In an interview 18 years ago, David Bowie said that once an album was done, it was done. The interviewer asked if he truly meant that. Bowie answered that he "couldn't give a toss" about it. He said that he enjoyed the process of creating the music, but once it was released, he was on to other things and didn't pay attention to whether or not it was popular or what.

I gained a whole new respect for David Bowie that day. I wish I could have that respect for the fanfiction writers. Alas, all I see is never ending "Look at me!"

And the writers truly are the worst. They esteem themselves most highly, more highly than those who contribute works in other ways.

If you do artwork — Well, isn't that nice?

If you make videos — How very interesting, maybe I'll stop by and watch one day.

If you make sculptures or other objects — Aw, you made something with your hands. Admirable, but . . . no.

I'm telling you, you're not "in" unless you write. The fans who don't write, draw, vid, etc? Well, can you easily name any? Mmm-hmm, didn't think so. Nothing written = no recognition = no consideration.

I shouldn't let it bring me down, but it does. Seeing such shamelessness gives me pause. The disappointment overwhelms me. I lose inspiration. I lose focus. I don't want to be seen by others as I see them. I don't want to be a part of that. But . . . I do keep going because, whether or not anybody cares, I'm a part of the fandom. What I do is for myself. It is for my own joy. I will not rush to spew forth garbage that reads like a rough draft because I am over-anxious to see my hit number climb and read fresh new reviews from people I know wouldn't properly criticize me because they're my friends. How demeaning!

And, no, reviewers are not innocent, either. What worthlessness is the review given by a brown-nosing friend! Is it cowardice that keeps a reviewer from telling an author what crap their work is? If the reviewer is a fellow writer, is it in the hopes of reciprocation that they scrawl their mark of approval on others' trash?

I'm reading more these days than writing. I'm reading novels by popular authors. I'm refreshing my memory as to what good writing really reads like. More people should read. More people need something to compare fans' fiction to, so that they may think, Wow, how did I ever think that particular fanfiction was good? How could I have left a review as good as that? Or they can think, Gee, I really need to improve; I suck!