Ann said" "I'm much, much more interested in recent trends. For now, it seems to me that deathfics are definitely gaining popularity here and that the character to off is Lois."

The scientist in me doth protest loudly! This is a common error... But I simply must point out that an occasional "blip" in the graph doesn't make a trend. Last year, we had several horrific hurricanes, but that does NOT mean that destructive hurricanes are on the rise, wane, or holding steady. We don't have the data yet. In five years, if the "trend" continues, THEN we can say that last season APPEARS to have been the START of a new trend. It's simply too soon to tell right now if last season was a blip or a trend.

I see this with standardized testing scores all the time. Two tests are done with students in grade X two or three years in a row. Then the school board beats their chest and makes announcements that show how much their changes are improving education. Based on what? Two data points, three at best. And to make matters worse, we have no idea how the two groups of students compare in terms of innate ability.

Data NEVER follows a smooth line on a graph. There are always little zig and zags, spikes and valleys. That's the way it works. So just because you see a little spike, there is no need to panic!

If we were to see numerous deathfic stories appearing each month on the archive, so that the monthly average increases for a year or two, then I'll agree that we might be seeing a trend. But I don't think you need to worry, Ann. My educated guess is that this is a random blip in the data. Happens all the time. It might even be followed with a period of NO deathfic. But that is less likely to get your attention, so you won't "notice" it and add it to your informal data set. It's called being human. We all do this, and it's the origin of many a superstition, I suspect.

And as a writer, I frankly don't want to be saddled with saving Lois or preserving the core characters or anything else. I want to write the story my muse and I conjure up. I want to write it well and make some sort of impact on the reader. I want to be creative, not write to please or change poll numbers.

And since fanfic writers write for the pleasure of it, I see no benefit of calling a writer on the carpet for not treating a particular character with "respect" in the view of a reader. I don't think it will change things and will only result in hurt feelings. I know that if someone wrote to me and said they hated how I wrote scene x or character y, I'd make NO effort to change what I'm doing. In fact, my stubborn side would be tempted to dig in my heels and do more of the same, but with greater intensitiy. evil (I'm a card-carrying member of the human race, and also have membership in the flaws club.)

Much better, I think to praise and recomend stories you LIKE and be quiet about the ones you don't. Science has proven that positive training is more effective anyways. smile

I just don't agree with the view that we have to write fanfic for the global benefits of the Superman legend. If we start doing that, we start quashing the very creativity that makes the fanfic so great. Let the writers write. If one doesn't like the outcome... hit the delete key.

Jackie

Jackie N.
jacalynsue@zoominternet.net