icarusancalion

( How To Keep Your Challenge Committments - or - Strategies For Challenge Success. )

( Why Does It Matter? The Cost To Your Self-Disclipline )

All is not lost. If you didn't make your challenge deadline(s), you may just need to reexamine your motives and your strategy for writing challenges.

The Writing Challenge requires certain time management skills that can be learned. It's not a coincidence that the "busy" people in fandom who have the least actual time are the ones who manage to write for four or five challenges while working full-time, running an RPG, and juggling committee responsibilities (I'm looking at you, femmequixotic).

( #1 - Should You Sign Up At All? )

( #2 - Writing Stages And Planning )

( #3 - Uh-Oh. )

( #4 - Dealing With The Guilt )

While I struggle through the next transition in Out Of Bounds ... gnnngh, why is this so hard? ... I tinker with my review of 2005 Stargate Atlantis fanfiction. I did one for 2006 and I hope to do one for 2007 as well.



What are the main themes of 2005 Stargate Atlantis and stories that exemplify them? Here are my initial notes.

John and Rodney are easy! Goodbye DADT --

- The very early soft romances. Stories by 2004 early adopters like thegrrrl and mmmchelle.

Initial confusion over loyalty to SG-1, a concern completely dispensed with due to --

- pegasus_b! (No idea what stories to include.)

Which led to SGA having a rep for --

- Wacky crackfic and AUs! I'm thinking the penguin stories. "It Stops Being Funny At Skirts." The story where Rodney is turned into a little dinosaur. The Harlequin Romance challenge, such as that mail order bride story, need to find two or three more Harlequin stories.

- Fandom's love affair with Rodney in fics like "Oblivious," and "Don't Tell."

Other early themes that are now standard to SGA fic, SGA's lighthearted tone --

- Ancient technology does something unpredictable. "Face Value." That one where John and Rodney explore the high tower of Atlantis and end up married. "Double Occupancy." "A Beautiful Lifetime Event."

- Atlantis' black market. Stories that reference Atlantis' drug subculture.

- Paranoid alien cultures, such as that one where John is imprisoned in the mountain and Rodney's the only one allowed to visit him. Other examples?

- Alien society does something to John because he's an ATA carrier (capture him, try to sacrifice him, make him participate in alien fertility rituals, often an excuse for "Aliens Made Them Do it"). I know I've seen this theme, but specific stories, hmm... the only two I can think of have something done to Rodney because of the ATA gene.

- Darker themes (especially in Gen for some reason) from Atlantis being cut off and taking drastic measures, such as ltlj's story, the name of which won't come to me right now, and rivier's Exigencies. The storm over "Transcendental" and the new, darker characterization in the previously light-hearted fandom.

Aha! auburnnothenna reminds of of the hiatus, which took things in a different direction from what happened in canon --

- Such as "Care Packages" and "A Different Fate" and Karen McFaddyon's "A Matter of Discretion."

Then after Atlantis reconnected with Earth --

- The scientists hazing the new military, such as in "Instructional," and that one that starts with Rodney saying, "If anyone asks, I've been sitting here the whole time." "Care Packages."

- Return to earth stories -- silly ones, romantic ones, and ones focused on recovery.

- iibnf reminds me that, good lord, I forgot the Post-Trinity stories.


Did I nail all the main themes? Disagree? Think I'm off my rocker? I could be missing a lot. It's tricky for me because I didn't start reading SGA until September 2005, so I missed most of the year.

Someone asked me the other night if it was worth getting involved in the SGA fandom given the recent wankiness. She's a good writer, with a feel for dialogue and a playful sense of humor. I'd love to see her take a crack at John/Rodney. We talked for a while and it got me thinking.

The Utility of Fandom, or What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Ultimately, what matters in fandom is what you produce. What you give to the fandom.

If you generously write stories for people to read, run archives to make the fics available, go through the effort of combing through and recommending good stories, beta-read stories, or run challenges and communities and newsletters -- what you've done for others is what will matter. That dedication and sincere effort.

Challenge communities: There may be squawks of complaint over how a challenge is handled. But ultimately, the person who ran the challenge made dozens or even hundreds of stories available.

Writers and Betas: There may be people who get upset about this or that aspect of a story. But eventually, the smoke clears, and the story (or stories) remain. And people enjoy them. Months down the line no one cares about the wank. Happens all the time.

Reccers: I've yet to hear of a wank surrounding a rec-list (if you want to participate wank-free, you may have just found your niche). But if there ever were one, personally, I only remember gratitude for reliably good story recs.

Newsletters and Archivists: Someone might complain about how a newsletter is run, or about an archive's policies. But in the long run, they're both darned useful, and that effort (and money) has made stories more readily available.

I don't say the trite, "this too shall pass." What I mean to say is that I've noticed those who complain very often produce nothing for the rest of us. There is nothing tangible, no stories, no community, no archives, nothing for us to enjoy or participate in (unless you like schadenfreude).

For those who do the work -- keep writing the stories. Run your communities, archives, and rec-lists. You're the ones doing something for the fans. Believe me, the readers know who's done something for them lately. ltlj? Has given us a lot of great stories.

For those who want change: add to the fandom. The field is wide open. There are no start-up costs, no barriers, anyone can write anything. Start a community. Begin a challenge to promote the kinds of stories you want to see. There are plenty of successful politically motivated fanfic communities. Put your webspace to use and create an archive; eFiction is easy to install. If not, prepare to be disappointed and for your words to be like dust.

The equation is simple. The fanfiction community runs on, shock of shocks, fanfiction.

Even this essay. Pfft. It'll be gone in a day or two. Since I'm a fanfic writer, I'd better get back to work on that John/Lorne fic.

I figured out the secret to writing my WIPs.

Have something I want to do less. Yes! Avoidance of other stories will direct one to the long-neglected WIP, tut suit.

And now for your entertainment, inspired by teaphile: A Stargate Atlantis worst-case scenario guide.

Everyone's panicking about just what season four might bring. Trembling in fear. It's time to bring those fears out into the open. What is the worst that can happen?

Sam Carter appears in every episode (with Amanda Tapping acting as well as she has these last few years). Then she's signed on for season five... eeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Face those fears. You can do it!

The Replicators sweep through the Pegasus Galaxy handily defeating the Wraith, thus replacing a foe that has some mystery with one that's been beaten to death. Aaaaaaaack!

It's good for you.

( Cut-tagged for your pleasure... )
See? Don't you feel better?

How bad could it be?

I think I forgot to say in my comments to Sunday: oh, how long I waited for John in dress blues. Now all he needs to learn is how to stand at attention. I like that. *slow smile*

The glee continues over here at the implications ( Cut for John Sheppard spoilers. )

Four things you should take away from this:

1 - Men are incredibly honest with Buddhist nuns, future Buddhist nuns, and past Buddhist nuns, probably because a you're not an option.
2 - A man is more likely to cheat when a relationship is unstable than a woman.
3 - Zelenka probably didn't get laid until very late in life.
4 - Given a choice between Sheppard and Zelenka, you should definitely go with Zelenka. Unless you're really attached to those dress blues. ;)

I really need a Sheppard icon. Of course, then I realize, oh well, I'm so lazy about icons I'd probably never use it.

I watched Walk The Line this week, but the implications of Sheppard having a Johnny Cash poster on his wall just hit me. Johnny Cash was in the Air Force. He also hated the Air Force, comparing it to doing time in Folsom Prison.

And Sheppard has a Cash poster on his wall. Brought it with him to Atlantis.

Wow. There's a statement.

John Sheppard was just marking time in Antarctica, waiting to get out of the military. No wonder he didn't want to go to the Pegasus Galaxy. It meant an indefinite stay in the Air Force.

Wow.

I helped a college student from a religious family set up her "security" to keep her parents out of her slash (and before you ask, no, she had no interest in abandoning her religion, she just felt her interest in slash fanfiction was irrelevant). She had other people's advice but here were a few of my suggestions:

1. Consider computer crashes! An external drive is your friend. Stick a pile of books on top of it; the UBC cord only takes a moment to yank.


2. If you're in Windows, set up two administrative passwords, then "hide" folders under your password. When you have computer problems you give them the other administrative password. If you do this correctly, the folders will not appear for those logged in under the other password.


3. File names: there's nothing less interesting than a string of numbers for a filename. Labelling it PORN attracts attention.


4. If you receive zines, get a Mail Boxes Etc.-type box. Pick a branch that gives you after hours access, and then only go there after hours. Pay with a money order or cash (not a check). Make sure you have a box large enough for whatever you receive. They used to allow a made-up name on the box too (my own box still has one) but the U.S. post office cracked down on that. And, uh, you can get more than zines this way.


5. Set up a password-locked screensaver with a short timer, for those moments when someone drops by your room. Hello! Not such a big deal with stories, but that fan art can be a little obvious. My friend said she always had a cover file open that she'd toggle to.


6. It goes without saying that you should set your system to clean out your history file and cookies on every shut down.


7. Save no favorites (ha, always think of the obvious) except on external sites like del.icio.us.


8. Use public archives for your stories or, if offered, webspace registered to other people (the latter can be risky so be careful). Remember, if you pay for webspace, your ISP has your name. In an archive, the archive owner assumes all risks and all they have is your email.


9. I assume that I do not need to say something as silly as "use free email" and "don't use your work or home email" for your archive email address or other fandom interaction. But just in case….


10. The drawback to archiving in public archives is that you could lose control of your story or artwork. Most archives allow you to delete at will, and almost all archives will pull down a story at your request. But I do know of one case where the archive owner did not pull the story, and I had a webspace owner that periodically locked me and the other writers out. Some people prefer having their own webspace so that they control the content. For example, when an author turns pro they will often remove their fanfiction from online. It's your call which is more important to you: control, or anonymity.


11. If you like cloak and dagger, or are just more paranoid than the norm, consider using a anonymizer to disguise your IP address when posting stories or interacting in fandom. Though at this point we're getting into tin-hat territory.


12. Your fandom name should become your name in fandom under all circumstances. Do not ever give out your real name (even when I need something sent to me, people get my fake mailbox name). Here are two cautionary tales about this:
    
    The cruel fandom grudge: An (adult) friend felt people were unnecessarily paranoid about using real names, so she used her real name on fics. Her boss was had a copy of the Klingon-to-English dictionary in his office and fandom wasn't a big deal. This worked just fine for years, until some fen got angry with her and set up a wiki (that they alone could edit) saying lots of unpleasant things about her. Now whenever someone googles her real name (including for work) -- that's on the first page. Great.
    
    Fandoms have petty politics and grudges that can last for years. Fandom anonymity seems to create a psychological distance that allows people to do things they wouldn't do to someone they knew in person. The rule of thumb: Give No Ammo.
    
    The possessive fandom loon: Another friend had someone out of the blue offer her webspace for her popular story (by the way, if the offer comes before you know the person, I've never seen it go well). They became online friends, and even exchanged some items through the mail. Then this person became a beta-reader for the story but was so pleased to be "in the know" that she started giving out hints. In addition, she built an archive around the traffic to the popular story. When the writer decided to not allow her to beta-read any more, the webspace owner panicked that the story might be removed (it was the lynchpin of her archive) so threatened to expose the writer to her employer if she did so (unfortunately, the writer was elementary school teacher).

There are plenty of wackos anywhere, and fandom spans the globe; unfairly, they don't come with warning labels. The guy in the SGC uniform who's worked out declensions in Goa'uld can be perfectly normal while the pleasant mother of two can be a psycho. Keep fandom and real life separate.

As they say in the S&M community: play safe, and have fun.

Okay, discouraged and frustrated at the moment.

The process of "de-fanficcing" a story, i.e., sawing off the serial numbers and turning fanfiction into original fiction, is much more than simply changing names and developing some backstory.

1 - ( Character development in fanfic is based upon prior material. It's a little like starting in the middle of a book. )

2 - ( Fanfic plots can be borrowed for original fiction without too much difficulty; however, if you have relied heavily on allusion to canon... )

3 - ( Allusion to canon in fanfic becomes the major stumbling block in 'de-fanficcing,' depending on the sort of fanfiction you've written. )

The fanfiction writer's greatest asset is their reader. Like with any highly specialized educated audience, the writer can reference a shorthand of shared ideas.

Even though fanfiction uses the same writing techniques as original fiction, within the restrictions of canon, the fanfic writer has this extra tool. It's a slightly different technique. Which doesn't tell us whether the writer can or cannot write original fiction. It just means you'll have to write differently.

As for "de-fanficcing": If you have an AU, with plenty of original characters (or at least a unique backstory for those characters), and aren't closely tied to canon, then maybe it's worth the effort.

The last question is: how attached are you to that fanfic? *Icarus starts the chainsaw.* Be ready to take it apart.

Read a couple DVD commentaries today. Yep, still sick. It'll be nice to have my voice back someday. *cough, cough*

So, my enormous Maine Coon kitty's using my lap as a footstool as he snoozes, WG's at work (and refused to kiss me as he left because I'm still sick, *hack, cough*) and I'm reading DVD commentaries.

Conclusion: Most writers write terrible DVD commentaries.

( Good lord. )

I mock, yet I am just as guilty. I simply didn't see it until I read other people's commentaries.

Some people say that authors are incapable of analyzing their own work. I do not believe that. I just think they don't know how. Everything they know about writing goes out the window when confronted with a request to write a commentary. Buh? You want what?

There is a process, however. Help is on the way.

Step 1: Consider the audience. What will the readers find interesting?

This isn't your home-movie moment with a captive audience to torment. What is genuinely different about that story they might not already know? Think, what got the readers interested in the first place? Are there bits of plot that you cut but wish you could have kept?

Step 2: Pick an approach, preferably based on audience interest. There are all kinds of options.

- Was this written three years ago in response to other stories or past events in canon that can help the reader contextualize it?
- Was the story drawn from a real life anecdote that might be interesting in and of itself?
- Does the story comment on some event in the world, or in fandom, today?
- Are there stylistic choices that make your story unique or interesting, something you can take apart structurally or linguistically?
- Are there events that went on in the publication of the story that (here's an important caveat) readers might find interesting?
- Is it drawn from some literary or other unexpected background? Have you hidden references to "The Story Of O" in your Gen-fic, for example?
- Did you learn something about canon, or develop resources that other writers might want to pursue?

This has a dual benefit. It gives your story a gloss that's interesting, and it causes you to step outside of yourself and your fic. The odd thing is that when people ask about your story, they don't want to know about the story, they want to know something other than story that's related. Ha.

Step 3: Choose your voice. Be entertaining.

This doesn't mean you have to be a buffoon on a bouncing stick. Intellectual writing is also fascinating. But do not forget you're still a writer.

Step 4: Have your commentary beta'd.

If anyone's reading your commentary, you're probably a good enough writer to catch your own SPAG errors. But commentaries are wide open in terms of style and approach, so you're flying without a net unless you have a beta to ask questions.

Step 0: I should have put this first. Only write the commentary if the subject warrants it.

That popular PWP or adventure fic may not have enough meat on its bones for you to say much about it. Even if people ask for a commentary, examine whether there is anything more. Maybe it's all in the fic. If so, save yourself the headache.

Now. I suppose I should follow my own advice, eh?



ETA: Was that too sarcastic? Some of the commentaries I just read were really bad.

ETA2: Added step four, probably the most vital.

A Trip Inside The Mind Of The Plagiarist

First, I was just plagiarized on ff.net by someone calling themselves Cedric17. Their story (like mine) is called Skinny Dipping and was posted on 7/11/06.

My story Skinny Dipping was posted on my own site and adultfanfiction.net on 7/12/2003. Please take a moment to contact Fanfiction.net to let them know to take it down. You just click the Review button and there's an option to report abuse.

That said, I am not surprised. A lot of Harry Potter fanfiction writers have been plagiarised. I have been prepared for this since my first fanfic in Harry Potter, and have gone through great trouble to spread my fic far and wide -- with my name stamped in neon across it -- to prevent it from succeeding. The more people who recognise my stories, the more likely the plagiarist will be caught.

( My first beta for Primer to the Dark Arts was extremely strange. )

When cursescar, loupnoir, and cybele_san were plagiarised, I wondered what on earth the plagiarist got out of this? In all cases they grabbed an obscure story, not one that would garner a lot of attention (Skinny Dipping is Harry/Percy, not exactly a magnet pairing). Then, once they were caught, they got all kinds of nasty reviews. What could they accomplish?

I have dealt with in my life two millionaire con-artists (one of whom faces criminal charges if he sets foot in the US, the other was arrested and is being investigated by the IRS), one petty con-artist who ripped off an employer and myself, a coworker from a well-to-do family who stole tens of thousands from an employer of mine, and one online con-artist who attempted to scam myself and a number of other people in the Harry Potter fandom in 2004. Apparently it's my karma.

Drawing on my experience with such people, I would like to take you on a trip inside the mind of the plagiarist. Bring a flashlight. It's a scary, dark place. With spiders.

Entitlement. First, these types all seem to believe that they are owed something by the rest of the world. They all have this song and dance about how hard their life was compared to others, it was so unfair -- the world (by which they mean you) owes them. They are not ripping you off, they are being given their due. The means are acceptable because, the world being unfair, they won't be given what's rightfully theirs otherwise. What is their due? Why, everything they want, of course.

Arrogance. Second, it's fun for them. They enjoy the scam. They like what they can get out of it if they win, sure... the money, the reviews, the attention. But the process itself boosts their ego. Every person they fool makes them feel smarter than the rest of the world. The more clever the scam, the more loops they manage to slip, the better they feel. It's proof that yes, they are owed more, because look how much smarter they are than these suckers. When they're caught, all they do is try to figure out where they slipped up so they can play the game better. Any police officer can tell you that murderers and bank robbers will admit what they did was wrong, but con artists never do.

Minimizing. Third, they all seem to say, yes, "everyone does it" and "these idiots would be taken by someone, so why not me?" They believe that there is no harm done and that the world is unaffected by their actions. This "stupidity" (in their eyes) is a like a terminal disease: the end is inevitable.

Laziness. Fourth, it's easier to take what someone else has than to work for it yourself. Writing a story can take days of effort, while plagiarising only takes minutes -- with the same results (in their minds). And fewer risks. Why marry a woman who might gain weight, when you can steal someone else's wife after seeing exactly how she turned out, post-wedding?

Envy. Fifth, and this goes with that sense of entitlement, these people seem to want so much. There's no end to it. They look at a beautiful house, and instead of seeing "hey, what a nice house" they say, "why isn't my house that nice?" And once they've stolen something or conned someone into buying them that house, they just want something else.

Self-absorption. Sixth, and this varies in degree from con to con, but inevitably they are far more important than anyone else in the universe. It's almost childish, their focus on "me." One extreme is the sociopath (and yes, I have run into this). As it was explained to me, they don't even view people as beings with thoughts and feelings like themselves. People are like furniture to them. They may like that piece of furniture but they don't have any personal feelings towards it, of course not. So they can be very pleasant... and then slit your throat for your wallet. Nothing personal. They just needed the wallet.

The less extreme cases figure out ways where their victims "deserve it." They'll say "oh, well, he's a rich asshole" or "that person's a BNF." It's similar to the way the military brands their enemy as "Japs" or "Terrorists," stripping away the human underneath, leaving a label instead.

( How's that flashlight holding up? )

Okay, now into the light... What Do You Do? (beyond the obvious of course)

Knowing what we know about the con (and make no mistake, although plagiarism is theft, its purpose is to con people into thinking they wrote that story) what do you do? You can't reform the plagiarist or con-artist. They are not concerned with the feelings of others. Instead, you have to lay down the law.

1 - get "their" story taken down. Take away the object that they want. Take away the house. Take away the stuff -- that's what they want.

2 - rob them of the pleasure of fooling people. Cut off that feeling of superiority. Let them know they were caught, and how easily. How transparent they were. Public humiliation works best.

How will the con-artist respond?

Have your evidence ready. For plagiarism this is pretty easy. But be aware:

( The con-artist invariably plays their role to the hilt. )



Great news! It's been pulled. It's gone. The plagiarist is done for. FF.net yanked the story within twenty-four hours. Thank you all for sending the Abuse reports. *Icarus breathes a heavy sigh of relief*