World Enough and Time

Yes, I do read some authors' blogs. Several. I read them for the same reasons I read anyone's blog - because I'm interested in what they have to say, and want to hear their perspective on the world.

That being said, my reasons for doing this are as diverse as the writers themselves. Warren Ellis' blog is as entertaining as he is. Neil Gaiman has good information about fannish events that interest me. With others, like Greg Rucka, it's because I want news of their upcoming books or projects. With George R.R. Martin, it's so I can whimper because there's no sign or A Dance For Dragons yet.

I'm a lot more likely to read their blog if they're on LJ than anywhere else. For reasons of convenience and inclination. I don't read Lois McMaster Bujold's comments on MySpace, for example, because, much as I like hearing what she has to say, I dislike MySpace and don't like going there.

fannish5

1. Other fans. Seriously. All of you. With special thanks to a few people like rosiespark, nina_ds, kikibug13, isagel, myfavouriteplum, chatona, and - well, heck, everyone who talked to me, who were such fun to discuss things with, from the moral/cognitive confusion I felt on "The Last of the Time Lords" to the cuteness of Captain Jack's smile. It was fun when you agreed with me and it was fun when you didn't. And then there were all of you who made gorgeous icons and shared them, and wrote wonderful stories and let me read them, and who commented on my stories, and issued me challenges, and who sent me links to (or copies of) great shows with the likes of Eccleston and Tennant and Barrowman in them, or who sent me clippings from the UK (extra special thanks to silverwhistle on that one), and otherwise helped me to enjoy my fandom in this wonderful playground that is LJ.



2. Video parties: I love inviting people over to see my fannish shows. We eat and talk and watch and talk and eat and watch and quibble. I especially thank people like josanpq and lmondegreen for being so appreciative of the Torchwood episode "Captain Jack Harkness". It's been great fun to watch Doctor Who and Torchwood with maaseru and maaboroshi, who aren't fans, but who are indulgent of my whims and who make interesting comments; and with commodorified and auriaephiala, who are simply lovely people and fun to watch things with. I wish I had infinite time and energy to do this sort of thing more often - !



3. The BBC. I gripe about some of their idiocies - not letting Canadians see the Torchwood website? keeping the starting date of series two secret? messing with my mind? - but they have wonderful online stuff for us, and they make lovely shows, and I'm revelling in it. I love it that they make "Confidentials" and "Declassifieds" so we can see Tennant and Barrowman clowning around like fanboys. I love it that they license action figures, and that there are published books, and that their DVD sets have the best, most artistic packaging I've seen.



4. Russell T. Davies. Sometimes he drives me mad and sometimes I adore him, and I am eternally grateful for his revival of Doctor Who and his creation of Torchwood - yes, I know he didn't do it singlehanded, but if he hadn't done what he did, I wouldn't be watching and enjoying this delightful, historically rich, infinitely enchanting and complicated fandom. An extra tip of the hat also to my favourite Doctor Who writer, Steven Moffat, and my favourite Torchwood writer, Catherine Treganna.



5. John Barrowman, the man who never sleeps and who never ceases to entertain. "You can sleep when you're dead," his mother told him, and he took it to heart. When he isn't filming Torchwood or Doctor Who he's on a variety of British radio shows, game shows, interview shows, cooking shows, kid's shows, and reality TV. And when he isn't doing that, he's doing print interviews and photoshoots and reading audiobooks and writing his autobiography (with his sister). And when he isn't doing that he's supporting good causes like Gay Pride and animal welfare. I've never known a star to be so accessible - and that means, accessible to me, in a foreign country and another hemisphere. I'm loving it.