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Thursday, February 19, 2004
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Here's a new fandom, though I won't be writing in it. I haven't the skill to do it well, nor the patience to acquire the skill.
I waited with some nervousness for "Master and Commander," the oddly named film version of Patrick O'Brians tenth book in the Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series (oddly named because that was actually the title of the first book, not the tenth). I say with "nervousness" because even though the early reports were encouraging, it was anyone's guess how well the characterization would honor O'Brian. And I knew fan fiction would inevitably follow—fanfic written by people who had no knowledge of the books, but had seen only the movie. Awful fanfic. Fanfic that would make me cringe, and would turn off whole crowds of people who might otherwise have read the original works.
Well—the movie was so stunningly good that I could think of nothing else for days. The fanfic followed, as expected. And it's surprisingly good too, though I think the only authors I can recommend have probably read the books too. Shalott, at least, has done. Her Aubrey/Maturin reads like what O'Brian would have written if he had wanted to write slash. Yet it isn't a slavish echo of his writing; it's hers, unique and quite wonderful, and completely true to Jack and Stephen.
Today I found Tiffany Rawlings' story, The Butcher's Bill, also true to the characters and to the voice of that time period.
Because of various circumstances, I was able to see the movie only once, so until the DVD becomes available, I'll have to make do with the fanfic, and damn, it's good.
I waited with some nervousness for "Master and Commander," the oddly named film version of Patrick O'Brians tenth book in the Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series (oddly named because that was actually the title of the first book, not the tenth). I say with "nervousness" because even though the early reports were encouraging, it was anyone's guess how well the characterization would honor O'Brian. And I knew fan fiction would inevitably follow—fanfic written by people who had no knowledge of the books, but had seen only the movie. Awful fanfic. Fanfic that would make me cringe, and would turn off whole crowds of people who might otherwise have read the original works.
Well—the movie was so stunningly good that I could think of nothing else for days. The fanfic followed, as expected. And it's surprisingly good too, though I think the only authors I can recommend have probably read the books too. Shalott, at least, has done. Her Aubrey/Maturin reads like what O'Brian would have written if he had wanted to write slash. Yet it isn't a slavish echo of his writing; it's hers, unique and quite wonderful, and completely true to Jack and Stephen.
Today I found Tiffany Rawlings' story, The Butcher's Bill, also true to the characters and to the voice of that time period.
Because of various circumstances, I was able to see the movie only once, so until the DVD becomes available, I'll have to make do with the fanfic, and damn, it's good.
- The BlahBlog -
I have written nothing lately. I have done nothing fan-related lately, other than update the Wide Wide West website I created for the WWW mailing list. I am so over my head in work that I fear I will never see daylight again. It's probably time to take on another fandom—that always gets the energy levels up.
Most of my writing is political nowadays, which is definitely not something I want to carry over into fandom. Fandom is where I go to escape the craziness of the rest of the world. But the depressing nature of the political writing seems to have damped down my interest in almost everything else—that and the grinding unending hours of work. Don't feel sorry for me—I'm self-employed. I can quit any time I want to. I'm a workaholic. But sometimes I wish I could just walk away and disappear for about two weeks.
Years ago, when I was married and had children, we went away to a time-share townhouse for a week. It had the most comfortable sofa I have ever known, and I spent that week lying in it, listening to the surf outside, and to the kids playing in the sand, and occasionally surfacing to eat something my husband prepared. That week came a year almost to the day after I opened my first computer store, back in the days when no one had heard of "computer stores," and I was so burned out that I wanted to change my name and run away. I still recall that week with pleasure, and I think I need another similar one.
I also think I need to write a marriage story for Jim and Artie from Wild Wild West. Bush is obviously going to use the gay marriage debate as another wedge issue to divide the country, and if I can't make any other contribution, I can at least get my guys married to each other. Accomplishing that in 1875 may be as much a problem as doing it in 2004, but I'll figure it out somehow.
I'm not really into issuing challenges, but if anyone happens to come across this blog and would like to contribute a fanfic marriage story (same-sex, obviously), I'll post it for you. Um, the usual disclaimers apply—mine, that is: You have to be able to spell, use more or less correct grammar (or put up with me correcting it for you), and not savage the characterization too badly. Have fun!
Most of my writing is political nowadays, which is definitely not something I want to carry over into fandom. Fandom is where I go to escape the craziness of the rest of the world. But the depressing nature of the political writing seems to have damped down my interest in almost everything else—that and the grinding unending hours of work. Don't feel sorry for me—I'm self-employed. I can quit any time I want to. I'm a workaholic. But sometimes I wish I could just walk away and disappear for about two weeks.
Years ago, when I was married and had children, we went away to a time-share townhouse for a week. It had the most comfortable sofa I have ever known, and I spent that week lying in it, listening to the surf outside, and to the kids playing in the sand, and occasionally surfacing to eat something my husband prepared. That week came a year almost to the day after I opened my first computer store, back in the days when no one had heard of "computer stores," and I was so burned out that I wanted to change my name and run away. I still recall that week with pleasure, and I think I need another similar one.
I also think I need to write a marriage story for Jim and Artie from Wild Wild West. Bush is obviously going to use the gay marriage debate as another wedge issue to divide the country, and if I can't make any other contribution, I can at least get my guys married to each other. Accomplishing that in 1875 may be as much a problem as doing it in 2004, but I'll figure it out somehow.
I'm not really into issuing challenges, but if anyone happens to come across this blog and would like to contribute a fanfic marriage story (same-sex, obviously), I'll post it for you. Um, the usual disclaimers apply—mine, that is: You have to be able to spell, use more or less correct grammar (or put up with me correcting it for you), and not savage the characterization too badly. Have fun!