blamebrampton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
blamebrampton) wrote2008-10-15 10:28 pm
blamebrampton) wrote2008-10-15 10:28 pm
In which I argue both the government and the opposition
I was raised to be quite broadminded. So much so that I often find myself arguing against myself until I am nearly convinced of something I don't actually believe. Or, as in this case, I actually DO believe both sides of the argument. Which brings us to today's topic:
ELITE ARCHIVES: GOOD FANDOM SERVICE OR SATAN'S BASTARD SPAWN?
By 'Elite Archives', I mean fic archives or communities that list fics that have been selected by a group of moderators, and which selections are made using particular criteria.
Some have invited authors, who are able to post any of their stories, others choose specific stories.
In the brief Pro Elite Archives case, they're a brilliant one-stop shop for good-quality fics in particular fandoms or pairings. You can be certain that anything posted there will be of a certain standard and that it will be, at a base level, *good*, regardless of whether or not it is to your specific taste.
These archives expose the work of excellent writers to a far broader audience than most could find on their own, and they also encourage writers whose work is given the stamp of approval. For people who are new to the fandom, they are a wonderful place to start, and for people within it they are a place to 'show our best'.
For the brief Anti case, Elite Archives focus on the best of fandom, according to *particular criteria*. Often this comes down to the personal tastes of a small group of people. While those tastes are almost certainly educated, and the mods that I know try to work against personal prejudices, it's impossible to not draw lines.
Drawing lines inevitably leads to hurt feelings, and accusations of bias against the mods, and of Princess Tantypantsdom against people who complain about being 'left out'. Then people who feel they have been hard done by strike back, and their friends take sides, and before you know it things look like one of those unfortunate Christmas dinners where you end up hiding in the stables.
To rebut the Pro case: how do you decide on that standard? There are only a small number of writers in fandom that I would describe as very good. There are more, but also a fairly small number, that I would describe as very bad. There are a lot who are average, and that's not an insult. Most of us are average writers at some point in our lives, just as we're average at sports we're learning. Then there is the group that makes the whole process incredibly difficult, the group of writers who are good, entertaining and competent, but not very good.
It's the difference between Trilby, which is a rollicking good novel, and Emma, which is brilliant. The difference between Disney's The Little Mermaid and Hans Christian Andersen's. In both cases the former is still enjoyable, but it's just not as good as the latter. However, people often enjoy the former more. Yet a truly Elite Archive would probably miss out on these. And so would its audience.
To rebut the Anti case: Elite is not a dirty word. Yes it's sad that some people might have their feelings hurt by not being included in a particular archive, but at the same time it acts as an incentive to learn about and improve their craft, while inclusion for inclusion's sake leads to a fandom that promotes mediocrity, and we have enough of that in politics these days.
In conclusion:
Buggered if I know, you tell me what YOU think.
ELITE ARCHIVES: GOOD FANDOM SERVICE OR SATAN'S BASTARD SPAWN?
By 'Elite Archives', I mean fic archives or communities that list fics that have been selected by a group of moderators, and which selections are made using particular criteria.
Some have invited authors, who are able to post any of their stories, others choose specific stories.
In the brief Pro Elite Archives case, they're a brilliant one-stop shop for good-quality fics in particular fandoms or pairings. You can be certain that anything posted there will be of a certain standard and that it will be, at a base level, *good*, regardless of whether or not it is to your specific taste.
These archives expose the work of excellent writers to a far broader audience than most could find on their own, and they also encourage writers whose work is given the stamp of approval. For people who are new to the fandom, they are a wonderful place to start, and for people within it they are a place to 'show our best'.
For the brief Anti case, Elite Archives focus on the best of fandom, according to *particular criteria*. Often this comes down to the personal tastes of a small group of people. While those tastes are almost certainly educated, and the mods that I know try to work against personal prejudices, it's impossible to not draw lines.
Drawing lines inevitably leads to hurt feelings, and accusations of bias against the mods, and of Princess Tantypantsdom against people who complain about being 'left out'. Then people who feel they have been hard done by strike back, and their friends take sides, and before you know it things look like one of those unfortunate Christmas dinners where you end up hiding in the stables.
To rebut the Pro case: how do you decide on that standard? There are only a small number of writers in fandom that I would describe as very good. There are more, but also a fairly small number, that I would describe as very bad. There are a lot who are average, and that's not an insult. Most of us are average writers at some point in our lives, just as we're average at sports we're learning. Then there is the group that makes the whole process incredibly difficult, the group of writers who are good, entertaining and competent, but not very good.
It's the difference between Trilby, which is a rollicking good novel, and Emma, which is brilliant. The difference between Disney's The Little Mermaid and Hans Christian Andersen's. In both cases the former is still enjoyable, but it's just not as good as the latter. However, people often enjoy the former more. Yet a truly Elite Archive would probably miss out on these. And so would its audience.
To rebut the Anti case: Elite is not a dirty word. Yes it's sad that some people might have their feelings hurt by not being included in a particular archive, but at the same time it acts as an incentive to learn about and improve their craft, while inclusion for inclusion's sake leads to a fandom that promotes mediocrity, and we have enough of that in politics these days.
In conclusion:
Buggered if I know, you tell me what YOU think.
no subject
That said, I think EA's only work in the context of a supportive, encouraging, thriving comm/fandom. Presumably, we all started in an inclusive comm where we were encouraged to keep writing and keep developing. I think if the best writers leave such comms (for example, harrydraco), both as contributers and as participants (reading and commenting on other people's work) then problems arise. I sort of feel like the comm is the active place where we're all in it together. It's messy and in process. Here we experiment and share our writing with each other, the good and the bad. It's fun and very organic. The Elite Archives, to me, are about archiving for convenience (one-stop shopping for good fic) and really showcasing the best of the best. It's like a celebration of what our best writers can really do.
Ideally, to me anyway, you want the fandom to have a sense of ownership (or maybe there's a better word for it) over their best authors. Even if I personally am not in the EA, I want to feel like "my" authors are, like I have a personal stake in it. Because if the fandom at large doesn't embrace an EA, then it's just a few really talented authors sharing their stuff with each other and presumably, that's not the point.
As for hurt feelings, well, that's inevitable. I know people approach the fandom with different purposes. For me, it's about expressing myself creatively and sharing something I love with my friends. So for me, a rejection wouldn't be as upsetting maybe as it would be for someone who is writing to hone their craft and sees a rejection as an insult to their competence or skill. I think laying out clear criteria will help but at the end of the day, it is subjective and there will be disagreements.
I will say though, that when I think of the REALLY top-level writers in as/s (I'm assuming this came about because of the next next gen archive) there's less than 10 names that leap to mind immediately and that will make for a pretty sucky archive. Although I don't read other slash pairings, I imagine they are relatively small fandoms too, when compared to H/D or some such. Which isn't to say you should lower your standards just to bulk up your archive - I guess it's just a balance.
Okay, that's a really long comment that's only slightly related to your actual post/question, but there you go.
no subject
*hugs*
no subject