Originally posted by Southern Red
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A story that is technically correct, but dull at the same time? I see no reason bothering with it. I will not be so arrogant as to presume it is not good. It may not be good for me, but it may be perfect for someone else.
Now, there's a category of stories that I have conflicting feelings about. These stories are not only technically correct, but also interesting and supremely well-written. Problem is, I disagree with the author's view of the characters. I'm not even speaking of canon errors. The characterization in such stories may very well be based on canon, it's just that authors drew different conclusions from the same canon events/behaviors than I did. It's incredibly frustrating when everything about the story's characterizations screams WRONG to me, but I can't dismiss it as non-canon because the author obviously based it on the same bits and pieces of canon; he/she just interpreted them differently. I've backbuttoned out of many excellently written, gripping stories because I could not agree with the author's interpretations. However, I can still admit that these stories are good.
The things that I value most about fan stories? Spelling, grammar and punctuation kind of go without saying. I prefer to see characterization that is based on character interpretation similar to my own (but not necessarily identical - I can overlook some differences of opinion if I and the author agree about the big things). I value when characters grow and change throughout the story, and it is done in a natural, believable way. There's nothing that I love more than good dialogue that is both clever/witty and true to the characters. Some authors just... they get the characters' voices. It's not even just dialogue, it's every little thing about the characters. The way they smile, the way they tilt their head, the way they interject with a smart-ass remark - all these things described in fanfic make Character Voice for me, and it's possibly the most important thing. Some stories are very well-written, but the Voices are just not right. So yeah, I'm very picky about that.
Another thing that I value is when the author portrays all the characters involved in their story as complex people. It's easy to pick one or two defnining traits and use them all the time when writing about a character. But there's danger of making the character two-dimensional. I love it when authors take into account all the multiple complexities that are part of the character, and make him/her come alive in their story.
These two sites with writing tips are very interesting! I love most of the advice given there. I can't quite agree with some bits of advice given by Elmore Leonard, though. As a reader, I know that if the story never uses any dialogue tags other than "said", it often comes across as dry for me. Same with adverbs; I just don't believe they are the epitome of evil. The trick is not to overuse them, I think. "He shouted loudly" or "he snarled angrily" may be a bit too excessive. But overall, I think adverbs and various dialogue tags have their place, and they can strengthen the story if used appropriately. But that's just my opinion as a reader.
Epithets, on the other hand,I am not a fan of. Also, I find abrupt shifts in POV distracting and confusing.
There you go. These are my very subjective preferences.
Sorry for all the rambling. I just find it a very interesting topic.
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