(Untitled)

Dec 01, 2006 18:00

You know, the more I see it, the more I'm starting to hate the phrase Out of CharacterMostly because other people dictating how a person should be writing kind of pisses me off. There used to be a time when people were ASKING to see new character traits in whatever fandom they were in - at least they did in mine. But apparently now it's not a good ( Read more... )

ramblings: writing is a joy and a pain, ramblings: allow me to use the soapbox

Leave a comment

zillahseye December 1 2006, 19:08:56 UTC
This made me all thinky! Awesome.

I was thinking about something similar yesterday, that this is why I suck at betareading and why I always get neurotic about recommending fic or giving concrit or ANYTHING. Because, like, who am I? How can I say, qualitatively, that something is good? How can I tell someone they need more action or hotter sex or a better ending or more of character X? I know whether or not I like something, but doesn't that just mean the story does or doesn't fit a template of expectations I had in my head? Isn't most concrit me just saying, "Dude, you didn't write the story I wanted!"

Of course, that belief kinda invalidates my English degree, which focused on the holy duality of writing and criticism. *grin* Do you think there is such a thing, objectively, as poor characterization or a "bad" story, or is it all personal taste? (Example: I had a nice friend many years ago who wrote what I considered to be bad fiction. It had an unbelievable premise, the characterization was so eccentric I couldn't ( ... )

Reply

bubbleforest December 1 2006, 20:29:30 UTC
Wow, I have to cut my reply into two comments. How dorky do I feel right now ( ... )

Reply

zillahseye December 2 2006, 22:54:11 UTC
I do really badly with betas. I believe everything they say. I'm all "Oh God, you're right, I DO suck. I'll just. Be over here with my piece of shit fic. That will now not ever be finished because I'm painfully aware that it sucks. And the characters suck and the language sucks. And I suck. Anybody have some chains and vinegar?" Or I try to rewrite the story based on what they like, and the whole thing winds up making no sense and I lose the narrative and all my personal interest in it. This is the same reason I can pretty much kiss a fic g'bye after I post one part of it, or even show a friend parts. I'll never be able to go back to the level of comfort I required to finish it. I feel too closely watched, even if that feeling's illusory.

Welcome to even more of my neuroses: My reccing is totally random. I've read wonderful things I never rec. I don't think I've ever recced anything in popslash, first because I felt like (and was) a total n00b, and then because I was paralyzed that people would think I was snubbing ( ... )

Reply

bubbleforest December 1 2006, 20:31:13 UTC
Gah, you ask such difficult questions! *g* I do think there is such a thing as bad characterization. If you're in the fanfic 'business', and you're writing a character where you can't recognize anything but the name, then yeah, I'd say that's bad. But I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to add a little spice to the pot. I mean, Brian isn't asexual. AJ does have faith in God. Writing something where you bring out those aspects of their personalities, while still keeping them recognizable - I cannot TELL you how much I would love to read that ( ... )

Reply

zillahseye December 2 2006, 22:10:38 UTC
Waitaminute. You're saying that...Brian has sex? Baylee didn't happen by spontaneous parthenogenesis? *blinkblink*

Sorry, moment over.

Right now I'm reading The Best Fanfic On The Internet (I'm sorry, "What I Think Is The Best Fanfic On The Internet") and I kept being weirded out by the author's Draco characterization. He was...sort of nice, yet juvenile, and bratty, and snotty, and temper-tantrummy, and manipulative, and clingy, and all in a childish way. He wasn't snarky! He wasn't particularly clever! He wasn't suave! As I was about to dismiss him as "good, but a bit OOC, don't you know" it occurred to me that this was the Draco FROM THE BOOKS. Canon, not fanon. And while I'm not crazy about canon!Draco, the author's characterization was not only legitimate, it was arguably more "in-character" than the Dracos in award-winning HP fics I'd read.

Reply

bubbleforest December 3 2006, 09:41:32 UTC
Well, of course the stork brought Baylee to the world. That's the only logical explanation!

Reply


Leave a comment

Up