Yet Another Writer Leaves

[la_samtyr]

I'm getting very upset with how things are going in one of my main fandoms these days. A lot of authors are leaving and worse, they just post something along the lines "I'm leaving, I'm done, moving on, thanks for enjoying my writing--good-bye" and then just basically delete everything but their final post, disable comments... and that's it. Well, I can understand this to a point. I mean, it's their lives, their work and they have a right to do as they please. I can understand that part. I'd hate for anyone to tell me what to do w/my el-jay. Now obviously, not everyone has done this. Several writers have been kind and given warning that they were leaving and posted a final chapter to whatever story they were working on at the time and gave those of us who were reading a chance to say goodbye, a chance at closure. I bless those writers. You know who you are--thank you for being so classy and may you someday be formally published writers. Maybe this is typical fannish behavior. Then again, I've heard rumors of cease and desist letters, and copyright issues turning up but that doesn't seem to be what's driving this, or at least not all of it. I can make a good guess what is going on but that's all it is--a guess. I was taught that a guess is the same as gossip/rumor and that to repeat it was "simply not done." So ok, I'm probably even wrong to say I have a good guess and then not tell but it seems like I've spent most of my life being wrong. I don't really know because most of the fandoms I'm in were long established by that point and had probably seen this cycle many times before. But as a newcomer, I wasn't used to it. And maybe I'm being a bad!fan in some ways but I mean, *Damn*! It hurts on so many levels because I feel that I know people through their writing but mainly this behavior on their part just reinforces my conviction that I really am an idiot, a loser and I deserve every bit of the hell my ex'es put me through for thinking I knew them and believed in them. I guess that the Deities are maybe trying to tell me to grow up, move on and get a life, I don't know anymore, I really don't. I suppose I have relied too heavily on life online but if you've followed my lj at all then you probably know that if I wasn't online I'd really be lost. I don't know if this is going to make any sense, I'm just rambling I guess. And I decided not to disable comments because if people want to say something to me, then go ahead.

Comments

[mobody.livejournal.com]

I have felt pretty much the same way. The problem is, that the fandom you are referring to contains many people who have never been involved in a real fandom before. Never written fic before, and long established fandoms do see things like this, but overall survive because they have many more people who are in multiple fandoms and don't stand for the game playing.

I was pretty upset when I saw several of my favorite authors friends lock their journals, more so I think to blackmail people into leaving comments so that they would be thrown a breadcrumb of a new chapter. Then there was one that simply deleted everything, it's the equivalent of a "virtual Fuck-you" to all the fans who have been loyal readers all along.

Then I realized... you know what. It IS their perogative to post or not post their stories. And there is LOTS of stuff to read out there, lots of writers who are grateful for their readers, and if they act like this, they deserve to lose readers and respect.

But if they change their mind and start writing/posting again, I will think twice before I would forgive and forget and welcome them and their stories with open arms. If they dont want to be here, who needs em. Move on and find something else to read. There is a lot out there.

[mel0804.livejournal.com]

a "virtual Fuck-you" to all the fans who have been loyal readers all along

This is why I love the English language so much. So open and direct - thank you ! I feel the same !

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have known about fandoms/fic for years but I never really was able to join in a serious manner until XFiles. So I'm a "young" fan in that respect. And I do have other fandoms but none that has been quite as 'life-changing' as this one has.

I didn't mind the f-locking too much since with all of the recent crackdowns on my:space and the parallel one here at el jay, I could understand their uneasiness. But what did bother me was the number of people I had friended and who apparently didn't bother checking their profile and made you ask to be friended. I mean, you would think... but that's another subject altogether.

But to simply delete *everything*, then make the last post "Sorry, moving on"... Yes, I agree totally that is the equivalent of a "virtual Fuck you" to all the fans. And that is one writer I won't bother with again, even if they do come back. Of course, they'll probably come back under another name and I'll be to dense to know the difference.

[mobody.livejournal.com]

At least one of those authors you are referring to has indeed come back with an LJ under another name. Probably others too.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Yeah and I'm going to be a lot more hesitant of new authors as a result. Assuming that that they are even writing in the fandom anymore.

[mel0804.livejournal.com]

Yeah and I'm going to be a lot more hesitant of new authors as a result.

Well - isn't that sad?!
I feel exactly the same. It's this kind of fear that you invest a bunch of feelings in a story and you will maybe left alone in the end with an unfinished story or an easygoing good-bye that only felt heartless, isn't it?
I don't start reading a new story until I see at least five or six chapters posted.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Very true. I tend to post very little fic because I write slow and until I have something finished, I don't want to post at all. Right now I have another fic that is over 98% finished, I just can't get the end quite right. (Though as my betas will tell you, I can spend days just getting one sentence to sound the way I want it to.)

[boltonia.livejournal.com]

It's funny how fanfic is regarded in different fandoms. In the XF fandom you rarely see WIPs. People don't really post their fic until it's complete. I'm beginning to see that is probably not the norm.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, XF did spoil me quite a bit. Although sometimes I wonder if it's due to the group or journal format that seems to limit the size of the post. A lot of the XF fics are huge, multi-chapter works but they are (usually) complete and often hosted on a site devoted to fics. Are WIPs common in Potter and LotR as well? I haven't really noticed but then I'm not as involved in them as I am in the others.

[boltonia.livejournal.com]

HP is rife with WIP. Basically, an HP fic will only be posted in its complete form if it's a single chapter story.

LotR is a bit better, but I haven't followed LotR fic for over a year. Boromir fic died off like he did so I wandered away in boredom. *le sigh*

[mobody.livejournal.com]

I don't think the stuff is really deleted. I think it is just locked private, so no one can access it. But the request not to share word docs if you have them saved, really says what its all about. Mean spiritedness. A "virtual fuck you" indeed.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

*Sigh* Yeah, that part bothers me a whole lot. I could see if there were C&D letters involved and if I thought they were trying to protect their readers. But since that doesn't seem to be the case (at least, not that I've heard), so I don't know why -- unless they are afraid of it happening due to someone's carelessness.

[bkm5191.livejournal.com]

what is your primary fandom?

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

As you probably know, I started out in XF and the "brother" fandom of Nick Lea characters (NL was Alex Krycek, in case you have forgotten), but I had been interested in ST:TOS and other scifi/fantasy (LotR, especially)for a *long* time. My second one are "My Teams", which became difficult due to the lockout, the new CBA/cap and the almost mass retirement of many players I grew up knowing but I've been working my remix fic (thankfully set prior to the lockout) and I'm gradually getting to know many of the young pups now and I'm hoping to enjoy their contribution to the game for many many years. I suppose I shouldn't have written that since I'm such a jinx but I haven't named anyone person or team so I should be ok. Which is an overly long way of getting to my "new" primary fandom, sorry but all this kind of helps me get things settled in my own mind, so I will have to beg your forgiveness. The fandom in question is "Brokeback Mountain" (aka *That Movie*). Why? Well that's a whole other post, which I will probably make at some point.

[boltonia.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Yes, it's disheartening to see people giving up lately. My main fandom right now is Harry Potter which got smacked pretty hard in the Strikethrough07 and now in Boldthrough07. The 2 artists banned for life were HP artists banned for slash art. So, I can see why the BBM fandom may be seeing some people flee. It's getting to be a scary fandom world. It'd be nice if some place like squidge.org would host journaling.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

It would be great if squidge would do that but I'm not sure if it's possible. There are other journals out there but I don't know--I hesitated so long before moving here and I don't know if I have enough energy to "relocate". And I never did really understand why "They" are so against the fans. Well I do in a way, but I know if I could have discovered fic sooner I would have kept my interest in *a lot* of different fandoms since the offical sites etc. were pretty barren. And I don't see that fans are taking anything away from them, I think we are keeping the fandom fresh and vital by participating. But then, you already knew I was weird to begin with. 0;)

[boltonia.livejournal.com]

I hesitated so long before moving here and I don't know if I have enough energy to "relocate".

Ditto! I ended up here because I started noticing a lot of the HP fics reccd on the mailing lists were here. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the HP fandom does. I'm just a sheep and I'll follow the herd. ;)

[anony-mouse19.livejournal.com]

i'm so upset about this too.i can understand that they don't want to write anymore for whatever reason they have.i don't get why they delete or don't give access to the stories.i mean everyone could've saved them right?people have it anyway.so why not leave them be?and why should the ones who saved them be nice and respectful etc.while they are not?they published it so it sort of became everyone's story.i think it's a bit cruel.and i'm not going to save anything.i didn't and i won't.if i want to reread i'll read the ones that are left.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I usually save stuff but this summer I have been plagued by server glitches and the fact that my main 'puter needs some serious work. My printer went bad a long time ago or I would have printed out *a lot* more than I did. *sigh* We'll just have to hope that things settle down soon, 'cause the stress is bad for everyone involved.