Thanks for all the links! I swear I would never know anything that was going on in fandom if it weren't for link posts. *G*
As for your question, I think fanfiction becomes too self-indulgent to post when it either loses coherence or the connection to the canon. Or, obviously, both. Also, when it's more about you as the author than about the source material. That could manifest as indulgence in kinks without proper setup, it could manifest in a blatant Mary Sue, it could manifest in "issue fic," wherein the characters care passionately about an issue that, given the canon, they either wouldn't care about or wouldn't share the author's opinion on.... It could manifest any number of ways, in other words.
It's true that there's a core of self-indulgence at the heart of just about every story, and I'm not limiting that to just fanfiction, either. For a lot of people, writing is therapy, myself included. I'm not about to deny anyone that outlet. However, there's a huge difference between writing something and publishing it, and by publishing I mean making a work available in any public way. If you're going to publish a piece of writing, then that piece of writing is no longer just therapy, it's communication. And when it comes to communication, it's important that you not only be clear in what you're saying, but that you say something of interest to people other than yourself.
This is just one more area where I think beta readers come in handy, honestly. Aside from any technical assistance they provide, beta readers can also tell you if what you're saying a) makes sense and b) holds interest to at least a few people who don't live inside your head. As much as I'm sure we'd all like to think every one of our passing thoughts is of vital interest to everyone else on the planet, the fact is that's just not the case (something Anne Rice would do well to learn, to get topical for a moment). Your beta reader can tell you when you've crossed that line before you make a public ass of yourself.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2004-09-23 10:03 pm (UTC)As for your question, I think fanfiction becomes too self-indulgent to post when it either loses coherence or the connection to the canon. Or, obviously, both. Also, when it's more about you as the author than about the source material. That could manifest as indulgence in kinks without proper setup, it could manifest in a blatant Mary Sue, it could manifest in "issue fic," wherein the characters care passionately about an issue that, given the canon, they either wouldn't care about or wouldn't share the author's opinion on.... It could manifest any number of ways, in other words.
It's true that there's a core of self-indulgence at the heart of just about every story, and I'm not limiting that to just fanfiction, either. For a lot of people, writing is therapy, myself included. I'm not about to deny anyone that outlet. However, there's a huge difference between writing something and publishing it, and by publishing I mean making a work available in any public way. If you're going to publish a piece of writing, then that piece of writing is no longer just therapy, it's communication. And when it comes to communication, it's important that you not only be clear in what you're saying, but that you say something of interest to people other than yourself.
This is just one more area where I think beta readers come in handy, honestly. Aside from any technical assistance they provide, beta readers can also tell you if what you're saying a) makes sense and b) holds interest to at least a few people who don't live inside your head. As much as I'm sure we'd all like to think every one of our passing thoughts is of vital interest to everyone else on the planet, the fact is that's just not the case (something Anne Rice would do well to learn, to get topical for a moment). Your beta reader can tell you when you've crossed that line before you make a public ass of yourself.