Current Mood: Pissed, tired and lacking chocolate.
Well, I didn’t really want to post it this way, but I ran out of room in the comment form. Oh well. So there’s no confusion, (Ironic, really, that this led to another rant), here‘s what was posted in my Livejournal. I just finally checked my journal today to see this:
I didn't bother to read this rant. I mean why bother. Blah, blah, blah!! I only pop by on the slim chance in hell that maybe you'll finally finish "Cast Away". Really, don't say you don't have the time. These meaningless rants could be a fricken novel by now. Do I sound bitter? Oh hell yeah!! Maybe that could be the subject of your next word fest. Have you ever considered passing the story on? There are a lot of really good writers out there who take fan fic seriously. Remember your Spike/dolphin idea? That one still gives me the creeps by the way. So now you work at a pharmacy? Good for you. That's a mature, responsible job for an adult. You know what is also a mature, responsible thing? Finish what you start!! And if your not the person for the job then give it to some one else who is capable. Hey, this bitch fest thingy does feel kind of good. Of course, I'm sure it has fallen on deaf ears. What can I say that people haven't been saying for sometime. And this is long over do I might add. Please update your stories.
MaidenRo
Dear MaidenRo,
You know, I always appreciate an avid fan. I'm glad you enjoy my stories. I am sorry that I haven't updated Castaway, or any of my other stories in a long while, and I do have a number of reasons why it's taken so long. It's because I prioritize. How do I do this? Well, I take a look at things in my life that need doing and I do them in the order of importance. Family, Pets, Work, De-stressor activities (Kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, whenever I manage to get a damn day off), Work on various plot-bunnies that hopping madly about my computer.
Notice where fan fiction falls in this list of priorities? Yeah. It’s last. You know why? Because I don’t intend to compromise those other priorities that, you know, keep me happy, fed and sane.
Now, I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told people when they insisted I change the ending of Pride and Prejudice.
These are my stories. I write them because I enjoy writing them. I will post what feels right to me. I do not compromise my stories nor myself because of criticism. I love all my fans, but the fact of the matter is, I don’t write for them. I write for myself. Don’t get offended by that, because, hey, it’s true. Celebrities say all the time that they do a movie/tv show/theatre ’for the fans’ but that is such utter bullshit. They do what they do for the publicity, ego-trip, fat paycheck, recognition and whatever the hell else. I’m not begrudging them that, to each their own, but for me, it’s not about the fans. I love that people enjoy my stories, I’m flattered by what small recognition I have in the fandom, but I won’t bullshit about the fact that I DO THIS BECAUSE I ENJOY IT! IT IS A GODDAMN HOBBY!
I don’t get paid. I don’t get royalties from Mutant Enemy, or even the occasional blow-job from Joss Whedon. In fact, I’m paying out over a hundred and forty dollars a year to support HIS show and pimp his characters out to an internet audience.
Fanfiction is my hobby. It is not my first priority by a long shot. Most people seem to understand this and don’t attack me for not updating my stories in what they deem is a timely fashion. When I feel that I have a good continuation of Castaway (Unlike the ones that are currently littering my desktop), I will update. Or I could just post utter crap that’s cliché, with dry dialogue or, as was suggested to me by some eviler fans, I could end Castaway with ’Rock falls, everyone dies, including cute little Will.’
Now, the way I see it, you have a few choices. You can either pay me to be your own personal little type-writer monkey and trust me, the cost will be dear, decide not to continue reading my stories, (in which case I can honestly say I am sorry to lose a fan, but them’s the breaks,) or you can come to my house, kill my family, kill my pets, make me lose my job and steal my kayak, (I wouldn’t suggest this one. I sleep with large swords in my room), or you can wait until Castaway is updated.
I will repeat this again, in case you’ve missed it the first time.
Fanfiction is my hobby. I will not compromise my personal life, my happiness nor what small creative urges I have for the fan fiction god anymore. I already sacrificed my grades in high school for this hobby, causing myself to lose out on a scholarship and I ended up in community college instead of Temple, and, as a mature, responsible adult, I learned from my stupid, immature mistakes and rectified them.
I will update Castaway when I update it. I will update Evil Dead when I update it. I will update “insert story of choice here” when I update it.
In the meantime, check your attitude, honey. I don’t know if you know, but this attitude is why a lot of really good writers (much, MUCH better writers than me) have dropped out of the fandom, never to be seen there again. They got pissed off at the fighting, snippiness and pure audacity of people who assumed that they were not people on the other side of the computer screen, but mindless automatons turning out fine-quality smut for the appeasement of the rapid masses. Remember those writers are living, breathing human beings with their own needs, desires and problems outside of your own little internet world.
I’m sorry if you or any other fan is pissed off by this, but this shit is really getting on my fucking nerves. I love you guys, but Jesus Christ on a Pogo Stick….imagine every time you open up your mailbox, you see shit like this. It’s getting goddamn irritating.