H/C is  a popular genre within all fandoms.  It can bring out strong emotions in otherwise stoic male characters.

What, for you, distinguishes a good H/C story from a formula potboiler?

Or do you like formula potboilers?  If they're well-written?  If they strike the right  emotional chord regardless of the the quality of the writing?

Are you only interested in H/C when the hurt person is your favorite?

Are you only interested in H/C when a certain character is hurt and a specific character is the caretaker?

Express your opinion at h/c@williamsmith.org

I would say that I do like the h/c genre as long as it isn't carried too far in one extreme or the other.  Hurt that is used to develop the emotional growth of one or more characters is marvelous.  Hurt that is used for the sole purpose of turning another character into a hand-holding drudge for pages on end is tedious.  Well done comforting, comfort used as a relationship builder or as a means of showing hidden facets of a character is touching and can bring amazing insight and depth to a story.  Badly done comforting, comfort that merely exists for the purpose of having one character coddle and fret over the injured one can bring an otherwise good story down faster than anything I've ever seen, particularly when it lasts for page after page with no other plot development in sight.

Would I read a h/c story where someone other than Joe (my fave) is the hurt one?  Absolutely.  In fact, I really enjoy the occasional story where Joe gets a chance to shine as he takes care of friends or family.  The enjoyment is in seeing him cope with an unusual and worrying situation on his own.   And as caregiver if Joe is the injured party?  Well, it may not be the popular choice in fanfic, Ben or Hop Sing usually get the job, but I do love seeing Hoss in charge.  :)

Helen Adams

I like Joe h/c stories with him being taken care of by one or both of his brothers.  But not if the author makes them too gushy.  Sometimes the author puts herself in the position of the one taking care of Joe and has Ben or the brothers acting more like a mother or sister would.  Either that or she doesn't really have any idea how men would act in a situation like that.

Also I don't care for stories that have far-fetched injuries or illness that in reality would not have been possible to live through back then, or survive without after effects, or surgeries that were not done back then. ( Except for one notable exception, where the author noted that she was 20 years too early for the surgery being performed and footnoted the true date and place where it was first performed and the doctor who did it)

Thank you.

Ginny
Flackdg@aol.com 

Randy - virago@neworld.net

And lets not even think about the torture stories--stories were we just read about endless suffering and flayed skin, and innards and bloody tissue. And please, no stories need to describe the Cartwrights going to the bathroom.We all know they did it but it really adds nothing to the plot except to leave the reader wondering why the author is interested in bodily waste. :O

At this point, I would say if you can't find a new way to do this genre in this particular fandom... DON'T. Its been done, done and done.

Libby Armstrong

Kate:
Admittedly this genre has been done to death, and spectacularly badly in some cases, but I do still enjoy a good hurt/comfort fic.
 
What I don't like is hurt just for the sake of hurting the character, it needs to be as part of a strong storyline -such as Kate Mortenz Teal's superb 'Ringgold', one of the best h/c fics I've read.
 
Kate P