There’s a small news item on IMDB today about the trouble Annie Proulx has gotten from Brokeback Mountain fans over the years. Good to see someone finally followed up on that one:

[Annie Proulx] says, “There are countless people out there who think the story is open range to explore their fantasies and to correct what they see as an unbearably disappointing story. They constantly send ghastly manuscripts and pornish rewrites of the story to me, expecting me to reply with praise and applause for ‘fixing’ the story. They certainly don’t get the message that if you can’t fix it, you’ve got to stand it.

Haha. Sending Annie Proulx erotic Brokeback Mountain fan fiction is great. “Dear Ms. Proulx, I know you’ve been having a lot of trouble finishing that short story that’s already appeared in the New Yorker, a best-selling book, and adapted into a movie, but I’ve got it all worked out in this 45 page, single spaced, double sided document. Let’s just say that the ending might fistprise you.” But also WHOOPS on Annie Proulx for using a line from her own story as some smirky lesson about how you’re not supposed to send authors alternate erotic endings. “They certainly didn’t get the message that I wish I knew how to quit them.” Also, “they didn’t get the message that you guys wasn’t gettin’ paid to leave the dogs babysittin’ the sheep while you stem the rose.”

Before sending Annie Proulx your own alternate erotic ending to Brokeback Mountain please first consider Fan Fiction Pro Tips for the Professional Fan.