Sorry for bumping a somewhat old thread, but I just wanted to comment on a couple of things
(At this point in time, I haven't read any SPN Fanfic whatsoever -- though I am currently writing one. I do, however, like to think about things a lot, so wanted to add some cents).
On the subject of Dean always depicted as sleeping in the bed nearest the door
I must admit, I am guilty of this too (though as my fic doesn't follow the brothers all that much, I've only described it once). I think the premise comes from the fact that the door is the usual point of entry to a building, and especially so in a hotel/motel. Therefore, if something's going to come at you, it's usually going to be through the door. In my mind, John Winchester will have told a young Dean "Make sure you always take the bed nearest the door" before going off and leaving the brothers alone whilst he hunted. This way, the older, more knowledgeable and better-armed brother would be the first one any potential attacker might encounter. And I personally believe that this is a habit which would have stuck as the boys were growing up.
Yes, I actually thought about this before I wrote it out in my fic, but it made me smile when I saw it questioned here -- it's good to know I'm not the only one who anally thinks about the minutiae.
A lot of the other things 'nitpicked' are normally common-sense things like SPAG and being able to form coherent sentences. One thing pointed out which interested me though, was how (in particular), American fans of the show very easily pick up on non-standard US vocabulary. As a speaker of proper English (
) I'm trying really hard to ensure it's mostly Americanisms which end up in my fic (trunk and hood, rather than boot and bonnet, sidewalk rather than pavement, etc) and though I do use my normal spelling for words such as colour and sulphur (it's been sulphur here since the fourteenth century, dammit!) I do try my hardest to make sure that when my characters are speaking, they speak American English (unless they're from different countries, which some indeed are). Switching between the two is a ball-ache at times but I do think it adds to the authenticity.
warrior_chic also mentioned realism (ie, knowing how far places are apart) and I absolutely agree. Most of the fics I read are relating to gaming (D&D, Mass Effect) and the authors usually tend to be very good on distances (it’s a nerd thing, I guess) but TV shows are, IMO, more... ‘available’ to Joe Public than, say, Neverwinter Nights or Baldur’s Gate. It would annoy the hell out of me if people starting making random stuff up about my country, so I can see why it irks a lot of fanfic readers. Personally I research -everything- before committing it to word; all my towns/cities are either real, or based off real ones, and I make sure I read up about a county and a state before I set a chapter in it, so I have a semi-decent idea about the geography, the weather, the land usage, the people, etc. I’ve learnt a lot about the US since I started writing my fic, and I’m sure there’s much, much more for me to learn. I really must visit it somebody. One thing I always fall over on, however, is street names. I am crap at coming up with US street names. I hear a lot about buildings being on ‘the corner of so and so’ when I watch American TV, which I really struggle to emulate, because roads here don’t really have corners and they’re rarely straight. If anyone wants to give me tips on good names for American streets, and how to phrase them, I’m all ears!
On the subject of kid-vocabulary, I absolutely agree with RodneyIsGodney. I think some people are just absolutely clueless about child development.
Shortening of names, particularly Dean -- Yes, that, I imagine, is annoying. There are some instances when it’s funny (Gabriel calling Lucifer “Luci” for example) and some instances where it’s necessary and fitting (“Castiel” is unnecessarily formal when ‘Cas’ or ‘Cass’ has already been established).
Where Wincest is concerned I’ve yet to read any and don’t particularly want to. As mentioned by many (and by the characters themselves) they are brothers. I can understand the hurt/comfort aspect but they’re brothers. My mind just says AVOID. Mostly the same with any slash, really. I don’t mind reading about two characters going at it like bunnies, as long as it’s relevant to the story that’s being told, and those characters at that particular time. But I don’t want to read a whole story dedicated entirely to it. Similarly, I deem certain character relationships as too out-of-character to be feasible. For example, I can’t get my head around Wincest as the guys are brothers and clearly interested in women (despite Dean’s man-crush on Dr Sexy, MD). I’ve also observed that there’s a whooole lot of Dean/Castiel pairings out there (as mentioned above, haven’t read any) and if it’s just an elaboration of the already-established bromance then I could get on board with that, but I sorta see Castiel almost as an anti-Balthazar, ie, one of the most innocent and non-hedonistic angels ever to have fallen out of the sky. He worries about being in a brothel, whereas the first thing Balthazar does after coming to Earth is pretty much open his own. Therefore, I can’t really imagine a Dean/Cas slash pairing (nor do I want to, it would just ruin both characters for me).
(At this point in time, I haven't read any SPN Fanfic whatsoever -- though I am currently writing one. I do, however, like to think about things a lot, so wanted to add some cents).
On the subject of Dean always depicted as sleeping in the bed nearest the door
Originally posted by RodneyIsGodney
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Yes, I actually thought about this before I wrote it out in my fic, but it made me smile when I saw it questioned here -- it's good to know I'm not the only one who anally thinks about the minutiae.
A lot of the other things 'nitpicked' are normally common-sense things like SPAG and being able to form coherent sentences. One thing pointed out which interested me though, was how (in particular), American fans of the show very easily pick up on non-standard US vocabulary. As a speaker of proper English (
) I'm trying really hard to ensure it's mostly Americanisms which end up in my fic (trunk and hood, rather than boot and bonnet, sidewalk rather than pavement, etc) and though I do use my normal spelling for words such as colour and sulphur (it's been sulphur here since the fourteenth century, dammit!) I do try my hardest to make sure that when my characters are speaking, they speak American English (unless they're from different countries, which some indeed are). Switching between the two is a ball-ache at times but I do think it adds to the authenticity.warrior_chic also mentioned realism (ie, knowing how far places are apart) and I absolutely agree. Most of the fics I read are relating to gaming (D&D, Mass Effect) and the authors usually tend to be very good on distances (it’s a nerd thing, I guess) but TV shows are, IMO, more... ‘available’ to Joe Public than, say, Neverwinter Nights or Baldur’s Gate. It would annoy the hell out of me if people starting making random stuff up about my country, so I can see why it irks a lot of fanfic readers. Personally I research -everything- before committing it to word; all my towns/cities are either real, or based off real ones, and I make sure I read up about a county and a state before I set a chapter in it, so I have a semi-decent idea about the geography, the weather, the land usage, the people, etc. I’ve learnt a lot about the US since I started writing my fic, and I’m sure there’s much, much more for me to learn. I really must visit it somebody. One thing I always fall over on, however, is street names. I am crap at coming up with US street names. I hear a lot about buildings being on ‘the corner of so and so’ when I watch American TV, which I really struggle to emulate, because roads here don’t really have corners and they’re rarely straight. If anyone wants to give me tips on good names for American streets, and how to phrase them, I’m all ears!
On the subject of kid-vocabulary, I absolutely agree with RodneyIsGodney. I think some people are just absolutely clueless about child development.
Shortening of names, particularly Dean -- Yes, that, I imagine, is annoying. There are some instances when it’s funny (Gabriel calling Lucifer “Luci” for example) and some instances where it’s necessary and fitting (“Castiel” is unnecessarily formal when ‘Cas’ or ‘Cass’ has already been established).
Where Wincest is concerned I’ve yet to read any and don’t particularly want to. As mentioned by many (and by the characters themselves) they are brothers. I can understand the hurt/comfort aspect but they’re brothers. My mind just says AVOID. Mostly the same with any slash, really. I don’t mind reading about two characters going at it like bunnies, as long as it’s relevant to the story that’s being told, and those characters at that particular time. But I don’t want to read a whole story dedicated entirely to it. Similarly, I deem certain character relationships as too out-of-character to be feasible. For example, I can’t get my head around Wincest as the guys are brothers and clearly interested in women (despite Dean’s man-crush on Dr Sexy, MD). I’ve also observed that there’s a whooole lot of Dean/Castiel pairings out there (as mentioned above, haven’t read any) and if it’s just an elaboration of the already-established bromance then I could get on board with that, but I sorta see Castiel almost as an anti-Balthazar, ie, one of the most innocent and non-hedonistic angels ever to have fallen out of the sky. He worries about being in a brothel, whereas the first thing Balthazar does after coming to Earth is pretty much open his own. Therefore, I can’t really imagine a Dean/Cas slash pairing (nor do I want to, it would just ruin both characters for me).
PM me anytime.....
But, I hate short chapters when the story is sooooo good you just want more!
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