if they're worried about being flamed, that's one thing; but if all they're afraid of is that some reader might think that they made a Mary Sue...here I lean more on the side of a reader is entitled to their own opinions, and if you're going to post publically you should have the strength to ignore those opinions if you disagree with them. Letting perceived fan opinion sway you to the extent that you won't even try to write something (as opposed to trying and getting attacked for it, which is a different story) is a problem an individual author must surmount, rather than fandom as a whole.
Hmm, yes and no. Yes, it's necessary to have, or to cultivate, a skin that is at least somewhat thick in order to participate in fandom. To some extent, you've got to be able to ignore what people are saying about you just to be involved in social interaction, period. But I think there's a big difference between that, and having a significant number of fans being afraid to write because they fear a social climate that encourages finger-pointing and mocking.
Using h/c as an example again ... since that's largely what I write, it stings a bit when I run across someone remarking on how they can't stand h/c, even though I know it's just their opinion and not something that should matter to me. It stings a lot when I see one of my stories brought up in a negative way, although it doesn't happen very often. But that sort of thing is rare enough, and I have enough community support, that I can just shrug it off. I think that being told repeatedly that h/c isn't something a serious writer would want to write, and running across "how to write" posts that frequently mock it or explain how good writers don't do that would put me off, though, and make writing less fun for me. I don't know how much it would put me off because, frankly, I can't imagine anything stopping me from writing as long as I'm still capable of it. But I can only imagine how offputting it must be, and reading testimonials of fans who stopped writing or never started or don't write certain kinds of fic because they're afraid of the reaction is ... sobering. Yes, it's a perception on their part, and for most of them, their worst fears probably wouldn't come to pass. But just having that perception out there is a problem, you know? It's something that maybe we fandom old-timers should try to do something about. :)
(But you do have a point about different fannish contexts, and the fact that it certainly varies from fandom to fandom, subgroup to subgroup. And this is useful to keep in mind too! It would be interesting to hear from fans who still openly write Sues, or participate in Sue-friendly segments of fandom, if such places exist, as they almost certainly must - we may just be getting stuck on our own corner of fandom's mores, and failing to take into account other places.)
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Hmm, yes and no. Yes, it's necessary to have, or to cultivate, a skin that is at least somewhat thick in order to participate in fandom. To some extent, you've got to be able to ignore what people are saying about you just to be involved in social interaction, period. But I think there's a big difference between that, and having a significant number of fans being afraid to write because they fear a social climate that encourages finger-pointing and mocking.
Using h/c as an example again ... since that's largely what I write, it stings a bit when I run across someone remarking on how they can't stand h/c, even though I know it's just their opinion and not something that should matter to me. It stings a lot when I see one of my stories brought up in a negative way, although it doesn't happen very often. But that sort of thing is rare enough, and I have enough community support, that I can just shrug it off. I think that being told repeatedly that h/c isn't something a serious writer would want to write, and running across "how to write" posts that frequently mock it or explain how good writers don't do that would put me off, though, and make writing less fun for me. I don't know how much it would put me off because, frankly, I can't imagine anything stopping me from writing as long as I'm still capable of it. But I can only imagine how offputting it must be, and reading testimonials of fans who stopped writing or never started or don't write certain kinds of fic because they're afraid of the reaction is ... sobering. Yes, it's a perception on their part, and for most of them, their worst fears probably wouldn't come to pass. But just having that perception out there is a problem, you know? It's something that maybe we fandom old-timers should try to do something about. :)
(But you do have a point about different fannish contexts, and the fact that it certainly varies from fandom to fandom, subgroup to subgroup. And this is useful to keep in mind too! It would be interesting to hear from fans who still openly write Sues, or participate in Sue-friendly segments of fandom, if such places exist, as they almost certainly must - we may just be getting stuck on our own corner of fandom's mores, and failing to take into account other places.)