This is a bit of a rant on tagging in AO3 for which I couldn't find a better place.

In reading in various fandoms on AO3, I have found the number and quality of tags is an indicator of the quality of the writing and the probable maturity of the writer.

MfU writers tend to use warnings, standardized tags for main character names, relationships, and genre such as: H/C, humor, episode tag. Sometimes a note field. It is easy to search for stories that include the tags "Napoleon Solo" and "humor" and get stories that include those things.

In other fandoms, to pick on ST:TNG as an example, writers sometimes name every single character with so much as a non-speaking crowd scene appearance, no formal relationship or genre tags, and multiple details about the characters behavior in the story: "Data is clueless," "Geordie is so in love with Data" "Geordie is a jerk", "Good friend Troi", "Data is autistic". They also use comments about the writer's feelings: "I ship these guys forever", "But I love him", "I don't know why I wrote this" [avoid anything with this tag], "No beta we die like men", "LOL", and the very obvious "I don't know how to tag". There are NEVER any note fields when this kind of tagging is present.

Many of those tags are unique and therefore not indexed, even with popular ones there are a lot of spelling and wording variations, so even looking for stories where Data is autistic only gets a partial result. Searching on LOL gets a huge mishmash of story types most of which aren't humor, so I have no idea what it means. Maybe the joke is on the reader for wasting time reading the story?

This occurs with other fan fic I've read, but ST:TNG seems to have more of it than the older shows. Newer shows seem to have even more weird non-searchable tags. I think this is the reason that AO3 started setting tag limits.

I thought hashtags were developed on social media to help people follow specific stories and themes, so I don't understand why so many are unsearchable. [End rant]

Current Mood: aggravated
Current Location: on my hobby horse

glenmered

There is an overwhelming malaise regarding writing new stories for MFU. I know it's been a hard season for so many people, and by season I actually mean the last two years, plus or minus a few months.

Section VII has had a ten year anniversary this past February, and I've been writing fan fiction for twelve years.  I would love to think that I'll write another story and yet it seems that Real Life has usurped my desire or motivation for it.  

Anyone have the same issues?  

Is there anything we can do to revitalize the writing bug?  I know Muse gets a lot of credit but, it is really about that? Is there a way to make writing new fiction the therapy we all need to overcome some of our inability to put words to paper, so to speak?

Ideas are welcome, and perhaps we might interject some real life into the fiction.  What about a Journal Challenge.  What would Illya write about his own life if he were journaling? How much would Napoleon reveal about his state of mind if he wrote it down in a very secret diary?

If you don't have a feel for what the men might tell us, maybe April or Lisa Rogers, or Angelique? Now that's a diary that would make for interesting reading.

If you're up for the challenge, let us know.  It can be stand alone or multi-chapter in style. I think it could be writer's therapy in a new way, the UNCLE way.

glennagirl.livejournal.com

Just post a link to one of your favorites and let us join you in reading a great Man from UNCLE story!

Also, st_crispins has a notice concerning a writing workshop HERE

glennagirl.livejournal.com

Okay, for those of you who are stuck in some sort of writing drought, I'm here to offer you hope. We are told to write what we know, and these days, everyone is a bit of an expert on this topic. So, I offer to you an opportunity to explore within the framework of The Man from UNCLE, the very current, very lived ...

Minimum... no minimum. Give us a short story, an epic novel or a drabble. The goal is to write, and quite talking about muses. Just sit down and put something on paper, that's how you start.

Let me tell you a story about muses.

When I was sidelined from salon work after developing asthma, unable to stay in an environment full of chemicals and, at the time, smoking, I started watching Bob Ross on the television. I had been an art major in college, and one of many who ended up with a cosmetology license because it afforded some sort of creative outlet that might actually provide a living. As I watched dear, sweet Bob, I kept saying to myself...

"I'd like to paint. I really want to paint."

And so I watched the shows and talked to myself about painting, until one day, I heard a different voice say to me...

"Just pick up a brush and start painting."

Revelation. And so I did, and I painted and then I started painting murals and, well, you get the idea. Just sit down and write something. Anything, until you get your rhythm back and you have something in front of you that pleases you.

( Read more... )

alynwa.livejournal.com

“You can keep looking, Illya,” Napoleon said as he reclined on the almost paper – thin mattress he’d been sleeping on for the past two nights, “but I really think we’re going to have to wait for Mark and April to find us. I managed to let HQ know our whereabouts just before we were captured and they haven’t moved us anywhere, so they’ll be here I estimate within five hours.”

“If you want to just lie back and await rescue, be my guest,” his prickly partnered replied as he continued to inspect the walls of the cell, “A lot of unpleasantness can happen in five hours and I would prefer to be in one piece. Aut viam inveniam aut faciam. Sorry, that means…”

“’I shall find a way or make one.’” He was about to say something else, but when Illya stopped what he was doing to stare at him with wide eyes, he glared at the blond instead. “What’s that look for?” he demanded.

“Nothing. I was just surprised, is all.”

Napoleon sat up, anger etched on his face. “You really do think I’m stupid.”

The reddening Russian said, “No, Napoleon, I do not think you are stupid.”

“Just stupid compared to you. Admit it: You were shocked I knew that Latin saying!”

Before Illya could answer, the sound of gunfire erupted not too far away. They both recognized the sounds of Walther pistols and knew their rescue was at hand.

Napoleon reached for both cots and turned them over so they would have a barrier between them and the plastic explosive he knew would be used to force the door open. He reached out and none too gently yanked his partner down beside him. “We are so not done with this discussion,” he growled.

Current Location: Henderson, Nevada

glennagirl.livejournal.com

( Read more... )

glennagirl.livejournal.com

Another issue of Kuryakin Files is in the works. This will be another digi-file publication, with a summer release pending adequate submissions.

Lisa Madden publishes Kuryakin Files, and you can contact her here: lemadden52@gmail.com

Stories should be Gen, never before published. Lisa does edit, so writers need to be open to that and possible suggestions for revision, if necessary.

A selection of color illustrations is also being sought.

glennagirl.livejournal.com

A year or so ago we had a conversation about the muse, the lost muse and missing muse... you know what I mean.

I'm wondering if there's a way to jump start a muse search, perhaps track her down and talk some sense into the wayward sprite.

The poll we put up yesterday received some responses that indicated a lost muse is responsible for non-productivity where writing is concerned here in the MFU-niverse, and that a new challenge might do it for some of you.

A compelling challenge.

So, what constitutes a compelling challenge? We have weekly writing prompts here on Section VII, and admittedly a few of them have been here for a very long time. So, the topic is open for something new and different to ignite and inspire you to write. If you have a suggestion, please use the comments to post your ideas. We want you to write, and we are open to new topics and prompts that will help you (all of us), to get back to the exploits of Solo and Kuryakin in a big way.

55 Years of MFU can't be wrong. Right?

glennagirl.livejournal.com

If you're a writer and feeling the blahs of a lost muse or something less poetic, please take a look at our poll and share a little about the whys and wherefores.
Where In The Fandom Are You?

glennagirl.livejournal.com

It seems as though the fandom of MFU is less active recently, perhaps over a period of a year or more. I hear murmurs of other fandoms pulling at writers, although personally, I have had little interest in anything other than MFU. It was where I discovered this world of fan fiction and, indeed, fandom itself. I guess I'm just not that curious about the after life regarding anyone except Solo and Kuryakin.
That is not to say my own preferences should apply to anyone else, just to be clear.
So, where are you these days? We've gone from a glut of stories to a handful, if that. Are you simply tired of writing, out of time and energy or no longer hanging on every adventure from our intrepid spies?
Let's talk about it. Some of the questions may not apply to you, so leave fields blank if that's the case.
Thanks!

[Poll #2098568]

glennagirl.livejournal.com

I couldn't decide if it belongs here or in the MFU Gallery. I decided here works just fine.

glennagirl.livejournal.com

Just because we need another reason to write, here's something anyone can have fun with. I hope a few of you non-writers will join in on this because it's as simple as, well, one sentence.
Word of the Day, courtesy of Word Genius, will be the prompt to write one sentence using this new word and thereby adding it to your vocabulary (if it isn't already there).
Just post a sentence in the comments and watch for others as they are added.
I'm hoping for lively participation.
And here's today's word:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

Logy

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: unknown, 19th century

Lacking vitality
Sluggish or lethargic

EXAMPLES OF LOGY IN A SENTENCE:

My parents did not appreciate my logy approach to cleaning the dishes.

I slept poorly last night, so I am feeling logy and slow this morning.

glennagirl.livejournal.com

I'll admit to having trouble keeping up with what day it is. My schedule has been all over the place, a 'cousin' from out of town (

wendiez ) and Vacation Bible School in the evenings. I have to give out major kudos once again to teachers everywhere, because a couple of hours at night with kids doing crafts is incredibly challenging to me. Thankfully I have some help, but seriously... you in the education biz do it for hours every day. I bow in respect to you.
If you missed it, we had a grammer conversation yesterday that you can find HERE.
Last week I put out an Impromptu Challenge that centered on early days, first meetings or early partnership. That's still something you can write and post, so if it interests you we want your story.
I've been thinking about how I used to write longer stories, something I rarely do these days. Have our challenges stifled the desire or energy for longer, more involved storytelling? I know we like to put up shorter entries, sometimes because of time constraints or the nature of the challenge. The ABC challenges have inspired some multi-chapter stories, but what about an intentional long story, say 5,000 and up.
I'm wondering if we might do something like that, with a long range target date for posting. If you're interested or have suggestions, let's talk about it in the comments. We could choose a single prompt or a selection of them based on episodes or events. I'm curious to know what y'all think.
And finally, I can't go too long in between my expression of gratitude to everyone who stops by to write, read or just observe. Everyone is valuable here and I'm thankful for all that you do to make this a real community of MFU cousins.
the hot number affair - reading reports

glennagirl.livejournal.com

mrua7 posted an interesting bit on the usage of the words further and farther. I think it's easily one of the most misused words, further. I cringe when people say that they went further than someone else, or they're going further. Further isn't about distance, and if you're interested in some quick insights visit her page to read about it.

That leads me to the personal pronoun debacle. I know it's been accepted as usage, but it is wrong to say 'Illya was with Napoleon and I on that trip'. That is the same as saying Illya was with I. Obviously incorrect, right? So why do so many people insist on saying it improperly?

( Read more... )

glennagirl.livejournal.com

So... I guess it isn't really official yet, but what does that have to do with us enjoying a little bit of writing fun?

I know that many of those who read stories don't describe themselves as writers, but sometimes I know you'd like to insert something, a word or a phrase. Well, why don't we just do that here, today.

Here's the beginning of a sentence, and in the comments section, finish the sentence with whatever comes to mind. Well, within the guidelines of the community; nothing off putting, if you know what I mean.

Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin thought they had seen everything, but the sight of ...

That's all I'm giving you. Now you tell the rest of the story by finishing the sentence, maybe adding another sentence to it. Let's see how many versions of this we get. Of course, this is open to everyone, writers and readers alike.

Just copy the first part of the sentence into your comment and finish it. Have some fun, and let's celebrate Everyone's A Writer Day.

rallamajoop.livejournal.com

Couple of links to drop at once with this one, since this is a fic with a bit of backstory. When I offered a fic request in a charity auction a while back, the winner asked me for something centering on one of recurring UNCLE staff girls like Sarah Johnson or Heather McNabb, since the those characters have long been a bit of a pet topic of mine (my original post on their roles and all sorts of behind-the-scenes trivia surrounding them blew up to over 4K words in length). I chose Heather McNabb, a recurring communications girl from the first season.

One of the first things we learn about Heather is that she used to be a stewardess–which I wasn't planning on using as a basis for the story, until it dawned on me that an organisation like UNCLE recruiting stewardesses as espionage agents makes a rather beautiful amount of sense. So that got me sidetracked writing up yet another lengthy post of research and meta about the idea, and how it could fit into the background of other recurring characters like Wanda Townsend (and of course Napoleon, who would have to be on board with the plan).

Or, you could just read the fic itself–which turned into the sort of origin story that happens when you take one line of dialogue from the show and get completely carried away. It's on AO3 at the link below.

Title: To earn your wings
Characters: Heather McNabb, Napoleon Solo, Illya Kuryakin
Rating: PG
Word Count: 7041
Summary:

Heather McNabb's career as an airline hostess comes to an end in much the usual manner: she meets a man.

(Two men, really, though not at once, and she wouldn't know it until later—but that's getting ahead of the story.)

Huge thanks to Tallihensia for the original request, and to

hypatia_66 for betaing for me.

glennagirl.livejournal.com

Perhaps I'm inspired by the post

ssclassof56 put up yesterday for the What's My Line? Challenge. You really need to check that out and get ready to write. I'm so bummed that we can't actually do the musical, talk about a good time.
Anyway, I got here in a roundabout way, considering my jam preferences for various food situations. I recently found some boysenberry jam on walmart.com, something I've been looking for but couldn't find here in Kentucky. Boysenberries are my all time favorite, something that comes from having grown up going to Knott's Berry Farm, where boysenberry is king. If you've been there (it's currently an amusement park that, in Orange County, is second only to Disneyland), then you've had something made from boysenberries. At least I hope so.
Okay, I digress...
I made some biscuits this morning so I could indulge in the boysenberry jam, which made me think about my preferences for other foods that get a dollop of something.
Banana Bread needs strawberry jam.
Blueberry muffins... more blueberry, so I made blueberry jam. I also like a blueberry sauce on pineapple sherbert.
Cornbread muffins, honey butter.
It's a list, my list of preferences.
And that, my friends, reminded me of all of the accounts of Illya Kuryakin putting strawberry jam in his tea. I know it's strictly a fanfic thing, because I don't think we ever see Illya drinking tea. But we know he would have preferred it, at least in the beginning.
So, what other preferences do we see or read concerning Napoleon and Illya? What are the little details about their behavior that had, perhaps, small beginnings but then grew into Fanon, that set of absolutes attributed to the writers of MFU fan fiction?
What are those Little Things that make us love these guys?

glennagirl.livejournal.com

This is a topic that has come up on occasion, a discussion that touches everyone who writes and/or reads the stories that are posted here and elsewhere across Live Journal. Well, everywhere actually.
First, let me ask a question of you:
If you attend a concert or a stage production, do you applaud the performance? Do you acknowledge in any way that you were in the audience?
( Read more... )

threecee.livejournal.com

Sometimes I get what seems like a good idea for a story, but as I start fleshing it out, it starts to seem very familiar. I will start to feel pretty sure that I have read a similar story at some point even if I can't find it. (I have a pretty good memory for things I've read, so I could easily have read it a couple years ago.)

I don't want to accidentally take over someone else's story, but there are a limited number of possible plots unless you go to AU. For example: Napoleon and Illya are hiding from THRUSH in a deserted cabin and one of them is hurt. Used a lot, but is my variation really different or am I remembering it?

Does this happen to other people? How much do you worry about using a similar situation as long as you (think you have) put your own spin on it?

Added: I have found a term for this! Cryptomnesia

"Cryptomnesia occurs when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original. It is a memory bias whereby a person may falsely recall generating a thought, an idea, a tune, or a joke,[1] not deliberately engaging in plagiarism but rather experiencing a memory as if it were a new inspiration." Wikipedia "Cryptomnesia" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomnesia accessed May 13, 2019

threecee

Profile

Section VII Propaganda and Public Relations

September 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30

Syndicate

Page Summary

Style Credit

Base style: Patsy by sforzinda
Theme: Clay Deco by timeasmymeasure

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Jan. 8th, 2026 12:47 am

Navigation

Man from U.N.C.L.E. Section VII

Public Relations and Propaganda or How We See It

Entries tagged with writing

Tagging in AO3 (off topic)

The state of writing... muse or no muse?

In case you've forgotten what day of the week it is...

Just post a link to one of your favorites and let us join you in reading a great Man from UNCLE story!

Also, st_crispins has a notice concerning a writing workshop HERE

Slightly Impromptu... The Pandemic Affair Challenge

Just a Snippet of Something I Think Might Go Somewhere...

The Daily Prompt

Kuryakin Files #39

Speaking of Lost Muses...

The Poll Is Still Open...

Where In The Fandom Are You?

Putting A Face On It...

New Daily Challenge ... Word of the Day

Logy

So, it's Thursday...

Speaking of Grammar...

First Annual ...

Fic: To earn your wings (Heather McNabb, Napoleon Solo, Illya Kuryakin)

Round Table - Little Things That They Do

Can I Sound Off A Little?

Unconcious plaigerism repost from DW

Unconscious Plagiarism

Profile

September 2025

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags