I'm 49 but I only discovered fanfiction in 2002, so my first real experience of the fan community was through Livejournal. So that's been so much fun.
I'm ten years older than you, and I discovered fandom with Star Trek in the late sixties. I have been in fandom a long time, but mostly as a reader. I contributed art and stories early on, but I haven't been active as a content producer in a long time. If my friend Vala3 hadn't hooked me on Stargate Atlantis (paying me back for hooking her on Star Trek years ago) I wouldn't be here. Only a small group of films and TV shows have intrigued me to the level of wanting to produce fanworks. I haven't 'gone deep' on many of them, but the ones I have I still keep up with. Star Trek will always by my baseline fandom.
I attended conventions when they were inexpensive, but I don't go now. If I did attend one it would be a fan con like Escapade. I am very lucky to be a member of a long running Star Trek fanclub, so I have tended to regard on line fandom as a content provider for stories and fanart, but not as a fannish social outlet. That has now changed, but I need to relearn the rules because as a content provider again, I need to get a sense of what is expected. Thanks for your comments on comments, LOL.
"how much information do I reveal" -- I struggle with this. By nature I am outgoing, yet I need to be cautious. If I had to do it over I would try to be more like some of my fannish mentors and say NOTHING unlocked about my personal life
I'm struggling with this too. I'm just beginning to feel comfortable on DW and LJ too, but I've found the learning curve very difficult. I have been slowly coming out a lurkdom and hoping I have enough grasp of fandom nuances to not annoy people. I tend to be a bit more formal than most of the voices I am reading. This has to do with my age and my wariness, and I think your fannish mentors are wise in advising you to compartmentalize and keep your personal life under flock.
My attitudes toward concrit comes pretty much from the understanding that fan writing is many times the first place writers display their work to others, there is a vulnerability inherent in this that deserves kindness. This isn't to take anything away from the long hard slog that most writers will go through to enhance their craft, and the important role concrit plays in that process, and that most of the best writers seek it out with a humility that still astonishes me. So at the risk of being a comment wuss, I won't do any concrit in comments. I'm just not comfortable doing that.
Thanks again for your welcome and thanks for checking out my journal.
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Re: hi! and feedback
Date: 2010-03-18 04:00 am (UTC)I'm ten years older than you, and I discovered fandom with Star Trek in the late sixties. I have been in fandom a long time, but mostly as a reader. I contributed art and stories early on, but I haven't been active as a content producer in a long time. If my friend Vala3 hadn't hooked me on Stargate Atlantis (paying me back for hooking her on Star Trek years ago) I wouldn't be here. Only a small group of films and TV shows have intrigued me to the level of wanting to produce fanworks. I haven't 'gone deep' on many of them, but the ones I have I still keep up with. Star Trek will always by my baseline fandom.
I attended conventions when they were inexpensive, but I don't go now. If I did attend one it would be a fan con like Escapade. I am very lucky to be a member of a long running Star Trek fanclub, so I have tended to regard on line fandom as a content provider for stories and fanart, but not as a fannish social outlet. That has now changed, but I need to relearn the rules because as a content provider again, I need to get a sense of what is expected. Thanks for your comments on comments, LOL.
"how much information do I reveal" -- I struggle with this. By nature I am outgoing, yet I need to be cautious. If I had to do it over I would try to be more like some of my fannish mentors and say NOTHING unlocked about my personal life
I'm struggling with this too. I'm just beginning to feel comfortable on DW and LJ too, but I've found the learning curve very difficult. I have been slowly coming out a lurkdom and hoping I have enough grasp of fandom nuances to not annoy people. I tend to be a bit more formal than most of the voices I am reading. This has to do with my age and my wariness, and I think your fannish mentors are wise in advising you to compartmentalize and keep your personal life under flock.
My attitudes toward concrit comes pretty much from the understanding that fan writing is many times the first place writers display their work to others, there is a vulnerability inherent in this that deserves kindness. This isn't to take anything away from the long hard slog that most writers will go through to enhance their craft, and the important role concrit plays in that process, and that most of the best writers seek it out with a humility that still astonishes me. So at the risk of being a comment wuss, I won't do any concrit in comments. I'm just not comfortable doing that.
Thanks again for your welcome and thanks for checking out my journal.