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Date Posted: 23:42:11 08/13/02 Tue
Author: JuniorK
Author Host/IP: 1Cust70.tnt6.manassas.va.da.uu.net / 67.201.104.70
Subject: FICTION CHOICES FOR THIS SESSION

Reading time: August 14 - September 15

Read at least 5 of the fictions listed.

Current Fiction Choices

All of this information is available on the Fan Fiction Web Page. EMCEE will be posting some information to help you review stories, that will also be available on the web page

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Replies:

[> A helpful tool for all. Scratchings from The Chicken Shack! -- EMCEE, *forever more a chicken*, 00:22:49 08/14/02 Wed (px1wh.vc.shawcable.net/24.69.255.202)

First off, many thanks be to Persephone, Oz and JuniorK for their time, effort and care which they have shown to me and this work.

Here goes,

Does recommending fanfic seem like a daunting task to you? Are there too many variables to be considered when unearthing those penned diamonds in the rough? Is beginning your argument for a fanfic seem like a lost cause?

If the answer was yes to any one of these questions or all, as was this writers’ dilemma, the following words might be a way to turn those yays into nays. It may seem like the intent of this piece is to tell people how they should look at fanfic. Be assured that it is not. The goal is to provide people a helpful tool by way of critical questioning in their look at Buffy fanfic. Whatever way they use this device is up to them. Also these analytical questions which follow are not meant to be stagnant entities. They are to be dynamic and grow with time if people feel that an important question has been missed or their phraseology needs to be improved upon.

The source material used for this essay comes from the tapestry of fine writing from Pointy Stakes, a slash fiction website that is without a doubt more than just slash, under the link, S/X and Violence in their essay section.

Pointy Stakes can be found here,

http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/forged/stakes.html

And the S/X and Violence link leads here,

http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/

What clicking on Essays uncovers,

http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/essays.html

What can be discovered are a series of essays, links and pointers for slash writers to be, specifically for Xander and Spike. One can not only use this collection for its expressed purpose but for others such as this, developing a critical analysis tool for fanfic across all genres in the Buffyverse. These questions were extrapolated from the works that reside there.

1. Is the piece built on recognizable elements within the Buffyverse? Does the premise of the work itself stray too far from the Buffyverse canon?

2. Does the writer have a strong knowledge of his or her characters in the fiction?

3. Is the story original or does it go over well-trodden ground?

4. Is the action in the story realistic or can one buy what the writer is selling? Has the writer explained enough of the back-story leading up to the central action?

5. Has the writer taken efforts to respect the genre that is being written about? For example, are there blatant spelling or grammatical errors?

6. Is there a plot that follows logically? Is the story seamless in its movement forward or is does it clunk along like a wagon with a bad wheel?

7. Is the fanfic confusing due to it’s narration?

8. Can the fanfic be recommended?

To augment these critical questions, here are two links that are exceptionally helpful for the evaluator of fanfic. Both deal with critiquing and providing feedback on fanfic. The first is provided at a familiar place, Pointy Stakes, on the S/X and Violence Essay page that can be found here:

http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/critique.html

and the other can be found at the BtVS Writers’ Guild website, another great place to find writing tips here:

http://btvswritersguild.dymphna.net/writingreceivingfeedback.html

For some readers, seeing these questions on their screens and on paper will be enough, but for other readers it is important to see the tool in action. There is a story by Mad Poetess called A Long Time available on Pointy Stakes which will be used to test run these questions in the form of a short paragraph. One can view the fanfic here:

http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/forged/longtime.html

A Long Time by Mad Poetess is about a long-term relationship between Spike and Xander, full of ups and downs. There are canonistic elements to the story such as mentioning Amy as a rat and how Spike and Drucilla came to Sunnydale. Both Xander and Spike are represented as the characters I know all throughout the story. The story is ground breaking because it is futuristic in nature. This very original work put the characters I know into new lights. Although I don’t feel that this story is realistic, I do feel that through expert story-telling and construction, I was sold on all of the story’s action. There was a great love shown to Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a television show due to the well thought out elements of the piece. A Long Time is expertly crafted and takes the reader on a smooth journey due to its unconfusing use of Xanders point of view that drives the work. I would highly recommend this fanfic because, to appropriately use a slang term, it rocks.

To recap, this tool is to help all readers in whatever way they choose and hopefully it provides some direction for all in large or small ways. If this tool seems incomplete to anyone, please feel free to comment. May all have enjoyed their read and future reading of great Buffy fanfic!


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[> oopsy, you should read at least 6 of the 7 fictions -- JuniorK, 14:48:58 08/14/02 Wed (NoHost/162.70.244.40)

I made a mistake on the number to read. Read 6 !!!


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[> Having a problem reaching this page -- tweedisgood, 14:49:19 08/14/02 Wed (m112-mp1.cvx1-c.che.dial.ntli.net/213.104.104.112)

I can't get to the page with the fic recs. Is there a server problem?


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[> FICTION LIST -- JuniorK, 14:59:34 08/14/02 Wed (NoHost/162.70.244.40)

Current Fiction Choices.


Please read 6 of the 7 choices.
B/S shippers: Akoshta: Self by Kaylorin
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=715044
or
http://www.geocities.com/kaylorin90/Akoshta1.html
B/G Shipper: Yatzee
http://www.thechicagoloop.net/yahtzee/insect/insectfic/Destin1.htm
W/X Shipper Stormy Night
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=348968
B/X Shippers Making the Wrong Things Right
http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=375684&chapter=1
B/A Shippers PHOENIX BURNING
http://www.thechicagoloop.net/yahtzee/insect/insectfic/PhoenixIndex.htm
Non-Ship Anywhere But Here
http://www.aliencorn.net/stories/here.html
Slash Shippers A Two of a Kind Love
http://altfic.com/subtextfic/buffy/pat/twofakind.htm


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