Why do people hate BNFs?

[icarus]

I really don't understand this BNF phenomenon. I just don't get it.

I don't see why people go "whee, Icarus!" when they find out their review or whatever is from me. I understand "whee, Stories!" -- or -- "whee, Icarus' Stories!" That makes sense to me, because this is all about the stories, all about the fun of writing. If you've liked something I wrote in the past, there's good chance you'll like the next one. I'm the same way about "whee, Candy!"

But I don't know why the focus shifts from the story to the person. What the hell...?

Comments

[dkwilliams.livejournal.com]

In general (as per print fandoms), BNFs tend to be widely known and liked, so perhaps it's an egoboo to know that you've "made" it in a fandom. Regrettably (at least in my case), I've also tended to find that some BNF's go cliquish, and have a tendency to overstate their own contributions to a fandom at large, and that can get very wearying.

(nodding head) Exactly. There are some BNFs who are enduring and will be considered significant to the fandom, even when they're no longer active in it. And then there are the momentary-BNFs, who sometimes think they're more important than they are. It's like the difference in the stars of yesterday and the celebrities of today. Very few people would say "Who?" when you mentioned Katharine Hepburn or Cary Grant or Madonna - they are remembered for their body of work over their lifetime. However, who remembers the name of the girl on the first "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" show? For awhile, she was everywhere, on the talk shows, celebrity gossip, etc., extending her 15 minutes of fame. Now, I doubt many people remember her name, much less care what she is doing.

Switch it over to fandom and BNFs. Don't get me wrong - being a BNF could be fun, and everyone loves getting attention from others - we wouldn't be human if we didn't. I think the problem comes - and this is what gives BNFs a bad name in some circles - when the glow starts to wear off. Instead of graciously allowing the spotlight to move on - which I think the majority of BNFs do - it's a big temptation to chase that spotlight, like the celebrities who always seem to be in the news for doing something stupid and attention-getting. So some BNFs try to control the fandom they're in (or the fandom-pool, if it's a big splintered fandom) by laying down Intractable Rules for writing or tearing down new writers, while others try to churn out more attention-getting stories - not for the story itself, but for the attention. Little surprise that these stories are mediocre at best, because they're not written to tell something that the writer needs to tell, but written to grab that spotlight back. And because they've gathered a little clique that is always praising them and their work, others are too afraid to speak up and say "Um, Emperor, no offense, but you're not wearing any knickers." Fortunately, I think that the majority of BNFs belong to the gracious-star category, but it's the small number in the Brat-pack-BNF group that can sour people to the whole BNF phenomena.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm pretty well convinced after listening to all these takes on BNFs that there's actually a line between this BNF-concept, which is impossibly vague and just a public perception, and what people actually do.

You just have to write your stories, make your archives, write your essays, and try not to let all the cut-downs and hatred directed at this perception get to you, and try not to let ridiculous "shits gold" praise get to you either. :)

The only benefit in this perception is the marketing value. For that reason, one should probably keep the plates spinning. Though I thought about deleting this LJ for a while to focus on writing. Because that's what I care about.

All I was doing was actively marketing my stories, and ended up directing traffic to other people's stories while I was at it. But I have an advertising background. Without putting it out there, your story becomes the proverbial tree in the forest.

Though sometimes marketing is just happenstance. I'm thinking about the situation with The Courtship of Harry Potter and Primer to the Dark Arts.

It just so happened that when Primer was being published on the HarryXSnapeML, they had started a weekly chat. Primer was the only big fic that was coming out at the time. (I found this out from people who asked me to beta for them out of the blue. Huh?)

Then right around the time Courtship came out, just a few weeks later, the chat discussions had discontinued (there was something political or lack of time, I was never told the reason exactly). So people discussed Primer to death, but only discussed the first few chapters of Courtship. So it can be completely a matter of timing. Marketing, you keep communicating, keep the ball rolling, but sometimes it just drops in your lap.

Icarus