And so it begins (again)...

[akk]

"Star Trek is the second oldest fandom in existence. [...] I honestly don't think you can bring a new idea to the fandom. We've seen it all before, really. [...] you'll need more than a gimick to keep our attention [...] If you want us to respect you [...]"
[source: http://community.livejournal.com/fanficrants/8227664.html]

I am fan enough to have spent a fortune on tapes to record the various series when they -finally- aired on German TV. And I freely admit that I loved TOS and some of the later installments (though not TNG, with few humoresque exceptions). But to start writing means to treat into new territory. You have to learn the symbolism, the characters, and you will make mistakes until you figure things out. Therefore, statements like the one quoted above made me never to touch anything remotely StarTrek fanwise with anything but a very long pole. It certainly kept me from ever writing it (ever since the '90s).
Whether that's been good or bad (for me or ST) we'll never know, but it certainly allows me now to grab the e-popcorn, lean back and watch the battle to unfold. To quote one of the fashion entertainers in the -admittedly abysmal- model shows on German TV:

"Drama, baby, drama!" [*eg*]

Comments

[tamchronin]

The very first fanfic I wrote to share with others was for a ST zine a friend of a friend was putting together back in high school. I never actually followed through and got it published, but I'll never forget the experience.

I read the whole wank, and I shook my head. It really is exactly what kept me from joining Trek fandom, rather than just being a fan. What stunned me was the revelation that the fanbrat posting the rant was in his 20s. I'm going to be 35 later this year. These are the people who chased me away?

It gives me a perverse urge to throw out some badfic and post it in as many ST communities as I can, just so I can laugh at the head-popping that would happen among the elitist fanbrats like that one. I've been an ST fan since before he was born (my parents are fen as well, and they started me young.) I just don't have the energy these days, no matter how amusing the mental image is.

(Hi, by the way. I don't think we've spoken much directly before. Nice to see you. ^_^)

[akk]

My first fanfic was actually inspired by Robin of Sherwood, but it received so much personal input that it was an origfic with no connection to the actual universe in the end. The first true fanfic was for Galaxy Rangers. It was still written with paper & typewriter. No chance to publish it before I got online in the 90s, almost ten years later.

I had ideas for several fandoms back then, but German fandoms weren't really "online" yet and with English being my second language, I was conscious about posting in English. I certainly looked at the people active in those to determine where to risk putting my foot in. Esp. since it was likely that I would misunderstood even common comments in the beginning. School English helps with stories about kittens, it certainly leaves you in the lurch when it comes to slang & lolcats. ;)

These days, I consider the frequent "canon Trek Wars" as a form of entertainment, superior to the canon they are about. (And ST does have some of the sweetest villains. Romulans, Cardassians... ;)

Hi. :) Nice to meet you, too. I wanted to say "hello" when I subscribed to your journal here, but somehow it slipped my mind while resolving importing issues, payment issues, thesis issues... I'm sorry to have been accidentally rude. I subscribed mostly because I enjoyed some of your TBX fics, before I started writing X myself. (I stop reading fics when I write in a fandom to avoid influences.))