With the BBBfic site I always wonder whether people are being nice about my fics because they know me from the BBB board, especially with TBOSS being my first fanfic (apart from the Halloween challenge fic Pumpkin Galore).

Andy

LoatF

I guess the pair of us are just a little insecure aren't we? *g*

I always make a point of giving feedback on all the stories on BBBFic (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BBBFic) because I know from being a member of so many other fic groups that you get this sinking feeling when your stroy just seems to be disappearing into limbo without anyone noticing it.

Especially when I try something new - like with Hxppz Hyllwxn (or whatever I called it) or the two new B/X fics I've done - it'd be nice to know if that actually works.

For what it's worth I love TBOSS, the only gripe I have with it is that each part is quite short - I remember you saying that you were writing it as though each part were one scene of an episode and I get that and it works, it's just cruel keeping us on the edge of our seats like this! *g*

That's changed with this part, the challenge fic limit was 1500 and I found that I didn't get in everything I wanted to say. I originally decided to try and write as though I was just writing one scene of an episode because I wasn't sure whether I could write longer than that and keep the characters "real", but part 2 just seems to be running away with itself and I'll maybe have to try and control it and put some of the ideas later into the story rather than in the next part just so that I've got somewhere to go with the story later on.

Andy

LoatF

I'm the worst person for forward planning in fics! The one story I have a definite destination in mind for I just cannot get written to save my life (Destiny) - whereas the one which just started as a result of really shaky nerves after a near-miss crash just keeps growing and growing (Slayerless). I was trying to figure out a way to not have Joyce around when her daughter was in a coma and suddenly she became one of those keeping her in that coma. I was trying to describe a random victim for Xander to try to save and suddenly she turned into Dawn. I have a rought idea of what Joyce is up to, I know where I'm goign with Dawn and I know what the very final line of the whole thing is going to be but the rest? No clue at all!

I meant to say in my last post that I voted for hXppX hXllXwXXn in the Halloween fic challenge, so if I say that I really like something, I mean it.

Actually got the basic premise for TBOSS from a second world war "Battle" called, obviously, the battle of Salamander street which happened in Leith. I'm not going to say anything more about it because that would kind of hint at the ending that I'm working towards, which I don't want to do at the minute.

Andy

LoatF

Thanks! :)

You do realise I'm now fighting the urge to hit the history books to get some hint as to where the stories going, don't you? *g*

Yes, also if you ever watched 'Two men in (or possibly and, can't quite remember at the minute) a trench', they did a programme excavating a site on one of the islands in the firth of forth that was used as a garrison during WWII, they told the story in that, which is what sparked the idea.

Andy

LoatF

Just got round to reading this (sorry, been too busy working over the past two weeks to try and do much else) and can I just say, OH MY GOD. It is brilliant. I'm not surprised it's being recommended all over the place. I'm so in awe of it I'm bibbling.

Andy

LoatF

And you deserve it!

Not feeling opinion-negated! :) I'm not exactly the world's most astute literary critic. There's also the thing that hardly anyone ever says anything other than "That's wonderful" over at BBBFic, so it's hard to gauge what that actually means, whereas when a noted author who presumably doesn't usually make such comments says something like that it carries rather more significance.

I've been very bad at FBing over at BBBFic lately, mostly lack of time.

There's a very thoughtful discussion started recently by ixwin (a friend of mirabehn and author of Once More with Lord of the Rings ) on the subject of the difficulties of saying negative things to people, which relates to reviews of fics etc. amongst other things, and I share the sense of discomfort. Not that there's anyone at BBBFic I'd say "Stick to the day job" to even if I were being thoroughly Anyaesque, but I do find it difficult.

(Except when I really, really like something like Destiny and so can be throughly unhindered in comments!)

*phew* I was really worried you guys would thnk I didn't appreciate the time you take to read my stuff!

I agree it can be really difficult to say something if you don't like a fiction that's posted but as a writer I have to say that no or very little feedback is actually worse. It might hurt if someone hates what I write, but I'd love to knwo why so that next time I can do it better. I know it often comes down to me not fully getting the message across. Something might be in my head and I think it's glaringly oobvious but other people don't pick up on it. That's my fault usually and feedback, even of the negative variety, helps me realise that.

Of course that said, the spamming that's going on at ff.net at the moment is beyond the joke. Someone doesn't like the fact I gave a positive review to an anti-Spuffy story so they fill my review list with THIS SUCKS!!! over and over again? Real constructive there! *g*

I did notice today that another story I was reading on ff.net had good reviews from Queen Boadicea (who also gave me positive feedback for FGMTDN) and then lower done an anonymous user was using QB's name to say "This Sucks" - I keep thinking I should give up on FF.net but then if I did I wouldn't get the compliment Brooke gave me...

Can't win can I?

*g*

Thanks for liking Destiny, I love the story, I know exactly where it's going it just will not let me write it - although I've worked out the problem I had with getting Giles to Sunnydale again so you never know, there might be more coming soon!