Fuel for the Inferiority Complex

[rusty_armour]

Man, I'm bummed out. I just received a submission for the RoS Fanfic Archive that's approximately 42,000 words. Now, while the thought of reading and editing this story seems a little daunting, that isn't what's depressing me. No, I'm depressed because I'm pretty sure the writer in question managed to write a story this long in only a few months. I've been working on my own fic for over two years and it's only about 60,000 words. If it was another writer, I might console myself with bitchy thoughts on how the work probably won't measure up given the short time span involved. However, everything this writer has written has been seriously good, so I don't even have that luxury.

If I were a better person, I would use this seething jealousy to drive my own ambition instead of allowing it to cripple me with self-doubt. Of course, if I were a better person, I wouldn't be seeing green in the first place...

Comments

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Hey! Firstly - great that RoS Fanfic Archive is still up, running and active. That's right down to YOU, and no-one else, Lady!

Well, me and the writers who are submitting 42,000 word stories. *g* Actually, I might be bugging you for stories soon because I've been playing with the idea of finally creating a slash section. I've posed the question of whether the archive should have slash (along with some other questions) in the most recent archive poll (http://rosfic.tripod.com/survey.html). So far people seem to be for it.

Secondly - I'm just devouring Neil Gaiman's latest - The Graveyard Book. It's ... beyond praise really. Unique. Wonderful. Scary. Poetic. Utterly, utterly superb.

It's a LOT less than 42,000 words, I'll bet (it's for kids - the undeserving little .. cherubs!).

And it took him twenty-something years to achieve. He tells us so in the notes.

Go you!

Omigod! That's AWESOME! If Neil Gaiman can take twenty-something years to write a book (though I'm sure he had lots of other projects during that time period) then it helps justify my existence as an excruciatingly sloooooow writer! Yay Neil! And Yay grondfic for pointing this out! Thank you! :-)

[pyrateanny.livejournal.com]

I voted for slash and songvids! LOL [Since they're also both virtues in my ethos, along with sloth.]

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thanks! :-) Obviously I'll be asking to link to any RoS vids you might make if I do set up a section for songvids.

[grondfic.livejournal.com]

Can we do a slash-songvid featuring a sloth, plz? In Sherwood?

[pyrateanny.livejournal.com]

Alas, sloth is intervening in this project. I have yet to rip my RoS DVDs into .avi files in order to be able to vid them. (Daunting task -- I keep procrastinating!) But, I'll keep your request in mind! (And I'll even try to think of an appropriate traditional ballad as the soundtrack.)