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heidiBut it's going to have to wait for the weekend. Both my son and I were sick with colds this week, and I'm still recovering - hence, my online time's been a bit truncated, and it's been a little tiring to sit and read through everything in one fell swoop, which I need to do.
But I am going to repeat here something that I just posted in a comment elsewhere, in reply to someone's answers to my survey last month in which she said that some of the best things about the HP fandom were expanding her appreciation of the books as she listens to others discuss it, and the fact that it's gotten her to start writing again after a lull of more than a few years.
These, IMHO, are the two most important things about this fandom - it's really gotten a lot of people writing and not just fanfic. Some of the posts on places like HPfGU and other message boards, like DA's and on SQ about the books themselves are so insightful (almost like reporters or essayists), and the discussion on FA and SQ simply about writing - the craft and process - and reading are so phenomenal. It's almost like a perpetual near-master-class that really makes people grow.
I was trying to explain to someone yesterday that this isn't just a fandom with ship battles and silly newbie questions - this is a fandom that, if you're willing to open your mind and your eyes just a little bit - gets people to think and to grow. And it's people of all ages - and to a large extent, as long as you (a) have something interesting to say, and (b) say it with reasonable grammar and a limited amount of netspeak, someone will listen to you. And maybe that only happens when you filter away the differences among how each of us reads the book and look at the things each of us has in common, or when you find yourself surrounded by people who (a) want to become better at something they love, or (b) want to share a thought about something they love- both of which are equally important and meaningful.
And now I'm veering precariously close to the area of deep thoughts, and will stop now.
But I am going to repeat here something that I just posted in a comment elsewhere, in reply to someone's answers to my survey last month in which she said that some of the best things about the HP fandom were expanding her appreciation of the books as she listens to others discuss it, and the fact that it's gotten her to start writing again after a lull of more than a few years.
These, IMHO, are the two most important things about this fandom - it's really gotten a lot of people writing and not just fanfic. Some of the posts on places like HPfGU and other message boards, like DA's and on SQ about the books themselves are so insightful (almost like reporters or essayists), and the discussion on FA and SQ simply about writing - the craft and process - and reading are so phenomenal. It's almost like a perpetual near-master-class that really makes people grow.
I was trying to explain to someone yesterday that this isn't just a fandom with ship battles and silly newbie questions - this is a fandom that, if you're willing to open your mind and your eyes just a little bit - gets people to think and to grow. And it's people of all ages - and to a large extent, as long as you (a) have something interesting to say, and (b) say it with reasonable grammar and a limited amount of netspeak, someone will listen to you. And maybe that only happens when you filter away the differences among how each of us reads the book and look at the things each of us has in common, or when you find yourself surrounded by people who (a) want to become better at something they love, or (b) want to share a thought about something they love- both of which are equally important and meaningful.
And now I'm veering precariously close to the area of deep thoughts, and will stop now.
