mithen: (Default)
mithen ([personal profile] mithen) wrote in [community profile] superhero_muses2018-06-01 09:10 am

Open Thread: Oracle Hotline

--Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

This question on the list made me laugh and I couldn't resist putting it here, because I have zero interest in being original! But at the same time I don't particularly worry about giving readers what they want? The big advantage of fanfic for me is that I don't have to focus on either of those things, I can write whatever cliched trope I enjoy. For me the challenge is seeing if I can execute a cliche in a way that's fun to write and also fun to read.

And I'm having a lot of fun with vampire fic right now, and also with the nonfiction! The nonfiction is an interesting case because I'm writing up a history of my two favorite wrestlers (and have been for more than a year now) and it's clear that fanfic has really been excellent preparation for it? A lot of the (non-slash, of course) ideas and emotions I explored in fic about them have slipped into the history at some level and made it a lot stronger, I think. I only have one more essay to go in it and I am suffering horrible separation anxiety, I have to confess! It's been such a fun project, my faves have gotten a lot of pleasure from it, and I am not sure what I'm going to do with myself when it's done.
me_ya_ri: white lotus flower on green water with reflection in the water (Default)

[personal profile] me_ya_ri 2018-06-01 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
That's... kind of a weird question. I mean, you always want to give readers what they want: a good story. But you also want it to be something that they didn't know they wanted until they read it. That's kind of the point.

*shakes head*

I'm having fun with Flying Dutchmen in Space right now, with an all-female cast. It's (hopefully) a short story because at the same time I'm fighting with my mailing list provider to get something working. And failing. Utterly failing. It's very frustrating so happy place stories are required to compensate.

Have fun with your projects--they both sound great!