Interesting observations about driving the van. I've done it several times for different fandoms. I realized I really want to see comments on the recs I've made. I'm sure most people don't think to come back and comment but I think it really helps promote a fic if people comment on ones they liked, whether it is because of the rec or because they've already read it. Which is why I've decided to try and remember to comment in the future and I'm going back to comment on past recs I've enjoyed.
I will try most anything, though BDSM and MPREG aren't genres I'm likely to rec. I do rec death stories and I think a lot of people avoid them. I rec a lot of gen and I'm disappointed that there are so many who will only read slash. If a fan loves the characters I don't understand why they won't stretch their horizons enough to appreciate exciting,well-written, in character stories without having to get them into bed together. They miss a lot of great stories (and read a lot of bad ones I'm suspect). I've run into a number of authors who tell me they have started writing slash only because they want their stories to be read, which is sad. It leads to a lot of gratuitous porn slapped onto the end of stories and romances that are not meaningful in the stories and actually unbalance the writing. I'm not anti-slash. I read it, enjoy it, and rec it, but bad, cliche-ridden, unrealistic sex scenes in what is otherwise a well-written story annoy me. I think famdom suffers if there isn't support for a wide variety of styles and genres.
The awareness of fanfiction has really started hitting the mainstream in the last few years and it seems to overemphasize slash, probably because journalists find it the most sensational. Maybe as a result of that the percentage of slash seems to have really increased, to the point where there are some fandoms you can hardly find anything else. It gets ridiculous sometimes. I mean Mycroft and Lestrade - really? There is absolutely nothing in canon to indicate any chemistry between them or even possible compatibility.That's just an example. OK, rant off, sorry :-)
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Interesting observations about driving the van. I've done it several times for different fandoms. I realized I really want to see comments on the recs I've made. I'm sure most people don't think to come back and comment but I think it really helps promote a fic if people comment on ones they liked, whether it is because of the rec or because they've already read it. Which is why I've decided to try and remember to comment in the future and I'm going back to comment on past recs I've enjoyed.
I will try most anything, though BDSM and MPREG aren't genres I'm likely to rec. I do rec death stories and I think a lot of people avoid them. I rec a lot of gen and I'm disappointed that there are so many who will only read slash. If a fan loves the characters I don't understand why they won't stretch their horizons enough to appreciate exciting,well-written, in character stories without having to get them into bed together. They miss a lot of great stories (and read a lot of bad ones I'm suspect). I've run into a number of authors who tell me they have started writing slash only because they want their stories to be read, which is sad. It leads to a lot of gratuitous porn slapped onto the end of stories and romances that are not meaningful in the stories and actually unbalance the writing. I'm not anti-slash. I read it, enjoy it, and rec it, but bad, cliche-ridden, unrealistic sex scenes in what is otherwise a well-written story annoy me. I think famdom suffers if there isn't support for a wide variety of styles and genres.
The awareness of fanfiction has really started hitting the mainstream in the last few years and it seems to overemphasize slash, probably because journalists find it the most sensational. Maybe as a result of that the percentage of slash seems to have really increased, to the point where there are some fandoms you can hardly find anything else. It gets ridiculous sometimes. I mean Mycroft and Lestrade - really? There is absolutely nothing in canon to indicate any chemistry between them or even possible compatibility.That's just an example. OK, rant off, sorry :-)