I was going to be silent on this, although I definitely agree with
the original rant, but...
I know, I know, you justify it by saying 'I can't do
enough justice to the fic so I'm unselfishly giving
it off to some better fanfic writer'.
And it's rightly justified, at that. IMO, it's not so much
unselfishly
"giving" the idea away, but letting a more skilled and accomplished
author do a better job with it. I'd rather pass a fic off to say
Lurker,
Gary, or anyone else who's fics I enjoy reading than write it
myself,
because I know that compared to my writing, theirs are much
cleaner,
easier to understand, and much more appealing. And even if a less
skilled writer were to pick up the idea, the originator of the idea
shouldn't really complain because he/she put out the idea for
public
consumption (right word?).
Of course, you forget a few things here:
1. If it's your idea, you're the only one who knows where you
originally intended to go with it. I'm not picking on Radler here,
but I have a valid example: Faux Existence. I gave it up and handed
it off after a length of time during which only a small portion had
been written. I know where I would have gone with the next part of
the fic if I had continued writing it, and Radler's version of FE is
taking a completely different direction. That's fine, it's his fic
now and I could care less. But the point remains: the person who
comes up with something is the only one who really knows where they
want it to go.
2. It's all fine and good to say "Oh, I'll pass this along so maybe
Lawson or Lurker or Bailesu or someone will pick it up"...
Doesn't work that way, folks.
Why not? Because most of us already have more to do than we can
handle.
Take my backload for instance. I've got fics sitting in my 'hiatus'
and 'cancelled' folders that I started back in 96. I gave up on them
because I found better ideas to carry, and most of them I've tossed
out to the list in case some green author with the will but no ideas
might want to pick up on one. That's in addition to recent, better
stuff I've done...a week doesn't pass that I don't get asked "When
are you writing more Onna?" or "Where's the next chapter of Nibun no
Senshi Sailormoon?" The other seasoned, well-read authors probably
deal with even more of it than I do, especially the slower ones like
Zen ^_^. We have more than enough on our plates already, we can't
pile on something someone else came up with on a whim. Well, we
*can*, but it does tend to invite lynching...
There's also this: Someone who comes up with an idea *should* at
*LEAST* attempt to write a little bit of it. You're missing out on
the best part of the fanfiction process if you don't at least try to
write. Oh sure, you get the satisfaction of reading it and C&Cing it
if someone else eventually decides to write it, but it's the writing
in itself that's the best part of the whole deal. Passing an idea off
to another author should only be done under two circumstances:
(1) You know a *specific* author who would be more suited to the idea
than yourself, and might put a spin on it you never considered.
(2) You've written a bit, but you've locked up on it. You just can't
coax anything decent out of it.
And if you don't like that "excuse", then what's wrong with the "I
just
don't have time" one? I've got all of a few hours a night once I
start
working to spend on the list, fanfics, the net, etc., and I'd much
rather
spend it reading fics than writing one. If an interesting enough
idea
were to come to mind, I'd write it myself (in fact, I've done so
once).
But if I don't really feel like writing it, but if I feel someone
else
might want to write it, I'll put it on the list.
Oh right, the ol' "I just don't have time" excuse.
I have 3.25MB of fics from the FFML taking up space in my hard drive,
dating back as far as December in some cases, that I haven't even so
much as glanced at.
I have a pile of new anime videos sitting on the floor in front of my
television that I haven't watched yet.
I have a pile of Godzilla flicks I haven't watched yet.
I have a pile of manga I haven't read yet.
I haven't taken a 48 hour nap in a while.
Bye-bye, everyone. I won't be writing anymore for six months or so.
I've got too many videos to watch and too much manga to read, and too
many fanfics to read, and then I'll have even more stuff to do to
keep me from writing.
I don't think so. I enjoy writing too much. That's why I put
everything else on hold to do it as much as possible.
Granted, I have more free time than most others...I know some of the
best authors around here have college, jobs, etc etc. and don't get
nearly as much time to write as they'd like. But if you're using time
as an excuse...
If you don't want to write, just say so. If all you like to do is
read 'em, there's no shame in that. But don't make up bullshit
excuses about it. Just say "I don't like writing, but I have this
idea, so if someone who likes to write wants to try it, I'd love to
read it when you get done."
Look at, oh, say, Scriviner. He frantically put out
what he finished with Loveletters on the Edge
because he was afraid of someone else coming
out with a fic with a concept that was too close
for comfort (his comfort). Then, when it came out,
he could proudly say 'I was first'.
And how much novelty will come with being the first? Given a few
weeks
or a month, I'm sure there will be numerous fics based on the same
idea
if it's a good one. And after a while, who's going to know if
Scriviner's fic is the first one if someone's improved on the idea
and
put out a better fic?
Hmmm...I wouldn't neccessarily say that. It all depends on what
you're doing. There's a huge difference between "easily conceived"
and "creatively original".
For instance, Lawson's "Thy Inward Love". Easily conceived? Yes. The
idea of Ranma continuation stories has been done dozens of different
ways. Creatively original? Yes. Lawson took a now-common origin point
for a story, and crafted a masterpiece, even setting up a sequel
that, while taking a different flavor than the original, was an
equally enjoyable read.
The analysis: The idea has been, and will be, used over and over
again, but nobody's going to approach the same quality level of
Lawson's work, much less improve upon it.
Zen's "The Bitter End". Easily conceived? No. Not many people could
realistically look upon the Ranmaverse that way without having the
idea planted in their head first. Creatively original? Yes. Zen did
an incredible job of making the characters and situations come alive
in realistic and very disturbing ways.
The analysis: There will probably never be another "The Bitter End",
because its very conception was a master stroke.
Krista Perry's "Hearts of Ice". Easily conceived? No. Epics are
particularly special fanfics, because there really isn't much chance
of two epics going in the same direction. You can have similar
elements, maybe even similar situations, but epics can rarely ever be
compared to one another. Creatively original? Yes. Krista-san is
playing around with Japanese mythology, which most North American
fanfic writers are reluctant to touch if they can avoid it, out of
lack of knowledge. The end result is quite remarkable, creating vivid
worlds and scenery that bring the story to life, as well as giving
life to the characters, not always the easiest thing to
do--especially when you're tossing in new characters that nobody (or
very few people) will recognize.
The analysis: It's an epic, a hell of a good one at that, so even a
similar story will never match or exceed it.
My own "Onna: Red Side". Easily conceived? That's debatable. The idea
of the soul of the drowned girl existing within Ranma, and even the
idea of the drowned girl being a character from another anime, has
certainly been done before, and will be done again. However, turning
a drowned-girl-soul story into an epic has really only been done
twice that I'm aware of: "Song of the Phoenix" and "Onna: Red Side".
Most drowned-girl-soul stories either end up as otherwise normal
Ranma fare, or else fade away before they can become something
extraordinary. Or, in the case of "Half a Sorceress", they become an
alternate-reality type story...most of the events go more or less the
same way, with some differences here and there, but the main focus is
on the relationship between Ranma and the drowned girl. Creatively
original? I'd like to think so. All epics have to be fairly original,
and their writers fairly creative, to write something that isn't a
clone of an existing work..and epics are difficult to clone in any
case. I work hard to blend Takahashi elements with CLAMP elements,
and a few other things thrown in here and there (Remember Karuma from
the battle with Skylark? Think Dragonball Z...and then of course,
there's the sentai Mashin squad the Nerima bunch wound up with...),
and from both my own opinion when rereading it, and the opinions of
everyone else who's read and commented on it, I seem to be doing
something right. At any rate, it's the only Ranma/MKR crossover of
its kind...that I'm aware of...
The analysis? I'm not qualified to analyze my own work. I'll let
someone else do it.
(Gah...let's hope I don't get this long-winded at A-Kon...O_o)
Now, before you post something like 'what if Sailor
Moon met the Power Rangers' and 'I'm too lazy to
write it', WRITE IT.
Hmm, and what about the people that actually WANT to pick up ideas
off
the list and run with it? If someone goes ahead and puts out an
idea,
saying, "Someone go and write this, since I'm too lazy," what's
wrong
with that? It annoys you?
Again, posting ideas is fine, as long as they're ideas you've already
tried to write and failed, or at least as long as you don't try to
give an excuse. "No time" and "too lazy" are excuses. Be honest. Say
"I don't want to write."
Or maybe you're just too scared of negative feedback?
Again, why should this be any concern of yours? Some people are
comfortable with receiving ridicule, and some aren't. Is it BAD to
be
scared of this? You show a surprising lack of sensitivity towards
some
of the newer writers, TimeRunner. Or are you just trying to goad
some of
them into writing? Either way, this sure isn't working.
I do agree with Yee-san on this point. TimeRunner was needlessly
sarcastic with that particular comment.
...
Boy, if that ain't the pot calling the kettle black...^_^;;
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S I Z E
D O E S
M A T T E R
"Yo quiero Taco Bell."
-D O G Z I L L A-
---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
...gettin' ficcy wit' it...
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net
http://www.geocities.com/~etlostlurker
Lurker's Phone Answering Message:
"Haro! You leach Noboyuki House of Sushi.
We guarantee derivery in thirty minute, or you get
NO sushi!"
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