Classicalla:
Well, I’ve been lurking since 1998. But I didn’t start posting until July.
Wow. That is some
serious lurking!
Wendy, what does LJ mean?
I'm not Wendy, obviously, but LJ is LiveJournal.
Of course that isn’t always true, but I wonder if some of the folks that are considered ‘icons’ ever take a look at some of the newer authors’ stories. I know they watch for new stories because I see them post when one of those other ‘icons’ post a story.
Well, I'm still new here - or at least I think I am. Now that we've thrown previous fandom experience into the mix, I'm not entirely sure of the formula, but I'm pretty sure I qualify as new in this fandom. I'm "old" in other places, however, so maybe I can offer one possible explanation for the phenomenon you describe, based on my own experiences.
Fandom interest varies in duration from person to person, but if you hang around a fandom long enough and aren't a complete pain in the butt, you're likely to make friends there. And if, while you're making friends, you consistently write readable stories, you're likely to develop some sort of following as an author. Neither of these things necessarily happens overnight, however, and by the time your popularity as an author hits its peak, there's a chance that your interest in the fandom might just be waning. But you have all these friends there, so even though you've reached the point where the thought of reading or writing one more story about _____ makes you slightly queasy, you can't bring yourself to leave the fandom entirely. You move on to other things, yes, whether real life things or new fandom things, but you poke your head in at the old place, too, every now and then, just to touch base with those old friends. Gradually, the authors' names on the new fics get less and less familiar, but every now and then, one of those wonderful old friends - who are, after all, the real reason you poked your head in in the first place - will post a fic. And of course you'll read it. And you'll let them know you read it. And it's really not an insult to the new people that you're doing this, and it doesn't mean that you think they're not capable of writing good stories. It's just that you're more motivated by friendship at this point than by genuine interest in the fandom.
I certainly don't pretend to speak for anyone else here; I just offer the above up as one possible explanation. I honestly don't think that new writers are being denied a "fair shake" from anyone here. It's just kind of the way fandom works - one wave of authors gives way to the next, and then the next, and each successive group has to put in the time to prove themselves.
I have thoughts on the weighty 'everyday' versus 'every day' issue as well (I definitely don't use the former in every case) but it's past midnight, and I need some sleep!
Caroline
