Shit! I Missed an Anniversary!

Some anniversaries you remember; your wedding anniversary; 9/11, JFK/RFK/MLK's assassinations. They are memorable dates. Something really major happened on those dates that changed life as you know it forever. Not all of them are happy events.

Well over a year ago, I ventured into the world of writing Sons of Anarchy fan fiction; it's an ongoing little enterprise now in its' third book. At the time I launched the story, I had no idea that it would get attention on the world wide web through a blogger - and negative attention at that. I wrote because it was fun; I was answering questions that came up during Season 1, and it was your classic 'what if' scenario.

Ironically enough, I knew nothing of the scathing blog written about my little foray into SOA fanficton. The blog came out Valentine's Day of last year, and I learned of it a week later. What I read made me sick to my stomach. A few friends who had read my work and liked it stood up for me with the blogger. Said blogger also put out a challenge to other fan fic writers. She seemed surprised that no one took her up on her challenge.

(One wonders much and ponders more if the treatment she gave my creative effort might've warned other authors away from her challenge? Hmmmm, but I digress).

Well, it's 1 March, 2011, Well over a year since that blog came out. I had kinda forgotten about that anniversary date. Kinda. Not completely. It was in the back of my mind that a monumentous date in my life was comin' up, and I had to go back into last year's diary to find out what was buggin' me. 'Fuck me! I missed an anniversary!'

Thinking back to learning of that blog brought a lot of memories back. When I was first informed of it, the person telling me about it intially thought it was a good thing. Then they read it in full and were afraid to tell me about it. They feared I might 'Tig out' on the blogger. Didn't happen. The blogger still blogs. In fact, I never directly confronted her. Oh, I commented on Facebook and MySpace (which I hardly use anymore), and on a few SOA message boards, but never directly to her.

Until now.

For awhile, I was really angry and upset over the blogger's comments. It was never the fact that she didn't like the story. It was obvious from her admission to hating fan fiction that she read it with a pre conceived notion/chip on her shoulder type of thing.

I considered writing a response to her blog, and demand that she take it down, delete it, remove it from the cyber world. However, she has the right to post what she wants about what she wants. If she wants to hate my work, that's her right, and who the Hell am I to demand that she retract?

I will credit her that she did have one (1!) complaint that held water better than a leaky sieve pertaining to Book 1. Never went back to change that, but will give her credit for that. Most of the rest of her blog about my work was a rant about why she didn't like it that never gave anything constructive to work with - other than that she didn't like it. Oh - kay.

In the year since that blog came out, I have completed and put out on fanfiction.net the original Charming Pawse, which is now up to Book III for the third season. There was a Christmas Tail/imaginary story based on the CP characters, and also a CP/SOA/Rocky Horror Picture Show crossover. The on going series has both male and female followers, the youngest admits to being 18, the oldest - well, I ain't tellin'. After all, a lady never tells her age!

According to fanfiction.net's traffic tab, the stories garner hits from the US, Canada, Australia, England, and other countries. The stories get a visit from someone, somewhere in the world on a daily basis.

Though there are not a large number of reviews at the site itself; the majority of them have been positive. There was one that wasn't; the person had valid points to raise as to why they didn't like the one chapter. It was a little too realistic for them.

People also leave word on my FB page and Twitter or on the message boards about the work.

I have been added as favorite author and the CP series has been added to other fanfiction.net members favorite stories lists.

I still get a thrill to this day when I get an email from the FFbot telling me there's a new review and/or fav author/story add. Two writers honored me with a request to beta edit their own SOA fanfic. They are both now very good cyber friends.

Some might think I'm having a celebrity meltdown to do this, but I'm posting a link to that original blog. Let you read for yourself what was said. Not because I'm starting a war, don't have the time to do that. Nor do I have the inclination. But so that you'll understand that while I could do the Eric Cartman 'Screw you, I'm going home'.

Instead, I'm tellin her guess what, darlin'? I'm still here. You didn't scare me off. In fact, you may have done me a favor with your blog. So thank you for pissin' me off enough to keep the core characters true to their portrayers and the storylines plausiblea and for pissin' me off enough to say "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on. I'm gonna continue to write it in spite of - and to spite - you!"

if you google or otherwise search smalltownssmallscreens/2010/02/omfg-sons-of-anarchy-fanfic, you'll get to the link and can read the blog for yourself. Unfortuantely, it's a little hard to copy/past a link here. but I can write it out. http://smalltownssmallscreens.blogspot.com/2010/02/omfg-sons-of-anarchy-fanfic.html

Happy Anniversary, Charming Pawse, and may it enjoy as many seasons as Sons of Anarchy!