An Open Letter to Myself

[stungunbilly]

Dear Me,

You're reading WiPs again. This won't be the first, nor the last post in which you lament the horrors of following unfinished stories. You always think "but it's just some dumb vampire au! I totally will remain detached, cool like unto the Arctic in November, it'll be *fine*!" And end in tears, or torn hair at least.

Now, it's true that YOUR NEXT PRESIDENT WILL BE BARACK OBAMA OMG YAY, but he doesn't have magic powers of internet fiction improvement, get a grip.

Here, have an itemized list of some of the dangers of WiPs to remind you next time you get cocky (and when we overturn prop 8 you'll need to come back for some humbling, kid).

1. There was  the one with the sudden random LotRips character sleeping with one member of the pairing. Didn't see THAT coming in a CWRPS J-squared tale, although why not I can't say. It's not like I don't read the Internets on a regular basis.
2. Many people find random, poorly explained main pairing infidelity/deception/betrayal really hot. Or, hawt, whatever. Warnings designed for you should read "I plan to destroy your sense of the integrity of this relationship with three sudden paragraphs in Chapter Sixteen. I won't be resolving this in any emotionally resonant way, just shoe-horning in  lots of random sex, pun intended." What they usually say is "I just had to include the scene with Justin Hartley  Michael Weatherly   Dick Cheney in a maverick cruising costume because I was watching him last night and he is sooo sexy!!<31! "
3. fleshflutter  can be an exception to the "No WiPs" rule, but BEWARE TORMENT. The story will be amazing, almost certainly finished, and even regularly updated. What's a little broken heart or two along the way? Totally worth it.  (No, it really is.)
4. Yes, you really are still waiting for the sex scene of that one story after 13 installments of 2 to 4 lengthy parts apiece.
5. Even if there is no non-con warning, or non-con for the first 10 parts, it could happen at any time. Not everyone finds that awful. Some folks really like it. They might make you cry.
6. Bored or distracted writers will occasionally change the plot and/or pairing in the middle if enough comments demand it , no matter how Frankensteinian the results.
7. IT MAY NEVER END.

Stay strong! Or, if you can't stay strong, remember to tell the SO your woes and receive the gift of laughter.

Love and recriminations,
stungunbilly (you)