Questions. And cleaning up.

[ninedin.livejournal.com]

Dear All,

I've skipped intoduction in my first post and maybe it was a good thing, after all; and it was good because only today I had a chance to browse all the messages of this community and find myself mentioned in the context of the mess I've made. I'd like to clean up a bit, if I may. .

(if I may not, or if it's too OT, please feel free to delete this post).

It's all rather old stuff, from two or three years back, but I feel I should explain myself nonetheless.


Point 1. Much less important. Yes, I am writing a book on C. S. Friedman and yes, I would like to include a short chapter on fan response, but please be certain that no titles, no names and no journals will be mentioned. What I intend to do is to make a short chapter about a) the types of response existing on the net (fan sites, fics, fanart) and b) the main trends in fanfiction (slash stories, prequels etc.); they are interesting exactly because they show what specifically piqued the interest of the most active and most creative group of fans. I am definitely not going  to discuss particular texts. 

Point 2. Much, much more important. I am sorry. I know it sounds silly and doesn't justify me, but I did not want to be rude and I know I was and I apologize.

In a page which I have at some point published on my website I have attempted at reviewing (points in 0-10 scale) certain fics. I have made a note that the reviews reflect only my own, private, personal view as a reader and not any objective value of the texts. Still, I know now what i didn't know then: that while I am perfectly entitled to have my own opinions on other people's writings, I definitely should not express them in a condescending, unpleasant kind of way. For this, I am very, very sorry. I would't have done it now and I regret having done it then. Please accept my apologies.

I do not regret liking/disliking certain stories, because it's a private thing, a reader's opinion. I do, however, regret having expressed my liking/disliking in this particular nasty way.

So I will be staying away from the discussions for now, just reading and watching the analysis that you've making while rereading. Have fun!

Comments

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

(Check your mailbox please, you've got a PM from me)

On your first point - and this is a reminder to others too, since it's come up in the past - as long as no particular names are mentioned and you don't provide links, it's absolutely fine to talk about the Coldfire fandom in general. We're not that hard to find for someone who knows what to look for. The main reason for the no-names policy is that fanfic is always safer when it's not directly connected to the official sources. If you want to mention anything specific, like a particular story, ask the author. You may be surprised by the response.

Second point - fic reviews are a tricky thing when they mention negative matters. I'm a fan of constructive criticism, but there are levels, of course. I don't think I've seen your reviews, or if I have, I don't remember them, so I can't really say much about it. I don't think, however, that you need to stay away from the discussions if you enjoy them.

[ninedin.livejournal.com]

(and now you have a PM from me, I believe).

I will definitely ask people if they wanted to respond to my questions concerning fan responses to the novels; basically, I'm interested in doing an overview of trends rather than the analysis of particular cases. Thank you for clearing this up for me.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

I don't do the social aspects of fandom much, so other than having a general idea of what could happen on a site dedicated specifically to reviewing fanfics, I don't know what you're talking about. And, since you seem to have clued in to whatever wrongs you feel you've perpetrated in the past, it doesn't really matter to me. But I do think it'd be a shame to sit out on discussions that you'd have a good time participating in.