Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 12: What I Bring

In your own space, talk about what you bring to fandom. It can be something tangible, or not. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I'm a writer.  I write original and fannish things.  I also make whole new worlds.  Some of those, like Schrodinger's Heroes, are explicitly intended for other people to play in.

I'm an editor.  I give feedback on friends' work.  I enjoy helping folks improve their writing.

I'm a reviewer.  I recommend cool things so more people can appreciate them.

I'm a scholar.  This helps me spot patterns, some of which are very useful, like describing the developmental arc of identity literature.  Also it's gotten me into putting reference links after my writing, so if I bring up a difficult topic, you're not left holding the bag, there are resources for dealing with it.

I'm an activist.  I use literature to show people what is possible.  Pretty much anything that is an idea or practice rather than an object or power can feasibly be transported from one universe to another.  So I look for things that can make the world a better place and bring them here.  Other times I point out the flaws in what people are doing here.  I fill in gaps where some people are not represented, or are portrayed negatively.

I am a bard by talent, vocation, and profession.  This is what I am; this is what I do.

Art

 Heart fist.

Character Traits

Here's a list of traits that are often mishandled. I don't think you should dump them though. I think you should know what the hell you're doing.

1) Inexplicably chaste.

You don't need to explain your character's sex life. Maybe they're asexual! Or demisexual. Or just haven't found the right person. Or they've been busy with, oh, saving the universe or surviving alien jungles or anything else more important than sex.

The problem come when a previously chaste character decides to have a relationship and/or sex without any mention of what changed and why.

2. Culturally Anomalous

You can have this motif when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. It fits a majority of my characters. I love writing outcasts. I also love using them to poke holes in their society.

Just try not to be a prejudiced dick with this one. It's easy to hurt feelings here.

3. Unaffected by Hardship

Largely valid. Experiences shape people. Ignoring that makes you look incompetent and undermines your story.

However, some people are far less affected by hardships than others, especially if they've already had a rough life.  They may very well not care about going hungry for two days or ignore the fact that there's a three-inch gash on one arm.

4. Lightspeed Learner

Perfectly plausible if that's your character's superpower. There are plenty of people like this, especially if it's mainly in one area of expertise or a cluster of related things.

Not plausible if they're supposed to be an idiot, and that's the way it's often played.

5. Profoundly Ignorant

Ubiquitous trope, and in fact the core of the classic Hero's Journey.  There are of course other types of hero's journey, but the most famous one starts out with a complete novice, unprepared and usually unwilling.

Main mistake here is using this to excuse writing a wall of text description.  Don't.  Or better yet, write your world-bible and use it as inspiration for the important details in the story.  Some of us love reading meta.

Poem: "Leaves from the Ashes"

This poem is spillover from the January 6, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from janetmiles, stardreamer, and siliconshaman. It also fills the "frenemy" square in my 12-30-14 card for the Rites of Passage fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics, and it's a direct sequel to "In Dublin's Fair City."

( Read more... )

Free Epic Poll for January 6, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl

The January 6, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl made its $200 goal, so you get a free epic.  Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll.  I will keep it open until at least Wednesday afternoon.  If there's a clear answer then, I'll close it.  Otherwise I may leave it open a little longer.

( Read and vote! )

Free Epic Poll

 Vote for the free epic you earned in the January 6, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl.

Gothic Belly Dance

 New website, looks like an interesting dance style.

Poll: Half-Price Poetry Sale

The January 6, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl made its $300 goal, so there will be a half-price poetry sale in one series running January 19-25.  Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll.  I will keep it open until at least Wednesday night.  If there's a clear answer then, I'll close it.  Otherwise I may leave it open longer.


Diminished Expectations
10 poems, was $200.50, sale price $100.25
Dystopic science fiction about disabled people and androids.

Polychrome Heroics
10 poems, was $784, sale price $392
Superhero fantasy with a mix of fluff and drama.

[Poll #1995372]