Pet Peeves in Fanfiction

[Shipmaster Sane]

The only way to get better writing is to write. So naturally the starting point is most likely going to be shit.

Practice doesnt make perfect, practice makes how you practice.
The only way to get better writing is to read huge amounts of literature and study the structure of writing. You can absolutely be bad at something you do every day for forty years.

 

[LifeisTiresome]

Not every runner can be Usain Bolt but everyone who runs as a profession should work hard to get as fast as they can.

Agreed. I'm just saying that its ok if not everything is Lord of the Rings. And that some things can just be for entertainment instead of having to be high brow.

Infact, this need for high brow is whats a problem with Western entertainment. Its all about sending a message, pleasing the critics who want it to be high brow and subversive, etc.

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

Agreed. I'm just saying that its ok if not everything is Lord of the Rings. And that some things can just be for entertainment instead of having to be high brow.

Infact, this need for high brow is whats a problem with Western entertainment. Its all about sending a message, pleasing the critics who want it to be high brow and subversive, etc.

All writing should be as good as the Lord of the Rings, at whatever it's attempting to accomplish in it's particular genre and style.

 

[Abhorsen]

So my pet peeve is generic-ing characters. I'm reading these Killing Eve fics, where one of the main characters is very distinctively a childish, obsessive psychopath. Yet fanfic writers just writer her as a killer. Or in AU's, they sometimes lose even that. At that point, why are you even writing this?

 

[liberty90]

But overall to many SI authors assume canon characters are stupid. Things like Harry Potter and the gold to muggle money is a prime example. For the world to work you have to assume they fixed that loophole. Yes JK did not expand on that but not having Lord of the Rings world building does not mean your idea to become rich makes sense.

How many people live in the magical Britain, 20 000? 30 000? Efficient market hypothesis does not really work properly at such low population levels. Now, "gold to muggle money" scheme sounds admittedly like something that at least one out of 1000 people should figure out, not one out of 200 000. Still, market should be much less efficient and balanced than 20-million-people markets.

 

[Emperor Tippy]

How many people live in the magical Britain, 20 000? 30 000? Efficient market hypothesis does not really work properly at such low population levels. Now, "gold to muggle money" scheme sounds admittedly like something that at least one out of 1000 people should figure out, not one out of 200 000. Still, market should be much less efficient and balanced than 20-million-people markets.

Gold to muggle money also assumes that there isn't actually anything else going on.

I mean what value does paper have to wizards or goblins? Forging muggle cash would be trivial for a wizard.

It could easily be that the Ministry or Hogwarts has a program set up to effectively loan muggle borns some amount of currency.

I mean the muggleborn goes to Hogwarts not on a scholarship or via their parents cash but on a loan from the government to be paid back in the future. That the goblins don't bother to tell them about the loan and are willing to take muggle money from them in exchange for giving them the money that they are entitled to anyways seems entirely reasonable.

Hell, it could easily be the basis for a "tax". In exchange for the Ministry picking up the muggleborns tab for Hogwarts and providing some amount of spending money, the muggle born agrees to give the Ministry say 20% of their earnings for the rest of their life.

Going the other way, gold to paper, is just the Goblins gleefully fleecing the ignorant wizards via an enchanted object that just spits out pristine currency in whatever amount the goblin chooses.

 

[Reklos]

I've got a pet peeve and I don't know if it's common. But does anyone else hate it when the flow in a story is ruined because the fanfic writer goes overly detailed about what weapon the main character (or other characters) has/have? Because whenever that happens I usually drop a story and never look at it again.

 

[Bear Ribs]

I've got a pet peeve and I don't know if it's common. But does anyone else hate it when the flow in a story is ruined because the fanfic writer goes overly detailed about what weapon the main character (or other characters) has/have? Because whenever that happens I usually drop a story and never look at it again.

Pacing in general tends to be an issue in fanfic. Writers of real books are generally constrained by page count and have to develop a certain level of discipline in order to fit the available space. This is part (only a small part) of why, as Steven King put it, "You must murder all your Darlings" which is to say, not include all the content you think is cool, but only content that actually contributes to the story.

With unlimited space in the word processor and no discipline on the part of the writer, you run into fanfics that are 1.5 million words, and still in the first year of Hogwarts...

 

[Reklos]

Pacing in general tends to be an issue in fanfic. Writers of real books are generally constrained by page count and have to develop a certain level of discipline in order to fit the available space. This is part (only a small part) of why, as Steven King put it, "You must murder all your Darlings" which is to say, not include all the content you think is cool, but only content that actually contributes to the story.

With unlimited space in the word processor and no discipline on the part of the writer, you run into fanfics that are 1.5 million words, and still in the first year of Hogwarts...

Oh, don't even remind me of the 1 million-plus word fics that don't even go anywhere. Ugh, I hate those kinds of fic because there's so many words but little payoff, conflict, or resolution to them. That, and your right about pacing being an issue because everybody has done a redux or remake of everyone else's fic that just rehashes the cannon events while not doing anything dangerous or new.

Edit: I know Sturgeon's law is always in play with fanfics.

 

[Abhorsen]

I've got a pet peeve and I don't know if it's common. But does anyone else hate it when the flow in a story is ruined because the fanfic writer goes overly detailed about what weapon the main character (or other characters) has/have? Because whenever that happens I usually drop a story and never look at it again.

Yup. It's the same when they have long descriptions of what people are wearing.

 

[Reklos]

Yup. It's the same when they have long descriptions of what people are wearing.

Oh yeah...I forgot overly long clothing descriptions are also a thing in fanfic. Why can't writers use fewer sentences or better words? I know I'm probably asking much but still.

 

[Bear Ribs]

Oh yeah...I forgot overly long clothing descriptions are also a thing in fanfic. Why can't writers use fewer sentences or better words? I know I'm probably asking much but still.

Self discipline, a rarity in many writers made worse in fanfic due to lack of editors and serious constructive feedback. Notice that fanfics with an active beta tend to be vastly superior to those without.

I myself enjoy writing but wind up deleting about 90% of what I make because I feel it's just fluff and I want more meat (also I work 50 hours a week and so get in maybe 2 hours of writing a week but that's neither here nor there).

 

[Reklos]

Self discipline, a rarity in many writers made worse in fanfic due to lack of editors and serious constructive feedback. Notice that fanfics with an active beta tend to be vastly superior to those without.

I myself enjoy writing but wind up deleting about 90% of what I make because I feel it's just fluff and I want more meat (also I work 50 hours a week and so get in maybe 2 hours of writing a week but that's neither here nor there).

Yeah, self-discipline is one thing all writers should practice whether in real books or fanfics. And having a beta or two does wonders for a story especially if it's the ambitious type.

 

[Lord Sovereign]

Yeah, self-discipline is one thing all writers should practice whether in real books or fanfics. And having a beta or two does wonders for a story especially if it's the ambitious type.

Have dabbled in it and can confirm, betas are a life saver. Pity mine doesn't talk to me anymore but oh well.

That aside, writing is very much a discipline that takes a long time to learn. Story arcs, character arcs, prose, themes, these are all tools you at least need to know about and utilise to some extent. I've spent a few years looking these details over in my spare time, and whilst I'm still a total neophyte, looking back at my old work makes me cringe given what I know now. I believe a lack of understanding for these tools is more often than not the reason for why fanfics spiral so wildly out of control.

Also, some advice as someone who's sort of been there and done that, plan for fuck's sake. Gardeners are wrong, G.R.R Martin lied to you, you have to know where you are going or else the story devolves into disorder. Just spend a month or so with pen and paper figuring things out and it will demonstrably improve your story.

 

[Reklos]

Have dabbled in it and can confirm, betas are a life saver. Pity mine doesn't talk to me anymore but oh well.

That aside, writing is very much a discipline that takes a long time to learn. Story arcs, character arcs, prose, themes, these are all tools you at least need to know about and utilise to some extent. I've spent a few years looking these details over in my spare time, and whilst I'm still a total neophyte, looking back at my old work makes me cringe given what I know now. I believe a lack of understanding for these tools is more often than not the reason for why fanfics spiral so wildly out of control.

Also, some advice as someone who's sort of been there and done that, plan for fuck's sake. Gardeners are wrong, G.R.R Martin lied to you, you have to know where you are going or else the story devolves into disorder. Just spend a month or so with pen and paper figuring things out and it will demonstrably improve your story.

Beta's are always cool with stuff. And you've got a good point about planning out a story and getting things in place because writing is a slog especially if you don't know what you're doing (happens to me a lot). Nice to know there are fellow writers on this board by the way.

 

[Lord Sovereign]

And you've got a good point about planning out a story and getting things in place because writing is a slog especially if you don't know what you're doing (happens to me a lot). Nice to know there are fellow writers on this board by the way.

It's the bane of fanfic writers. They charge in, fresh off having the idea, and soon thereafter write themselves into a corner. Again, been there, done that.

I aspire to be a writer, but I'm not so sure whether I am a writer. What with university and health problems (chest pain) that ultimately turned out to be harmless, I just haven't written as much as I'd like over the past few years. Not that my work beforehand was too spectacular.

 

[Reklos]

It's the bane of fanfic writers. They charge in, fresh off having the idea, and soon thereafter write themselves into a corner. Again, been there, done that.

I aspire to be a writer, but I'm not so sure whether I am a writer. What with university and health problems (chest pain) that ultimately turned out to be harmless, I just haven't written as much as I'd like over the past few years. Not that my work beforehand was too spectacular.

I'm not that much of a writer but you wrote stuff. Sure it isn't the best, but you wrote it and made it yours through your own words and imagination. Writing in and of itself is a continuing process that never ends and it allows you to do whatever you want with it. No matter what you write you're a writer and I believe everybody has a good story to tell when they find it. I wish ya luck on finding that story and the spark that will kickstart your forges of creation.

 

[Argent]

How many people live in the magical Britain, 20 000? 30 000? Efficient market hypothesis does not really work properly at such low population levels. Now, "gold to muggle money" scheme sounds admittedly like something that at least one out of 1000 people should figure out, not one out of 200 000. Still, market should be much less efficient and balanced than 20-million-people markets.

Maybe it all depends on if there are other schools. I don't keep up with all the world updates that JK puts out. But the books day nothing about other schools and the class lists at Hogwarts changed from book to book.

It also depends on how the last two wars effected the population. We should see classes after Harry' age start booming if you go by history. After major wars you tend to see population spike.

But overall with how quick fanfic authors came up with the idea I find it hard to believe that no mugglebron would not have thought about it.

But then most authors tend to treat Goblins as morons or as superhero that do everything from banking to construction. In canon they are just bankers and there is very little that says they run a hospital or will act as lawyers for remembering there a random goblins name.

It's the bane of fanfic writers. They charge in, fresh off having the idea, and soon thereafter write themselves into a corner. Again, been there, done that.

It is because most authors have an idea but not much more. My go too example is alt power worm fics. They just give Talyor a new power and don't have a story to tell. You can have some fun fight scenes or a couple of short chapters but they run out of steam. You have to have a story for Talyor. A focus on the street level to fix the Bay or Talyor saving the world. Too many author just write it out as they go and that is why some many fics die.

 

[Emperor Tippy]

Pet Peeve of the Day: Main characters that never succeed or get clean wins.

While characters always having things go their way and getting lucky is crap, just as bad are the stories where the main characters never really get things to go their way.

Every arc must have something go wrong, every plan must fail, every fight must be balanced, every baddie will always escape, etc.

For sheer novelty value if nothing else, have a plan just work, have your main character actually live up to their abilities and just casually crush opponents that they far outclass, have baddies just get their heads lopped off occasionally.

What brought this on was a fic where a combat focused Jedi main character with explicit and exceptional training in enhancing her physical abilities always has problems against non force users. I mean bloody fucking hell, your protag is a precognitive trained for combat since essentially birth, strength explicitly on par with/superior to that of a Wookie, and superhuman speed & reaction times. In any kind of melee combat, whether she is armed or not, she should be able to essentially walk through a fight against a non force user with casual ease; stronger, faster, better trained, precognitive, and with literal plot shields. But no, every fight must take effort and she must always get injured.

There is a reason that the Jedi can take on armies while wearing bathrobes without so much as a scratch.

 

[Terthna]

Oh yeah...I forgot overly long clothing descriptions are also a thing in fanfic. Why can't writers use fewer sentences or better words? I know I'm probably asking much but still.

Personally, I find it more annoying when an author can't be bothered to describe what their characters look like at all. True, when it comes to fanfiction, I could just do a google image search; but that's lazy writing which implies that their appearance never changes, and more importantly, it doesn't help me when they start introducing characters who don't exist in the original source material.