Ah the BBC …

[blamebrampton]

Nobody poshes it up politely quite like the BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz: 'And then, there is the issue of readers becoming authors, dramatically illustrated by the extraordinary success of EL James's Fifty Shades of Grey, a book that started life at a website for amateur writers responding to their favourite novels.'

Comments

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

I think that's a lovely way to put it, and have made a note of it for future use.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

He's very good! I think that I will nick it, too!

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

Elegant wording, absolute truth. Ah, good taste and a way with words, I do love the BBC.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I love his ever-receding hairline: as Sir Terry would say, it looks as though his brain is outgrowing his hair :-)

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Obviously, that man took the highest of roads. LOL

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I would expect no less!

[sinden.livejournal.com]

Love it.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I paused SBS and went back to transcribe it, I was so charmed :-)

[sinden.livejournal.com]

I can totaly see why. It is a thing of beauty.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Luvverly. (Was it "responding" or what you've typed?)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

That was his exact editorial quote. Bless his cotton socks! He went on to interview someone who I have forgotten who said that it's the beginning of the end because we rely on writers to create new imaginative worlds, not recycle old ones, but he himself stayed above such common debate.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Bless...

(My question was whether "reponding" was a typo or some fancy word you are allowed to use on Radio Four.)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh, with me, it's almost always a typo. Never break your hand and brain at the same time!

Thank you, will fix. BRAIN FULL OF SHEDS! And then tomorrow it will be brain full of concussion research (oh the irony). By the weekend I will only be good for knitting, which is just as well, as I am way behind there.

[momebie.livejournal.com]

Amateur writers responding to their favorite novels. I like it. It almost sounds legitimate. ;)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Eh, fanfic's just as legitimate as copying art to practise, and often moreso as many works bring original imaginative effort. (Much as it pains me to treat Fifty Shades with the same respect and affection I find easy to offer to HP fandom … (Why yes, I AM a terrible little snob in some ways.))

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

You don't have to offer it the same respect once it has been 'Pulled to Publish'.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh, GOOD point!

(Let us ignore my terrible meanness towards Twilight in general. I am not as good a person as I could be …)

[momebie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree. I am never a person who's going to knock fanfic, as I've written quite a bit of it and still continue to, even as I try hard to focus on things that might get me paid some day. But you know, I'm also a total snob in some ways. I don't really differentiate between fanfiction and published fiction in those ways though, as I personally find both Twilight and 50 Shades to be utter dreck-I've tried to read them, oh I've tried-while HP continues to delight me as do some of the longer fan works written for it. Though, I guess it's not fair of me to pick on Twilight and the things created after it, as there are other things people hold in higher esteem that I also hate. Equal opportunity hater! Stepping to the left!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I keep telling myself that it is wrong to hate something that is so important to so many people as it must have some worth, but the best I can manage is to be happy that people find joy in it while hoping they one day find the same joy in books that are less … er, less …

[pennynovelette.livejournal.com]

It's not snobbery dear, it's standards, principles and matters of good taste:)

[azurelunatic]

You can hold respect and affection for the creative impulse and the community support that allowed such a (legitimately terrible) work to get well-known, while recognizing HOLY LEGITIMATELY TERRIBLE WRITING, BATMAN.

Terrible writing is a thing for every fandom ever. :D

[emmacmf.livejournal.com]

That paragraph contains better construction and style than all three Shades of Grey novels. Beautiful.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Sadly that doesn't sound at all critical to me. Then again I can't diss my fandoms ATROCIOUS holybibleofaonetruefic no matter how much I want to when the diss Sheds. WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING. I'm suddenly wondering what would be a comparable problem for male fans/creators.