Acceptance and Critique

[fileg]

I sent my four element drabbles to review at Henneth Annun, and much to my surprise, the were not only accepted, they did much better than I expected. Review at HASA, although it is the luck of the draw, can be *very unfriendly* to short works, no matter what their quality, and this was sort of a test case for me, to see if that could be overcome.

I expected a heavy round of delines that left nice comments, and comments telling me that short forms are not stories, and that I had not stuck to Middle-earth mythology.

Unbelievably,*no-one* gave me the usual no plot / no length pull-down. I had two declines, one for the standard "undistinguished writing" without comment that I almost always get these days, (maybe I have a rabid anti-fan?) ...
but the last review covered almost every single thing I expected to hear - I was mentioned for: factual errors, unworkable AU, I had misspelled Andúril (well, that was true, I uploaded from the uncorrected copy. Must learn to called my drafts different things, LOL! But I am always amazed that people will decline for one misspelled word, instead of leaving a note about correcting it.) AND: *drumroll* :  "Also, the grail legend has no place in Middle-earth." Ta-da!


I love the idea that I might be corrupting the purity of Tolkien's mythology by speculating using Myth, Celtic Culture and Catholicism - oh, and allowing Arwen to have a moment of choice and epiphany. I wonder if this reviewer realizes that christian mythology took the grail legends from the Celtic tradition. I sure am glad the professor doesn't know his writing took me to such outlandish places! From now on, I should endeavor to stick to the kind of sources he might have used himself.... oh, wait! LOL!

Honestly, I take criticism pretty well, and consider it seriously even if I don't incorporate it in the end. But I have no desire to stop speculating because of cannon police. fiction = speculation.

I love - I think - I write. Learning as I go...

Comments

[undonne.livejournal.com]

I love the idea that I might be corrupting the purity of Tolkien's mythology by speculating using Myth, Celtic Culture and Catholicism - oh, and allowing Arwen to have a moment of choice and epiphany. I wonder if this reviewer realizes that christian mythology took the grail legends from the Celtic tradition. I sure am glad the professor doesn't know his writing took me to such outlandish places! From now on, I should endeavor to stick to the kind of sources he might have used himself.... oh, wait! LOL!

Oh my sainted whiskers! The idea that Tolkien's vision is "pure" in the first place is such a crock of.... well, you know. It is a lovely, imaginative hodge-podge of all that he knew and loved, including Catholicism and English history and medieval mythic and bunches of stuff besides. I've always thought that Frodo's character had an underlying connection both the Fisher-King and Percival of the Grail legends (purity of heart, wound that doesn't heal). But, hey, maybe it's just me.