Catching up on the Flist/Correspondence List...

1. From Neil Gaiman's blog (which LJ offers a syndicated link to - so I can read it on my flist) - I followed a link to an article to a chat between Neil Gaiman and Chuck Lorre (creator of Big Bang Theory).

Here's a great blurb:

Lorre said the biggest danger of listening to fans is that “you are doomed when you say: ‘What do you want?’” which is one of the reasons why he keeps his web site walled. “I made a decision that the site would be completely and totally non-interactive. I didn’t want criticism or praise.”

Now, if only a few other beloved writers would take the same advice.

I may have to buy Chuck Lorre's book - I love reading about how television and movies are made. The process entertains me to no end.

2. Also from Mr. Gaiman's blog - you can listen to the BBC Radio broadcast of Neverwhere up until March 29th at this link here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r527b

The voices are: Anthony Stewart Head, Benedict Cumberbatch, Natalie Dormier, James Purevoy.

I'm listening now as I write this. Don't do well with audio books or radio - because I tend to be an audio dyslexic. I mishear things and unlike a book, it's hard to jump back and rehear to see if you got it write right, so I often subvocalize and repeat everything I hear in my head. But so far, so good. (ETA: Also keep putting the wrong word. Today? write instead of right, so annoying. Does this happen to others? I think you told me it did. Reassuring that.) On another note - Neil Gaiman is one of those writers whose work I think I should love to pieces but don't for some reason, and am always wondering why? Is it me? Is it him? What is lacking? I love the writer, but some weird reason his books don't speak to me on an emotional level...intellectually, sure, emotionally, no...and I've no real clue why.

3. Is the author still dead when you can still talk to them or troll them or respond in an interactive way? - which was taken from a flocked post so I can't tell you where, sorry. And seriously, I've been wondering the same thing so it doesn't matter where it came from, does it? This goes back to Chuck Lorre's comment about not wanting interaction.

I've noticed this happening a lot with self-published works or recent works. And let's face it, writing is a lonely and solitary sport - we crave interaction and discussion of our stories and others stories. The internet is crack for writers. I can see why tv writers come online to chat with fans. If they didn't the only indication they'd have that anyone liked their work is the ratings (which would be depressing if you are a cult/nitch writing who never makes the Neilsen Top 20). The Buffy writers stated that until they popped online, they didn't know if anyone was watching or liked their show...or how people viewed it.
You don't when you write a story. You have no idea how another person has viewed it or seen it. Or if that plot twist worked or if it didn't. How do you improve without that feedback?

Granted like all things it comes with a price. You have to deal with the critics too.

Regarding fanfic? ( Read more... )

4. Disney is doing cross-over novelizations of Once Upon a Time. Go here:http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/03/18/once-upon-a-time-book/

The first is a novelization of Season One - with alternating points of view, one point of view is Emma, the other is Snow White.

The first title in what may be a series of books is titled Reawakened (cover image above) and it’s novelization of the show’s first season and promises to give “fans of the show a whole new look at their favorite characters and stories.” The narrative will be told in alternating points-of-view—that of Emma Swan (portrayed by Jennifer Morrison in the show) in the real world of Storybrooke, and Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) in Fairy Tale Land. The novel is written by Odette Beane, and based upon the TV series by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis.

5. Flist is agreed on one thing - what happened to Spring? Where is it? And what do you mean we're going to have a warmer than average Spring? We have snow on the ground and its freezing you stupid weather people! What earth are you living on.

We may not agree on much, but there does appear to be consensus on that. Also I don't think I can really complain, unlike the Great Lakes, Midwest, and Europe - there's no snow on the ground here. Note to self - when planning winter vacations - do not go to Europe. Go South.

6. Is anyone writing fanfic about Damon/Spike/Lexie in the 1970s? Also apparently I need to go watch this week's episode of the Vampire Diaries (am a bit behind on the tv watching, and the flist reading - took three hours, sigh and I have to do my taxes). I remember the 70s, but I was admittedly a wee little kid at the time - the whole punk music scene was sort of non-existent for me. I listened to the Carpenters, Helen Reddy, and Simon and Garfunkle, along with a lot of Bway show tunes, Disney albums. The NYC I remember - the one time I ventured out into it - was Radio City Music Hall and Pete's Dragon. So the references feel like they are coming from a parrallel universe.

7. "If you don’t like someone’s story, write your own."
- Chinua Achebe

Agreed.

Not Seeing Forest for the Trees - When Characters Become More Important to Fans than Story

From a brief discussion in an unrelated comments thread on a previous post...I got to thinking about two things that bewilder me about fandom and part of my issue with fandom:

It regards:
a) Turning Fictional Characters into Icons for a Social Cause and what happens when the story and/or writer either has the characters betray that cause or die

b) Character Deaths, or more specifically controversial character deaths which the fandom took personally or as a personal affront.

a. The tendency to turn fictional characters into icons for social justice causes. Example: Buffy Summers as a feminist icon, or Ianto (and/or Tara) as an icon for the LGBT movement or the Tara/Willow and Ianto/Jack relationships.

( spoilers for major character deaths in Torchwood and Buffy )

b) This leads me to the other problem, where we become way too emotionally invested in one character or pairing. To the point that we wish to dictate to the writer what they should or should not do with the character or pairing. This intensity of emotion...is often what gives "shippers" a bad name and causes kerfuffles. Unlike (a), the individual who has become obsessed with the character isn't so much turning the character into a cause or icon, as turning the character into a personal best friend/boyfriend/girlfriend. OR they may just identify strongly. Something about that character resonates on a deep subliminal level - and the viewer falls in love. I understand this, actually, I've fallen in love with characters and wanted desperately to figure them out and get more of them. And I've stopped watching tv shows or reading books or comics, where that character is summarily killed off. Or the writer threatened to kill them. But I've noticed some fans take it to extremes, and like me, we lose the story.

The other day at work, I ran into my bud, Will, he feeds the squirrles in Rufus King Park. He groused to me that his squirrels all lost their homes, because they chopped down all the trees. You'll see when you go, he told me. I wasn't planning on walking around the park that day, a)it was cold and b) my leg hurt (back issues), but curiousity won out and I went. What shocked me was hardly any trees were gone. Just one - a big, beautiful, oak, which clearly had to be chopped down before it killed someone. But Will saw that tree gone and it didn't matter, might as well have been all the trees. This is similar to the fan who adores one character in tv series or book above all the others, and when that character is killed much like Will and his favorite tree - the writer might as well have killed all the characters.
Like Will they don't see why the writer had to kill the character, why it was necessary for the story or how it furthers it - they just see the dead character. That's all. They can't see the forest for the trees.

This is true in life as well.

( spoilers for major character deaths in Torchwood and Buffy )

This admittedly may be seen as a somewhat controversial post...so, if this topic is at all triggery for you? Do us both a favor and scroll on by. Just my opinion, after all. And as you know, my opinions aren't necessarily set in stone, they are often changeable as the tides. [ETA: if you are coming from a link, or are new to this journal, please be advised that I have a 0 tolerance rule for nasty comments and trollish behavior. I will delete you without warning and without comment as if you were spam.]