Let’s Gather ‘Round the Campfire (#4)

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

7/10 ETA: Help! I've fallen behind on replying and can't get up!

Sorry campers, RL intruded, and I was out most of the day. As a rule, I'm incoherent after 5pm, so I'm not going to attempt responding this evening. Your great comments deserve more than gibberish. Bear with me, I'll be back tomorrow. You guys are the best! *hugs* The mod is in.

Hi Campers!

Have you brought your flashlights? We've had wonderful discussions over the last few weeks, but do you have the fortitude to discuss today's topic, ghost stories? You know what I'm talking about... dun dunn dunnn... the deathfic. Is it a guilty pleasure or does it squick you out? Do you have to be in the mood (bookmark them for later)? Why?

Food for thought:
Is a good cry enough for you, or after you finish the story, do you mentally write a different ending, like House coming to Wilson's rescue with a last minute diagnosis and cure.

What about the causes? Illness or Accident? Anyone want to discuss the irony of the oncologist getting cancer?

Going a bit afield: Does your interest or disinterest about characters dying extend to watching movies, (randomly chosen titles: Dead Poets Society, In the Gloaming) and reading novels, or is that a different experience for you?

For writers: can you write and read them? Do you prefer one or the other?

Alright, I've used up my quota of questions marks so let's hear from you. And as always, please talk amongst yourselves, and don’t be shy about asking questions and chatting with your neighbors.

Comments

[alternatealto.livejournal.com]

I'm inclined to think that the etiquette of informing the reader in advance about troubling/controversial content in fanfic comes from the fact that there is such immediate feedback from readers. The author of a book is usually well into the writing of his/her next novel before letters or emails start arriving with readers' reactions; by then the writer is a bit distanced from the previous work and may have a bit more perspective on it and on how it's likely to affect the reader. Fanfic authors can have a response from their readers in a matter of minutes -- I think my quickest reply from a reader came less than ten minutes after the story was up on my blog; I hadn't even completed my final check-over for spacing, weird line breaks, etc., yet! (Yeah, forgot to set the post to "private" until I finished all that.)

If you put something up, and your readers almost instantly start lambasting you because "You killed off ______, and now I hate you! I didn't want to spend my evening crying!", you might just start warning your readers in simple self-defense . . .

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

The internet may be setting up a whole new set of rules. Did you see the controversy (http://www.teleread.com/2010/05/05/novelist-diana-gabaldon-causes-fanfic-furor/) over author, Diana Gabaldon's comments about intellectual property? I'm referring to it here for the purpose of showing how a published author can be out of step with the internet and fanfic fans.

I believe eager new writers would do well to lurk for a bit before posting. Get to know fandom first, or ask at a Q&A site about the do's and don'ts about posting fics.

Warnings as self-defense. Good way to look at it.

(eta: Gabaldon took down her post. In case you are interested, here's the content (http://kate-nepveu.livejournal.com/483239.html).

[alternatealto.livejournal.com]

Oh, my, yes, I was well aware of that whole brouhaha while it was going on. What a mess -- but very entertaining to read, especially the posts on Fandom Wank. It even turned up on SciFi author John Scalzi's blog, Whatever. He's one of many professional authors who has no problem at all with fanfic -- in fact, he and actor/geek Wil Wheaton just ran a fanfic challenge in support of an organization raising money to fight lupus.

I agree with you that everyone who wants to write fic in a fandom needs to get to know the fandom first -- and the fandom's subcultures, too! Otherwise, one is in danger of making a major social gaffe like -- oh, I dunno, posting a Huddy fic in a place dedicated to House/Wilson fans? :^)

Although I do have to say that H/W folks can be a little more -- intense in our defense of our favorite pairing than might be the rule in other show's fandoms. Another strong argument for good warning notes!

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

Hurray for John Scalzi! He's far more enlightened than Gabaldon, plus he's far more generous.

lol. Even with a decent understanding of fandom and the subculture, it's possible to make a slip or two. ;-)

And indeed! Cheers for lots and lots of warning notes! ... er, but don't let the header get too long.

[yarroway.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about that. We write for a much smaller community than writers do when they publish, so the people objecting are not just customers--they are peers and virtual neighbors. Its just more personal.