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[schizo_niko]

This is not exactly a rant, but I figured that you guys, of all people, would have some good ideas.

For Advanced Composition class I'm writing a compare/contrast essay. My topic? Good!fic versus bad!fic.

If necessary, I can write this on my own, but I would love for your input on characteristics of good fics and bad fics. What makes them different

Comments

[yui_hime]

Good plot + good style + good grammar + good characterization = good fic

Lame plot + bad spelling/grammar + OOC + bad characters + crack humor + gratuitous violence/sex/language/etc + cliches = bad fic

Though actually, I go more by gut instinct in practice.

[schizo_niko]

Well, pretty much everything in the world should be taken on a case-by-case basis, but having concrete guidlines (even if we don't always follow them) is helpful. Thanks!

[yui_hime]

I'm partway between amused and annoyed that Those Lacking Spines has most of my symptoms of badfic and yet is one of the greatest things in KH fandom.

[schizo_niko]

Well, it does everything it does on purpose. It's this community in fanfic form. I guess that's why TLS works so well.

[powercorrupts]

There's a few things I associate with the far extremes of fic, so just a rambling list. Really good fic is usually insightful, it takes the common knowledge and takes it a step deeper, it makes gorgeous connections and metaphors. Really good fic is usually written in a style that can mirror the canon, or can go in the exact opposite, but is usually engaging and often artistic.

Bad fic takes the established canon and skims the surface. It goes no deeper than the most basic, shallow parts of the original. Bad fic is poorly paced, it drags when it shouldn't and leaps when the author can't figure out where to go next. Bad fic often offers excuses for illogical decisions on the author's part, and often seems as though it centers heavily around the author, not the story that's being told.

[schizo_niko]

Oh yes, fantastic! I'm going to mention the pace of the fic and how, as you said, it can do crazy things when a bad story is in progress. Thanks for the idea! :D

Yes, and I also like the difference between skimming the surface and diving in deep. This is very very helpful. *evil laugh*

[lostscore]

I would tend to really make a case for characterization as being a major factor in fanfiction.

It's that old argument that you are writing characters who already have defined character traits and personalities. whether the setting is canon or AU or fanon or however you want to go, that is the primary concern. "In Character" is always the biggest argument.

Plenty of fics can be well-written, with a decent plot, proper grammar and good style, but that characterization can ruin something otherwise well-done. I draw your attention to some of the sorts of fics that sometimes crop up here on KHFFR: "This is sound, but WHY IS AXEL CRYING IN A CORNER?!" and so on.

OF COURSE all the other things apply, and if anything is horrifically bad, it of course is a bad fic. If I can't read it, I ain't marking it and so forth.

[lostscore]

.....dude your icon wins.

(And I agree with all your points)

[sexpress]

Everyone else has pretty much said the basics, but there's something else I've always seen as a critical component in goodfic: the impact on the reader.

Shakespeare was a master at this. He knew he had to keep the audience's attention at all times and thus made sure his plots and characters would strike something into the viewer. He gave situations with which the audience was familir or could sympathize. Take Macbeth - he was a victim of his own fate and truly regrets this. The audience knows that Macbeth is really a good man, and wishes the best for him. The story must make the reader react and think about their own values in life. Story characters often set an example (heck, KH is a beautiful example about the bonds of friendship and its values).