iwantthatbelstaffanditsoccupant:
I want to jump into the Sherlock Holmes playground, but good lord it’s intimidating. A fandom that’s spanned over a century and has writers like Neil Gaiman and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Chabon. I just want to write some bee-keeping in Sussex retirement fluff, but even in that there are so many pitfalls. The language! I’m not in the worst position—I’ve been soaking in Victoriana since I was an annoying bookish child and early moderns since not long after. I have a live in Brit-picker, but that doesn’t help for 100 years ago. Then you get into their age, class, education—every word choice they’d have made was influenced by so many factors I know nothing about. The setting? I’ve never been to Sussex! I can’t grow roses to save my life! Bees scare me!
But, there’s something comforting at jumping into something so many people have done and continue to do.
And there’s always Garashir to come home to.
Hey, i hope you write your ACD Sussex fluff! I don’t think every detail had to be “right” for it to be enjoyable. Also, you can look for a research beta to help you with geography/bees/whatever.
I haven’t read any Victorian fic except for Sherlock
Holmes, Pride and Prejudice in 9th grade, a Christmas Carol, and Treasure Island to see if it was too graphic for my son ( it wasn’t).I do not have a Brit picker. I take out all my ‘z’s add ou a lot, and rely on others to tell me about things like candy floss.
Ok. I’ve been to Sussex. But I wrote first. Before I went to Sussex.
Every plant I have dies. And I hate roses due to a very complicated story involving the death of a family member that is rather unpleasant.
I am allergic to bees and they terrify me.
Write the thing!
❤
But we’ve read their stories. We haven’t read yours!
@papallion that’s the single most helpful comment I’ve ever read.
Oh please give it a go! I can only repeat what everyone’s already said, but this is a great, welcoming community and I’m sure people would help you out if you needed it. Plus, I’m a sucker for retirement fluff. 🙂
No one else can write your story! It doesn’t matter if it is perfect. We all get better as we go. In any genre there are amazing writers already and fanfic is no different, but don’t let it intimidate you. WE want to read your stories too. Please give us more retirement fluff!
Beltainefaerie's Flights of Fancy 