scottishfae

Wow--so now I think I'm going to take my story down from AFF. I didn't expect many reviews from this site b/c I let my story go fallow for so long, but the three I have are all criticizing me for not putting in a lemon and, for me, that's just incredibly absurd. They are as follows: The first one (the one that started this thread): The news ones I saw this morning after I finished up here in the forums: Sometimes I really hate posting my fanfiction. What's the point if all that matters if you can write pr0n or not.

I've always assumed the construct of 'adult' in AFF also picked up the importance of the writing being more mature than the sites that allow tweens. Not smut wise, but the quality and depth of a story too. Now granted, I know there are some adults out there who can't write for crap either, but maturity as a concept should not be applied only to including pr0n. I just hit chapter 19 in my story Unexpected Endeavors. The premise of the story is that one of the characters has (accidentally) agreed to bear a son for another character. In the 19th chapter the deal is consummated, but I chose to just leave off as they were getting into it and discuss the consequences after the scene. That's why this person isn't so happy. It's frustrating--I'm sure, but I'm simply not very good at writing smut (especially non-cliched smut) and thus don't want to drag my story down. Sometimes I think I take to heart too much of what reviewers say.

I got a review for one of my stories telling me to rewrite the my most current chapter to include a lemon. The exact review was that without lemons, my story was dull--of course five guild awards tends to disagree, but whatever. Maybe everyone is just humouring me. Does anyone else have this problem with readers demanding lemons/smex scenes? I personally rarely write full out lemons, mostly because I'm simply not very good at writing them and I refuse to lower the quality of my story by adding a bit of badly written smex here or there. I can't help, as I look around fandoms, but think that a majority of people could care less about good stories. If it's an overused plot, poor grammar, and terrible OOCness, it's all excused if it's riddled with smut--or at least that is what it keeps appearing to me. I mean, yes, this is AFF and that its name indicates in its very nature to be inclusive of "adult content," but does it demand it? Must every single one of my stories include full out sex scenes to even be considered good? I mean, call my stories bad all you want, but please don't tell me it is because I'm not including lemons. /rant

Some sites do that for the author. AFF obviously doesn't, but if you post your fiction on other sites that do email updates, perhaps funneling people over to those sites for emailed updates is more probable. Honestly, I used to do the whole "email" thing. I would simply make up a mailing list (pretty easy with hotmail and gmail) and send out a quick message to everyone. It's not hard to do, but I often forget--which mostly is due to the fact that I post my stories on tons of sites to begin with and things get forgotten easily in that process. I suppose, in the end, it's up to the author if they want to keep up with that responsibility. Readers should definitely never expect it though. Writing in itself is so much of a consuming process and it really is dependent on the author how much they can handle.

This is the actual design for the American Naruto DVD vol 22. I saw it and cracked up, but alas, I'm not funny enough to come up with good dialogue/thoughts for both Itachi and Sasuke. My challenge to everyone is to add thoughts and/or dialogue to this cover. Have fun!

I'll reword it, I'm not saying simple reviews aren't welcome. I'm saying that "update soon" isn't really a review and I haven't met an author yet that appreciates that. I'm also not saying that every reader needs to leave constructive criticism, but it's much preferred over flames (and often just out right criticism).

There always seems to be some breakdown of communication somewhere that leaves authors and readers frustrated with each other. To open those lines of communication I submit this post, one of two, that will help break down what both writers and readers like to see. These are working guidelines, so feel free to add on your own opinions. I'm only going to post a few that I know of and hope that other people can help feel out the form to its fullest. Remember, don't be unreasonable with your suggestions. Ten Commandments o1) Using author's notes is not necessarily a bad thing, but using them excessively is both annoying and hinders reading of the story. o2) Similarly, making author's notes in the middle of the story should almost never be done. If things need to be noted, make a mark indicating a footnote and explain it at the end. o3) While the size of each chapter is completely dependent on the author's own opinion of how the story needs to go, it can be exceedingly frustrating to see a one page update. o4) Do not hold your story hostage for reviews. It's incredibly immature and it is rude to your dedicated readers. o5) Don't assume that just because you've posted a story that you are entitled to reviews. o6) While everyone has different schedules and RL to deal with, not updating your fic (without any word to your readers) is frowned upon--sometimes it cannot be helped but it is best to try and avoid it if at all possible. o7) Authors should always proofread their story before it is posted. Betas are bonus points and can only really help a story and author.* *There is a whole subtopic in the forums that is dedicated to beta reading. If you're looking for one or would like to volunteer, please go check it out.

There always seems to be some breakdown of communication somewhere that leaves authors and readers frustrated with each other. To open those lines of communication I submit this post, one of two, that will help break down what both writers and readers like to see. These are working guidelines, so feel free to add on your own opinions. I'm only going to post a few that I know of and hope that other people can help feel out the form to its fullest. Remember, don't be unreasonable with your suggestions. Ten Commandments o1) Not all stories inspire reviews, but for those that do, reviews help encourage authors and help them grow as writers. o2) Reviews with only "update soon" are frustrating for authors. A sentence or two explaining what you dis/liked about the story will almost always be more of an encouragement to update. o3) There is a difference between constructive criticism, criticism, and flaming. Most authors do not mind constructive criticism, some don't mind criticism*, and almost all of them despise flames. *Recent studies have suggested that criticism is actually counter-productive if there isn't some sort of positive remark attached to it or if suggestions for improvement aren't given. Note: Not every review has to contain CC, but if you feel you want to give criticism, this is something to remember

I think the term may be overused by people who simply don't like OCs in their fandom. But I also think Mary Suing can happen inside of characters that do exist in the real universe of fandom. I became aware of this in the Naruto fandom, reading yaoi/shonen-ai stories, and noticing that many times characters in male x male relationships were often taken OOC to fit what I always felt was often more traditionally "female" roles (and yes, I died a little inside. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten sick of reading an overly emotional, melodramatic Naruto in a relationship with Sasuke who is all manly. While I could just be assuming that the author, usually females in the cases I've viewed, is just bad at keeping people IC, it often feels that they're putting themselves into the story as that character, and thus changing the character at the same time. But that could just be me...and I am aware that I did a poor job of explaining that too.

If there is anything I've learned over my years of writing, it's that the more mature your stories get (and this is writing style, development of plot, etc--not just pr0n) then the less reviews you get. I remember when I first started I got reviews out the wazoo--but I look at those stories now and am just ashamed that I ever posted them. And now, while I'm much more proud of my stories, they definitely don't get the same amount of reviews, and I agree, it's very discouraging--but I think what it comes down to is that the "idiots of literature," as a professor of mine use to say, are much more abundant. They're not looking for the quality of the story, the depth, thought, and styles of writing put into something--they're looking for the bare bones of...well everything. I mean, there is a reason why newspapers are still written for an 8th grade reading level and that definitely applies to the Internet too. But don't get too discouraged. There are people out there who appreciate good writing, even if there are few and far between. I also recommend looking for guilds in your area of writing to help celebrate those great fics in fandom. If there isn't one--then create one! And don't forget to make an example of yourself and reviews. I know I'm particularly bad about this, but try, if you can, to leave reviews for those who deserve them (in your opinion, at least)--hopefully that will build up the community to do it more and more.

I've never finished a NaNoWriMo, which makes me so sad. My problem is that November is the worst month possible for me to have to sit down and write 50,000+ words. My friends and I are going to do an unofficial NaNoWriMo challenge either in March or July, we haven't decided yet. Hopefully those two months won't prove to be as busy as November.

This is a very popular discussion in English (literature) Academia right now. Why? Well, let me name some big name authors who have recently been accused of plagiarism: Ian McEwan (Atonement), Yann Martel (Life of Pi), J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) and several others. Most people have been accused because of similarities within other stories, and while I believe the one against J.K. Rowling was dismissed for the most part, McEwan and Martel both ended up giving credit for inspiration to the other authors. One of the things about literature and knowledge in general, is that it is building upon each other. There are arguments in academia that all existing stories are based off a few set stories, most of which I think, it is argued, go back to Homer's Odyssey. Is this true? I don't know, but certainly using similar ideas from other stories to build into new stories is something that happens a lot. Case and point: Hamlet, and many other of the plays of Shakespeare. Very few will argue that Shakespeare was a genius with words, but it can not be denied that most of his plays are based off existing stories that he took and wrote in his own style. Today, with the world of copyright law being what it is, Shakespeare would have been accused of plagiarism, and probably been found guilty. And then there are the authors who are providing alternatives to stories. Grendel (based off Beowulf), Foe (based off Robinson Crusoe), etc. They are using the stories of existing works and flipping them in some way and telling alternative stories of the characters involved. Foe, personally, is one of my favorites and I enjoy it much more than Robinson Crusoe. Anyway, this became a lot more long-winded than I originally planned. I'm basically try to point out that basing original fiction off of something else is not only uncommon but a great tradition historically of literature around the world. Yes, any author should be wary and careful of how they approach a story that is heavily influenced from another, but, then again, it can also lead to great triumphs of literature. Plagiarism is not to cut and dry as many people think, unfortunately; and fanfiction is much greater than just a bunch of anime/movie fans on the internet. I would argue that both Grendel and Foe could be considered fanfiction, in our current terms, and that Shakespeare could probably be lumped into that category too, for some of his plays at least. I think too many people are ready to dismiss fanfiction after they look into some of the poorly written stories, but it's a very powerful force. Rowling seems to have embraced it, as most anime/manga creators have. It's a marketing force all on its own and it keeps people interested in stories long after they have finished. And really, that's all I have to say (for the moment).

Hallo! I'm here to announce a new, one-day convention being held January 12, 2008 from 10am - 10pm in Auburn, AL. The Society of Anime and Manga--the club hosting this event--is very excited about this impending anime festival, and we're trying to get as many to come out as possible. If you're near or around the Alabama area and would like to come to this free event, then we'd love to have you. It's open to anyone--a "family-friendly" event. Oh, and did I mention it's free?! Included in the festivities will be: A fanfiction panel; a cosplay panel and workshop*, hosted by a nationally recognized and award winning cosplayer; and a Transformers panel, hosted by the winner of the "Who is the Biggest Transformers fan in the US?" contest. We'll also be having an Artist Alley (we still have a few spots open, go to www.ausam-con.com/artists for more information), a Live-Action Japanese movie room, a game room, and three rooms running anime the entire day. You can go here and see our official schedule for AUSAM-Con. *The Cosplay workshop, due to materials being needed, will have a cost of $7 to participate, but free to observe. There will also be a VIP Lounge, which will cost $5 to enter. All money is a "donation" that will go straight back into AUSAM-Con so that we can expand it for the next year. Feel free to visit our website: www.ausam-con.com, at any time, and you can contact me if you have any questions. Thanks!