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

[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