I spent a while yesterday writing a post entitled "why I don't do pairings." I haven't posted it yet... but it said pretty much exactly the same thing. My main points were:
1: I enjoy reading about characters and relationships, but I personally find friendship a more powerful and interesting and more multi-faceted relationship to explore than romance or lust. "He only risked his life to save her because he wants to sleep with her", I don't find anything like as powerful as, "he risked his life to save her, because they're friends." Romance and lust can be a fairly one dimensional thing. (Though of course it can also be written about in a complex way.) I've read published novels in which two well-rounded characters suddenly turn into boring cardboard cut-outs the moment they fall "in love."
2: I enjoy the challenge of adapting to canon. I write original fiction to have freedom, but in fanfic I like to take what I've been given, and work with it. This means working with canon relationships - even if they're ones I'm not too fond of.
3. (Though I didn't mention it in my post) I don't like reading sex scenes, either. I find them (variously) repetitive, boring, embarrassing, or amusing. I don't mind stories that contain sex scenes, but I'll skip them.
I also greatly prefer long stories with plots (though I do love lots of angst and character focus in them.) I can accept romance as an element of the story, but I want other elements to be more prominent. A well-written story can persuade me - for the duration of the story - to believe in any pairing going. However, I'm just happier with stories that don't feature romance or sex, or feature it as very much secondary to other things. (Though, for that very reason, I'm currently writing a long story that contains romance, on the very grounds that I'm less comfortable with it, so ought to try it some time.)
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Yes! Yes! Yes!
I spent a while yesterday writing a post entitled "why I don't do pairings." I haven't posted it yet... but it said pretty much exactly the same thing. My main points were:
1: I enjoy reading about characters and relationships, but I personally find friendship a more powerful and interesting and more multi-faceted relationship to explore than romance or lust. "He only risked his life to save her because he wants to sleep with her", I don't find anything like as powerful as, "he risked his life to save her, because they're friends." Romance and lust can be a fairly one dimensional thing. (Though of course it can also be written about in a complex way.) I've read published novels in which two well-rounded characters suddenly turn into boring cardboard cut-outs the moment they fall "in love."
2: I enjoy the challenge of adapting to canon. I write original fiction to have freedom, but in fanfic I like to take what I've been given, and work with it. This means working with canon relationships - even if they're ones I'm not too fond of.
3. (Though I didn't mention it in my post) I don't like reading sex scenes, either. I find them (variously) repetitive, boring, embarrassing, or amusing. I don't mind stories that contain sex scenes, but I'll skip them.
I also greatly prefer long stories with plots (though I do love lots of angst and character focus in them.) I can accept romance as an element of the story, but I want other elements to be more prominent. A well-written story can persuade me - for the duration of the story - to believe in any pairing going. However, I'm just happier with stories that don't feature romance or sex, or feature it as very much secondary to other things. (Though, for that very reason, I'm currently writing a long story that contains romance, on the very grounds that I'm less comfortable with it, so ought to try it some time.)
There. No need to do my post, now. ;-)