Fanfiction For Grownups-from the main list

[mdartagnan at yahoo.com]

Evelyn,

I seldom post here (my native language is Spanish, so it's time 
consuming to check for mistakes, and there will surely be many anyway), 
but you mentioned one of my favorite hobbies: writing and reading 
fanfiction. And I wanted to comment on some things.

>If this is not an attack, then I suggest you would do well to stay
>out  of the sympathy card business:)

Will all due respect, it was not an attack. It was a critique. I know 
that, as fanfic-writers, we tend to believe our stories are perfect, so 
when anybody points their "mistakes", our first reaction is to feel we 
were attacked. Since you're in Fanfiction.net, I suggest you to check 
other people's stories and their reviews, so you can distinguish 
between an attack, a critique and even a flame. 


>I do not think it necessary to deal with sex in a fanfiction. 

I agree. It's not necessary to deal with sex in a fanfiction, and most 
of my stories lack any sexual tension... But, also, fanfiction is the 
realm of the "what ifs". There are writers who want to include sex in 
their stories, and others who don't... but the choice to accept it is 
in the readers. For example, I don't like four-letter words in fanfics 
either. ^^U

On the other hand, I think it's too early to dismiss the presence of 
sex in JK's world. Though I doubt we will get an x-rated scene, 
sexuality might become an issue (albeit a minor one) if she continues 
to portray her teenager characters as she has done until now. And about 
romance, I personally think that GOF isn't but the prelude to what 
might be the first romantic relationships for the trio.

With what I completely disagree is:


>Slash themes also seem to be at odds with writing within the 
>boundaries of the HP world as well.  None of the characters have 
>exhibited any sort of sexual preference besides heterosexual in the 
>books.  I fear the whole point of Slash is to help writers who can't 
>decide whether they would rather see Harry or Draco naked satisfy
>both  desires.

First of all, we don't know the sexual preference of all the 
characters. We know that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Percy, Penelope 
and some others are heterosexual (at least so far). But there are many 
others from whom we know nothing about: Sirius, Remus, Snape, even 
Dumbledore, for example. Should JK decide that anyone of them is 
homosexual wouldn't be a big surprise, at least for me, since we 
haven't been told they're heterosexual either.

And second, I completely *despise* those broad generalizations about 
slash writers, being one myself. I can't talk for all of us, but I will 
make my point clear: I don't write Sirius/Remus because I "can't decide 
which one of them I would rather see  naked" and so I can "satisfy both 
desires". I write slash S/R because I really loved the brief chemistry 
they shared in the PoA pages where they appeared together, because I 
personally think they complement each other (as shown in the fact that 
both "are" canines) and because that would explain a lot of the 
terrible mistakes and confussions that took place on the weeks prior to 
James and Lily's deaths —at least for me, of course that I wouldn't try 
to impose that PoV on another person. BTW, sex is an element on my 
plots, as in any relationship... but I can't write any sex-scene. My 
fingers refuse to do so, and I truly admire those who can. ^^UU

I don't doubt other slash writers might have other motivations, but 
hey, all fanfiction writers have their own. Some writers want to expand 
their vision of the canon, some others try to explain to themselves 
something they didn't understand, and others write for reviews. I might 
not agree with some of them (especially with the latter), but who am I 
to judge? 

But to portray all slash writers that way... Is. Just. Wrong.


>I'd just like them to put
>all 
>stories that can be read only with a hanky and box of chocolates, or 
>involve any Slytherin/Gryffindor tonsil hockey, or are written in the 
>"style" of the Baby-Sitters Club, where they belong... under Parody, 
>or Humor.  


a) I cried at the end of PoA. I didn't want to see Remus go, and I 
wanted to see Sirius cleared of all charges. And it didn't happen, 
so...
BTW, have you read a fanfic named "Sin of Lycaos", by D.M.P.? I cried 
since chapter one and until the very epilogue. I doubt anyone who has 
read it would consider it as Parody or Humor. 
And I needed the box of chocolates after reading it. 

b) Slytherin/Gryffindor tonsil hockey? It seems to me there is, at 
least, some Ravenclaw/Gryffindor tonsil hockey in the books? Penelope/
Percy anyone? 
BTW, have you read a fanfic named "Call of the Wild", by WolfieTwins? 
There's some vital "tonsil hockey", and even more... and as with SoL, I 
doubt it could be considered as Humor or Parody either.

c) My personal commandment: I'll judge others' writing style the day 
I'm satisfied and proud of my own style and the day I am finally unable 
to find any mistakes on my writing.  And, of course, the day other 
persons are unable to find such mistakes.




Take care,
Marijose (aka known as Mjoony or Altair, you decide)
Who sincerely hopes D.M.P. and WolfieTwins won't go after her neck 
after mentioning them in the debate. ^^UUUUU


"You know? 
Night I left the city
I dreamt of a werewolf"
— a-ha meets J.K.