Fan Fic Rant
I'm a bit of a fan fic addit. Okay, so there's nothing 'bit' about it. I love reading fan fiction. I've meant to do the first portion of this rant for some time, the later portion has just come up in the last several weeks.
Note: This is not directed to any of the fan fic writers on my f-list. You're there for a good reason, one of which being that you don't have problems with the following items.
[rant]
Grammar is Important...Really!
The following is a list of basic, elementary level grammar that the majority of English speaking fan fic writers can't seem to grasp. By English speaking, I mean first language - from American, the UK, or Australia.
1. Your & You're. These are not interchangeable. They mean different thinkings. "Your" is a possessive pronoun stating that something belongs to you/the character speaking. "You're" is a contraction standing for "you are." See the difference? Sad to say I spotted this in a printed book.
2. Their, There, & They're. Again, these are not interchangeable, the meanings are very different. "Their" is a possessive plural pronoun - "Their stuff." "There" referrers to a location - "over there." "They're" is a contractions of "they are." Different! I am hardily sick of people using the wrong one. I learned this stuff in 3rd or 4th grade. It's not that difficult, really.
3. Its & It's. Again, different. Its is a possisive pronoun. It's is a contraction of 'it is.' Simple. Really.
3. Punctuation is important. Thou shalt not write run-on sentences.
4. Grammar doesn't have to be perfect when writing dialog. Numbers 1 & 2 of this rant do, however, still apply. People do not talk in proper grammar and they frequently use contractions.
5. It's called spell check. Try it sometime.
Characterization is Very Important or A Decent Plot Does Not a Good Fiction Make
1. Pay close attention to how each character speaks. Most fandom characters, when well written, have very individual ways of speaking. How they structure their sentences and their vocabulary differs from character to character. Do not write all the characters the same.
2. Do not make characters unnecessarily evil or Mary Sue-ish. I mean cannon fandom characters. Just because you love one character does not make them the end all and be all of everything. No one is perfect...ever. On evil - don't turn a generally good, if imperfect, character into the most bitchy, impossible character just because you don't like them. Unless you're writing AU, then you may play.
3. Most importantly - these are established characters you're working with, don't mess them up. Take time to understand what makes them tick, what their patterns of behavior are, how they speak, etc. If you don't, you're just writing your own original characters and are better off really writing them as original characters and fictions.
On Crossovers - Specifically Buffyverse/Anita Blake
1. The vampires and rules for them are different. You cannot ignore this and if you can't come up with a reasonable explanation for the differences, don't under any circumstances write fic for this particular crossover. Can they exist in the same 'verse? Yup. You just have to get creative.
2. See all of the characterization section. People! Some of you couldn't write the characters correctly if they lived in your head. Don't write fan fiction if you can't get the charaterization even remotely right.
Betas are wonderful
So make sure you have one. A good beta will tell you when you're writing crap and suggest ways to fix it.
[/rant]
Note: This is not directed to any of the fan fic writers on my f-list. You're there for a good reason, one of which being that you don't have problems with the following items.
[rant]
Grammar is Important...Really!
The following is a list of basic, elementary level grammar that the majority of English speaking fan fic writers can't seem to grasp. By English speaking, I mean first language - from American, the UK, or Australia.
1. Your & You're. These are not interchangeable. They mean different thinkings. "Your" is a possessive pronoun stating that something belongs to you/the character speaking. "You're" is a contraction standing for "you are." See the difference? Sad to say I spotted this in a printed book.
2. Their, There, & They're. Again, these are not interchangeable, the meanings are very different. "Their" is a possessive plural pronoun - "Their stuff." "There" referrers to a location - "over there." "They're" is a contractions of "they are." Different! I am hardily sick of people using the wrong one. I learned this stuff in 3rd or 4th grade. It's not that difficult, really.
3. Its & It's. Again, different. Its is a possisive pronoun. It's is a contraction of 'it is.' Simple. Really.
3. Punctuation is important. Thou shalt not write run-on sentences.
4. Grammar doesn't have to be perfect when writing dialog. Numbers 1 & 2 of this rant do, however, still apply. People do not talk in proper grammar and they frequently use contractions.
5. It's called spell check. Try it sometime.
Characterization is Very Important or A Decent Plot Does Not a Good Fiction Make
1. Pay close attention to how each character speaks. Most fandom characters, when well written, have very individual ways of speaking. How they structure their sentences and their vocabulary differs from character to character. Do not write all the characters the same.
2. Do not make characters unnecessarily evil or Mary Sue-ish. I mean cannon fandom characters. Just because you love one character does not make them the end all and be all of everything. No one is perfect...ever. On evil - don't turn a generally good, if imperfect, character into the most bitchy, impossible character just because you don't like them. Unless you're writing AU, then you may play.
3. Most importantly - these are established characters you're working with, don't mess them up. Take time to understand what makes them tick, what their patterns of behavior are, how they speak, etc. If you don't, you're just writing your own original characters and are better off really writing them as original characters and fictions.
On Crossovers - Specifically Buffyverse/Anita Blake
1. The vampires and rules for them are different. You cannot ignore this and if you can't come up with a reasonable explanation for the differences, don't under any circumstances write fic for this particular crossover. Can they exist in the same 'verse? Yup. You just have to get creative.
2. See all of the characterization section. People! Some of you couldn't write the characters correctly if they lived in your head. Don't write fan fiction if you can't get the charaterization even remotely right.
Betas are wonderful
So make sure you have one. A good beta will tell you when you're writing crap and suggest ways to fix it.
[/rant]