Karen said:
When I first hopped on IRC, I was amazed at just how friendly they were, and down to earth, especially with new people coming in going "OMG, I'm actually talking to <author>!"
Just couldn't resist this one. I did that. I tried IRC in 2002, had my own "omg I'm talking to..." Anyway, I had a heart attack and didn't try IRC again til 2003. And looking back now, I can easily say, it was just Pam Jernigan, get a grip, girl!
But I think the point I've learned over the years is that all of these 'icons'...well, they all put on pants one leg a time same as we do! And trust me, if there's an in-crowd, I missed the gathering! I've been in the out-crowd since the third grade; I'm usually more up on these things.
And Carol made my comment of the day:
My thought, though, is that *now* I am a newbie.
Ok I have to admit, back in the 'peak' if we're going to talk about peaks, I knew when I got feedback, it was going to be the same people. They knew what kind of story I was going to write before they even opened the thread. And now I talk to people, and it's like, "Well are you going to nfic this?" Errr no, that's not really my area... "Sounds like a two-parter here!" Errr...welll... I'm just waiting for someone to email me and finally say, "Well what *do* you write?"
But honestly, I've loved every minute of the new people. It's fun to pick up a new reader or two along the way! And even though my own hey-dey is hitting a low right now, I'd swear I've never seen so much enthusiasm from other people, and it's one of the reasons why I still nose around even if I stay fanfic'ed out.
JD
