Holy crap two days in a row! Nah, j/k there's not a lot to talk about for me BUT we have our very first installment in my hopefully-ongoing series of book reviews! And today we are going to look fondly back at my very first reading (at 23 years old) of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.
In short, I thought the book was really really brilliant. I know it's a kids' book, or supposed to be, but honestly I'm not sure I would have really been able to hang with it when I was the same age as the narrator, Jim. Not because it's dense or complicated but because the jargon and language used would have been over my head. Maybe when I got to be around 15 or so.
Speaking of which, how old is Jim? I thought he was around 13 or 14, but then some of the stuff he did made me think he was maybe older. I don't know, it didn't really get in the way of my enjoyment of the book at all but I still wondered about it.
Anyway, aside from the language issues I would have no qualms about giving this book to a room full of middle schoolers. It's fun, it's a great adventure, and it has exactly the kind of hero that I like: a clever one. Too often these days our heroes get by on the shoulders of their friends (I'm looking at you, Harry Potter) or because they're bigger and stronger than anyone else. What happened to the clever heroes like Jim Hawkins? I miss them. Jim was also kind of a delightful smartass - abandoning the captain, the doctor and the squire to fend for themselves while he scurried off to do what he thought would be helpful was both brash, truant and brave. If it had gone wrong I would have been furious at him, and I think Jim would have been furious with himself (if he'd lived) but as it was it gave him the chance to really be brilliant all by himself, and to sort of save the day. The fact that the others recognized that, too, was a wonderful part of the book.
I also just enjoyed the setting of the book. I've always loved pirates, sailing, being on the ocean, etc. An interesting fact about my family is that back in the early 19th century, most of my mother's side of the family were involved in the business of piracy in some way or another, and while it's not honorable or glamorous it's a part of the family lore that's been passed down. I think a lot of my love of the ocean and nautical tales comes from the fact that my family has that tradition of being of the more nautical persuasion, even to this day. Boating is just a thing we do. I spent a lot of time when I was younger on my grandfather's Grady-White, and some of my fondest memories are from that period of time. So books about the ocean (and Jimmy Buffet songs, yes) always hold a special place in my heart. Just reading about Jim's time at sea, on the Hispaniola, and sailing her, made me all nostalgic and gave me the warm fuzzies inside. So admittedly I may have been biased from the start; I am not a good objective judge of books about pirates/sailing.
Much of Treasure Island's charm, though, comes from the story itself; the setting and the characters just make the whole experience all the richer. You have the clever, plucky hero who it honest and practical, and manages to come across something of incredible value. You are just as boyishly excited about the whole hunt as the main characters, and your distrust of Long John and the crewmen descends totally into despair as the mutiny comes around. Admittedly, I did know a great deal of the story before I even started, thanks to the Muppets, but really there is no comparison between the book and the movie. I love them both, yes, but the book was just incredible.
So yes, in conclusion, I really recommend Treasure Island, without any kind of hesitation at all. I only wish I'd heard more of what happened to Jim after the story was over, what he did with his share, but that wasn't really part of the story, I guess. I would think it sort of was, but alas.
And that concludes my first book review! Next in line is The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches us About what it Means to be Alive. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
I Love Being Lazy
Happy Memorial Day! Actually, I guess, let's all have a solemn, reflective Memorial Day because apparently this is not a holiday that's just a 4th of July warm-up. Who knew? I didn't until last night. Fail. Anyway, so let me say first of all, thank you to all the soldiers who have died fighting for America. I know they can't read this, but all the same, they deserve thanking. Whether or not I've agreed with the wars is immaterial; they went above and beyond to serve their country, and that they would give such a gift for something they so sincerely believed in is worthy of a bowed head. And that's all I'll say.
In a less solemn and totally unrelated note - I have just discovered the stats feature on this blog, and it's come to my attention that a large percentage of my readership is GERMAN! So HELLO, GERMANY! I've never been there but I hear it's nice. Maybe one day when I have the cash I'll do that European tour I've always wanted to do and check out Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, etc. Maybe even Norway, but that's doubtful because Norway is cold as shit. 24-hour sun though, that's pretty sweet. I don't know, though, I might just hit up Alaska for that. Keep it local, you know how it is.
So I've taken a long weekend to just enjoy myself and relax at my parents' house. I came up Friday afternoon and chilled. Yesterday I accompanied my mother to her riding lesson, which was fun, except for the part where my mom got heat stroke and had to lay in the shade. She's totally fine, it's cool, no worries. It was hot as hell though, truth.
The problem with these long weekends of relaxation is that I always run out of time to do things I enjoy! I want to finish Treasure Island, I want to work on my writing, I want to fill out my FAFSA (okay, that's more of a need than a want but still), I want to tan, and I want to help out around the house because otherwise I feel like a total mooch. I can read and tan at the same time, so that knocks out two birds with one stone (thanks, Kindle! I love youuuuuu), but finding time for writing here is hard, just because there's always interruption and things going on. I've managed to get a few thousand words down but it's going trés slowly. I am determined NOT to fall into the same problem I did with the last book (way too long) but I also want to take my time with the story, too. I do think I can wrap this one up faster (less world-building, more expanding and a simpler "case") but it's still tough for me.
As far as the first one goes, I'm starting to step away from the emotional "Yay, I wrote a book, it's all mine!" and more to the analytical "it's pretty good but if I just tweak this . . ." That is, I think, a really good thing. I have a couple people beta reading for me at this point, so I'm excited to hear back from them. I would say, hesitantly, that you could look for it by Christmas or early next year. No telling though, it's not like I'm on a time table!
And that's all the news that's fit to print. Sorry I'm kind of boring recently - I always try to think of things to blog about, but I'm fairly terrible at that. I suppose that comes with time, though!
In a less solemn and totally unrelated note - I have just discovered the stats feature on this blog, and it's come to my attention that a large percentage of my readership is GERMAN! So HELLO, GERMANY! I've never been there but I hear it's nice. Maybe one day when I have the cash I'll do that European tour I've always wanted to do and check out Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, etc. Maybe even Norway, but that's doubtful because Norway is cold as shit. 24-hour sun though, that's pretty sweet. I don't know, though, I might just hit up Alaska for that. Keep it local, you know how it is.
So I've taken a long weekend to just enjoy myself and relax at my parents' house. I came up Friday afternoon and chilled. Yesterday I accompanied my mother to her riding lesson, which was fun, except for the part where my mom got heat stroke and had to lay in the shade. She's totally fine, it's cool, no worries. It was hot as hell though, truth.
The problem with these long weekends of relaxation is that I always run out of time to do things I enjoy! I want to finish Treasure Island, I want to work on my writing, I want to fill out my FAFSA (okay, that's more of a need than a want but still), I want to tan, and I want to help out around the house because otherwise I feel like a total mooch. I can read and tan at the same time, so that knocks out two birds with one stone (thanks, Kindle! I love youuuuuu), but finding time for writing here is hard, just because there's always interruption and things going on. I've managed to get a few thousand words down but it's going trés slowly. I am determined NOT to fall into the same problem I did with the last book (way too long) but I also want to take my time with the story, too. I do think I can wrap this one up faster (less world-building, more expanding and a simpler "case") but it's still tough for me.
As far as the first one goes, I'm starting to step away from the emotional "Yay, I wrote a book, it's all mine!" and more to the analytical "it's pretty good but if I just tweak this . . ." That is, I think, a really good thing. I have a couple people beta reading for me at this point, so I'm excited to hear back from them. I would say, hesitantly, that you could look for it by Christmas or early next year. No telling though, it's not like I'm on a time table!
And that's all the news that's fit to print. Sorry I'm kind of boring recently - I always try to think of things to blog about, but I'm fairly terrible at that. I suppose that comes with time, though!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Better Late than Never
HEY EVERYONE! I'm not dead. :D Or raptured. I know I didn't post on Sunday, so you were probably worried. But no, no I'm still here, sitting on my couch, same as I always am when I make zer posties. Except when I'm not on my couch.
Anyway, school is done, so hooray for that. Took my last final yesterday afternoon and then went out with some friends from my program to enjoy our newfound freedom. The psych final was absolutely brutal, which was kid of unexpected actually, but hopefully I managed to pull it out and get a B in the class. I'm trying not to think about it too much because otherwise I just dwell and stress out. When the grades are posted, they're posted, and I can go from there.
In either case, I have basically two weeks off between now and when I'm back in classes. I have big plans . . . not. Getting some writing done, filling out my FAFSA form (everyone's favorite fun activity!), cleaning up the apartment, relaxing, all that kind of thing. Laying by the pool and getting tanned up also factors in. I've got a couple books I want to start/have started reading: 'Treasure Island' (so sue me, I never read it - it's really good though, I'm enjoying it thoroughly), and then there's the books on my Amazon wishlist. In no particular order, these are: 'Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine' and 'The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What it Means to be Alive'. These are related to an upcoming project that I'm working on. Well, more accurately, that I started working on, realized I was vastly under-informed about, and decided to shelf it until I could get comfortable and up to speed on it.
In either case, keep an eye out for the book reviews. I think I'm going to try to make it a regular feature on this blog - Sam Starbuck is a self-published author and blogger that I have been following for years, and I have always enjoyed how he reviews the books he reads. Not only does it give you a peek into what he's working on, it also references people to books that are good and fun but that don't always necessarily hit the NY Times bestseller list. Not that I have a tremendous readership like he does, but hey, for the three of you that read regularly, maybe you'll find something interesting. And it always helps me, too, to keep up with what I've read and what I haven't, rather than trying to remember everything.
So yes, otherwise I have two relaxing weeks. I'm very much looking forward to it. :) Yayyyy.
Anyway, school is done, so hooray for that. Took my last final yesterday afternoon and then went out with some friends from my program to enjoy our newfound freedom. The psych final was absolutely brutal, which was kid of unexpected actually, but hopefully I managed to pull it out and get a B in the class. I'm trying not to think about it too much because otherwise I just dwell and stress out. When the grades are posted, they're posted, and I can go from there.
In either case, I have basically two weeks off between now and when I'm back in classes. I have big plans . . . not. Getting some writing done, filling out my FAFSA form (everyone's favorite fun activity!), cleaning up the apartment, relaxing, all that kind of thing. Laying by the pool and getting tanned up also factors in. I've got a couple books I want to start/have started reading: 'Treasure Island' (so sue me, I never read it - it's really good though, I'm enjoying it thoroughly), and then there's the books on my Amazon wishlist. In no particular order, these are: 'Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine' and 'The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What it Means to be Alive'. These are related to an upcoming project that I'm working on. Well, more accurately, that I started working on, realized I was vastly under-informed about, and decided to shelf it until I could get comfortable and up to speed on it.
In either case, keep an eye out for the book reviews. I think I'm going to try to make it a regular feature on this blog - Sam Starbuck is a self-published author and blogger that I have been following for years, and I have always enjoyed how he reviews the books he reads. Not only does it give you a peek into what he's working on, it also references people to books that are good and fun but that don't always necessarily hit the NY Times bestseller list. Not that I have a tremendous readership like he does, but hey, for the three of you that read regularly, maybe you'll find something interesting. And it always helps me, too, to keep up with what I've read and what I haven't, rather than trying to remember everything.
So yes, otherwise I have two relaxing weeks. I'm very much looking forward to it. :) Yayyyy.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Rapture fanfic?
So I wrote a quick little story with my characters in response to the Rapture that is supposed to happen tomorrow. It was for my own entertainment and lulz - I didn't edit it or anything, just figured I'd stick it here for posterity. Enjoy or not, whatever. :P
--
--
“Hey, check this out – it says the Rapture’s supposed to happen today at six.” Tib sat back from the screen of the elderly Gateway laptop and crossed his arms across his chest. “Huh. I feel like I missed out on all the good panicking.”
Bea snorted. “I am highly doubtful. Highly.” She shoved a forkful of noodles into her mouth. “I can’t believe you’re just hearing about that, by the way.”
“How else would I have heard?”
“I dunno. I guess you don’t have the internet unless I’m around, though, true. Celmer didn’t say anything?”
“You think I’m uninformed about current events?” As one, they looked out the window to Tib’s mentor. The wizard was presently trying to rasp the hooves on one of the unicorns, with a limited amount of success, but with plenty of swearing. “The only thing he ever keeps up with is sports.”
“True. Anyway, he’d probably ignore it even if he did hear about it.”
The zombie looked thoughtful before setting the computer aside and leaning out the window. “So what’s up with the Rapture?” he called.
Celmer didn’t pause. “A little busy at the moment.”
“Laizaus didn’t say anything to you?”
“You can either come out here and help me or leave me the hell alone, Tiberius, but either way you’re going to shut up about the damn Rapture.” The unicorn jerked its leg away. “You’re an abomination unto the Lord anyway, what do you care?”
“Passive interest.” He turned back to Bea and smirked.
“So he did know about it.” She checked her watch. “It’s due any minute now, huh? Maybe I should go outside.”
“Please, you have as much chance of being Raptured as I do,” he scoffed.
“Moi? I’m insulted. As if anything I’ve done comes close to flaunting mortality.”
Tib pointed an accusatory finger at her. “Ha! Delusional. You and your boyfriend – who you’re not married to, by the way – sin every chance you get.”
She made a face. “Creepy, Tib. Creepy.”
“But accurate. Besides –” but besides what, she never found out. A shout from the back garden was cause enough to get both of them to bolt out the door and onto the deck, where they promptly froze.
Celmer was – apparently unwillingly – floating upwards, enveloped in shining white light, gold streaming to the ground from the corona. “Jesus Christ,” Bea breathed. “For real.”
“You have been called to the service of the Lord,” a voice boomed through the trees. “O, holy and pure of heart.” But just then, the white light shifted from its upward trajectory and deposited the wizard in the branches of a tree. “Nah, totally, kidding, you should have seen your faces though.” Bea and Tib turned to the right, where Laizaus, functional alcoholic and Angel of the Lord, was leaning against the house.
“What the hell?” Celmer yelled from the tree, while Bea and Tib dissolved from awe-struck terror into laughter. “This isn’t funny, Laizaus!”
“Au contraire, this is fairly fucking hilarious.” He laughed and pointed. “You, really? Holy and pure of heart? I’ll Fall before that shit happens.”
“Yeah, well, at the rate you’re going I’m due for holiness in a fortnight. Let me down, you bastard.”
“You’re a wizard, you figure it out.” He smiled glassily. “Jesus helps those who help themselves.”
“Jesus isn’t here and he sure as hell didn’t put me in a tree.”
Tib propped himself up on the railing of the deck, where he’d been incapacitated with laughter. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the real deal? When’s that scheduled?”
Laizaus shrugged, wings rustling. “No idea. Not today, that’s for damn sure. Psht, please.” He uncapped a flask and took a swig. “Heaven rarely has a clue what they’re doing a week in advance – you think someone had the forethought to pass on some convoluted mathematical code while Moses was writing?”
Bea wiped the tears from her eyes. “So half a shekel doesn’t buy you atonement?”
“No, but if you want to give me fifty bucks we can test that theory again.” There was a sucking noise, followed by a louder pop and a gust of air as Celmer appeared next to Laizaus, expression less than thrilled. “Oh, hey, I knew you could do it. I believed.”
“You are without a doubt the worst angel in the world.”
“No, I just have a sense of humor. There’s a difference.” He offered the flask. “Need a drink? Tastes like Kool-Aid.” Celmer’s expression shifted from angry to stunned. “What? Too soon?”
“Worst angel,” he concluded, refusing the flask. “Not so much thirsty anymore, thanks.”
“Maybe a little too soon,” Bea added. “I’ll explain it to you later,” she added for Tib’s benefit. The zombie shrugged – oblivious confusion was more or less a consistent state for him, ever since he’d come back from the dead last year.
“So anyway, since the Rapture was predicted for tonight, I assume everyone’s calendar is clear?” Laizaus punched Celmer in the shoulder. “Not like you ever have anything to do anyway, hermit. Your apprentice is getting bored – there’ll be lurching and brain eating if you’re not careful.” Tib rolled his eyes.
“Don’t touch me.” Celmer glared. “You have something in mind?”
“I have four tickets to a Braves game, is what I have.” He pulled the tickets out of his jacket and brandished them. “Bought them off a guy at McDonald’s. Said he wouldn’t be needing them since God was going to be calling him tonight.”
Celmer grabbed a ticket. “I hope he gave you a discount.”
Laizaus inhaled thoughtfully. “We-ell, he was going to just give them to me, but I insisted on paying full price for them, even though he didn’t think he’d have a need for money. What? I couldn’t take them for free – not when I knew it was all horse shit. He’s glad he took the cash now, probably.” He looked smug. “You’re just mad because now you can’t call me the worst angel ever.”
“No, I think you’re stupid, is what I’m thinking.” He looked to the other two, annoyed but nevertheless entertained. “You coming?”
Tib shrugged. “Why not?”
“Well since my plans of being vacuumed up into the sky fell through, I guess I’ll go.” Bea sighed the sigh of the much put-upon. “A beer and a hamburger will have to be consolation enough.”
Laizaus winched the wings in and shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been to Heaven and honestly, the beer and the hamburger sound pretty good to me.”
EL FIN
See you all on Sunday lol.
Monday, May 16, 2011
WAR ON MUS
That's right ladies and gentlemen: I AM A GENERAL IN A WAR.
Well, I guess General. Probably not though. Probably just a foot soldier. But still, the battle is on. We have found, in the little kitchen of our apartment, a mouse. More than one mouse. Two mice. Dos. Mus musculus. In our kitchen.
Traps have taken care of both. That's how we know it was two, rather than just one. Please, I'm not all up on that mouse recognition business. I majored in biology, not animal testing. Anyway, my roommate found a trap that was - ahem - ocupado on Saturday night, and I found one this morning (I took me by surprise when I opened it and saw the dead little mousie smiling at me and I might have screamed like a small girl). So two mice. The exterminators have ruled that those were probably the only two, but mice should consider themselves on alert. I'm watching.
In non-mouse news, school is killing me softly. The only thing that's keeping me going is the thought that next Monday it'll be over and done with, and that even if I totally bomb all three of my finals I can't possible fail. Also, Lola and RD have gone a long way toward making sure I don't dive into the deep end. Ah yes, my sidekicks, where would I be without them?
I'm writing. It's going . . . slowly. Everything feels like it's dragging, screams to me that it doesn't work, that the transitions are clunky, all that. It's going to need a lot of work but the important part is getting myself moving. Once I start it gets easier and starts going much faster. I was talking with someone about writing tonight and they're of the philosophy that you should take your time and wait to write it until it's good. Doubtless that works for a lot of people (Christopher Moore has talked about using this strategy) but I'm more of the "throw a hot mess on the page and pretty it up for the show" kind of writer. I write as much as I can, as quickly as I can, with everything I even remotely want to include, and then I pare it and polish it and re-write it later. They're two different mentalities for sure, but with writing I've found it's more important to roll with what works for you, rather than what your idols do. Stay true to yourself, yo.
And stay in school, kids. Just think, you too could wind up a stressed, over-worked nursing student with a serious writing issue! And who doesn't want that?
Well, I guess General. Probably not though. Probably just a foot soldier. But still, the battle is on. We have found, in the little kitchen of our apartment, a mouse. More than one mouse. Two mice. Dos. Mus musculus. In our kitchen.
Traps have taken care of both. That's how we know it was two, rather than just one. Please, I'm not all up on that mouse recognition business. I majored in biology, not animal testing. Anyway, my roommate found a trap that was - ahem - ocupado on Saturday night, and I found one this morning (I took me by surprise when I opened it and saw the dead little mousie smiling at me and I might have screamed like a small girl). So two mice. The exterminators have ruled that those were probably the only two, but mice should consider themselves on alert. I'm watching.
In non-mouse news, school is killing me softly. The only thing that's keeping me going is the thought that next Monday it'll be over and done with, and that even if I totally bomb all three of my finals I can't possible fail. Also, Lola and RD have gone a long way toward making sure I don't dive into the deep end. Ah yes, my sidekicks, where would I be without them?
I'm writing. It's going . . . slowly. Everything feels like it's dragging, screams to me that it doesn't work, that the transitions are clunky, all that. It's going to need a lot of work but the important part is getting myself moving. Once I start it gets easier and starts going much faster. I was talking with someone about writing tonight and they're of the philosophy that you should take your time and wait to write it until it's good. Doubtless that works for a lot of people (Christopher Moore has talked about using this strategy) but I'm more of the "throw a hot mess on the page and pretty it up for the show" kind of writer. I write as much as I can, as quickly as I can, with everything I even remotely want to include, and then I pare it and polish it and re-write it later. They're two different mentalities for sure, but with writing I've found it's more important to roll with what works for you, rather than what your idols do. Stay true to yourself, yo.
And stay in school, kids. Just think, you too could wind up a stressed, over-worked nursing student with a serious writing issue! And who doesn't want that?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I need to rant.
ABOUT FANS.
I'm not ranting about my fans because besides the $20 Lasko model from Walgreens sitting on my bedside table, I don't have any to speak of. No, I'm talking about fans.
Annoying fans.
I cut my creative teeth in the world of fanfiction. I loved Harry Potter, and I love Discworld still. I'm nowhere near as involved in any fandoms as I once was (I keep up, but if it ain't on the Discworld blog or facebook page, I don't know about it, and you can forget anything about Harry Potter) but I still check the fanfictions, whatever. It was a big part of making me the writer I am today, for better or for worse, and I do enjoy it to some extent. I don't read everything of course but hey, if it catches my eye, I'll give it a shot.
And sometimes, if it catches my eye for the wrong reason (lol terrible summaries) I will read not the story itself, but I will read the reviews. And this is where you find them. The annoying fans.
I get reviews from them sometimes, too. "You're not following canon - that is impossible" or "I don't agree with your characterization of this character; it's wrong". And a gentle reminder doesn't bother me, what bothers me is "OH HAY I KNOW MORE THAN YOU ABOUT THIS AND NOW I'M GOING TO BE SMUG ABOUT ALL THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU'RE WRONG"
Ladies and gentlemen, the annoying fan.
He can't let anyone have their fun. He knows every detail of every line of every scene of every book. Someone writes something and creates an incongruity? ALERT THEM. Misses a tiny detail about geography. REVIEW TIME. Takes their own view of a character, necessitating swinging that character out of the bounds created by the author? OH GOD SEND THEM A PRIVATE MESSAGE NOW.
The annoying fan updates the wiki of his fandom so that it is painstakingly accurate to the point of being excessive. He includes his original characters in the wiki. The annoying fan creates fan groups for his own work, promotes his stories/art, and views himself as Keeper of Fandom. He advises new writers - and presumably more impressionable - as to what they should write about next, and why that would be a Good Thing for the fandom (the greater good . . .). The annoying fan has a cast of characters that are perfect. They are his perfect girlfriend, they are his perfect best friend, his perfect boss, his perfect self. He slides them into fandom, and pushes them on people, insisting they are canon (and sometimes they are . . . peripherally . . . as in mentioned once) and should be accepted.
NO, ANNOYING FAN. NO. I AM STANDING UP TO YOU.
I will not accept your sort-of-canon character. I will not write about them. I will not change the story I've worked on that reflects my view of the fandom and canon so that it falls more in line with yours. I AM GOING TO WRITE WHAT I WANT TO WRITE, HOW I WANT TO WRITE IT, ANNOYING FAN. YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.
It's dangerous, I know, for any kind of person who hopes to later rely on fans to support their work to stand up and rail on them. All fans are good fans, to some extent, and to alienate anyone is not a goal of mine, nor the intent of this post. This post is to encourage all of you who might be fans to be thoughtful. Fandom is a beautiful place; it allows for individuality, for creativity, for joy and happiness in sharing a common interest. I love fandom. But let other people love fandom too, in their own way. It makes them happy. There aren't hard and fast rules in fandom and that's what makes it fun. Hey, I don't get any kicks out of slashing Lupin/Snape but other people do and I'm not going to sit behind my computer and say "that's wrong, that would never happen in canon, stop it." It makes them happy! It doesn't hurt anyone! And it's not my thing and doesn't interest my but oh well!
So please, annoying fans. Give constructive criticism. Read and enjoy. Keep up with the wikis, memorize those details if you want to, post on the message boards. But live and let live. It's not your sandbox - share the toys.
I'm not ranting about my fans because besides the $20 Lasko model from Walgreens sitting on my bedside table, I don't have any to speak of. No, I'm talking about fans.
Annoying fans.
I cut my creative teeth in the world of fanfiction. I loved Harry Potter, and I love Discworld still. I'm nowhere near as involved in any fandoms as I once was (I keep up, but if it ain't on the Discworld blog or facebook page, I don't know about it, and you can forget anything about Harry Potter) but I still check the fanfictions, whatever. It was a big part of making me the writer I am today, for better or for worse, and I do enjoy it to some extent. I don't read everything of course but hey, if it catches my eye, I'll give it a shot.
And sometimes, if it catches my eye for the wrong reason (lol terrible summaries) I will read not the story itself, but I will read the reviews. And this is where you find them. The annoying fans.
I get reviews from them sometimes, too. "You're not following canon - that is impossible" or "I don't agree with your characterization of this character; it's wrong". And a gentle reminder doesn't bother me, what bothers me is "OH HAY I KNOW MORE THAN YOU ABOUT THIS AND NOW I'M GOING TO BE SMUG ABOUT ALL THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU'RE WRONG"
Ladies and gentlemen, the annoying fan.
He can't let anyone have their fun. He knows every detail of every line of every scene of every book. Someone writes something and creates an incongruity? ALERT THEM. Misses a tiny detail about geography. REVIEW TIME. Takes their own view of a character, necessitating swinging that character out of the bounds created by the author? OH GOD SEND THEM A PRIVATE MESSAGE NOW.
The annoying fan updates the wiki of his fandom so that it is painstakingly accurate to the point of being excessive. He includes his original characters in the wiki. The annoying fan creates fan groups for his own work, promotes his stories/art, and views himself as Keeper of Fandom. He advises new writers - and presumably more impressionable - as to what they should write about next, and why that would be a Good Thing for the fandom (the greater good . . .). The annoying fan has a cast of characters that are perfect. They are his perfect girlfriend, they are his perfect best friend, his perfect boss, his perfect self. He slides them into fandom, and pushes them on people, insisting they are canon (and sometimes they are . . . peripherally . . . as in mentioned once) and should be accepted.
NO, ANNOYING FAN. NO. I AM STANDING UP TO YOU.
I will not accept your sort-of-canon character. I will not write about them. I will not change the story I've worked on that reflects my view of the fandom and canon so that it falls more in line with yours. I AM GOING TO WRITE WHAT I WANT TO WRITE, HOW I WANT TO WRITE IT, ANNOYING FAN. YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.
It's dangerous, I know, for any kind of person who hopes to later rely on fans to support their work to stand up and rail on them. All fans are good fans, to some extent, and to alienate anyone is not a goal of mine, nor the intent of this post. This post is to encourage all of you who might be fans to be thoughtful. Fandom is a beautiful place; it allows for individuality, for creativity, for joy and happiness in sharing a common interest. I love fandom. But let other people love fandom too, in their own way. It makes them happy. There aren't hard and fast rules in fandom and that's what makes it fun. Hey, I don't get any kicks out of slashing Lupin/Snape but other people do and I'm not going to sit behind my computer and say "that's wrong, that would never happen in canon, stop it." It makes them happy! It doesn't hurt anyone! And it's not my thing and doesn't interest my but oh well!
So please, annoying fans. Give constructive criticism. Read and enjoy. Keep up with the wikis, memorize those details if you want to, post on the message boards. But live and let live. It's not your sandbox - share the toys.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
I'm not good at things and promises
SO THAT WENT WELL.
Yeah, I totally posted every day. Psht, whatever. I was at the only hotel in the world without free wi-fi - all they have is this crappy business center. Seriously. Embassy Suites, no wi-fi, but I had wi-fi at Microtel two towns over in Hicksville, KY? Get your shit together, Embassy. I still love you though - free happy hour makes up for a lot.
Anyway so the event was crazy fun. No major injuries (Kristi Nunnink dislocated her elbow but that was blessedly the worst injury), and history was made; Mary King took first and second (yeah, that's right). King's Temptress won first, Fernhill Urco took second. Really exciting too was that third place was a young American rider, Sinead Halpin, who was out on her first **** excursion. Very cool! Her horse was lovelyyy.
And I ate super crappy food. We're talking fried oreos, fried green beans, fried catfish, fried pickles . . . are you picking up on a trend?
On a related note, I am seriously considering going on Weight Watchers. Details as they come. Seems like a sane, reasonable program though with good mobile support so I'd be able to keep up with it. Costs money, though, which is a down side. But what's $18/month for good health and feeling better in my body? I need to think about it.
Writing is stalling for now. I have 3 weeks of hellish exams, and I need to focus on class (which I should be doing right now . . . Oh hey, test tomorrow . . .). I wish I didn't and I wish I could just write because the weather is great and I'm in the mood to do it but it's just not realistic right now. I've got enough on my plate for the next few weeks with school and Lola (quit the telemarketing job, not sure if it's a win or a fail yet), that writing anything is just going to have to sit on the back burner. Makes me sad, but that's life. I'll pick it up again soon enough. :)
Yeah, I totally posted every day. Psht, whatever. I was at the only hotel in the world without free wi-fi - all they have is this crappy business center. Seriously. Embassy Suites, no wi-fi, but I had wi-fi at Microtel two towns over in Hicksville, KY? Get your shit together, Embassy. I still love you though - free happy hour makes up for a lot.
Anyway so the event was crazy fun. No major injuries (Kristi Nunnink dislocated her elbow but that was blessedly the worst injury), and history was made; Mary King took first and second (yeah, that's right). King's Temptress won first, Fernhill Urco took second. Really exciting too was that third place was a young American rider, Sinead Halpin, who was out on her first **** excursion. Very cool! Her horse was lovelyyy.
And I ate super crappy food. We're talking fried oreos, fried green beans, fried catfish, fried pickles . . . are you picking up on a trend?
On a related note, I am seriously considering going on Weight Watchers. Details as they come. Seems like a sane, reasonable program though with good mobile support so I'd be able to keep up with it. Costs money, though, which is a down side. But what's $18/month for good health and feeling better in my body? I need to think about it.
Writing is stalling for now. I have 3 weeks of hellish exams, and I need to focus on class (which I should be doing right now . . . Oh hey, test tomorrow . . .). I wish I didn't and I wish I could just write because the weather is great and I'm in the mood to do it but it's just not realistic right now. I've got enough on my plate for the next few weeks with school and Lola (quit the telemarketing job, not sure if it's a win or a fail yet), that writing anything is just going to have to sit on the back burner. Makes me sad, but that's life. I'll pick it up again soon enough. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)