That's crazy talk!

[lettered]

Guys, I did something crazy! My computer was just broken for like almost a month. Er . . . so that's one reason I haven't been around. The other reason is I've been taking the crack pills. Apparently, because I just created this: 19thc_exchange. And then I posted the following message at like a bajillion places. Okay, like 5. But what is wrong with me? Why I am I doing this? Why can't there just be good North and South fanfiction without Mr. Thornton committing rape without yelling surprise, and without Margaret bursting into tears every other second? Why why why? Okay, here's the message I posted. I guess you guys can read it. ;o) :

19thc_exchange is a fic exchange for fanfic based on period dramas. “Period dramas” includes literature written during the 19th century in any part of the world; movies, television shows, and mini-series based on that literature; and original movies, television shows, and mini-series set during that time. Here is an overview of the purpose of 19thc_exchange.

Exchanges will occur in rounds, and each round will have a theme. One theme may be an author; the fics exchanged will only be relevant to that author’s work. One theme may be young adult period literature and media. One theme may be non-English speaking countries. Etc etc.

The first round is Jane Austen. Read more about it here.

If you are interested in exchanging Jane Austen fic, or other period drama fic in the future, join the comm. The sign up post for Round One goes up March 23rd, 12:00 AM PST.

Please pass the word along to anyone you think might be interested. I am currently looking for people to make banners in order to advertise both 19thc_exchange and Round One. If you are interested, please contact me, or reply to a post at 19thc_exchange.

Comments

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am alive! And for once my lameness cannot really be lamed on me, but technology!

Thanks for the advice. Done and done! I wish now that I had created the comm on dw. I actually want to move over there completely, but I haven't gotten into the habit of using it, so I don't. Besides, I was not thinking rationally when I did this. When I got my period I realized it was all just pms. my_daroga says Big Fandom Projects are a strange symptom of pms. This is true, but it is also a very dangerous one. I don't even want to write period drama fanfic that much. Though I do have 40 pages of Gaskell's N&S fanfic, one of those they-made-us-get-married things, sitting on my computer RIGHT NOW. I just want to read period drama fanfic, is what I was trying to say. AND I WANT IT TO BE GOOD. Instead I keep finding crap. Argh. It's all crap. Why is it all crap? I feel like the writing on livejournal is better than elsewhere. Am I crazy? I'm crazy.

[stultiloquentia.livejournal.com]

I used to read lots of JA fanfic, and then moved on. Dreamwidth is actually prompting a little renaissance, I think -- I've met a bunch of people over there who are trying hard to spark interest and recruit, and there's good conversation and writing going on. Do you know sixbeforelunch or damned_colonial? six is doing fun things with Jane and Bingley, and the other day I did an alpha-read of Skud's latest Hornblower novella. My favourite story of the moment is one that six recced -- Miss de Bourgh in Bath, by SwordSwallower17 on ff.net.

I have never read North and South, but I like Gaskell! I wrote a nifty paper on Mary Barton for the random summer course I took at Dalhousie years ago. I would love to read some good Victorian social justice fanfiction, for Shirley, or Felix Holt or Hard Times. I had such a blast doing the Rossetti piece for Yuletide last year.

I don't know if LJ has better writing than elsewhere. I think I'm better at navigating LJ and finding the good stuff quickly. Where's elsewhere? Mailing lists? The Derbyshire Writers' Guild? I suspect AO3 is going to become a kickass archive as it moves out of beta, partly because it's grown out of LJ/DW fandom.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

I've met a bunch of people over there who are trying hard to spark interest and recruit,

Spark interest and recruit for JA fanfic? Where are they doing this?

I do not know those users, though damned_colonial replied to my heads up about this fic exchange.

JA was my first online fandom. Every two years or so I swing back to it, and I'm always disappointed by the lack of quality stuff.

The only Gaskell I've read is N&S, but I don't recommend it. I love some aspects of the issues involved, and the same can be said for the characters, but God, I hated the writing. I like the adaptation, but it's one of those things where I like the ideas in the adaptation more than the adptation itself. I pretend it's like . . . a music video of the thing I actually want to see.

Where's elsewhere?

Elsewhere for 19th c. fiction is yes, DWG, and several other individual sites about books/adaptations from then. And fanfiction.net.

I'm looking forward to AO3.

...you sure you don't want to write just a tiny little 1000 words of a JA piece?

[stultiloquentia.livejournal.com]

JA fanfic? Where are they doing this?

Here's a start. :) And age_of_sail's been quite active. There are some other, quieter comms trying to make a start, but mostly I'm thinking of individual conversations I've noticed here and there -- people taking the trouble to rec things they run across.

I pretend it's like . . . a music video of the thing I actually want to see.

Hah. That's a great description of the way I feel about a lot of media.

...you sure you don't want to write just a tiny little 1000 words of a JA piece?

Tempting! But I've already got three story commitments this spring, eek!