Comments | musesfool: i don't have to fear it

musesfool

i don't have to fear it

Jul 28, 2010 14:12

You guys, I don't understand how badfic is bad in exactly the same ways in EVERY SINGLE FANDOM I'VE EVER READ. To wit ( Read more... )

i won't read your fic if, writing: pov, writing: on language

Comments 116

deirdre_c July 28 2010, 19:08:01 UTC

"Lathed"??

OUCH.

musesfool July 28 2010, 20:00:27 UTC

THAT'S WHAT I MEAN! and you get that 'stripped' in there and I'm like have they added sandpaper? You were writing a sex scene and a carpentry class broke out? WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN

elanurel July 28 2010, 20:29:50 UTC

Completely ouch.

Thinks about lathe in the garage.

(The comment has been removed)

tzikeh July 28 2010, 19:45:14 UTC

another think I really hate and that's OOC: I understand in some situation a character can act differently from his usual self, but everytime?

Ah yes, the ever-present "What Show Are YOU Watching" Syndrome.

musesfool July 28 2010, 20:01:23 UTC

I think a lot of these items are symptoms of OOC-ness. I mean, would Max really think of herself as a delicate chocolate-eyed transgenic? No. But people will write that from her POV.

fourtenpm July 28 2010, 19:28:59 UTC

OMG, the orb thing gets me every time

musesfool July 28 2010, 20:01:46 UTC

ORBS, BABY! BRIGHT CERULEAN ORBS!

soundingsea July 28 2010, 19:37:05 UTC

So much agreement on the horrors of epithets, though they were excellent just once... you remind me of a really fun fic challenge someone ran in Buffy fandom. I think I wrote about "the Iowa farmboy". We all picked from a list of commonly used (and dreadful) ones, and tried to write something decent inspired by the epithet. :)

musesfool July 28 2010, 20:10:13 UTC

hee! I can see how that could be a fun challenge.

freneticfloetry July 28 2010, 19:50:57 UTC

Word, word, so much wordy word. The other thing that drives me nuts? Dialogue in the middle of an action statement. Like, just thrown in there post-comma. I've been seeing it everywhere lately.

She looked down at the (CharacterNotActuallyNamed!Bob), she could feel his body starting to shake, he was losing too much blood, "it's gone, it's been destroyed, we can go, we'll find you help, it's over," even as she spoke, she started pulling him tighter in her arms, trying to hold him firmly so they could leave.

(CharacterWhoTotallyIsn't!Carol) sobbed quietly and shook her head, holding on to him tighter, "no, it's okay," she pleaded, glancing at not!Bob before looking back down at the older one, "you two are seeing each other and nothing is happening, you can stay, we'll figure it out, psuedo!Bob," sobs broke through her as she felt him getting heavier in her arms, "please."Actual passages from actual fics, though names have been changed to protect the long-suffering. I just... I don't understand. The period is your friend! Find one and ( ... )

tsuki_no_bara July 28 2010, 20:14:25 UTC

someone in my writing group does a variation of that ALL THE TIME - instead of something like "dialogue dialogue dialogue," she said, putting down her coffee, she'll have "dialogue dialogue dialogue," she put down her coffee. drives me BUGNUTS because i point it out EVERY TIME and she has NEVER LEARNED NOT TO DO IT.

*deep breath*

and this is a woman who, you know, wants to be published.

musesfool July 28 2010, 20:16:25 UTC

Oy. I occasionally put an action in the middle of dialogue or a bit of dialogue into a paragraph where it would normally be set off, but it's rare, and i try to do it as grammatically as possible.

freneticfloetry July 29 2010, 05:56:50 UTC

I think it's a different animal when it's done correctly - "Blah blah blah," she said, doing something sort of interesting that either advances the plot or provides some sort of interesting character insight, "and for that matter, blah." But when it's random and wrong and happens over and over again, it just rips me right out of the story. And I keep seeing it! Bleh.

Thread 8