What makes a true fan?

First off, I need to answer some previously posed questions...

 I'd like to mention to the bloggers I'm writing with here that I enjoy critiquing stories, so if any of you would like me to critique or give feedback for a story/chapter you've written, I'd be happy to! So, that basically answers Linnea's question about sending one another our chapters or stories for editing/critique.

To answer the "what are you reading" question, I have to say that it's now quite difficult to answer. I am technically reading the 1,000 page World Without End by Ken Follett. I read his novel Pillars of the Earth a few years ago and loved it. This is Pillars' companion, set in the same priory town but two centuries later. I'm really enjoying, apart from the plot mimicking Pillars in almost every way. Which leads to the part that makes the question difficult to answer. After the epic finale of Game of Thrones (Yes, I mentioned GoT again), I realized that I really need to finish the third book in the series. I started it, but got terribly frustrated with one character's chapters, so I stopped. But with the hints dropped in the finale, I need to read it. So, my dilemma is: Finish World Without End, or start reading A Storm of Swords again...? *sigh*

Now on to the point of this post...

After seeing many fans posting rants about the differences in Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games television and film adaptations, it got me thinking: what makes a true fan? Obsessive fans spew their purist opinions about the screen adaptations and claim fans who liked them aren't true fans. They begin melodramatic rants about how fans shouldn't support the directors, screenwriters or showrunners because they are ruining the source material. Should these people be called true fans? Many GoT fans understand that George R. R. Martin trusts the showrunners of the HBO series with his baby, the novels. He knows they'll change things, but trusts that they'll make it work. Most Hunger Games fans understood why things were taken out or changed in the film to make everything work on screen, and even accepted strange casting decisions because of Suzanne Collins' support of those decisions. 

As fans, shouldn't we trust the author of the books if they have faith in those working on the screen adaptations? Are these so-called "true fans" really true fans if they can't even trust the authors? I don't like being told that I'm less of a fan because I enjoyed a film/TV adaptation of a beloved book. I like them because I can view the two formats differently and understand that the written source is only limited by the imagination of the author, while the film or show is limited by budgets, special effects and time. If all fans can see the two formats in this way, fan communities would be a lot better to be a part of.

Well, that was the post for Tuesday! See y'all next week...

DFTBA

Sun Burnt Ramblings

Hello everyone! 

I hope those who celebrated the Memorial Day weekend had fun and did not get as sun burnt as I did. My fiance's father decided he wanted to take a random trip to our neighboring state, California, to spend the day at the beach. The trip was filled with Indian food, "that's what she said" jokes, a French woman not knowing that it's inappropriate to go topless on Cali beaches, sand and terrible hotel beds.  But since my fiance's family is full of tan people, only me and my fiance's brother-in-law got painful red burns. Today, my ankles are swollen from the massive burn, and it's horribly uncomfortable to walk... well, it's uncomfortable to do anything at this point.

Anyways, today will be written in parts. Part one was up there... an introduction and explanation of my Memorial Day trip (which was fun, until the burn set in).

Part Two: Blackwater FTW!

 As soon as I got home last night, I watched episode 9 of Game of Thrones, "Blackwater." This was the most anticipated episode of the whole season for two reasons: 1) George R. R. Martin wrote it himself and 2) All of their budget pretty much went into it (epic battle episodes = lots of money). Did it live up to the hype? YES! 

The part everyone was waiting for was the wildfire, and it exceeded my expectations in every regard. And, the flames were green like they were in the book, which was a plus. The dialogue exchanges were pretty much straight from the book... not so surprising since the author wrote the episode, but still. It was great to see recognizable dialogue and scenes from the book. And lets just say the the characters who stole the show were Sansa, Tyrion and The Hound! It was fantastic to see The Hound kicking ass and being the character I loved from the books. So really, this was definitely the best episode of the season, even if lots of characters were left out in order to focus on the happenings in King's Landing. But all of that will be settled in the finale on Sunday!

Part Three: Question Tuesday (anyone get the reference?)

 On Monday, Craig posed an interesting question to all of us:

• What do you think would help you most in terms of getting work done and motivate you to actually write? 

While I think this might be a difficult question to answer, I'll still try. 

 For me, the difficulty with writing comes from the ideas I have. They are complex, which makes me over-think how to proceed with them. The idea I am working on now is a dystopian story about a man and woman. I have those two characters figured out. I have the challenge they'll face figured out, but all the political and scientific aspects of the story have yet to be decided on, leaving me with a feeling that I shouldn't start writing yet. And it's this way with everything I write. I tend to be a perfectionist with my writing, and I worry about the quality of everything I've typed up. I feel that this story isn't the one to let be mediocre. I want it to be something special...


I don't know if there's a way to get me out of this rut... I guess the only way out is to write. But, like most young college students, there are many distractions. Also, I love procrastinating. I promise to make an effort to write over the summer, and all of my fellow bloggers should see if I'm actually trying. I'd appreciate being held accountable for what I've just said. Keeping a promise is always good motivation, especially when many people have seen/heard/read you make that promise.


Part Four: Conclusion
 Once again, I am so happy to be a part of An Abundance of Blogging. Having read everyone's posts, I can tell that I'm working with some awesome people nerdfighters that I'm sure to get along with. I hope my sun burnt ramblings weren't annoying...

DFTBA y'all! 





 

Hey y'all, it's the Tuesday Writer!

I'm that girl who'll be writing on Tuesdays, otherwise known as Shelby W. 

I'm not one of those girls who likes to talk about herself, and I often feel weird when I have to describe/introduce myself to other people or on a profile. So, since this is that sort of situation, I feel kinda weird...  Oh well!

To start....

I'm an aspiring author (seems to be a trend on this blog!). While I've written lots of things, I've yet to finish a novel. It's no lie when authors say writing novels is hard work. It definitely is. All of my manuscripts have been left untouched for many reasons: plots didn't work, got stuck (that dreadful writer's block!), the idea needed to be expanded...etc. I think I need to work on this... just a tad. 

My life is nothing out of the ordinary. I'm engaged to an awesome guy. I'm a college student majoring in English. I like to read. I'm a Doctor Who and Game of Thrones (among other shows)  junkie. The only interesting thing about me is that I'm a trap shooter (shotguns and flying clay targets). Really though, I'm quite a boring person. But I guess that's not exactly a bad thing. Sometimes, the most satisfying thing is living a normal life and being happy it's normal...

From me, I suppose you can expect a whole bunch of random rants about my inability to write, posts about TV shows and other entertainment (reviews galore!), and posts about everyday life. I can't wait to see what the other writers bring to this blog, and I hope that it can be enjoyable for us to write and for you to read, whoever you might be.

I think that's all that needs to be said. I don't wanna seem self-absorbed or anything (not that I am... I'm totally not!).  

DFTBA

(Don't Forget To Be Awesome)

-Shelby W.