A question on style and reviewing standards.
Right. I'm English, and I'm in two fandoms (this one, natch, and HP) based on very English books. However, most fandom authors tend to be American.
So I've started thinking about style - specifically, whether it's "the done thing" to include "It's not very Englis, really..." comments when giving feedback.
I'm thinking mainly about characters' conversations - IMHO, Aziraphale would never say "gotten" or "could care less" - it would definitely be "got" and "couldn't care less" respectively. But it also springs up in the more descriptive paragraphs; just small Americanisms that stand out to me just because I'm not used to them.
So, questions for the more prolific of you :) -
- Would you be offended at having this sort of thing pointed out, either in beta or in feedback?
- Do you think it makes a difference, or am I being parochial and snobbish about the whole thing?
- Is there a difference between colloquialisms in speech, and in linking paragraphs?
- Should I just shut up & write something f'r a change?
FWIW, I'm genuinely interested & won't take offence. I *prefer* English stories to be written with English phrases, but I know for a fact I'd suck at getting Americanisms right if I started writing Buffyfic.
So I've started thinking about style - specifically, whether it's "the done thing" to include "It's not very Englis, really..." comments when giving feedback.
I'm thinking mainly about characters' conversations - IMHO, Aziraphale would never say "gotten" or "could care less" - it would definitely be "got" and "couldn't care less" respectively. But it also springs up in the more descriptive paragraphs; just small Americanisms that stand out to me just because I'm not used to them.
So, questions for the more prolific of you :) -
- Would you be offended at having this sort of thing pointed out, either in beta or in feedback?
- Do you think it makes a difference, or am I being parochial and snobbish about the whole thing?
- Is there a difference between colloquialisms in speech, and in linking paragraphs?
- Should I just shut up & write something f'r a change?
FWIW, I'm genuinely interested & won't take offence. I *prefer* English stories to be written with English phrases, but I know for a fact I'd suck at getting Americanisms right if I started writing Buffyfic.