Well, then...

[przed]

Just got an email comment on my second UNCLE slash story, written, oh, about 15 years ago. It included the following gem:

"You have a knack for plot, and your dialogue isn't bad. :) Practice makes perfect, ne?"

I am soooo tempted to send a snarky reply, but think I shall settle for amused silence.

(BTW, I'm not saying the story's a gem. Those early UNCLE stories were a bit rough. But, man, I think my dialogue is better than not bad. *g*)

Comments

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

Perhaps English is not her first language (the "ne" is either an anime affectation or she may be Asian). In any case, I think it may be a kindly-meant pat on the head from someone who thinks "do your best!" is the greatest response to creative endeavors.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Based on her profile, I'd say American with anime affectations. (She claims to live in a cornfield. I suppose she could be ex-pat Asian, but I'm thinking not.)

I'm trying not to respond with the snark, because I'm half-convinced it was well-meant. If only condescension weren't such a red flag for me.

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

I honestly think the smiley face is supposed to indicate that it's well-meant. You don't really hang out on the MFU coms and she would have had to have found your website by googling/digging around for it so she might think you're trying out the fandom for the first time and haven't moved on to the coms/in to the archives yet.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Which is a fair enough assessment. I really haven't been active in UNCLE for years. It's just amusing as hell from my end, considering the number of years I was really active in the fandom. (Way pre-LJ, of course.)

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

That's the thing, I think people are skipping from fandom to fandom so much any more that half the time they don't really know any of the background stuff. When I've become interested in a fandom it's because I've seen/read all of the canon (or am doing so as the canon is in the process of airing) and because I've read at least a large percentage of the archived stories/older stories at the coms. I think I was hanging out at LI'73, reading and commenting for about two-three months before I ever posted anything there. I really don't want this to come off as a "hey kids get off my lawn thing" but I've recently seen people posting stories/leaving comments at both LoM and Pros where they've said "I haven't watched all of the show yet" or "I've only seen four episodes." I think it was about a year ago where someone posted at LI'73 to ask which one was Sam and which one was Gene as she was about to post a story and wanted to check. Egads!

I recognize writers names in my fandoms that haven't been active in them in years/who have long since moved on to other fandoms but I don't think that would be common any more. My experience with the newb who thought I should be encouraged to write my second story isn't an isolated one.

Ah, I followed the name you mentioned further down and she does indeed appear to be a bit of a fandom butterfly. Her recs cover multiple fandoms.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I held off on reading Pros fanfic for a couple of years until I could finally track the episodes down. (This was in the late '80s/early '90s, and finding Brit shows that didn't air over here was a nightmare.) And I'll never tackle a fandom until I'm familiar/comfortable with the canon, and have read a heck of a lot of fic in the fandom.

Alas, that definitely seems to be an attitude whose time is fading, in some areas of fandom, anyway.

I think not being able to tell Sam from Gene is actually worse that not being able to tell Bodie from Doyle. Marginally, anyway.

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. Bodie and Doyle are almost twins in comparison to Sam and Gene. *g*

[gritsinmisery.livejournal.com]

One does wonder WTF a suchlike person is doing in the middle of Muncle-land. I offer up prayers unto the fic-gods that she's not going to try her hand at NCIS fic -- badfic abounds in that fandom.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Well, if you see a certain sqkiwibird pop up, you might want to run away. I'm just sayin'.

[gritsinmisery.livejournal.com]

Dunno that I'd read anybody's fic whose handle I couldn't pronounce... *jk*

Seriously, there are BNFs in the LJ NCIS comms that I avoid like the plague, and not because their ship is not my ship or some other such fanwank rot. They're just horrible writers. One cranks out five or six drabblish-length completely OOC Ducky/Gibbs fics a week, to the point where you have to skip through 25 pages of her stuff on the archive (it doesn't help that her initials are AA) should you be interested in the pairing.

[przed.livejournal.com]

If I'm ever in the mood for NCIS fic, I shall consult you on who to avoid. *g*