Do you like these sorts of fics???

[Darkstar]

ok i have a question to ask, do you like fic stories that take place in the past or the future, that also mix contempary characters and add new ideas to the arc so to speak?

i have wrote a fic gone past i wish to post onto this site soon i hope but essentially it takes place in the past (well the 50s earth actually) at the time it seemed a good story and i guess it still does but im just wondering do many like thoese sorts of fics where we have ideas and say aliens we know in a time frame we are not so familiar with, i mean its great to add a past backstory for example the asgard on earth which has been touched upon i know but in one of my fics we see them as the asgard we first thought of them early in the SG1 show powerful intelligent and wise only now to see them as a little weakened against the replicators and in a way humanised, to me they seemed too human and in a way have descened down to our level of personality in a way.
anyway i have another fic on the ready or should i say the go but basicly its about a modern day scientific research ship that discovers a 17th century sailing ship half frozen in the ice, i know seems very alternated and not very SG1ish but the story deals more with the ancients as we have never known them before when the team off this ship finds ancient bodies preserved but i like to add mystery to it as we read along and discover things here and there as the characters find them, to set it in the past is for me a way of setting them apart from other fics but the general idea for me seems sound but i wonder if fics such as the idea i briefly put across just a moment ago make good reading and seem to fit in or just seem odd and out of place?

[Tok'Ra Hostess]

I wouldn't mind a story such as the one you're suggesting, here, but based on the spelling, punctuation and grammar in your query I can tell you right now that I wouldn't even bother reading a fic with your name on it.

I know that sounds harsh, but there it is. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

[Albion]

I'm afraid I was going to say the same thing.

The fact that your post has no structure, your ideas are presented as a confusing ramble, without the narrative breaks of sentences and paragraphs to make it easy to read and digest, and you have no punctuation or grammar included, doesn't necessarily mean that you can't write a coherent fanfic. You wouldn't be the first poster to be a little more lax when posting on a forum, where you may consider you're in a more informal atmosphere, than when you're writing a more structured project. (Although I do have to say I'm one of those who gets a headache trying to read textspeak or posts with no coherent breaks and would rather read posts in proper English.)

But the odds are, to be honest, against it and most people won't read your fic because they'll assume the worst, I'm afraid, from reading the way you present your post.

I'm admin on another non-SG1 fandom, which concentrates on posting fanfic there. Our members do put great store in grammar and punctuation, although they don't expect fanfic to be perfect. But one thing which will put them off reading a fanfic before they even start is if it has no paragraphs. Again, the fact that your post has none - has no sentences in fact, let alone paragraphs - would probably mean many readers will expect the same from your fanfic and just bypass it without even looking. Readers just hate having to work through a huge block of text and sort out the sentences in their head.

If you can work a little on presentation, I'm sure that readers will be interested in exploring your ideas though. You seem to have an interesting premise - it's just the presentation that will put people off exploring it. It's not something that's difficult to fix though. There are plenty of websites around on the net which will teach you basic grammar and punctuation and running your story through a spellchecker is the simplest way of all to improve and can pick up a wealth of problems.

Good luck with your fanfic. I'm sure you can make it the best it can possibly be.

Just one more thing - it's not mandatory to do any of the above, of course. There are fans out there who write purely and simply for the fun of it and who don't give two figs about paragraphs or commas or whatever. And that's just fine. That's their choice and they're entitled to it. But those fanfic rarely get read by many fans beyond the author. So it's a choice you have to decide on based on what you want. If the fun of it is in the writing for you and you don't care if no one reads it, that's fine. Keep on writing, keep on having fun, and stuff the punctuation. But if you want as many readers as you can get to share your story with, then you probably will have to put in that extra bit of work to attract them to read.

Albion

[CeeKay Sheppard]

To answer the question you actually asked, Darkstar, yes, I would read something like that in a heartbeat. And if you want, I'll beta it for you: when I beta a fic, I list the most frequent errors at the end, so you know what to look out for in the future. I've found that to be very helpful when people do it for me, so just let me know if you want me to.

[Agent_Dark]

Backstory fics: yes! But mainly character ones I'm interested in.

Though a Child!Thor fic might be interesting...

[Osiris-RA]

I love backstory fics. They're a great way of painting the image of "before" with the given "after" template. I'm actually working on a fic which takes place in an alternate universe which details the story of Carter had she never been on SG1 or even had an interest in the military. Ah, fate just seems to pull her towards the stars.

[Agent_Dark]

I love backstory fics. They're a great way of painting the image of "before" with the given "after" template. I'm actually working on a fic which takes place in an alternate universe which details the story of Carter had she never been on SG1 or even had an interest in the military. Ah, fate just seems to pull her towards the stars.

Ooooo, I'd definitely be interested in reading that when its done. Make sure to give me a hoy

[SilverRider]

Ooooo, I'd definitely be interested in reading that when its done. Make sure to give me a hoy

How did i miss that??? *hides*

[Agent_Dark]

How did i miss that??? *hides*

Wha?
*is confused*

[SilverRider]

Wha?
*is confused*

I was refering to the fact that how did i miss the word carter and fic; and not though you!!!

[Agent_Dark]

I was refering to the fact that how did i miss the word carter and fic; and not though you!!!

Oh hehe
You should be ashamed of yourself that you managed to miss that

[SilverRider]

Oh hehe
You should be ashamed of yourself that you managed to miss that

Oh I am, believe me I have me own Carter fic going atm, but it's no where finishing yet

*Blame the bunnies or my fingers*

[Darkstar]

I wouldn't mind a story such as the one you're suggesting, here, but based on the spelling, punctuation and grammar in your query I can tell you right now that I wouldn't even bother reading a fic with your name on it.

I know that sounds harsh, but there it is. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

ok harsh it was but at the time i had 3 hours of sleep the night before and im not too well at the moment as i wasen't when i wrote this thread is that a satisfactory explaination?

[Darkstar]

ok my spelling for writting a fic is pretty good although i tend not to spell very well on this forum when im posting as im sure many people do also, anyway my fics 3 of them that are at the rough stages but the spelling is perfect in all ways.
i am a little of a perfectionist when it comes to spelling and even on this forum i have the tendency not to use such abreviated text as TBPH and TPTB too much as i like to spell them in words.
ok that clears that up i hope and yes if people want to beta read them anytime soon just PM me and let me know how you wish me to send them to you and you can have a read at your leisure.

[ShadowMaat]

Would I read a fic that fills in back story or that is otherwise set in the past? Yes. But I have to agree with Tok'ra Hostess, I wouldn't read one that is full of spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. I like a good story as much as the next person, but I have to be able to understand it in order to enjoy it.

Proper capitalization is also an important thing, in my book.