Old School

[lyore]

Fanlistings. I don't get them. Am I missing something, or is this some hang-over of pre-internet fandom I'm not getting? Just... what's the point?

~

In my search for good X-men (movieverse) fic, I found the xmmficathon archive. I've justed started reading through the 2004 entries, and wow - so far, every fic has been worth reading. Just wow.

All this great fic, sitting there on LJ. It got me thinking about reviewing older fanworks (fic, in this case, but the point is just as valid for art), and how, after all this time, I feel sorta odd, leaving a comment. I'm not sure why. A year, two years, no problem. But four?

Perhaps it's because people's fannish lives are so transitory, especially on LJ. 4 years is an eternity, and people move on, from fandoms and genres and writing styles. It almost seems like an intrusion to comment and have a slice of then emailed into people's inboxes.

On the other hand, if anyone dug up one of my fics and commented on it in 4 years time, I'm pretty sure I'd be thrilled.

Anyway. Comments? Anyone else have a personal statute of limitations on reviewing?

~

Comments

[akeyoftime.livejournal.com]

It's the same sort of catch for me too - I love getting feedback on old stories, but I always feel a little bit awkward doing it to others. (That usually doesn't stop me, though I'll comment on that somehow.)

I know I take the stuff I no longer find representative of my writing style, or am no longer particularly proud of, off of the main paths. All of my Star Trek: Voyager fanfiction has been retired to an obscure corner of my fiction journal. I figure that if it's still up, it's still game, especially if I've enjoyed it. (Concrit is definitely off the table if it's more than a few weeks old, though!)

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels a bit odd.

Good point about the concrit - detailed critique of a fic from 3 years ago isn't likely to be of much value to the author!