Ugh. I really promised myself I wasn't going to come back. But, since you specifically asked me, Carol. I at least have to come back to answer your request:
Wow, DJ! Why do you say I think that?
By your own comments here, Carol. I quoted them in my post to illustrate the point I was trying to make:
it's such a serious subject - more than any other on the boards.
That is what you said - plain as day. Those words say that you believe it is more serious than any other topic on the boards. I disagree. Just because it is the "dead horse" that keeps being beat... does not mean that it is the most serious. It just means that other people have stated their opinions and have fought their own battles on any other topics... and then have left them alone.
You say that kiddiefic and too heavy a-plot stories have been discussed. Well, I'll admit, I'm not all that active on a lot of discussions here. But I can say that in the time I've been here (since early in 2006) the only topic I've seen debated is "deathfic". I haven't seen anyone else debating any other genres <shrug - sorry, I just haven't seen it> And I personally don't believe the reason is that no one feels strongly about any other topics. I feel that the reason is because most people feel that "once" or maybe "twice" is enough to bring up a topic and then leave it alone. Not to continue bringing up a topic again and again throughout the course of a year. All angles have been explored, IMHO. All continuing to repost and rehash can do is emphasize that you believe everyone should feel as you do.
Now, on the topic of "beating a dead horse". Yes, you are entitled to feel that writing more Lois deathfic is "beating a dead horse", but then really... if that's the way you (or anyone else feels) than this board has outlived its usefulness by that definition. Because that's what ALL of our stories do. They are all just rewrites of the same basic things. 95% of the stories posted are about Lois & Clark romance. Stories of how they get together, fall in love -- so isn't that really "beating a dead horse"? We've seen them fall in love over and over again and in a variety of different ways. The difference is, that most people are not going to complain about reading yet another revelation story, or yet another story about how they could possibly fall in love.
And that same principle can be applied to just about any type of story. I'm currently writing another HoL rewrite. There have been tons of them done - so am I not "beating a dead horse"? What about the TOGOM rewrites - that could be beating a dead horse.
And I'm not saying that "Ann's" beating a dead horse isn't her "right". Obviously it is, or the admins would just shut the thread down. I'm just saying that she's one of the few people who "choose" to do that. Other people have strong views on many other subjects, but they don't continue to try to force people to see their POV. You say they may have in the past, and they may. But that's the point... it's in the past... not every 6 months.
And just so everyone understands. I love Ann to pieces. Her fdk is always so insightful thoughtful and inspiring.
But...
I have been at the receiving end before of some of her harshest criticism and let me tell you, it doesn't feel good. It hurts, to put it bluntly. And you know what? When I received it, I didn't even deserve it. Because I hadn't even written a deathfic. I had only explored in an in-between scene, something that had happened in the series. But Ann hadn't watched the series, so she didn't realize that. But still I got chastised and put through the wringer for what I had written. And that's just not fair, not to me, and not to any other writer. And that's the only reason I allowed myself to be goaded into this discussion... like someone else said... It can be extremely difficult to write something and put it out there for people to read. It makes it even worse if you're crucified for what you write. Makes you not want to write anything else and just slink off into a dark hole somewhere (especially depending on how sensitive you are) and I just don't think that's a healthy thing for these boards. Because these boards are about writing... about fanfiction.
But please, don't feel like I'm trying to persecute anyone here, Carol. I love you and Ann to pieces. I've gotten a lot of private fdk from you in emails, and I always take what you say to heart (even if it is constructive criticism - and I really appreciate those) and Ann is a doll for all the detailed fdk that she leaves for people. I just wish people could see how discouraging it can be for people's creative juices to be disparaged repeatedly, that's all. And I felt I could give an objective opinion because I rarely read deathfic and I even more rarely write it (the two "deathfics" I have written, I don't classify as deathfic. A - because Lois didn't stay dead; or B - because I was working off something from the show as simply an inbetween scene). So the opinion I was expressing wasn't defensive - trying to take up for something I wrote.
Anyway, I really am done now. If anyone wants to ask me to clarify anything that I've written further, feel free to PM me, but I won't post anything further in this thread... and if any such thread gets brought up yet again, I'll make sure to try to keep my own opinions to myself in that thread as well. But thanks for hearing me out.
-- DJ
