dear writers

[amonitrate]

if you have to explain/justify your character's actions in the comments to your story, you did it wrong.

luckily, other people got to this one before I did, so I don't have to come off like the tonypepper police.

Comments

[catechism]

Unrelated but not: Yeah, you know, when I first started writing fic, I made a little pact with myself that if I ever ran across people discussing my stories, and those people hadn't asked me to join in, then I wouldn't. Especially if they were like, "I didn't understand it!" Because, exactly: If I have to explain my genius, then it probably was not very genius in the first place.

[amonitrate]

Yeah. I mean, you can learn a lot this way, actually - learn what you're not quite getting across. And that can be really important to growing as a writer.

but that wasn't what she was doing.

[wh00ps]

I don't know about you, but I'm not happy with a fic unless I have an author's note that's longer than the story. Alternately, I like when the author's notes are inserted in the story using parentheses. And I REALLY love when the inserted notes contain emoticons and netspeak. HEAVEN.

[amonitrate]

oh yeah, TOTALLY. I especially like when in the author's notes people tell us how much they hate their own story but they're putting it out to read because they can't stand to look at it any more. That pulls me in every time.

[wh00ps]

Ooh! What about when they tell you to R&R or they won't post any chappies anymore?

[amonitrate]

oh yeah. that too. I love being held hostage. And being ordered to read. That convinces me when I'm wavering.