hatemail or anything like that. I still read her fics and often make nice comments but I no longer invest myself in them. When I rec "HB", which I do quite often as it's one of my favorite fics, I write like I did the other day "and finally there's my beloved "Hunt Brother" by ladycat777 at http://www.subtle-salvation.com/stories.htm#series which apparently will remain forever unfinished *sob*". "HB" is a great fic but I cannot in all fairness let others become hooked without warning them. Since I can't walk outside her house with a picket sign proclaiming, "Ladycat's unfair to readers" a *sob* is my only way to show my unhappiness.

Here comes the kerfluffle:
Yesterday someone, not Ladycat, took umbrage at what I wrote (see http://www.livejournal.com/community/bloodclaim/#item1217600). What realy upset me was that she did it in public and not in a private e-mail (my e-mail addy is in my user info and we are both members of 2 Yahoo groups). While I would accept a reprimand from Ladycat I won't accept it from a 3rd party except now Darkhavens has gotten into the act. Is what I wrote in my rec, a *sob*, inappropriate? After all I was reccing "HB" for effing's sake. Was I really out of line or did someone (someones) overreact? And in public too?

ETA: This is not my day. I found Entrenous' addy at m-mSlashaholics and inadvertently sent my e-mail not to her but to the group so our little kefluffle is out there too *wants to go back to bed and start the day over*

Comments

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

This all began when I wrote a rec for "Hunt Brother": "and finally there's my beloved "Hunt Brother" by ladycat777 at http://www.subtle-salvation.com/stories.htm#series which apparently will remain forever unfinished *sob*". Someone came down on me like a ton of bricks for adding that *sob*. I didn't think it was an appropriate thing to do in public like that. I made a dreadful mistake at m-m clicking on the wrong button and airing my grievance in public like that but it was a mistake and I apologized. Never having done anything like that before I didn't know it could be deleted until you told me. Am I passing judgement? What judgement? I can't tell.

Shakatany

[itsabigrock.livejournal.com]

It's the implication within the rant that writers have an obligation to finish a story even if the momentum leaves them, and again that Ladycat has no real life problems that would interfere with her finishing a story. That statement alone clearly shows you know nothing of her situation, which is why you are in the middle of a mini-kerfufle. Like it or not you have hurt someone with your statements after the original rec, and again you've hurt every other writer who may have abandoned a fic that no longer came easily by implying that we are somehow indebted to the readers when we receive nothing in return but a few comments here and there. Feedback is nice, but that isn't what keeps writers going, what keeps us going is the need to write, and when something like this happens it makes it very easy to say 'whatever, any desire I had is now gone because the fun has been taken away and now it feels like a job'. Fandom isn't a job, it's a retreat, and when people start making fandom stressful by crossing that line between reader and cattle prod, it ceases being fun.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Sorry part of the above reply was meant for a different comment. This brouhaha makes me so confused *crawls into bed and pulls the covers over*

Shakatany