oh, I'm injured. Really...

[lyssie]

So, a Dino has come out of the woodwork (OMG I feel like I'm on OTL AGAIN, and the Slash Warning Debate is going on!) and said, I miss the days when we had authors who wrote for the craft, the pride of putting out a good story, put their heart and soul into it. They were posting story after story each day, they didn't demand praise, they got it because they deserved it. They put out a good product they could be proud to put their name on. etc, including listing some of the Good Old Days Authors, and the few of them that are still around....

She then rambles for a while, claiming only a small part of us are clamoring to get rid of all labels and warnings and ratings, and that anarchy is our banner song (yes, I'm putting provocative words in her mouth, shut up).

And closes with, What's wrong with letting people have an idea what's going on in the story
with a short summary, a category, and a rating? .... You'll get the audience you're looking for rather than pissing people off for dragging them into a story they're not interested in.

So. She misses the good old days, when authors didn't clamor for feedback (I must be missing all of the OMG FEEDBACK ME posts), but says that if we label, we will get more readers, which will (I'm using logic here) inevitably lead to more feedback.

...

Uh-huh.

I'm going to go sulk in a corner for being called whiny and uncaring of my craft (do I have a craft?). I think I'm going to start putting "plz rvw" on my fics now.

Actually, what's really sad is that this makes me want to dig up the OTL Slash Needs Warnings! debate from 1999...

Comments

[ex-aardie509.livejournal.com]

*walks up to the Podium*

"Hello. My name is Aardie. And this is my fanfic. Several small rodents were used in the creation of this fic, but I am sure that, since I have named them after characters on the Show, it makes this summary legitimate. Please do not harm squirrels. Thank you."

This is how much sense I am getting out of the entire debate. Because I don't understand it. Why are people wanting to change a system that has been working for so long? Put a rating, put a brief summary, or even a teaser quote, say if there's spoilers .... who would want to change that and why?

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Personally, I have a hard enough time being bothered to put a rating on fic. Having to put a summary, labels, and warnings.. omg.

I'm going to start using the one I posted on a drabble a while back. 200+ words, warning of almost every possibility under the sun.

[ex-aardie509.livejournal.com]

"May Contain Traces Of Peanuts" might be a useful one. People always want to know that ..... ;)

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

YES! Because there are people who are allergic, and it might offend them!!

[qwirky.livejournal.com]

Yay! *saves the squirrels*

[lavidaessueno.livejournal.com]

You'll get the audience you're looking for rather than pissing people off for dragging them into a story they're not interested in.

This part cracked me up. Not interested? Don't read. Nobody's dragging anybody. I love this idea that posting=OMG twisting my arm OW and forcing me PAIN to read a story in which Somebody Might Die and I won't know until I read it and then I will CRY and be unable to sleep and OMG it's all your fault.

Dino obviously only reads stories by the same four writers anyway, so what's she bitching about? STFU, I say.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I don't mind if people have a small reading-base. If that's what they like, fine. But don't come complaining because other people like trying new things.

Rar.

Er.

I suspect I'm extra-irked to be considered a newbie. I haven't been a newbie since 1999, damnit.

[lavidaessueno.livejournal.com]

What I object to is Dinos talking about The Good Old Days and not admitting that the newer writers are keeping the list - and the fandom - going. I've been on the list for a number of years, and I'm thrilled to see new writers producing new work, especially the edgier stuff. I happen to think the show has teetered on the brink of fanfic from time to time (i.e., the scene in Jack's living room in Lost City I). It's not as bad as, say, X-Files or JAG, but it's there. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I miss the time when feedback was not so instantaneous, spoilers did not abound, and television writers and viewers were not so interactive.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Oddly, I was ranting at the cat a while back about missing the days when the only spoilers we got were from Starlog. Which were usually a month or two late.

Nowadays, there's spoilers everywhere.

sigh.

[nakedtoes.livejournal.com]

Instead of people bitching about being 'lured in' to read fics w/out proper summaries, can't they stop being scared of missing out on potential fluff and just not read them?

*has just gone through inbox and is slightly cranky*

and another thing...

[lavidaessueno.livejournal.com]

there's always just one more, isn't there?

*braces self for meyerlemon smackage*

I went back and found my first posted fic ever (7 years ago, OMG could it really be that long?) and sure enough, the header contains only the most basic information.

No content warnings. Just a rating, a one-sentence summary (more than that was discouraged), and an auto-archive category (vignette, story, or crossover). And this is in a massive archive that got/gets huge numbers of hits.

Re: and another thing...

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

I... am embarrassed to say that my first posted fic can be found still. And it contains...

My rambly author note about how it was written on the bus that night, what it's based on. And a disclaimer.

No warnings, no ratings... AND OMG THE CHEESE.

Re: and another thing...

[nique.livejournal.com]

Heh. You know what's *really* funny? I found a fic of mine from 2002 which has... let us say flash backs to major child abuse--and has not a single warning on it. Lo! It is rated PG-13 even.

OMG, SG-1 fandom should be so glad I don't write for them.

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

Fuck that, I've picked up more warnings over time. And how is it worse to argue the right to artistic freedom than to go "OMG I R TEH DELANEY!! BAI MI BOOKS!! DEY R TEH HAPPEHQ!! I KNOWN FOR IT!! IN FAMMOUSLAND!!"?

[sjshipper.livejournal.com]

for the record, i have been grateful for every soul who takes time out of their life to put sites, lists, and archives on the net. If someone takes the time to label, great. If they don't, who cares? I am pretty low-key and undemaning, unlike so many people on the lists.

[alkam.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't complain about it, but I will not read a fic without at least SOME form of summary, or at least telling me what or who it's about. Even if it's just two words. "Jubes cries".

THIS tells me that it's a story about Jubilee, and I could not give a FUCK less about her, so I can happily pass this story over instead of having to glance over half the damn thing before I realize what it's even ABOUT, or who the fuck's in it.

However, it also helps to narrow down my search. If the fic says simply "A Zatanna fic", I will read it.

Basically, there's a lot of BAD fic out there these days. In the past four years, finding any sort of quality has been HARD. And that includes the good fics that are still going since '98. When I see "Whatever It's Called Part 56"... yeah. Passing it over. Giving me even a two word summary helps me narrow (or widen) my search.

And as for rating and content-- I like that, too, but I don't complain about it, either. I even sometimes read stories without them. However, it's helpful to me to have them. Lemme tell ya how disappointing it is to start reading a fic, and suddenly realize it's about twincest or some stupid shit like that. Or get into it and totally not be in the mood to read what is at the core a good story, but also involves rape or something, and I'm totally in the wrong mood to read something like that. Later, because of my first impression of being turned off to it at the time, I may never finish reading it.

[nique.livejournal.com]

Heh. Well, those ratings are usually a good thing, yes (though I'm apparently really bad about using them. Woops.) The thing that's been driving Lyss (and thus me by association) crazy are people demanding to be told if you're putting a surprise ending on the fic.

WTF?

[alkam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that makes no sense to me.

[auralan.livejournal.com]

Yup. I understand basic ratings. We should be able to pretend the kids are avoiding adult content for legal ass-covering reasons. I even get why some of the squicky content ratings for non-con and extreme violence make sense on the big lists/archives. But, as I said elsewhere on this topic, it always disturbs me that there are people willing to admit they're too delicate to handle reading fanfic that might not end with a shippy cliché surprise them.

I just can't imagine publicly admitting to being such a wuss that I need other adults to screen the internet for me.

[livilla.livejournal.com]

Damn! Tis means I am still a newbie! I thought I was past that! WOE!

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Woe. *sad*

[livilla.livejournal.com]

My view of the world has been SHATTERED.

[musicforcylons.livejournal.com]

I miss the days when we had authors who wrote for the craft, the pride of putting out a good story, put their heart and soul into it.

So we're all chopped liver then, eh? *avoids ritz crackers like the plague*

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Apparently... We should get her some cheese to go with her wine.... Actually, no. I like cheese.