Ladies & Gentlemen...
Just for the record, I am not at all insulted by Lucretia's post. Most of what I write at the moment does indeed use other people's characters and creations, but I am well aware the barb was not aimed in my direction, so I just ignored it.
It can in fact be very hard to take someone else's characters, keep them
in character, and write new and original stories about them.
What I do find rather sad is that a simple exchange of opinions - not facts, mind, but opinions! - has gotten as far out of hand as it has here.
Before now, I have had readers tell me they utterly loathed something I wrote - hated character, plot, etc with a passion - and I have thanked them for their opinion. Other readers have loved the same story, and I have thanked them too. All opinions are valuable to a writer, whether good or bad, because they all teach us something.
What is more, all opinions are based purely on the taste of the reader, and thus are of equal value. No writer, regardless of talent, will please everyone. It just isn't possible.
With that in mind, how about calling a truce, eh? Is there really any purpose to be served by everyone insulting each other? At the end of the day - will anyone benefit from it? Or will we all in fact be the poorer...
Just
my opinion <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
