~~ I miss the nonsense, dammit!
May. 3rd, 2004 04:10 amIt's natural to want to be certain of things in life, isn't it? Especially of things one's emotionally invested in. Natural to want to trust that people will feel the same tomorrow and the next day and next year, in spite of the fact that this is unrealistic, and especially -because- it is. Natural to want security in a world where chaos and pain are hidden around every corner. I want to believe in that too... that hope.
But there's a difference, isn't there, between some anchor of certainty and the drag of pure stifling predictability? One can be free from unbending fate while retaining some constants, right? Maybe? I like to think so.
I like to think there's a living compromise to be had between the bindings of memory and emotion and... the sheer whimsy of each new moment.
The thing most people don't seem to -get- (and by 'people' I really mean fanfic romance writers), is the sheer... messy imperfection of life. Oh sure, there's plenty of utter -horridness- and squalor and angst out in fanfic land, but not so much of a delicate, constant drift. Constant confusion and upheaval that doesn't have beginning or end, with short periods of rest. That's what life seems to be like to -me-. Shouldn't fiction be like that? At least somewhat ambiguous?
One reads a mystery or a romance with similar goals for a resolution, it seems to me-- where all the pieces fall into place, pretty much perfectly. If there are loose ends, people ask for sequels, and frequently write them. If the characters act strangely, people want explanations. There's all this rationalization and equivocation that goes on, especially in fanfic, where everything about canon is so painfully analyzed and noticed.
I know this may seem funny, all things considered, but I don't like noticing things about fics. I don't do it by inclination. I usually just let these things wash over me. I'd rather just -experience- things than break them into pieces. It's unnatural to me to fuss over small details, anyway. I don't tend to care how things "fit together" chronologically and what small continuity/logic errors a writer makes. I also don't care what hidden symbolism stands behind someone's use of purple in a character's dress or why they named someone Prudence, etc. So there's a reason I don't generally discuss "canon". All I care about is a sense of -vividness-, of emotional vitality and realism. Of course, that's just me.
( Me and my cracked Pot of Plot Predictability. )
But there's a difference, isn't there, between some anchor of certainty and the drag of pure stifling predictability? One can be free from unbending fate while retaining some constants, right? Maybe? I like to think so.
I like to think there's a living compromise to be had between the bindings of memory and emotion and... the sheer whimsy of each new moment.
The thing most people don't seem to -get- (and by 'people' I really mean fanfic romance writers), is the sheer... messy imperfection of life. Oh sure, there's plenty of utter -horridness- and squalor and angst out in fanfic land, but not so much of a delicate, constant drift. Constant confusion and upheaval that doesn't have beginning or end, with short periods of rest. That's what life seems to be like to -me-. Shouldn't fiction be like that? At least somewhat ambiguous?
One reads a mystery or a romance with similar goals for a resolution, it seems to me-- where all the pieces fall into place, pretty much perfectly. If there are loose ends, people ask for sequels, and frequently write them. If the characters act strangely, people want explanations. There's all this rationalization and equivocation that goes on, especially in fanfic, where everything about canon is so painfully analyzed and noticed.
I know this may seem funny, all things considered, but I don't like noticing things about fics. I don't do it by inclination. I usually just let these things wash over me. I'd rather just -experience- things than break them into pieces. It's unnatural to me to fuss over small details, anyway. I don't tend to care how things "fit together" chronologically and what small continuity/logic errors a writer makes. I also don't care what hidden symbolism stands behind someone's use of purple in a character's dress or why they named someone Prudence, etc. So there's a reason I don't generally discuss "canon". All I care about is a sense of -vividness-, of emotional vitality and realism. Of course, that's just me.
( Me and my cracked Pot of Plot Predictability. )
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