Fic non-progress... Out Of Bounds.

[icarus]

At the moment I am empty-handed on the next scene of Out Of Bounds.

Do we resume on the ice, do I run with the section with Doctor Beckett, or let Rodney's search for outside help jump in there? Yet again the characters have train-wrecked my outline. But as auburnnothenna points out, what do you expect from a story called "Out Of Bounds"?

Hmm. Where it wants to go is 4am, Monday morning, and John's next session on the ice.

Here's a great article in Locus Magazine: Cory Doctorow: In Praise of Fanfic.

This massive fanfic database project... remember when you opened your first fanfic story? You had no idea where to go, where "the good stuff" was (or even that there was a distinction). So you just picked one at random, which is a little like saying, "Hmm. I'd like to read some lit-era-ture" and then grabbing a book at Barnes & Noble and ending up with some celebrity's ghost-written sob story. And it's so bad it nearly sucks out your eyeballs.

We need easy to find rec-lists, so people can hit the good stuff first. Because we who are deep in the fandom know where the good stuff is (though there's always the problem of opening the door to new writers). We surround ourselves with our favorite writers and forget what it's like to walk in blind.


ETA: Great quote from Cory Doctorow -- "Each person who retold Pygmalion did something both original — no two tellings are just alike — and derivative, for there are no new ideas under the sun. Ideas are easy. Execution is hard."

Comments

[enname.livejournal.com]

*stabs thesis* Yes, that quote is very apt and probably going on my noteboard for when I wander by in a dazed shaking mess and need reminding that I suck. :P

Hmm, it is why I will always read a new writer, even if I don't get past the first paragraph. Got to be willing to try. Or a system of tells so that I know vaguely what is instore for me due to writing skill, summary, warnings etc. More useful for sifting through the chaff than any real warning. I kinda like heading into a new fandom for those reasons... I get to deploy full research skills and proper keyword searching, archive hunting etc. Have to say it is so much easier (compared to manuscript collections) when things are in English and not referred to in a thousand different ways, or last listed in 1657... none useful.

I found myself getting (irrationally) annoyed at someone the other day for not putting things in their memories or tags - I had to hunt through the entire journal for what I wanted. *shakes head* The fact that a) I did and b) I was getting annoyed due to lack of boolean search keys.. indicates how sad I am.