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There are some fic headings that just confuse me. Things like "Gen, slash if you squint". Huh? What does that mean? If I squint at the screen, suddenly the words "I'd do you in the backyard if I could" would appear? Maybe if I look at it cross-eyed the line "He loved him so much his heart would burst now if only he could have sex with him on the kitchen counter" will be visible? Either you write it slash or you don't write it slash. You can't control what people infer when they read your fic. Sexual innuendo is everywhere, that's what makes sexual innuendo so much fun. You don't need to give your readers permission to see slash in your fic any more than you can keep people from reading a slash subtext if that's what they see.
For that matter, if you intentionally write it, it's really not subtext. If you point out that it's there, it's not subtext. Subtext is a subtle layering of the story, it's there for the reader to interpret in their own way. If you bring the subtext to the forefront, it is no longer subtext, it is actual text. Subtext is that brave world in which an author allows the reader to create part of the story for themselves. It's where the writer releases control of what the reader sees and each reader can bring their own experiences, interests and desires into the story to make it uniquely theirs. It's what makes a good story great and allows the story to touch each reader equally, but differently.
Another one that confuses me? "Pre-slash". Isn't that just gen? I mean, if it's before the relationship, if there is no slash (ie no same sex romantic/sexual relationship) it has to be gen, right? Usually I find "pre-slash" means "much longing, angsting, sexual desire, and romantic cliches, but no actual sex." But isn't that slash, just PG rated slash? When that's not the case, it usually means "It's gen, but I want all the people who will only read slash to still read it". Quite honestly that probably what "slash if you squint" means, too.
I also enjoy the ever popular "pairings to be determined later", "possible sex in later chapters" and "rated: PG (for now?)". If you're writing the story, you need to know what the story is about. I know that a great deal of fanfic is crafted so that the writer receives the maximum amount of positive feedback. I also know that it's fun to write a story that fits someone else's requirements. But even then, you have to have a story in mind. It's not even just a case of having too many cooks, rather it's that each cook has her own recipe. No matter how good the ingredients are that you put in it, the result is going to be a mess. Sorry. Just the way it is.
Then there are those that a just confusing, like the one that prompted me to write this post: Rating: 15+ (T, PG-13). Vague sex. Profanity.
Yup. It's rated PG for vague sex. How, exactly, does that work? What constitutes "vague" sex? Quite honestly the words "vague" and "sex" don't go together. Would it just be descriptions of shadows on the wall? Perhaps, right in the middle of a scene, it switches to volcanoes erupting or trains going into tunnels. Is that how vague sex works?
Heh. There are times when the heading/warnings on the fic are better than the fic itself.
For that matter, if you intentionally write it, it's really not subtext. If you point out that it's there, it's not subtext. Subtext is a subtle layering of the story, it's there for the reader to interpret in their own way. If you bring the subtext to the forefront, it is no longer subtext, it is actual text. Subtext is that brave world in which an author allows the reader to create part of the story for themselves. It's where the writer releases control of what the reader sees and each reader can bring their own experiences, interests and desires into the story to make it uniquely theirs. It's what makes a good story great and allows the story to touch each reader equally, but differently.
Another one that confuses me? "Pre-slash". Isn't that just gen? I mean, if it's before the relationship, if there is no slash (ie no same sex romantic/sexual relationship) it has to be gen, right? Usually I find "pre-slash" means "much longing, angsting, sexual desire, and romantic cliches, but no actual sex." But isn't that slash, just PG rated slash? When that's not the case, it usually means "It's gen, but I want all the people who will only read slash to still read it". Quite honestly that probably what "slash if you squint" means, too.
I also enjoy the ever popular "pairings to be determined later", "possible sex in later chapters" and "rated: PG (for now?)". If you're writing the story, you need to know what the story is about. I know that a great deal of fanfic is crafted so that the writer receives the maximum amount of positive feedback. I also know that it's fun to write a story that fits someone else's requirements. But even then, you have to have a story in mind. It's not even just a case of having too many cooks, rather it's that each cook has her own recipe. No matter how good the ingredients are that you put in it, the result is going to be a mess. Sorry. Just the way it is.
Then there are those that a just confusing, like the one that prompted me to write this post: Rating: 15+ (T, PG-13). Vague sex. Profanity.
Yup. It's rated PG for vague sex. How, exactly, does that work? What constitutes "vague" sex? Quite honestly the words "vague" and "sex" don't go together. Would it just be descriptions of shadows on the wall? Perhaps, right in the middle of a scene, it switches to volcanoes erupting or trains going into tunnels. Is that how vague sex works?
Heh. There are times when the heading/warnings on the fic are better than the fic itself.
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no subject
Date: 2010-04-22 10:56 pm (UTC)From:I do think that all those Gen+ in headers is because they don't think there are enough gen readers out there and they want more. Also, because the term "gen" has many different meanings.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-22 11:04 pm (UTC)From:and you're right about to be determined as well, surely when someone sets out to write they have a rough idea of what's going to happen later in the story? i know these things can change as things develop, but a general direction is usually a good idea...