"People Who Know Me Well..."

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Title:	"People Who Know Me Well..."
Creator:	Lauryn Beaufort
Date(s):	October 7, 1999
Medium:	online
Fandom:	Hanson
Topic:	feedback or the lack thereof
External Links:	hansonfiction.com/editorial7.html
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"People Who Know Me Well..." is a 1999 article written by Lauryn Beaufort for the editorials section of HansonFiction.com.

It is about the trend, even in those early days of the fandom, of fans deciding to shut down their websites, often due to lack of feedback and interest.

Excerpts

"I remember once telling myself that as soon as this stopped being fun, I'd quit,". how many of us are all too familiar with that phrase? With these beautifully worded, near heart-wrenching letters of farewell from authors to the world of internet hanfic?

To understand the impact an audience plays in a writer's life and/or work, a good example can be drawn from writing's sister profession, drama. Imagine you've just been nominated to direct a stage production. Understandably, you're eager to get things rolling. You put an almost phenomenal amount of time and effort into your production, surprising both yourself and your cast; you really want this production to be as good as it possibly can. Opening night, and everyone's excited, perhaps having caught a few of your confident vibes. You're convinced the production is going to be a hit. The curtain opens. You peer out and watch the audience as the show begins. The people who have come to see you are restless, unattentive and, as the production continues, become downright rude, talking loudly, more concerned with whether they left the iron on at home or what they're going to have for dinner afterwards. For the first five minutes your cast try their hearts out to get the audience's attention, and afterwards, for the rest of the performance, they simply go through the motions, wondering why they bothered at all.

The point of this article, and what's really worrying me (and I doubt I'm the only one), is that extremely talented writers and their works are being ignored. I've read the beginnings of many stories, and have sent emails of encouragement to the authors, letting them know I'm interested in the story and am eager to read more. Unfortunately, 7 or 8 times out of ten, when I come back to read the next installments, the stories have been axed and the sites shut down due to lack of interest and/or response. I find it extremely saddening, that readers aren't willing to give talented writers a chance. Whilst I realise that it's impossible to read every single piece of hanfic that goes up every day, it would be nice if people actually tried to give new authors the support that they deserve when they first start out. But many readers are content with hanfic that's contained within the circles of the 'in' group. And no matter how much everyone denies it, there will always be an 'in' group, because it's human nature to create 'in' groups, with select members that everyone tries to be like. Honestly, who hasn't read at least part of Laurie & co's 'Tulsa 74132', or Stephen M. Davenport's 'Taylight Zone'? Who hasn't been informed by eager friends about the drama and tears of 'Walls' (by Sheryl and Laurie), the hilarity of 'For What It's Worth' (by Kristen) or the realistic, but still heart-warming action of 'Zac Says Tay Still Wets The Bed' (by Nick)? Who hasn't heard of Llamaesque (Amanda) or Manda Bednarik or probably the first two hanfic writers to throw in the towel, R.L. Krist and Diana Liberty? (This is by no means a criticism of those whom others see as being part of an 'in' group, for the crime of simply being friends, drawn together by what they do best)

Yes these stories are good, brilliant even, but the entire point of this is that there are lots of other authors out there in the big jungle of hanson fan fiction, just as good as the ones we all love and are familiar with. All they need is the chance, which only an audience can provide.