So, I read fanfic.
Before I became active in fandom/the online community at large, I had no idea of how widespread the world of fanfic truly was.
Any awareness I had of fanfic was mostly negative opinion. How much of the "normal" world probably views it.
Of course, now I know that not only can fanfic be incredibly well-written, but in fact, in some fandoms, fic and fanon are often considered a vast improvement, acting out the full potential canon did not (or could not in the case of cancellation)
But those negative stereotypes exist for a reason. We all know that. Badfic happens.
It's kind of like the nursery rhyme about the little girl with a curl - "when she was good, she was very, very good. But when she was bad, she was horrid."
However, many pieces, while relatively good in structure and/or content, get regulated to bad because of one little thing. Typos.
(Actually, I'm being generous here. Many of the mistakes I have come across are clearly not a matter of simply misplacing a keystroke or two, but reveal a fundamental lack of vocabulary knowledge.
This goes beyond the chronic misuse of your/you're or their/they're/there. I'm talking about things like "his conscious was bothering him" or "she felt his presents" [instead of "conscience" and "presence"] or the writer who seemed to think that prisoners facing execution were sentenced to "death roll". I believe that was the same individual who had the unlucky typo that made his/her villains using dynamite to destroy a MIND instead of a MINE. Talk about overkill!)
Then there's the typo that inspired me to finally make this post.
The statement was supposed to be "with a wild fury behind her eyes"
What it actually said?
"with a wild furry behind her eyes"
!!!
The author is clearly trying to build a dramatic moment, and suddenly I'm cracking up while picturing somebody like
this prowling through the jungle!
My point?
Proofreading is your friend.
(Alternately: get your friends to proofread.
Friends don't let friends post typos.)