"So I guess I shouldn't say it shouldn't be used as a gauge for anything. But, maybe, to be careful when using it as a gauge?"
Yes, I think that's a good perspective to take. It's a strange kind of writing limbo, producing fanfic; in real life I'm a filmmaker and work with my own and other people's writing all the time. But it's a long, time consuming process to get an end product, whereas fanfic has an immediacy which is very satisfying, but at the same time, it's quite short lived isn't it? And, as you say, you can fall into that trap of comparing your writing to another person's, and the reaction of their fic to yours, when there are just too many variables that affect how a work is received for it to be a valuable exercise. I guess you could do the same with published work - why is that writer selling more than me? etc.
I've definitely realized you have to let that stuff go and do it for no other reason than you need to put that idea down on paper (which is easier said than done, of course!) and that applies to anything creative, because it's just not a quantifiable thing.
With regards to Neal, I think that the finale has (understandably) created a surge of Peter love, so maybe that's affecting how it seems? I'm sure they'll be plenty of Neal centric things to read soon enough ;)
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chiming
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Date: 2012-03-03 08:17 pm (UTC)From:Yes, I think that's a good perspective to take. It's a strange kind of writing limbo, producing fanfic; in real life I'm a filmmaker and work with my own and other people's writing all the time. But it's a long, time consuming process to get an end product, whereas fanfic has an immediacy which is very satisfying, but at the same time, it's quite short lived isn't it? And, as you say, you can fall into that trap of comparing your writing to another person's, and the reaction of their fic to yours, when there are just too many variables that affect how a work is received for it to be a valuable exercise. I guess you could do the same with published work - why is that writer selling more than me? etc.
I've definitely realized you have to let that stuff go and do it for no other reason than you need to put that idea down on paper (which is easier said than done, of course!) and that applies to anything creative, because it's just not a quantifiable thing.
With regards to Neal, I think that the finale has (understandably) created a surge of Peter love, so maybe that's affecting how it seems? I'm sure they'll be plenty of Neal centric things to read soon enough ;)