[Viv]

MEFA is going full-blast, and whoa there are some good fics nominated this year. As always, I'm finding lots of excellent stories in subgenres that I wouldn't normally read (check out the Villains category! it's full o goodness!).

But I find that reading MEFA nominees is taking up most of my fanfiction time. As a result, I'm not reading/reviewing here as much, and I'm not writing very much. Good trade-off? Has anybody else noticed a change in their fandom activity while awards are going on?

Has anybody ever written *for* an award? What are general thoughts on awards (not just MEFA, but also MPA and Mithril and etc)?

[Alassante]

I think its a little of both. It continues to be a popularity contest in all awards but then again that cannot be helped. Its frustrating for people who don't get nominated I'm sure and seeing the same people getting nominated every year while others are overlooked causes angst I'm sure. Some people just don't get into these things so if their favorite story is nominated they won't review and if its not nominated they won't think to nominate it. Its really for the writers. As someone who has been nominated for all of them (and lost more than I've won I think), it seems to me that the more I'm involved in the awards themselves - the better I do which doesn't have anything to do with my quality of writing. At the same time, like the Oscars, its just an honor to be nominated.

I also went through a flurry of reviews and it sent my muse running in all directions which affected my writing so in that respect - its very bad. I try to review as many friend's fics as possible but it becomes impossible to review them all then I feel bad. And there are times where I either write or I read/review - I cannot do both - and I choose to write. But yet again, I did end up reading a bunch of my friend's fictions that I hadn't read before just so I could review it so that *is* good.

The answer to your question - I have no idea.

[elea24]

My overall view would be that, yes, they are a good thing. I think most people would be very chuffed to be nominated in the first place, and for a lot of authors that could be a big moral boost.

Of course, the problem is that these awards can never be wholly impartial. There is no way that I can read all the nominated stories for the MEFAs, so I just have to pick ones to read that spark my interest, or I have read and enjoyed before. This could mean that I end up voting for just one story in a category when, had I been able to read all the stories in that category, I would actually find one that I think is slightly more deserving of winning. I suppose some nominated authors could be disheartened by that.

However, I think a nice thing about the MEFAs in particular is that anyone in the fandom can be involved -even if you haven't got anything nominated. I really enjoyed my stint as an author liaison and banner maker this year, and it's helped me feel more a part of the fandom as a whole.

[NeumeIndil]

I think awards also help us keep going too. As a fandom, things have been a little quiet these days. Anything that stirs reader interest is going to stir up writer bunnies (not that I need any more of those).

I think, too, that awards help me explore parts of canon etc. that I would not normally read or write. I tackle the awards differently than just about anybody I know, and in the process read at least 1 story from every catagory: in the randomly sorted Stories tab, I go through and remove the stuff I know I'm not going to enjoy (drabbles, slash, etc.) and then just read from the bottom to the top. I set a reviewer goal of 100 stories and will probably reach it, while touching on a little bit of *everything*. It's kind of like a sushi buffet: I get 1 of the California roll, 5 or 6 of the shrimp sashimi, 3 or 4 of whatever the awesome roll with the fish roe on top is called, etc. Wash it down with a good dose of tears (because the really good stories usually make me cry), and it's a great meal.

[dolarabee]

Past the popularity contest and the perceived unfairness (rightly or not), I think it benefits the community. It gets things rolling again if there's been a lull, gets some people to read a certain type of fics they normally wouldn't, as Viv mentioned, and motivates writers and readers/reviewers alike, for that given award.

But, because this whole event detracts from our normal routine, whether it's writing our 500 word a day, reading our 3 fics a week, posting our 30 reviews a month, I'd say it's important that the community doesn't get saturated with awards. We'd be jumping from one to the next and things would never revert back to normal and, chances are, most participants would suffer of some kind of creative or interest burn-out.

All in moderation - except for chocolate.

do.