Seven Stargates

[icarus]

Harry Potter

I reserved my copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince today. I only have one request: more about Snape. A plotbunny came sniffing around... Snape being interviewed by junior reporter Rita Skeeter after the first fall of Voldemort. Snape thinks he has his 15 minutes of fame, a chance to vindicate himself; she only wants to ask about Death Eater orgies.

Stargate SG-1 and Harry Potter Writers

Several weeks ago I chatted with a rogues gallery of HP writers, passing along a link to an award-winning Stargate story. Now, it's award-winning on Area 52, which Stargate writers know is this universe's version of FF.net. (Don't worry, the story wasn't by anyone on my friendslist, and thegrrrl2002, your writing is wonderful so don't you dare think it was you.)

The HP writers were horrifed. Spell-bound with dreadful characterization, the unrealistic sex, florid and painful word useage.

"See?" I urged them (among whom were some of what I consider to be the top writers in HP), "SG-1 needs you."

"Point me to some episodes and a fandom guide," said one with a flourish. "I so own this fandom." There were nods and mutters of agreement.

I believe that all skilled fanfic writers must do the following:

1 - write Jack/Daniel
2 - write at least ten Jack/Daniel stories
3 - write at least one novel-length Jack/Daniel story

Current and older episodes are shown on the SciFi channel (there is Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1). I recommend checking out seasons 1-4 in particular, because that's where you find the most Jack/Daniel action. In the US, Fox is showing Stargate at 11pm on Sunday nights in most areas, and on Saturday afternoons.

A fandom guide is here Arduinna's Stargate SG-1 Handbook.

Examples of good Stargate Fanfic to inspire you are here:
Dr. Jackson's Diary by Anais (Tongue in cheek and funnier than hell.)
Kawoosh! (Short, good feel for the universe, with a stick-to-your-ribs point.)
Anna S. (Deep. Angst-driven, and lushly written.)
Destina Fortunato (Five Moons is a favorite of mine. Interesting, well-plotted stories that mix adventure and sex.)
The Grrrl (Hot, sexy fics that leave you warm and happy, like a cup of cocoa, or touching and wistful, that leave you thoughful. For prime laughs, read Rated Five Stars. For thoughtful The Space Within.)
Keiko Kirin (My favorite is still the Steak Series. Perfect characterization and believable slow-build.)

Once you write your SG-1 slash, send it to:

Area 52
jackslashdaniel

Or post it in:

jackslashdaniel
stargateslash


Now I'm waiting for the universe to comply with my demands. *crickets chirp*

I'm astonished to find that I have - if you count my two incomplete The Road Home and The Walls Of Jericho - seven SG-1 fanfics. When did that happen? Granted, one's a drabble and compared to the HP fics they're rather short. But, really? That many? So soon? It's only been four months.

Comments

[melpemone.livejournal.com]

Oh Icarus, you know I'm on the case. *g* Whether or not I'm what you had in mind, however, is a whole 'nother story. :-)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You most definitely are.

You keep working on stiletto, I'll nudge goseaward about her Stargate story. sharp_tongue is a former SG-1 writer from years back with an unfinised WiP.

I'm unlikely to bag cursive, but a big coup would be copperbadge. Not right now though, he's too swamped. I think hp_femme would write a wonderful Jack, though, don't you?

Icarus

[titti]

You know, reading SG1 has made me reevaluate the quality of HP fics. I mean even the authors you've listed don't come close to the quantity and wide range of quality stories that some of the authors have in HP, people like McKay, Amy. Also there are many, many more good writers in HP, people whose pairings one might not enjoy but whose writing is still fantastic.

[tripoli8.livejournal.com]

Regrettably true. I still think SG's crap-to-good stuff ratio is lower, just because HP is such a huge freaking fandom that they get way more of the 13 year old girl set than some others. It also means they get more people who are brilliant, which is sad for the rest of us, but hey, good stories are good stories. I've read some of the HP classics and been reasonably impressed, if not blown away, but a lot of it's just a matter of preference.

Also, Icarus, you rock. Good J/D is getting really hard to find.

[tripoli8.livejournal.com]

I worked on the SG-1 Fanfic Awards committee one year. It's not so much that we have bad writers, but that readers have really bad taste. I don't get it either.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, we need more SG1 writers! Very much needed. There's been a lull lately. We need fresh blood. Lots of it. ::salivates::

You are so kind to include me in that list of fabulous writers.

::quiet squee::

I'm thinking I know which "Award-winning fic" you are talking about. I didn't quite get it, either, for the reasons you listed. Fan awards are obviously a bizarre quirky thing.

When will Jericho be finished? I've been waiting until it's done to read it. Impatiently.

[titti]

I still think SG's crap-to-good stuff ratio is lower

Oh I don't think so. Even with all the ff.net crap, there is a large body of great stories, and when I mean large, I mean huge. Authors, and I do mean the good ones, have tens and tens of stories, plus ficlets, add drabbles. Even assuming thaat the ratio is lower in HP, there are still thousands of fics that you can rid before getting bored.

I've just started reading SG1, and even the ones that have been rec'ed as 'good' stories don't come close to the level of quality that there is in HP.

I also think that lj based HP is very selective. You get crucified for OOCness (if I read another crying Daniel, I'll kill someone), grammar mistakes, multiple POVs within a few paragraphs. Yes, we do get wanky since we ask for better quality than even Jo produces, but people think twice before posting.

[tripoli8.livejournal.com]

That's where the preferences thing comes in--I *enjoy* a good HP story, but I've never read one that's knocked my socks off, even ones with hundreds of die-hard followers.

It also depends where in SG you end up. The talent definitely congregates to certain types of stories (good gen is incredibly tough to find).

That said, I'm obviously not as familiar with HP as somebody who's active in the fandom; I've read a fair amount of RL/SB and a few classics from other pairings and barring other great stories that get recced that's about it. I don't particularly care about most of the characters, so it's tough for a story to really involve me. If you love the SG characters, you love stories where they're well-written.

[titti]

I read and write 99.9% slash, so that's my experience in any fandom. I also have been in HP since before the 1st movie came out, and in the past 4+ years I've watched it change so much. From experience the ones with the hundreds of die hard followers are the ones that suck the most, as opposed to SG1.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Based on ff.net's stats, I calculate that the Harry Potter fandom is 30 times the size of Stargate. This has a domino effect.

First, there are simply more writers to choose from.

Second, if only 5-10% of the Harry Potter readers leave a review, you still have 30 reviews for a Harry Potter story, compared to only one for Stargate. Feedback is a Huge payoff in writing Harry Potter. An LotR friend of mine, gabbyhope, once bemoaned the talent drain to the HP fandom so it's not just a Stargate/HP thing.

Third, for both of the above reasons, the community draws a large percentage of top writing talent, which in itself pulls in more writers. Friends get their friends involved. Or a Lord of the Rings writer whose a fan of another writer will follow them into the HP fandom and find -- wow. Look at all the great writers I can work with, who can help me hone my skills. This is how I found HP -- it was keelywolfe's fault.

Fourth, prior to Stargate Atlantis, Stargate had a smaller cast of characters than Harry Potter (or LotR or Star Trek: TNG). This limited the slash potential quite a bit to a few main characters and a handful of aliens. This problem has been rectified.

Fifth, Lord of the Rings has precious few plot holes compared to Harry Potter. It's much harder to write LotR fanfic. Fortunately for Stargate writers, there are just as many plotholes as Harry Potter, if not more! :) Come'n in, the water's fine!

Sixth, Stargate SG-1 has attempted to maintain a focus on plot over character, especially in recent years, and the directors tend to get caught up in the latest cool special effect. It's a good-looking show, especially on DVD, with high-quality special effects and truly weird (and sexual) costumes. A great place for descriptive writers and action writers to play. But many slash writers are women, who aren't as interested in setting and plot as they are in characterization.

Fortunately, the actors themselves have managed to squeeze quite a bit more out of their roles. For example, recently Chris Judge (Teal'c) managed to make his one line about donuts - where Jack says "No thanks" - into a rather pathetic moment with the disappointment playing across his face, and his tough-guy character was revealed as a real sweetie. The actors seem to work together to make sure that even when the script neglects a character, the camera doesn't. This also shows a rapport that carries easily into fanfic. Stargate doesn't have subtext, it has SUBTEXT. Fun for all.

The good news:

What I do find is there is an unusually large number of novel length Stargate fanfics. The fandom, like HP, lends itself to the novel. Man, fics just grow.

Also the ratio of goodfic to badfic in Stargate roughly is what one usually finds in fanfic in general, slightly higher quality than Lord of the Rings as the show is set in modern times. The HP crowd is just spoiled.

So there you have it. Reasons why there aren't enough Stargate writers, and plenty of reasons to dive in.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, these are Pop awards? Ahhhhhh.

Then writing is not the priority, though I don't discount popularity as a sign of bad taste -- usually the story has something other than good writing that hooks readers.

Icarus

[tripoli8.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry--I'm just laughing because I've been in SG almost five years too, and I was having exactly the opposite conversation with a friend of mine the other day. Please, please, whatever impression you take from SG1, please don't let it be that the good stories are the popular ones. I *promise* we're not all crazy.

(I feel like I say that a lot in this fandom.)

[queenofstars.livejournal.com]

Oh, I get it alright. Why? Let's see. I voted for the first time last year, only in the slash category and I almost didn't do it when it occurred to me I was putting myself in the same demographics sample with readers that nominate, say, *beagles* as best OCs or long, whining repetitions of the same lame situation as slash novels. *shudders theatrically* But I said, what the heck, there's the good stuff there to support also and voted anyway. Big, BIG mistake. Because when the results came in I found out that the readers who nominated the crap, actually voted for it too.
You see, I was naive enough to believe that, once they've read the masterpieces that were presented, they would see the error of their ways, find the light or something. *snorts* Now that I think about it, they probably didn't bother to click on the links. Why read a story where big words like 'tangential' and 'convergence' and 'acquiescence' were used when there's the 'lick, suck and blow' choice available? *rolls eyes*
I haven't made up my mind 100% yet but chances are I won't be voting in this year's ballot. Color me a snob but I'm not inclined to put myself down to their level for a second time. And I have a feeling that over the years, I'm not the only one who chose not to.
Why bother anyway?

[titti]

Oh, I agree that we're spoiled rotten. Jo has created such wonderfully complex canon with enough plotholes to let us play for years to come. I also think that regardless of the contentions, we are a merceless fandom. You write a bad fiction and you will be crucified (except if you are a certain bnf. LOL)

Did I mention that I'm doing a 2nd fic? heh How is your coming?

[titti]

I'm sure there are exceptions, but here is the difference: you asks for the best writers and Destina and Anna S are the first names mentioned from almost everyone.

You ask a HP fan who are the best writers and first you get: what genre? Once that is established we go through the possible 100 or so pairing in slash. Then you get asked if you want vanilla or kinks, chan or incest, long or short, pwp or plot, and after you finally narrow it down, you get different names. God, I love how wacky the HP fandom is. LOL

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, we need more SG1 writers! Very much needed. There's been a lull lately. We need fresh blood. Lots of it. ::salivates::

I'm doing my best for the team. :D **

I'm thinking I know which "Award-winning fic" you are talking about. I didn't quite get it, either, for the reasons you listed. Fan awards are obviously a bizarre quirky thing.

That's a good sign that it's so obvious. Other fan awards were pretty good (that's how I found you) but, maaaannnnnn, that particular story provided hours of entertainment, and not in a good way.

When will Jericho be finished? I've been waiting until it's done to read it. Impatiently.

Working on it. I've another piece to post soon. Teal'c has unexpectedly decided to have his say, so I have to reorganize the plot outline to make room for him (when Teal'c speaks, it's important). Then there's some geophysical research I have to do for the climactic scene, so I don't make a scientific fool of myself.

Scenewise... hmmm... roughly...

- Morning scene
- Fall out
- Walkin'
- A bright idea
- climactic chapter!
- Alien stuff
- Denouement
- Stargate
- Epilogue

We're really close. Roughly 3,000 more words, if the past length of scenes stays consistent. 6 of the above have already been sketched out in my notes, it's just a matter of typing them. It's only the circumstances around the plot climax that need work. At the current rate of posting (now that my computer problems seem to be better) we're probably looking one part a week, slightly more (I might be able to do morning, fall out, and walking as part of one update, or cascade it to three parts posted in a row).

We're looking at about 4-5 weeks I'd say, finishing it during spring break.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Er. That sounds like a lot, but the story's 17,000 words so far, so what's another 3,000? We really are rolling towards to the conclusion.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Second fic? Oh damn these computer problems -- when was your first posted? *hunts*

I think, at the top of the list - in addition to lovely plot holes big enough to drive a truck through - Stargate has Jack and Daniel. These two poles on the moral compass drive the show, and the chemistry between them is magic. Just so very intense.

Throw in the obstacles, dead friends and family, regulations, friendship, comaraderie, plus the off-world plots, and you have a rich mix. It's fun to have a SciFi series based more on your Anthropology and Sociology classes than Hard Science.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, how are my Stargate fics coming? I've discovered that if you count one drabble and my two unfinished stories, I've written seven fics in the last four months. How cool is that? Though I have about six or seven more stories sketched out in my notes, one of which is a novel-length piece that plays with gender roles (you know how I love that subject).

The long one, The Walls Of Jericho, is 17,000 words (it needs to be edited and cut, I'm posted unbeta'd, raw stuff) and is roughly 3,000 words from the end. Coming along nicely, I'd say. ;)

Icarus

[titti]

http://www.livejournal.com/users/titti/229740.html#cutid1 Part 1, there is a link at the bottom for part 2.

I agree with you. SG1 is 'limited' in a way to Jack/Daniel because they are so great together, on the other hand the possibilities are neverending with the Gate.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

That's a function of fandom size, having that many options. Size and sheer number of characters to work with -- the permutations increase exponentially.

Icarus

[titti]

I haven't seen them posted, or are they all in working stages?

I've written more than that in different fandoms, but then I spend my days at immigration doing nothing but wait, so I get lots of free time.

[titti]

Oh yeah, but I have to laugh when there are character analysis on pairings like Blaise/Nott. They have been mentioned once each, what analysis is there to do. HP: We go overboard with our ships. It should be the official motto.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*looks shifty* I haven't gone overboard. I mean, Terry Boot is a vitally important character in the Harry Potter world.

*scuffs floor and clears throat*

Icarus

[titti]

Yeah, but you don't write 5 pages of meta about his importance, do you? LOL