Rant O'Writing and Two Memes

[misscam]

You know the quality of fanfic is rather bad when you're happy to read a rather mediocre one and even encourages the writer somewhat. Sigh. Or maybe my standards are too high. Of course, I used to write crap too, with multiple exclamation marks and all. Shudder. At least I have improved - or so I like to think. It's funny how much writing can reflect who you are and how you grow. I read my old stuff and get a sense of how I was when younger (a whiny brat, yes). I read my own stuff now and look into my own mind. I can sometimes be a stranger to myself. Funny that.

But to get back to fanfics - the thing about mediocre fanfic is that you read it and hope for improvement (whereas badfic you read to see how bad it gets), almost willing the author to improve. At least I do. I feel like I'm cheerleading from the sides, so happy it's not awful, given how much crap I read. (But one's mediocre fic is another's horrid GAFF sometimes, of course.) And mediocre fics are easier to review for me than the brilliant ones - with mediocre I can pick on the areas that need improvement as well as what I liked, but with brilliant stories I feel like a praising idiot. (It's my Norwegian aversion to give compliments, I think. I mean, in Norway, "not bad" can be considered a fairly good compliment. We're such an odd people sometimes.)

But then, we all use reviews for different things, don't we? Sometimes, it seems some just use them to comment on the stories, some just use it to say "I'm here", some to get their own reviews and some seem to manage to use reviews to say nothing at all. I'm always grateful for reviews, yes, but sometimes I do want to hold up a blinking neon sign with "AND YOUR POINT WAS?" It's spam in review form. And Cam does not much care for spam.

Maybe that's why fanfic writers can be such a wanky bunch sometimes and fandom is such a minefield. We all bring such different ideas of what it should be, what reviews should be and what standards it should be held to with us that it is walking on slippery ice. Sooner or later you slip. I guess learning to laugh at yourself when you're on your ass is the way to keep sane in it all.

And now, for your laughing pleasure, Thug!Cam. Check our my patriotic hat (gift from lotus79 - pic was taken in Brisbane by her almost two years ago) and general air of wanting to stomp on Gits. I swear it should come with "I Thug for my Fandom".

One meme 'o writing and one o'icons.

1. Comment and I'll pick one or two of your lj interests and write you a drabble.
2. You have no say as to what I write for you or as to how much it will suck.

Nicked from gehayi
I love looking at people's icons, but I don't always *get* them - I often wonder stuff like, "Who's that guy?" or "Where's that quote from?" but I tend not to ask, for various reasons. So come on, here are my icons. Pick one (or more!) you're curious about, and I'll try to explain it. Or at least explain what I like about it.

Comments

106 words

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Sniff. You wound me.

Delenn is from Babylon 5, a sci-fi show of pure genius. Cam still misses it. As for the other eight principles - they shall all be revealed when I take over the world.

And sicne you're late, you get a drabble I once wrote. So there.

The stars shone bright this night, hushing the world around. The moon basked all in silver, and shadows fell. Shadows that seemed to reach out and clutch his heart.

Elrond Peredhil, Lord of Rivendell, was riding to the Havens. At last the time had come to leave Middle-earth and cross the sea. The stars would be the same to gaze upon in Valinor, yet not. For Valinor had its own light.

Never again would starlight seem this precious. Never again would he see the Evening Star.

But across the sea waited another star, and he would have to tell her their daughter would not come.

Re: 106 words

[aervir.livejournal.com]

So it was Babylon 5 -- that explains a lot. I must have picked up that name by osmosis from my Sci-Fi-loving friends, who used B5 in order to cope with their Trekkie withdrawal symptoms when there wasn't enough Star Trek on TV. I must admit that I, personally, never watched B5, as I had enough trouble keeping the different Star Trek universes apart. :)

And thanks for the drabble! It is very sweet and very poignant at the same time, and I liked your choice of subject. I've always thought that the grief of Elrond's wife and Arwen's mother gets short shrift in LOTR. Celebrian doesn't even get a proper mention, and yet this must have been a family tragedy in its own right.

P.S: Am looking forward to your taking over the world, preferably introducing a theocracy based on New Asatru. ;)

Re: 106 words

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Babylon 5 is brilliant. You should watch it sometime - lots of LotR symbolism in there and all.

All shook look forward to my coup.