Fanfic Pet Peeves

[Pitry]

Originally Posted by EllieVee

I'm sure it might well be but I'm willing to risk the occasional typo and accusations of arrogance.

Aaaaah! Not what I was talking about!

I was talking about the example given of writing a fic/ crossover about something you don't know (well) - not about getting a beta for typos in general, getting a beta who knows the fandom you don't know and can tell you "this is OOC, this can never happen, you're ignoring canon, don't do that".

[Rachel500]

Again, I think whether you would use a beta to help out with the canon on a show you're not completely familiar with is down to how seriously the writer is taking the fic...

If they're only inspired to write a one-shot from a single episode, are they really going to go to the trouble of finding a beta?

I don't use betas regularly. I only really use them for ficathons where it's usually a rule that you have to have it beta'd or when I'm not certain of a fic and want a second opinion. But that's not because I'm not serious about my writing or have an indifference about canon (I always write a bible which comes from a series rewatch if I'm going to write fanfic for a fandom, and if I'm not sure about any aspect (spelling of names, etc) I'll go research it).

And I have seen fics where the writer has used a beta and still gotten the canon wrong.

[Pitry]

Originally Posted by Rachel500

And I have seen fics where the writer has used a beta and still gotten the canon wrong.

ouch. which hsould teach us all to choose a beta carefully.

About the rest of the post: hmm. I'd say even if it's a small one shot, they should. Look at this whole thread - the most common complaint, I think, isn't about spelling/ grammar, it's about what is perceived by the reader as OOC. I think that's the number one obligation of a fanfic writer - you've chosen to write within an established universe, you get people interested in your story and writing because you choose to write in this established universe, you should have the basic courtesy to make sure your characters adhere to the established rules. This is why people read your fanfic in the first place. And I think this respect for canon/ IC should be extended to crossovers - yeah, not all people would know the crossover, you might post it in only your major fandom fic comms/tag it as your main fandom in websites such as ff.net/whatever - but there still is an expectation that you write something that is true, in some way, to the source. Otherwise you might as well not make this a crossover but create your own original character/ original universe that has a lot in common with what inspired you - but doesn't tread on established canon of any other fandom.
... hope this makes sense?

Er, you of course isn't you Rachel, it's you General.

[Aragon101]

I totally agree that characterization is much more important than spelling or grammar (not to say Spelling or Grammar isn't, I can't stand reading finished product that hasn't been spell checked)

It's teh characters that made the show, so why not make the fanfic? If i see a few OOC momnets, i see whether it fits the story. If the story has built up to that point and has slowly been changing the characters to reach that point, then i consider it in character. if it's all of a sudden, the characters aren't acting the way they're supposed to or blatantnly disregard established canon as far as their actions/thoughts/morals, then it's not that character, they just happen to have the same name.

I oculd mention a few fics that do this blatantly to the point where the Author has warped the characters and situations. Of course to do so would be crass

on the subject of betas, i find that using betas that help your weaker points is the best combination. it helps tons when they know the subject matter and know the canon, but it might not be stritkly necessary.

I tend to focus on characterization ALOT. If it doesn't feel in character to me, i won't post. I'll keep reworking it until it feels in character to me given the situation and events i've put the characters through as well as former established canon.

That being said, my grammar is ATROCIOUS. So my principal beta is a grammar nazi who would love to beat me to death with a high school grammar book I've learned a bit and improved, but what i post usually ends up much better punctuated, and worded in a better flowing way. She even bounces ideas off me and often we weork together on something.

For someone who's characterizations arne't that strong, perhaps reading a few fics to find someone who DOES do the characterizations well and asking them to beta. I think most writers are willing to assist as long as they have the time to.

One last little quibble, FanWankage. This covers stuff from Jack having a PHD in Spanish and Engineering (i've read fics that say this) to McKay secretly being a piano genius to the level that women fawn over him despite his own admission that he's a mechanical player and not an emotional one (as a musician myself, i know what he's talking about and it's VERY hard to fix that)

What else? Ohhh! unbelievable recovery times without a valid reason! I just shot Sam with an Anti-Material Bullet in Occupational Hazard, and it's going to be about 2 weeks before she's back to normal thanks to reverse engineered medicines! But i explain it like that and it makes sense ^_^ Yet in another story, i have Cadman get crushed by a falling small tree and it's going to be MONTHS before she's anywhere close to normal.

[EllieVee]

Originally Posted by Pitry

ouch. which hsould teach us all to choose a beta carefully.

About the rest of the post: hmm. I'd say even if it's a small one shot, they should. Look at this whole thread - the most common complaint, I think, isn't about spelling/ grammar, it's about what is perceived by the reader as OOC. I think that's the number one obligation of a fanfic writer - you've chosen to write within an established universe, you get people interested in your story and writing because you choose to write in this established universe, you should have the basic courtesy to make sure your characters adhere to the established rules. This is why people read your fanfic in the first place. And I think this respect for canon/ IC should be extended to crossovers - yeah, not all people would know the crossover, you might post it in only your major fandom fic comms/tag it as your main fandom in websites such as ff.net/whatever - but there still is an expectation that you write something that is true, in some way, to the source. Otherwise you might as well not make this a crossover but create your own original character/ original universe that has a lot in common with what inspired you - but doesn't tread on established canon of any other fandom.
... hope this makes sense?

Er, you of course isn't you Rachel, it's you General.

This argument is essentially my problem with slash. It's not canon and in general, the characters are incredibly OOC.

[Pitry]

Originally Posted by EllieVee

This argument is essentially my problem with slash. It's not canon and in general, the characters are incredibly OOC.

It;s funny that slash would be your example.... I enjoy reading well written slash but for the life of me I can never write it, even when I set out to do so. The characters shout at me...

Aragon - good post - I so know what you mean! I have found myself writing half a fic once (some 15000 words...) that was of very little interest to me just in order to get the characters where I wanted them and not feel like I'm writing them OOC

Although, for someone whose characterisations aren;t that strong, I'd suggest a marathon of the show. The problem with fanfics is that often the characterisation, even if not OOC, it might be skewed. Also there's the case of fanon accepted things, some things that repeat in fics to no end but in fact never turned up (or rarely) in actual canon... You need to get exposed to the characters the way you see them, not filtered through someone else's eyes...

[iamdragonrider]

I'm on a weird romantic (or anti romantic) bent I guess.

Sam's a virgin.

Jack's a virgin.

Jack's vesectomy has been reversed, the two get busy for whatever reasons the author devises and oops, Sam miraculously and unexplainably gets pregnant.

Romantic kidfic. Esp. those where sam has been made little for the purpose of Sam/Jack. Jack holding an unaware child version of Sam and having romantic thoughts about the woman Sam is just wrong. Not to mention this version of Sam seems to have an unnatural trust for Jack to the exclusion of everyone else. I've jsut run into a few recently and they just sort of freak me out.

[slurredspeech]

Originally Posted by iamdragonrider

[B]I'm on a weird romantic (or anti romantic) bent I guess.

Sam's a virgin.

Jack's a virgin.

DUDE. I've read that! More than once, actually. O_o

All I can say is WHYYY. Why would the author feel compelled to do this to the characters? So they can be each other's first (as that is the only explanation I can think of that makes more than zero sense)? But, but. It's okay if they're not. No, really. Their Awesome Love is in no way diminished by the fact they'd had partners in the past. I promise you.

[Skydiver]

the only one that made sense, jack's vasectomy being reversed - like where did they even think that he had one???? - was post abyss...and the time in the sarc fixed 'everything'

that at least made sense

the only virgin sam fic i could see that would make sense would be geek sam, cause she didn't strike me as someone that got out much

as to romantic feelings during kidfic, SQUICKY

it's like sam having feelings for 'little jack' from fragile balance.

little jack is jail bait