“This is like an AA meeting for book depressives, anxiety cases, ADHD, I consider myself the triple threat,” Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures, Icons) joked at the first panel I attended at the first ever YallWest book festival. “In honor of my ADHD AA meeting–My name is Margaret Stohl. I am a bestselling author in 50 countries. I’ve had a book made into a movie. I’ve sold a lot of books, I’ve visited a million countries and I’m so depressed sometimes I cannot get out of bed in the morning. I am a New York Times bestselling trainwreck.”
With those words my heart dropped. I wasn’t expecting this. Sure, the description for the panel said, “Honest talk about painful struggles
with depression, anxiety, ADHD, life. Margaret Stohl, Libba Bray,
Rachel Cohn, Kami Garcia, Richelle Mead,
Lauren Oliver, Stephanie Perkins,” but I thought it was a joke. You know one of those, I get really crazy during deadlines, type things. Not, actual mental illness.
I moved to LA to write, to separate myself from the things that bring me down and to get away from my bipolar disorder and the bottle of lithium that sits unopened in my suitcase. I most certainly didn’t come to LA to sit and listen to my favorite authors discuss their own mental problems. But, I did. And, honestly, I think it is one of the best things that could have happened to me in this point of my journey.
Like many of you who read COBG, I want to write more than anything and sometimes, it’s hard. Sometimes, my mind goes to dark places and I stare at the screen while I berate myself. I tell myself that I am horrible, that no one cares what this black girl from the Bronx has to say. Sometimes, I can’t get out of bed, never mind write. Sometimes, I’m so overcome with so many thoughts and ideas, it’s difficult to pinpoint just one thing to focus on. What I learned on Saturday is that Richelle Mead can relate, Lauren Oliver is a survivor and that Stephanie Perkins almost didn’t write one of my favorite books of 2014, because the same demons that plague me, plague her.
I thought long and hard on how I would report on YallWest 2015. Long as in this post is days behind schedule and hard, because it truly is difficult to pinpoint what to write about a weekend long experience that I equate with booklr heaven. Should I write about the lines of people of all ages and genders waiting for a few moments with their favorite authors? Should I discuss tripping over suitcases and carts filled with books, because some book geeks wanted every single book they own to be signed? Would my followers be interested in reading about the friends I made or the fact that I hung out in the greenroom and ate lunch with Susan Ee (Angelfall) or that I stood next to Veronica Roth (Divergent series) for like five minutes without realizing it was her? Sure, I could brag and chat about all the things I did that you didn’t or I could share an experience that helped me. Share it is.
Experienced Readers: You know why she writes? She doesn’t get paid or anything. She likes it. She gets off on it. The weirder the story, the more she gets off. And you know what?One day, “happily ever afters” just won’t be enough. One day we’re going to read about a fictional body and she’ll be the one that wrote it there.
New Readers: Why would she do that?
Experienced Readers: Because she’s a fanfic-writer. And fanfic-writers get bored.
No, seriously. If you don’t have money to help out an artist financially, the second best thing is to reblog all the things you like. While liking it does tell the artist that “hey I really like this!” It does jack shit because the only ones who will see that are me and you.
Why do you think there are so SO many posts made by people that are literally summed down to “please reblog my artwork I need the notes!”? Because no one reblogs artwork. Unless you’re a ridiculously popular blog with thousands of followers, you’ll only end up getting 1 or no reblogs.
SO HELP OUT ARTISTS AND PLEASE REBLOG OUR ART, BECAUSE WE REALLY NEED THE VIEWS ;V;)/
THIS IS ALSO VITAL FOR AUTHORS/WRITERS!!
As my buddy devilishkurumi has said many many times, author visibility is unfortunately LEAGUES below visual artist visibility because fic takes MUCH more time and effort to consume.
If you read a fic and you decide you really love it or even liked it a little, please reblog it! Visibility for all artists!!
And just adding my 2 cents here. REBLOG FROM THE ARTIST/WRITERS, NOT FROM REPOSTERS. It’s not doing the artists any good if their art gets reposted, especially when sometimes they dont even get sourced or credited properly. Their artwork is just floating in the internet, without the proper recognition on who drew it. Not cool. Check and see the original post first, if you are wary of reposters. Sometimes artist have their link or their url watermarked on the art itself. If the watermark doesn’t match the OP, then most likely it’s a repost of the art. Just keep that in mind if you see some fanart in your dashboard.
Also, another thing to add. As much as it is good to reblog and support the artist, just be extra careful if you see fanart posts are taken from pixiv. Some of our Japanese artists do get in trouble if their art circulates online without their knowing, and they DO put in their pixiv account not to repost any of their artwork in other social medias. Please respect their wishes and not post it anywhere else! It is good to support artist by reblogging their artwork on the respective social media site they posted their art on, but it’s not good at all to show your support to some artist by reblogging their artwork without their consent, which can cause them serious trouble.
I reblogged this post not long ago but the above comment is super important. Adding a credit to a repost doesn’t really do jack because the original poster can’t see the notes/comments/tags. Wanting to share something you enjoy with people is great but if you can’t be bothered to go to the source then it shows you don’t care about the person who made it and the effort that went in to it. And yeah, if you want to share something but there doesn’t seem to be a version of it posted by the original creator on the site that you use then I’m sorry but you’ll just have to deal with not posting it.
Remember pinterest, weheartit, and any site that is built on taking images from other sites are NOT sources.
Also re: writers, I do track my author name tag and I can’t tell you how happy I am when I stumble across someones fic rec of me.
I read a lot of scripts. A lot. From professionals to aspiring writers to complete newbies. Features and pilots. Specs and treatments.
And 8 times out of 10 the fan fic that I’ve read over the last, oh, 15 years is leagues better than this stuff. It’s more inspired. It’s more compelling. It’s genre bending and creative and heartfelt. It’s well-paced and intense and funny and sexy and meaningful. It’s smart and thoughtful and good. It’s novel-quality. Better than, sometimes.
Rare is the script I don’t want to put down, but how often have we stayed up until 3am to get to the last chapter of a 100k fic? And it’s not even a fan fic author’s day job. This is what they do on the side. In their spare time. For free.
So my point is, fan fic authors, you’re good. You’re good writers and great storytellers. I know it doesn’t always feel like it, especially if you’re one of the authors who’s not a BNF and doesn’t get the notes/hits that a few do. And because some people still view fic as “not real writing.” You guys know the shit that gets made into movies. You’re better than that. So be better than that. If writing is what you think want to do, then just know you’re already doing it. You’ve already started.
And you’re more talented than you might think.
To all of my writer friends. This is so fucking true. <3
Posted on
Make friends with fellow writers, and work to support and promote them. They are your allies, not your competitors. Remember, very few readers only buy one book.
Claire Fuller, author of OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS (Tin House, March 2015)
Posted on
Bad books on writing tell you to ‘WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW’, a solemn and totally false adage that is the reason there exist so many mediocre novels about English professors contemplating adultery.
Don’t everdo this. If you like something, fucking say it. Don’t swear at a writer, and tell them you hate them.
Someone had to talk me out of deleting my entire fucking ao3 account because of this shit. I haven’t written anything new in months because of people thinking it…
Listen to me right fucking now.
I am done with this type of behavior.
People who are on tumblr (which this is a tumblr specific type of hate(but really love) thing… KNOCK THIS THE FUCK OFF.
Stop reading what we write.
Seventeen. They could be thirty as well, as one was that flamed me over almost two years ago which brought me to a halt for a while. Point is age does not matter.
THIS IS FUCKING BULLYING.
THIS IS FUCKING MANIPULATION.
THIS IS FUCKING ABUSE.
This is not appropriate.
This is not funny.
We are people. HUMAN FUCKING BEINGS. We live and bleed and hurt and love so fucking passionately we feel the ever-loving fucking necessity to bleed words to paper, siphon our souls out in text, cry and rant through this medium.
If you do this, stop following me. If I see you do this I will not only report you to AO3, I will put your name on a black list and spread it through the fandom. I am really sick and tired of people not being held accountable for this blatant asshattery.
FANDOM IS A SAFE FUCKING SPACE. THIS IS NOT CUTE. IT IS NOT OK. IT IS NEVER OK. EVER.
YOU garrulous twats are DRIVING people away from creating anything further for the fandom.
STOP.
(I love you tiger. You are one of the people that held my hand during that time whether you know it or not. You do not deserve this. ~Diann)
I agree with your righteous bullying rant, but fandom is questionable as hell as a safe space. People don’t risk followers or likes for the hard stuff.
BUT we should. I have fic I am in the middle of writing that is hard. I have written MCD, Rape, Abduction, Non-Con Prostitution. Do I all the time? No. It’s not because of who-reads-what-with-me. It’s what I feel needs to be published at that time. Does it ever feel safe? No.
BUT
It is a safe space. The reason it is is because we claim it as one.
If someone worries about losing followers or kudos, that is completely normal. Sometimes my stomach can’t take it, but I do it anyway. Other writers within the fandom do it anyway.
Artists too.
If you have something you want written that is hard or difficult subject matter, approach me. I’ll throw it in the queue to-be-written. I have friends that throw me stuff because they know I will handle it with sensitivity and I do not judge.
If you feel you need to write the harder stuff. DO SO. POST IT. Then ORPHAN the STORY. That is what that function is there for.
I have been through my history multiple times over the last week and I realised that there were over 40 bookmarks JUST GONE.
40. GONE.
ACCOUNTS DELETED.
GOOD WORKS.
Hard stuff, light stuff, the silliest crack.
It makes my heart break.
If you ever feel like deleting your account on AO3, please, please consider orphaning it instead. (Yes you can do that!) It goes into a slush ‘orphan-account’ area and works are still posted just in a completely orphaned capacity.
I will risk it.
Even if I am left writing the words down only for myself.
I wish others would be more vocal about the abuse that is becoming rampant in the fandom. I am only one voice. And a small one, I do realise.
But I will still take a stand every time.
Because no abuse is ever okay.
Even if Fandom is not the safe space I state that it is, that still does not make it ok to say things in this manner. It is not ok ever.
There comes a time where you chose a line to walk. I chose mine when I began writing again.
I will, if I can help it nurture and encourage always.
I HATE having to be this pissed, but this unacceptable.
I will take what bit of the fandom I can and wrap it in angel feathers and fucking candy floss if I have to and then blacklist, contact AO3, go to Tumblr, make noise over it through the fandom because this callousness has taken root.
And again, it is unacceptable.
This is fucking ridiculous. I’ve been lucky, I guess, I haven’t got many bad comments. The only semi-bad one I did get though nearly made me not write a particular pairing ever again.
Also there are tags. Read them. I have not read this particular fic and won’t, not because it isn’t wonderful (I’m sure it is, I love all of Tiger’s fics), but because I know I can’t handle major character death. Or super angst.
But that doesn’t mean folks shouldn’t write it.
I hate it when I realize a beloved fic is gone. Then I kick myself for not downloading them. Artists need love and care and nurture. Comment, kudos, reblog, drop an ask. We all need that validation. Art isn’t made in a vacuum.
I strive very very had to avoid the fandom drama. I’m only human though. That said, if anyone needs a safe place, my ask is always open and i’m pretty well always on Skype.
“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
Or, if you prefer Vonnegut:
“There’s only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
