Monday, May 3, 2010

Missing: One copy of A Game of Thrones

We interrupt our regularly scheduled re-reading for bring you this message: There will be no re-read today. Due to a slight mixup, I am short one copy of A Game of Thrones (my only copy). I happened to gain some freshly laundered female clothing in the process, but that won't help me with quotes and stringing together chains of events.

The mixup will be fixed in a couple of days, so Part 12 of the ASOIAF Re-read will have to wait until Thursday to recommence.

(And we were just getting to the tourney...)

We'll get back to the regular swing of things on Thursday. My apologies for the blunder.

10 comments:

Lya said...

YOU ONLY HAVE ONE COPY OF AGOT WHAT HERESY IS THIS??

(J/k I don't own any of them accept AFFC in ebook format. Kudos on scoring free women's laundry, though.)

I hope you find your book(s) soon. In the meantime, here is something to tide you over: "A Game of Thrones in 30 Minutes" http://community.livejournal.com/fanmoot/32995.html

fvpaonessa said...

Wow. That was too funny. I'm including it Thursday's post.

One copy of AGOT? Yes. My WOT-filled shelves notwithstanding, I try not to buy too many copies of the same book, even though last weekend exposed the flaw in my reasoning.

Lya said...

Sorry to keep coming back but in light of our recent discussions have you seen this?

http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/

Lya said...

Ack my bad it's the first post

http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/1246633.html

fvpaonessa said...

I was quite unaware of fandom wank, but I like its mocky mockingness. (Although, this definition is less than kind: http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Fandom_wank)

Still a bit surprised about how upset some authors seem to get over fanfic. I wonder how they feel about unofficial guides to their works, or unofficial biographies.

ibeeeg said...

Sooo...I can't let this one go about fanfic. I don't like to read fanfic, does nothing for me. If I am into reading a series, I want the story to be the real stuff. As far as Gabaldon is concerned, I see no problems with her not liking fanfic with her books. Geesh...she has been working on that series for, well, two decades (or thereabouts)!! That is a lot of work. Jamie and Clarie are the best characters, IMHO, and they are her creation. Now, on the whole, I don't have a problem with people writing fanfic. There are many people who like to write it and read it, fine. A couple of my girls have dabbled in fanfic for a few of their books, a good way for them to create. But, someone selling fanfic is pushing it, in my opinion. And, if I am correct here, Gabaldon was bit upset about a piece of fanfic being sold, the person was going to make money off of Gabaldon's work (even if it was for a good cause). Her words, yeah, harsh. Still..so be it, Outlander is her work!

unofficial guides, and unofficial biographies, again, I don't read those. Aren't guides more of an opinion of what is going on? They are not expanding upon the storyline, or taking the characters a different direction, etc. In a way then, they are different.

Bottom line, fanfic can serve as a creative outlet, good. People seem to love fanfic, fine. Writing it for profit without the author's approval...not fine.

Came across this fanfic rules for Jim Butcher. http://www.jim-butcher.com/news/000354.php
I like his rules.

By the way, Have you read his Dresden File books? I read the first one, liked it a lot, need to read the others.

Lya said...

I don't think that it was ever Diana's stance on Outlander fanfic which sent the fanfic community into an uproar. It was the condescending tone and the ill-advised analogies which she employed, likening fanfiction writers to stalkers, rapists, pedophiles and thieves. If her vitriol had been directed solely at the people who appropriated (and mutilated) Jamie and Claire's characters, then okay, that's understandable. But it wasn't. It was directed at FANFIC WRITERS AT LARGE, at everybody who has ever read, posted, or enjoyed a fanfic.

Diana has never come right out and said it, but it is clear from her latest blog post that she does not believe the things she said could be construed as a personal attack on anyone. Well, a lot of other people beg to differ. A lot of actual rape victims, for instance. THAT'S what the real issue was, not the legality or morality of fanfic, or the aesthetic value of it, or even Diana's personal dislike of it. Diana explained on her Compuserve forum (though not on her blog) why she will not be issuing an apology to the thousands of people she offended:

No. Not because I don't want to (though I don't), but because

1) to say _anything_ in a situation like this--anything at all--will merely prolong it. and

2) it would be pointless to apologize to people who plainly can't read. I'm not being snide here (well, I'm not -only- being snide ); if they could twist and misinterpret what I said (and what I didn't say; there's no mention anywhere, in any context, of rape in the first posting there. I think I even refrained from using the word "violation"), they would go right on doing the same thing.

3) for the most part, the people causing the trouble aren't _looking_ for apology. They _want_ to be offended, to have a reason for excitement, to join in a sense of common blood-lust. (No, I'm not exaggerating.) They won't give that up, no matter what I say to them. Only boredom will make them go on to look for other prey.

--Diana


So she does not deny that we were hurt and insulted. What she asserts is that we have no cause to be insulted - basically, SHE doesn’t find any of her comments insulting, and therefore we shouldn't either. So I have to conclude that either we the fanficcers (and there are a lot of us) are all suffering from mass delusion, or Diana’s statements were out of line. Usually when you say something in the heat of the moment, and it turns out you inadvertently insulted someone, the classy thing to do is apologize for it. Yet Diana insists that in fact we CHOSE to be offended, every single one of us; that we are deliberately persecuting her and calling for blood (which we are not). She has made it all about her and her views when in fact it’s not; it’s about us, it’s about how fans deserve a modicum of respect from the authors whom they support. It would be one thing if we had all been writing pages upon pages of smutty Jamie/John scenes – then you could argue that Diana has every right to be incensed. But what gives her the right to verbally abuse people who have never heard of Jamie or John in their lives?

I will continue to follow the Outlander saga, as well as any Lord John novellas that happen to come along – though I won’t be shelling out any money for them. I’ll wait until the library obtains a copy. Also, GRRM made “Not a Blog” post pertaining to Diana Gabaldon and fanfic and copyright law and all that jazz!

Oh my god I’m so sorry for blathering on for so long on your blog Francesco! It’s just that, in ibeeeg’s words, “I can't let this one go about fanfic” – I don’t want anybody walking away from this with the impression that the issue is Diana’s views on fanfic, because it’s totally not!

ibeeeg said...

Hey Lya, I see what you are saying about why the fanfic community is in an uproar. I saw that reason when I was reading through the stuff. Ultimately, she felt insulted, fanfic community felt insulted...I get all that and am not going debate the insults. Yep, the classy thing to do would be to apologize. Obviously, she does not feel the need, and I rather she did not than to give an empty apology to save face as doing things to just save face is not classy either.
There is tons that could be said about this issue, I am sure. However, I will not go into this any further except to say that my comment was mostly directed towards Francesco's comment, "Still a bit surprised about how upset some authors seem to get over fanfic."

By the way, I read the post by GRRM on his Not A Blog. I liked what he wrote, it was very well put.

fvpaonessa said...

Looks like I missed a hearty discussion while I was away. For the record (if it even needs to be stated), I have no problem with discussion of this or any topic in the comments. I expect there to be differences of opinion, I'm fine as long as things never degenerate to hateful bickering. Hateful bickerers have yet to comment on my blog. Maybe I'm not edgy enough, but I won't mind if it stays that way. Feel free to express yourselves.

To the subject at hand: It's easy for me to say that I would allow fanfic if I were a published author (I would), but I'm not a published author.

I just read GRRM's post and commentary on DG's post. There is a lot of information there. He raises some good points, and he didn't resort to "colorful metaphors", as he would put it. It's unfair to smear all fanfic writers with the same brush, and even GRRM points that out. I think we all agree on that point, so... I guess I'm just repeating things here. I'll just go and read the next ASOIAF chapters.

Thanks, Lya and ibeeeg for sharing your views.

ibeeeg said...

One question for you. Did you read the original post on DG's blog or just the comments?

By the way, I really like GRRM's blog, I like reading his post a whole bunch.

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