[So Many Hits and No Reviews...]

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.

[NaNoWriMo]

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.

[Fan-fics: Are they wrong?]

I think that's called plagerism. lol If your basing "original fiction" on somthing "you've seen" then it's not original. "Chang[ing] the base idea" of something can be hard for most beginner writers and could resort in them just paraphasing someone else's ideas, which is also plagerism. I wouldn't give this advice to any aspiring writer.

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).

[AUSAM-Con]

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!