|
|
|
April 27th, 2012
07:32 am - 50 Shades of Grey - I don't get it
The thing that really surprises me about so much of the coverage and discussion of 50 Shades of Grey is the perception that this is somehow a unique or unusual situation. So the author filed off the serial numbers of her Twilight fic and published it as original fic - this isn't a new thing! I guess it's new in one regard: she's openly acknowledging that it was originally fanfic while most authors who take this route go to great lengths to obscure their stories' origins.
But it's surprising to me how much of the media coverage acts as though the very act of being "inspired" by existing stories is so novel that it requires extensive debate and consideration. The debate isn't whether it's okay to publish fanfic, but whether it's okay to publish fic that's been "inspired" by other literature or media, again, treating it as a very unusual situation. It hits one of my pet peeves - the way we fetishize "originality" as if that was the end all and be all of literature and blatantly ignore the way that ALL storytellers are influenced by other stories. Which is how authors like Diana Gabaldon can admit that the hero of her bestselling series was inspired by Jamie from Dr. Who and then condemn fanfic or Jasper Fforde can write a series that's obviously transformative literature that borrows from a variety of well-known texts, but then grouse about how he doesn't understand why fanfic writers don't just write something "original."
ALL writers are influenced by the stories and media that they consume - sometimes those connections are obvious to everyone, sometimes they're obscured to those who aren't in the know, some authors acknowledge and discuss their influences and others hide them, but they're always there, to some degree or another, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's how literature works and it's bizarre to me that the entire professional publishing industry, as well as the literary press, seems to have agreed to pretend as though that were not the case, and that most stories (and clearly most SUPERIOR stories) spring fully-formed from the authors' heads with no external influences whatsoever. It's a very weird shared delusion, and I'm not sure who it benefits. . .
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
April 24th, 2012
10:16 am - Social Media, Social Isolation, and How People Perceive Online Interactions
I really enjoyed this thought provoking response to the latest article arguing that social media makes us more isolated and distant from one another.
It's a relief to see someone argue that social media can connect us rather than isolate us, since that's so profoundly my experience. I think this quote really sums it up for me: "In short, I think this is because we are shifting from “ascribed ties” –people you inherit as close ties such as your family and your neighbors—to “achieved ties” –people you connect based on shared affinities and with whom you interact using multiple means of communication." I'm someone who believes deeply in family of choice, in finding and creating your network, and to a very large extent the internet has allowed me to do that (and also allowed me to stay connected to those members of my "ascribed" network that I very much want to stay in touch with).
The other part of this post that I found really fascinating is the theory that some people simply lack the ability to translate from online interactions to the equivalent in-person interaction. As someone who perceives online interactions as just as "real" as in-person interactions, this is something I've really struggled with understanding - how can some people just not see that those friendships are just as legitimate, authentic and intense as friendships based primarily on in-person interactions? But the comparison between this and dyslexia really helped me grock that in a way that I haven't before.
I also wonder about the connection between these two points - are people who believe strongly in "achieved ties" ALSO more likely to perceive online interactions as real? ALSO, we seem to have moved to a place where it's pretty socially acceptable to date via online dating sites and many people meet their longterm partners online -- these relationships tend to be seen as real (in my experience) -- is there a difference between the way these relationships are perceived vs. friendships that remain primarily online, rather than "migrating" to offline interactions?
I'm very interested in other people's opinions about all of this, so feel free to chime in with your take!
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
April 16th, 2012
08:26 am - Baby's first podfic
I've been an avid consumer of podfic for years and I've wanted to record podfic for a while. I finally got my act together and downloaded the software, bought a mic, etc. and I'm getting my feet wet with a tiny podfic of a lovely untitled kiss ficlet that ![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) girlpearl wrote last summer for my prompt, "Frank/Gabe/Gerard, snuggling."
You can download it here (4MB, 4:22 minutes). Or, if you'd rather not download something so bite-sized, you can also listen to it streaming:
Untitled kiss ficlet by Fabusina
( a few additional thoughts: )
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
April 14th, 2012
06:51 pm - Notfic: Pete Wentz: Failiest Ally
Someday, girlpearl and I will post the long, plotty, semi-serious fic we've been working on together for a long time. Today is not that day. . .Instead, have a little ridiculous bit of notfic (which, sadly, we've ALSO been working on forever).
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! If reading about Pete Wentz being ridiculous isn't enough for you, there's also a podfic, read by Pearl.
Title: Pete Wentz: Failiest Ally (a notfic)
Band: primarily Fall Out Boy with cameos from other bands
Pairing: Pete/Gabe
Disclaimer: MikeyWay said it best: don’t Google yourself.
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2,500
Summary: Pete is a really supportive best friend. Whether his friends need his support or not.
Warning: Characters oversimplifying sexual identity and gender politics. Fanon characterizations.
Podfic: Downloadable here
eta: Now available streaming (and with AMAZING cover art by akamine_chan, although I can't seem to make it show up!):
Failiest Ally by Fabusina
( Pete Wentz: Failiest Ally )
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
March 28th, 2012
12:21 pm - Apparently I'm just doing memes now?
The WIP meme, as seen everywhere:
1. Go to page 77 (or 7) of your current ms.
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they're written.
4. Tag 7 other authors. If you would like to do this meme, consider yourself tagged!
All the bandom fic I'm currently working on is either super short/early stage or co-written (and it feels weird to post snippets of that). But I've been toying with an old SGA fic that I'd still like to finish - have a snippet of that!
( a snippet of untitled SGA fic )
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
March 24th, 2012
09:49 am - Nothing to see here. . .
Just my to do list for the weekend -- putting it where I can find it easily and I have theoretical accountability: ( cut to spare your reading lists )
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
March 23rd, 2012
07:31 am - TGIMFF
This week has been SUPER stressful and mostly I just want to win the lottery so I don't have to worry about shit any more. BUT there are good things!
1. In anticipation of some extra money I'm supposed to be getting Real Soon Now, I bought myself a tiny refurbished Dell laptop to replace my old one that finally bit the dust. It's super lightweight but bigger than a netbook (the keyboard works great for my ridiculously small hands) and exactly the thing I need for traveling and throwing in my bag to go to a coffee shop. Now I want to buy myself a cute laptop bag for it, since my boring business-y one is for work and Daughter has appropriated my kick-ass bag with skulls and crossbones all over it (which, honestly, isn't big enough for when I'm actually traveling and I want to pack knitting, extra knitting, books, extra books, snacks, etc. in addition to my laptop).
2. Bitchin' Party in ONE WEEK! I keep being surprised by people who I didn't realize were going to be there, so clearly I'm not in the know about all of your lives! If you ARE going to be there and would like to make sure we meet up, let me know! <user name=girlpearl> and I are arriving at 1:10 on Friday and leaving at 11:30 on Monday and we're staying at the con hotel.
3. Related: what the hell do I need to pack? I understand that it's still "winter" (a term I no longer fully understand) in Seattle, so I'll need warmer clothes - is there anything I need to be sure to pack? What about stuff other than clothes - anything that I should be sure to throw into my suitcase? (I'm planning on checking a bag, which I almost never do, so I'll have more flexibility around packing.)
4. Friday! It's birthday-a-palooza this weekend with <user name=anonknewmoose>'s birthday celebration tonight and <user name=umbo>'s birthday celebration on Sunday. Should be great fun!
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
March 20th, 2012
06:37 am - Help with mb4 (audiobook) format on iphone
I recently switched to an iphone 4s. I've been using itunes to store music and podfic for years and I've never had a problem getting all my podfic onto my older ipod - my preferred format is mb4, because I like stories to be treated as audiobooks, but everything has always loaded onto my ipod without a problem.
BUT, when I try to sync itunes with my new iphone, some (maybe all?) of the mb4 podfics just don't show up. Not on the playlist I've created for them, not under audiobooks, can't be searched, etc. When I checked to sync all audiobooks, one of the mb4 podfics (of probably 30 or more) was added to my iphone, but again, not to the correct playlist and not to the audiobooks area under music (it appears under albums with the chapters as songs).
Is there a fix for this? Some setting I need to change or something? Can I convert them to mp3's in itune? Or do I need to go back and download the mp3 versions of these podfics?
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
March 16th, 2012
03:24 pm - Inspirational picspam for Ande, for. . . *reasons*
For andeincascade, some images to get the creative juices going! ( it rains and it pours when you're out on your own. . . )
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
March 13th, 2012
11:17 am - I ain'tn't dead
February kind of bled into March and I've been struggling with various and sundry stressful situations, but I'm trying to dig myself out of the hole I've gotten myself into. So much love to everyone who's helped me get through this rough patch - I seriously don't know what I would do without you guys.
It also helps that we've had a couple of days of sunshine and the wildflowers are blooming -- the next few months are pretty much the best time of year in Austin. AND I have a few things to look forward to: Bitchin' Party in less than 3 weeks, a fangirl weekend in Wimberly in April, and duckie77's wedding in May. I'm super excited to get so much time with friends in the next few months.
In fannish news, I'm really enjoying all the mixes, art, vocal performances and stories for Bandom Reverse Big Bang. Major props to the mods for organizing this - it's been a fantastic challenge so far and they've done a great job keeping everything organized and on track! I would definitely participate in another challenge like this. (I sort of want the recursive round, where people make art/mixes/vocal performances based on the stories that were written for this round and then writers claim that art to inspire new stories - like fannish telephone!)
I was able to choose a very inspiring mix by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2) defect_no9 and I had great fun writing to it! The master post for our collaboration is here (my story is PatD 3.0 with a pan-bandom supporting cast and the primary pairing is Brendon/Spencer/Ian). If you enjoy the mix, please give defect_no9 some love - she did a great job putting it together and it tells a very clear story.
Up next for me: finishing the story that girlpearl and I are collaborating on, then beginning to work on BBB with andeincascade.
Crossposted here ( comments). Comment either on LJ or DW.
|
|
|
