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[Pengi]

I was rereading some posts and noticed the comment Julie made about "writing a real book"... I think writing non-AU FF, in some ways, can actually be harder because there's so many pre-formed "rules" that people will notice if you violate them. Because you're writing about actual lifestories and theres facts and truths that aren't within your control, keeping the storylines realistic and creative can be a really hard line to walk. Then again, you don't have to create the characters, so its also easier in a way I guess. Personally I find the challenge of staying - for lack of a better word, as used by book FF writers I'll use the phrase 'true to the canon' - harder than writing the characters myself. You can bend stories and invent quirks for situations to make them happen the way you want to with your own characters. With non-AU FF you've got a set of personality types and backstories to work with. All that to say I hate it when people knock fan fic writers for not writing "real" stories...

[twofaced]

I will put my disclaimer up now: I just bought 50 shades yesterday... haven't cracked it open. That being said...

I have mixed feelings about it. I bought it because I've been hearing mixed reviews on it and I'm the kind of person who will read something people are iffy about (or if one group i.e. a church tells me not to), that way I can make up my own mind about it. I decided to buy it to help out a fellow fanfic writer (no, never met her, but still, I feel we should band together, never know if one of us is going to get a big break and we can say "I remember her when...")

I am hesitant to read it because of the fact it was a Twilight fanfic. I read twilight as a youth minister (my girls were asking me my faith based thoughts on it, so felt I had to read it in order to answer their questions adequately) and have to say, not very impressed with Twilight in general. Women at work are obsessed about it and now the latest topic of conversation at work is 50 shades, so yeah, will eventually read it (once I get through my other books I'm working on).

I will say this about my coworkers: I have started to get them to read The Hunger Games, and they are loving it, so there's hope yet for them...

My sister in law was reading 50 shades while also reading THG and said "One is a great work of literary fiction, the other is making my ears bleed and my brain explode, guess which is which..." then continued to tell her friends how crap 50 shades was.

I know that was kind of all over the board, but to sum it up: I bought it to support a fanfic writer, and I will read it, though I don't have high hopes...

[Carter-Orange]

People seem to either love it or hate it!  A lot of my friends think it's the best book they've ever read, whilst I abandoned it and thought it was awful lol. 

I do support fanfic writers though and would love to see some of my favourite fanfics turned into original fiction and published

[mare]

Wow, if everyone had that we should buy it just because it was a fanfic and should help each other out mentality, maybe I wouldn't be living on ramen noodles lol

Wishes more people would remember she has a book published from a fanfic lol yes it was awhile ago but still... If only I had made it smutty

[Carter-Orange]

You should publish it to Kindle

[kevmylove]

My best friend loved the book and I was excited to know it came from a fan fic writer. So she passednit on to me, but I've only gotten through two chapters and I'm lagging it to keep reading. Does that mean I'm not that interested?!? I'm not sure. I will try and keep on reading.

[RokofAges75]

S&M sells, Mare.  Maybe if Mel had had some steamy, incestuous relationship with one of her brothers, more people would be raving about your book!

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't read 50 Shades, so I have no room to judge, but at the risk of offending anyone on here who has read it and liked it, these are my thoughts on it:

Recently I've heard and seen a lot of my co-workers, most of whom are middle-aged mothers, raving about this book on Facebook and in person, although they tend to do it in code:  "Have you started THAT BOOK yet?"  "OMG yeah, I can't put it down!!"  One of the ones I'm teaching a workshop with this week has actually been carrying one of the sequels around in her purse because apparently she literally could not put it down. 

Overhearing these women gush about it is awkward because I've heard enough about it to know that it's graphic and involves kinky S&M kind of stuff, but I think what really makes me feel embarrassed for them is knowing that it was originally a Twilight fanfic.  That "Christian Grey" everyone's obsessed with is actually just sparkly Edward without his bloodlust, being even creepier than he is in Twilight, and the girl is pathetic Bella.  I can't speak for the quality of the writing, but hearing these reading teachers rave about it just makes me shake my head.

More power to this author for turning her fanfic into a goldmine, but I feel like she's giving other fanfic authors a bad name.  Modern fanfic started out being written by Trekkies, whom people picture as grown men living in their mother's basements, but now I feel like fanfic writers are going to be typecast as people like this woman and Stephenie Meyer - desperate housewives living out their sexual fantasies vicariously through barely-disguised fictional versions of themselves in the stories they write.  Some BSB fanfic authors already convey that image, and I feel like as this brings more publicity to fanfiction, people are going to assume we're all that way.  It's hard enough to explain why I write stories about the Backstreet Boys without adding that stereotype to the mix.

[mare]

You should publish it to Kindle

Writers actually have to pay Amazon to have their books put on Kindle and I just don't have the money to do that. Maybe I can borrow some from this chick. Lol yeah, I'm jealous. I admit it. Especially if she sucks as an author as badly as most people say she does.

[Carter-Orange]

Writers actually have to pay Amazon to have their books put on Kindle and I just don't have the money to do that. Maybe I can borrow some from this chick. Lol yeah, I'm jealous. I admit it. Especially if she sucks as an author as badly as most people say she does.

You have to pay them?  Don't they take a bit of commission or something?  I don't know how it works.

Yeah, she sucks!  I wouldn't mind some of her money though

[mare]

I'm sure they would get a commission from the publisher maybe but yeah we have to pay them initially. I think that's how hey make their initial profit because if it doesn't sell they still manage to make money.

[Carter-Orange]

Hmm, so the people who publish books for free on there are actually out of pocket? 

[kevmylove]

That's exactly what my best friend said before she knew it had been a fanfic. "I swear Grey reminds me of Edward" a few days later she told me it had started as a Twilight fanfic.

[mare]

Hmm, so the people who publish books for free on there are actually out of pocket? 

Probably, unless they published for free from Amazon itself I guess? I have no idea about everyone else lol

[RokofAges75]

I wonder why someone would pay Amazon to sell their book for free?  LOL  That's why they make programs that will convert stories to ebooks!  If you want to give them away for free, you can make them for free too and upload them to a free website.

[mare]

yeah, that's why I don't think those people have to pay Amazon. I'm sure Amazon has figured out a way to get money from them. LOL