Well, I have forty-five minutes before I must present myself in the gamelan room. That's time for one long, considered reply, and you're it. Congratulations, for what it's worth.
I personally have quite a few objections to HASA, besides the fact that you need to show them your e-mail to get in, and I'm not willing to do that. HASA strikes me as the University of Michigan of fanfiction archives -- it produces roughly equal parts stellar work and tsuris. Just as the University of Michigan, although nationally recognized as an excellent school, finds itself embroiled in very loud public battles over affirmative action and reports from current students that the administration makes it almost impossible to get out of that school, HASA causes lots of people to worry, angst, bite their fingernails, get into long, bitter online arguments with each other. . . over what? Fanfiction?
HASA certainly sets itself up as The Best Of The Best, and they do have some basis for that claim. Probably ninety percent of what they post there is good, if somewhat repetitive in style. On the other hand, there are equally good archives out there. Stories of Arda is my personal favorite (it's now my primary archive), and it's well worth checking out. SoA doesn't set itself up to be the be-all and end-all of Tolkien fandom, the site owner is a very nice lady with endless reams of patience and a real commitment to making sure everyone has a good time. So, is HASA in some way "better" than SoA? I don't know. It doesn't have the reputation, certainly. But it also doesn't have either the hubris or the tsuris* that seems to follow HASA wherever it goes.
I guess I'd tell you this: If the fact of having a short story up at HASA will make you happy, go for it. Submit a story, see what happens. But don't hang your entire self-esteem on it. It's really not worth it, and there are other, perfectly good places out there. When all is said and done, this is just a game that we play. It's not worth getting yourself terribly worked up over a game.
*Look at me! Greek and Yiddish in the same sentence!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-08 09:55 pm (UTC)I personally have quite a few objections to HASA, besides the fact that you need to show them your e-mail to get in, and I'm not willing to do that. HASA strikes me as the University of Michigan of fanfiction archives -- it produces roughly equal parts stellar work and tsuris. Just as the University of Michigan, although nationally recognized as an excellent school, finds itself embroiled in very loud public battles over affirmative action and reports from current students that the administration makes it almost impossible to get out of that school, HASA causes lots of people to worry, angst, bite their fingernails, get into long, bitter online arguments with each other. . . over what? Fanfiction?
HASA certainly sets itself up as The Best Of The Best, and they do have some basis for that claim. Probably ninety percent of what they post there is good, if somewhat repetitive in style. On the other hand, there are equally good archives out there. Stories of Arda is my personal favorite (it's now my primary archive), and it's well worth checking out. SoA doesn't set itself up to be the be-all and end-all of Tolkien fandom, the site owner is a very nice lady with endless reams of patience and a real commitment to making sure everyone has a good time. So, is HASA in some way "better" than SoA? I don't know. It doesn't have the reputation, certainly. But it also doesn't have either the hubris or the tsuris* that seems to follow HASA wherever it goes.
I guess I'd tell you this: If the fact of having a short story up at HASA will make you happy, go for it. Submit a story, see what happens. But don't hang your entire self-esteem on it. It's really not worth it, and there are other, perfectly good places out there. When all is said and done, this is just a game that we play. It's not worth getting yourself terribly worked up over a game.
*Look at me! Greek and Yiddish in the same sentence!