The essay was very emotional, certainly, but maybe if it hadn't been so it wouldn't have grabbed people's attention. I read that one first and got quite upset and defensive, and then the other ones I linked gave me a better idea of what they were all talking about.
But yes, there is a difference. I adore Kel, but someone with the exact same description could be a very badly-written character and would probably get shouted down if they were an OC. It's like cars: cars need a working engine to run, but that's not the thing you see. You see the outside whether it's shiny or battered and rust-eaten, but that doesn't tell you anything about the engine. It doesn't matter how shiny the car is, no-one will buy it if the engine doesn't start. But cars can be shiny and have working engines, or be rusted and not work at all, and it's not right to just them by their outsides if you haven't looked at the engine too. I hope that strange analogy makes sense.
Yes, you have to strike a balance between letting the newbies run free despite their questionable writing because they're having fun and teaching them how they could write better. And new writers generally fall into one of two categories: they're writing fic and they want to improve their writing, or they're writing fic because it's fun and they don't want to try to improve their writing, they just want to have fun. I don't know what to do with the second type because I don't know how you could write fic for a fandom without loving the canon and wanting to flesh out the world, but they're entitled to their fun.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2010-04-14 05:55 am (UTC)But yes, there is a difference. I adore Kel, but someone with the exact same description could be a very badly-written character and would probably get shouted down if they were an OC. It's like cars: cars need a working engine to run, but that's not the thing you see. You see the outside whether it's shiny or battered and rust-eaten, but that doesn't tell you anything about the engine. It doesn't matter how shiny the car is, no-one will buy it if the engine doesn't start. But cars can be shiny and have working engines, or be rusted and not work at all, and it's not right to just them by their outsides if you haven't looked at the engine too. I hope that strange analogy makes sense.
Yes, you have to strike a balance between letting the newbies run free despite their questionable writing because they're having fun and teaching them how they could write better. And new writers generally fall into one of two categories: they're writing fic and they want to improve their writing, or they're writing fic because it's fun and they don't want to try to improve their writing, they just want to have fun. I don't know what to do with the second type because I don't know how you could write fic for a fandom without loving the canon and wanting to flesh out the world, but they're entitled to their fun.
Good luck with the exam.