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Co-mod the Britpicking, say? Erect barriers against the flood? That sort of thing?
It’s thankless work, I warn you. At the risk of incivility, and admitting at once that this is in despite of heroic efforts by fest mods, fests in the Potter fandom reflect this year I think a trend: as compared against prior years, and with many exceptions,* of allegedly beta-ed work that is not in any English known to man, weak participation, weak stories, an incredible disregard of any possible canonicity. It may perhaps not be deliberate, but it is wilful. People actually seem not to wish to learn, they resent criticism, and they meet the public taste of fandom perfectly, it appears. My fandom is going to the voles. One should think that in fest season, people should wish to put their best forrards, and to, oh, say, edit and Britpick and what not. This appears not to be the case.
I’m tired. I’m really very tired. Does anyone think we ought to go on? Or shall I at least simply give over, and say,
Americans! Overseas writers and readers! Go forth and rejoice! Send Harry to the shopping mall! Site Hermione’s ‘vacation home’ on ‘the outskirts of Nottinghamshire’! Give us British Wizards named Muller, Gruenwald, Kleinwald, and Holzer - and none named Amir or Khan or Begum! Congratulate yourselves on Celebrating Wizardkind’s Superior Diversity based on a misreading of British immigration patterns! Make Jim Bob LaFayette the next Minister of Magic - and make certain he runs for the job instead of standing for election! Don’t forget a big graduation party and a senior prom at Hogwarts! Give everyone manors and guilds and cod-pagan traditions! Plunder, pillage, and rape canon with a light heart! And if anyone bothers to suggest otherwise, don’t worry, the thread will get bogged down by everyone else’s obsessions soon enough, be it class, race, diversity, religion, global warming, or house elves!
Let me know, but don’t expect any speedy replies for a fortnight, because I’m in a mood of absolute sod-off-ness.
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* Yes, I am reduced to making these disclaimers lest I be wilfully misunderstood.Tags: boring self-indulgence, britpicking, fandom
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Oh, my goodness! If you're a tactile person, here's a hug! If not, then sit, put your feet up, and allow me to make you a nice cup of tea with a dash of something-or-other stronger!
It really is sometimes a very thankless job, beta reading and Britpicking. I've had my fair share of ugliness over the years. Thankfully, in my case, it's been just about balanced out by happy punters. But I do feel your frustration. Sadly, there is rather a large amount of readers (and writers) in this fandom that do not seem to care if a story is gramatically and canonically sound, so long as it includes Certain Aspects of character interaction (not to be crude). And the worst thing is the reply one gets when trying to point some of this out.
I hope it won't make you give up entirely. However, I have to say I understand entirely why you might wish to. You certainly deserve a break from it all, especially with the coming season and the heavier load coming your way!
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From: blueboyfey |
Date:
October 31st, 2011 04:59 pm (UTC)
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There ain't no Black in [fandom's] Union Jack
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If an American notices, I can imagine how bad it is for those across the pond. A comment on the lack of character diversity: Why are Blaise and the P twins the only nonwhites? And where are the South Asians?? (Although there is a lot of curry being eaten.) Class stratification? It's so well developed in JK's work, but a lot of fandom reads it as just a pure-blood wizarding issue.
As for as quality of writing... I do try to encourage struggling writers in my comments. They are still learning their craft and, well, not everyone is a great writer (ok, most people aren't).
Anyway, if you're feeling energetic and ever less soured on the whole deal (or for whomever takes over), why not promote your Britpicking site more? Have fest mods promote it, post it in the different communities, etc. I think part of the problem is that a lot of less establish writers struggle to find a beta. So the anxiety of also finding a Britpicker close to fest deadline is overwhelming. I bet most don't know about your site. Just an idea.
(I also think there should be specific "sex scene" betas because they are hard to write well and are they're own genre.)
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