Mistress Of The Obvious
Whoa. Did not see this coming. Apparently I’ve become a subject of controversy
I was actually quite unhappy with the story when I turned it in; it wasn’t as polished as it could have been and there were a lot of details I had to leave out due to space constraints. “Ugh,” I thought. “My worst cover story to date, so I’ll keep my head down and hope everyone forgets about this as soon as possible.”
Then I started to get a bunch of comments and e-mails from people thanking me for being honest about what I saw rather than inventing some sensational spin. These were flattering in a bemusing sort of way; it’s like having someone say “You were alone with a helpless little child, and you didn’t beat her up and steal her lunch money! Thank you!” And I’m thinking “Jesus, what the hell kind of person do they think I am, anyway?”
Then I remember: a journalist who went to their convention undercover because she thought there’d be weird sex things going on. Hence the aforementioned controversy, as many furs feel that sneaking in search of sensationalism is an unforgivable sin. Many others have rallied to my defense.
I first learned of this after a Furry e-mailed me a link at work. Very odd, reading total strangers talking about you like that. Flattering to be sure, but in a very odd way.
Speaking of odd, here’s the point of this post: this evening, a few minutes before leaving work, I told my boss, “I just forwarded you and [Other Boss] an e-mail I got from a guy asking permission to translate my furry article into Polish. For a furry forum, not a magazine.”
My boss laughed, and then said “Did you know another blog linked to you today?” Apparently they’ve been getting a number of hits from some members-only forum.
Cool, very cool, but then I got hit in the gut by a complete emotional grasp of something I've known intellectually for a long time: chances are good one or more of my bosses has read every post ever made, either here or on some libertarian-dork forums I frequent, that links to a story of mine.
Not that I'm worried about getting fired or anything; I'm just thinking "no wonder they think I'm so odd."
And I would like to add that I love my bosses with a love too great for words, and worship the very water on which they walk.
posted by Jennifer Abel at 5:03 PM
18 Comments:
Let me put it this way; here's another report that covered a Furcon over in Memphis. Specifically the "Mephit Furmeet" It's about the same size and has been around even longer than FurFright.
http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=7337685
It's pretty typical media coverage. As far as I know you are the first reporter to go to a convention and actually "see the convention" and not just tick off the element that fit the existing story they had framed out.
...either here or on some libertarian-dork forums I frequent,...
Soooo. That's what you really think of us, huh? Just you wait 'til the rest of the dor...er, guys hear about this.
:-)
So have they decided to leave the article up for a while and enjoy the flood of publicity? I believe it was noted that they had problems getting it up, but perhaps they can do better at keeping it up once it is up.
So have they decided to leave the article up for a while and enjoy the flood of publicity? I believe it was noted that they had problems getting it up, but perhaps they can do better at keeping it up once it is up.
Unfortunately, this happens to a lot of articles after they reach 40. But there are pills for this now.
They ARE trying to increase their Web presence, and maybe, just maybe, someone figured out that killing articles when they're two months old and making then unavailable forevermore might NOT be the best way to increase readership. I'm still annoyed to think of the HUNDRED or so blogosphere links to my phone-sex story, none of which actually work now. If I had the money, I'd try to buy the reprint rights of my best stuff back from them, so I could try to publish them in a book. Even if it were self-published; I just hate knowing that I worked so hard to write some really good stuff (amongst the clunkers), and NOBODY CAN GET IT.
The Furries article is two weeks old; under normal circumstance it WOULD still be available now, just not on the front page. And today (Wednesday) is when the new week's articles are supposed to be posted (I have one really good story and one really lame one), so I don't know what will happen to the Furry piece then.
It's up to 125 comments now! I do believe that's an all-time record.
Jennifer:
You know what would be really handy? If you could somehow put a permanent link to the Advocate on the front of your blog. I don't have it bookmarked and it's a pain to have to scroll down to a blog post that has a link to one of your articles just so I can get to the Advocate to look at one of your articles that isn't linked from a blog post.
Could ya do that for us? Purty please?
Done, Smartass. I can't believe I didn't think of that before.
I'm still waiting for my GOOD story from this week to go online; there's some sort of mixup wherein my dull story is online but not on the front page, and my GOOD story isn't online at all.
Done, Smartass.
Yup, and it works perfectly! Sure makes things easier. Thanks!
My good story--the one about civil unions--is FINALLY online. The story itself wasn't all that, but I really like the way I was able to write it. Sometimes the words come more easily than others. My boss told me he liked the whole "Sisyphus" motif.
Done, Smartass. I can't believe I didn't think of that before.
And another blog is now linked.....
But not to any specific story of mine.
My good story--the one about civil unions--is FINALLY online.
I read both stories and can't really say that one is written any better than the other - they both seem good to me - but I'm surely no expert. (And I'm certainly not a member of one unspeakably disgusting profession that I shall refrain from mentioning in polite company.) :-) I suppose the civil union article has a broader appeal, because of the controversy it is related to, but the piece about Mr. Visconti seems like good, solid reporting and would interest me more, if I lived in Hartford.
Sometimes the words come more easily than others. My boss told me he liked the whole "Sisyphus" motif.
Sisyphus, huh? Show-off! Next you'll be quoting Existentialist authors. :-) If your boss is a Boomer (or older), he's probably pleasantly surprised that you are educated well enough to be familiar with Greek Mythology (or Albert Camus.) Many intellectuals of that generation were (are?) quite enamoured of Existentialist writers, if memory serves. But I guess he may not know that you are an auto-didact who has had her nose in a book since she was a little girl. Readers are always more likely to be better educated than the rest of their contemporaries.
Smartass: It is a good thing that Jennifer isn't a mother, given the way she treats her stories. She takes favoritism to the extreme. The language she uses to describe those pieces that do not receive her favor is enough to make a sailor (or an aging Scottish broadcaster) wince. She not only belittles them with contempt and cruel mockery, she openly smites them.
Good thing she isn't a god, either.
The language she uses to describe those pieces that do not receive her favor is enough to make a sailor (or an aging Scottish broadcaster) wince.
Having been a sailor once I don't have to imagine.
She not only belittles them with contempt and cruel mockery, she openly smites them.
Good thing she isn't a god, either.
Throws things when she's angry, does she? :-)
Smartass: No, she just repeats the same few angry catchphrases. It's rather cute, actually.
If you come to our place and listen closely you can still hear the faint echo of the words "goddamned fucking furry story," which were hissed and uttered no less than three hundred times in the week of its creation, usually accompanied by a soul-extinguishing sigh.
I take my professional obligations quite seriously.
accompanied by a soul-extinguishing sigh.
Marked turn of phrase.
I take my professional obligations quite seriously.
And you love your bosses...
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