Rant warning
Dec. 16th, 2005 07:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrI realize that so far as the slashverse goes, I lose a lot of standing by never taking my stories into smutland. But I have my reasons and I will stand by them, even when it means this or that story will never be published or as popular as it would otherwise be. I'm not in this to be popular; such a thing would in fact freak me out. I like attention, I ain't gonna lie. Anyone who does this sort of thing does.
Anyway. I hate stories that are smut first, plot a cute little addition. And I don't mean the shameless pr0n variety - those never pretend to be anything except a smutfest, and there's certainly no goddamn crime in just wanting a quick and dirty fix.
What I detest are those stories that claim to be stories, things with plots and characterization...and if you were to rip the smut out there would be no story left. I hate that. Why the fuck should I care about two people involved in what amounts to a fuckfest? Fine, it's meaningful, emotional, they grow and change from it. But life ain't just growing through fucking, and I hate when those other elements never really and truly factor into the story.
I say all this knowing good and well my stories are not the most stellar ever. I've never claimed to write anything but nonsencial fluff, be it ten pages of snarky school boys, twenty pages of fairytale abuse, or a longer story about dragon gods. But I like to think those hold interest, and that people remember them for at least a little while. All I'll remember about the story I just finished is that after the third fucking it got redudandant, and there was nothing about the chars to really make me care about them.
Maybe I'm just picky and taking my frustrations out in the wrong place. I mean it's erotica, plot isn't always the primary consideration. I guess it's weird to associate porn with plot - yet I know I'm not alone in that adverse thought. I'm sorry but if after subtracting the smut you find there's no story left? And I don't mean like pyscho complicated plot o'doom here - just a character thing would suffice. But usually even that's just scratch the surface, not enough to make me care sort of thing. There's a world of difference b/t the pr0n you find in the dollar bin (so to speak) and series where you grow seriously attached to the chars and actually give a damn what happens to them. Shameless and plotless has it's place -- but be up front about it, instead of masquerading as a story of some substance.
Boo hiss.
/rant
I apologize if this made no sense. Me cranky and sleepy should not be allowed near a keyboard.
Anyway. I hate stories that are smut first, plot a cute little addition. And I don't mean the shameless pr0n variety - those never pretend to be anything except a smutfest, and there's certainly no goddamn crime in just wanting a quick and dirty fix.
What I detest are those stories that claim to be stories, things with plots and characterization...and if you were to rip the smut out there would be no story left. I hate that. Why the fuck should I care about two people involved in what amounts to a fuckfest? Fine, it's meaningful, emotional, they grow and change from it. But life ain't just growing through fucking, and I hate when those other elements never really and truly factor into the story.
I say all this knowing good and well my stories are not the most stellar ever. I've never claimed to write anything but nonsencial fluff, be it ten pages of snarky school boys, twenty pages of fairytale abuse, or a longer story about dragon gods. But I like to think those hold interest, and that people remember them for at least a little while. All I'll remember about the story I just finished is that after the third fucking it got redudandant, and there was nothing about the chars to really make me care about them.
Maybe I'm just picky and taking my frustrations out in the wrong place. I mean it's erotica, plot isn't always the primary consideration. I guess it's weird to associate porn with plot - yet I know I'm not alone in that adverse thought. I'm sorry but if after subtracting the smut you find there's no story left? And I don't mean like pyscho complicated plot o'doom here - just a character thing would suffice. But usually even that's just scratch the surface, not enough to make me care sort of thing. There's a world of difference b/t the pr0n you find in the dollar bin (so to speak) and series where you grow seriously attached to the chars and actually give a damn what happens to them. Shameless and plotless has it's place -- but be up front about it, instead of masquerading as a story of some substance.
Boo hiss.
/rant
I apologize if this made no sense. Me cranky and sleepy should not be allowed near a keyboard.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-17 02:53 am (UTC)Absolutely Essential:
DwtD
Jewels of Bangkok
Briar Rose
Main Gauche
More Precious than Gold
The Tower
Ogre of Black Mountain
Knights trilogy
Also Wonderful if Space Permits:
Kidnapped (Cyan/Einn version)
Geniuses
Midsummer's Moon
Something Sweet
... though I think the Kidnapped one is long enough to be a book all on its own... 9.9 and DwtD is getting there rapidly... ^^;;
Do I or do I knot want to know which ones I've bungled? >_>
Nothing badly enough to remember offhand. ;) I'll try to remember to point it out the next time you do it. ^.^
And thank you ^_^ Everything you say means a lot to me.
Must keep favoritest writer's spirits up so she'll write lots more!!! ^____^ or something like that anyway. ^^;