Fanfic Pet Peeves

[madaline_7]

Well I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of angst myself, cos it should be written well and is often just OTT and ends with the characters being OTT.. I would have liked to believe I did better though! teehee.

Specifically about reviews... well... I don't know. I think it's not just whether it's angst or not but other things mentioned. I dunno, DW stories that are marked angst and has in their list of characters Rose/ duplicate 10th Doctor seem to have loads of reviews [bitter mumbling] - which just proves the different tastes people have cos I, for example, am unlikely to read these!

Angst is harder to write. The only thing that I can honestly say is harder (IMHO anyway) is crackfic.

I guess that angst is another catagory like Slash that some ppl will just not go anywhere near. Me though... I don't need a happy ending. LOL

[MerryK]

Angst is harder to write. The only thing that I can honestly say is harder (IMHO anyway) is crackfic.

Oh most definitely! I hate dealing with angst, but unfortunately it absolutely had to come up in my current Stargate fic...I've tried to deal with it in as light as possible while still being realistic way, but it's been a pain nonetheless. And it's not even shippy angst, it's a gen fic! I don't see why authors would choose to write that kind of story.

For some reason crack fic comes naturally to me, ever since I started writing fanfiction, but I hate myself for it. Plus, I'm not sure it's even good crack fic...how can you tell, objectively? One person's hilarious crack is just plain awful to half a dozen others.

[sbz]

I hate dealing with angst, but unfortunately it absolutely had to come up in my current Stargate fic...I've tried to deal with it in as light as possible while still being realistic way, but it's been a pain nonetheless. And it's not even shippy angst, it's a gen fic! I don't see why authors would choose to write that kind of story.

Well, I personally find angst, misery, heartache, and the like so much more interesting than a story where everyone's happy go lucky, the world's a wonderful place, and nothing bad ever happens - or if it does, it always magically works out in the end. Not to rain on anyone's parade who writes or reads those kinds of fics. For me, if I want that, I break out a Disney movie. Or if I wanted to write it I'd be doing children's books or something.

The great thing about Stargate is that there's so much potential in the fandom for every kind of story. It's a universe that could go so dark and still be viable given establish canon or be light, frivolous, and near campy and still be legitimate. I choose the darker side becasue it appeals to me.

Why?

Because angst lets you put the characters through the wringer, really break them down and find out what is at their core, what will survive, what they're willing to sacrifice. Exploring that is fundamental for me. If I'm not going to make an effort to pull a character apart and get a look at the inside, then for me there's no point. Going dark and angsty also opens a plethora of other facets that aren't really acciessible if you keep it light and cheerful.

But that's just me. I don't have a high tolerance ratio for fluff. Actually, I probably have no tolerance. I generally write with a purpose beyond having fun and making people laugh - probably becasue I don't think my sense of humour translates well on paper. If I'm going to invest the time I feel like it should amount to more than a few chuckles for me.

I learned a lot with my series - about the characters, the SG universe, etc - and at the end of the day that made every word and every minute I spent worth it, desipte any difficulties I had.

As with all things though - to each their own!

[MerryK]

Well, I personally find angst, misery, heartache, and the like so much more interesting than a story where everyone's happy go lucky, the world's a wonderful place, and nothing bad ever happens - or if it does, it always magically works out in the end. Not to rain on anyone's parade who writes or reads those kinds of fics. For me, if I want that, I break out a Disney movie. Or if I wanted to write it I'd be doing children's books or something.

Oh definitely! I enjoy reading angst—I agree with you about how it shows the characters—it's just insanely hard to write well IMO, so I don't understand the amount of new authors who leap for it like pretty candy (obviously established authors will try difficult things).

But that's just me. I don't have a high tolerance ratio for fluff. Actually, I probably have no tolerance. I generally write with a purpose beyond having fun and making people laugh - probably becasue I don't think my sense of humour translates well on paper. If I'm going to invest the time I feel like it should amount to more than a few chuckles for me.

Mm, I can understand that, especially about the odd sense of humor. I used to write a lot of fluff, but not so much any more...I do like writing about happy things, but I can't just forget that real life is frustrating and complicated. OTOH, that's why I get bored with a lot of angst, because even really bad times in real life have their bright spots. In the end, I feel most comfortable writing and reading stories that are about in the middle of the fluff to angst range, maybe leaning to one side or the other.

[scifithinker]

The great thing about Stargate is that there's so much potential in the fandom for every kind of story. It's a universe that could go so dark and still be viable given establish canon or be light, frivolous, and near campy and still be legitimate. I choose the darker side becasue it appeals to me.

As with all things though - to each their own!

It is a wonderful fandom for that. Fluff to apocafic, with everything else in between. Something for every mood and every preference.

[SGLAB]

It annoys me when Daniel is referred to as the young archeologist. It feels like they're implying he's practically a child.

[Reiko]

The sheer amount of McShep fics annoy me. I like reading McKay het fiction and from my experiance 80% of McKay fanfiction is McShep. It is sometimes really difficult to find McKay fan fiction which doesnt have a McShep theme.

McShep is the most predominant 'ship in Atlantis fandom, so no surprise there. What site do you go to for finding fic?

[madaline_7]

Oh definitely! I enjoy reading angst—I agree with you about how it shows the characters—it's just insanely hard to write well IMO, so I don't understand the amount of new authors who leap for it like pretty candy (obviously established authors will try difficult things).



Mm, I can understand that, especially about the odd sense of humor. I used to write a lot of fluff, but not so much any more...I do like writing about happy things, but I can't just forget that real life is frustrating and complicated. OTOH, that's why I get bored with a lot of angst, because even really bad times in real life have their bright spots. In the end, I feel most comfortable writing and reading stories that are about in the middle of the fluff to angst range, maybe leaning to one side or the other.

True, true. And (IMHO) good angst has a bit of sunshine in it.

[Iawen]

One of my biggest Stargate fic pet peeves is when writers refer to Daniel as an anthropologist. He's an archaeologist! And there is a difference! *Deep breath*

I do not mean any disrespect to anyone in this post.

[Khentkawes]

One of my biggest Stargate fic pet peeves is when writers refer to Daniel as an anthropologist. He's an archaeologist! And there is a difference! *Deep breath*

I do not mean any disrespect to anyone in this post.

I'm sure that no disrespect has been taken. We all have our fair share of pet peeves in this thread.

Not to be argumentative or anything, but in season 9 they say that Daniel has Ph.d's in archeology, anthropology, and philology. So, technically, he's both. But I see your point. Daniel always calls himself an archaeologist, so writers would be better off referring to him as such. And technically, those writers who refer to him as a linguist are even further off the mark (although considering how many languages he speaks, that's a pretty easy mistake to make).

On a similar note, though, it irritates me when writers feel the need to call Daniel "the young archaeologist" and Sam the "young major." They're not that young.

EDIT: and I just realized that SGLAB mentioned that exact issue about three posts back. *facepalm* I should try reading the thread before I make stupid comments.

[Iawen]

Not to be argumentative or anything, but in season 9 they say that Daniel has Ph.d's in archeology, anthropology, and philology. So, technically, he's both. But I see your point. Daniel always calls himself an archaeologist, so writers would be better off referring to him as such. And technically, those writers who refer to him as a linguist are even further off the mark (although considering how many languages he speaks, that's a pretty easy mistake to make).

Oh, I completely forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me. *Own palm against own forehead*

[melanell]

I do not freak over occasional spelling/grammar errors (as long as it isn't horrible throughout the entire fic).

BUT, as others pointed out, I can't stand it when major characters/races are mispelled, AND, (because I've seen this sooo many times) it's a court-martial, not "marshal". Two different words, there, people.

[madaline_7]

I do not freak over occasional spelling/grammar errors (as long as it isn't horrible throughout the entire fic).

BUT, as others pointed out, I can't stand it when major characters/races are mispelled, AND, (because I've seen this sooo many times) it's a court-martial, not "marshal". Two different words, there, people.

Yeah, I figure if I can read the occasional mistake in spelling in published books, I can overlook it in a fanfic.

What's bothering me right now is how when you offer a crit. the author says "This is why I did this" and you say "Cool, your fic do what you want. We just don't see the char. the same way." and then they get all snippy with you.

I have noticed this has happened in a lot of Sam/Pete fics. So much so... that unless I know how the author feels about them, I skip the stories.

[cflat]

BUT, as others pointed out, I can't stand it when major characters/races are mispelled, AND, (because I've seen this sooo many times) it's a court-martial, not "marshal". Two different words, there, people.

Oh, I know. I really dislike it when people mix up words like that.
_____________

I tend to get somewhat annoyed about incorrect spelling of words, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar (although I will still read it (if the story is good enough, that is)).

If the summary of the story has incorrect spelling (whether it be a normal word or a character's name) I will most likely not read it. I also dislike it when people use the wrong "there" or the wrong "your" or the wrong "to".

But I think one of biggest things that annoys me is when people put author's notes in the middle of the story. The way I see it, if an author has something to say or comment on, they can wait until the end of the chapter where it's not distracting.

[sbz]

But I think one of biggest things that annoys me is when people put author's notes in the middle of the story. The way I see it, if an author has something to say or comment on, they can wait until the end of the chapter where it's not distracting.

Quite a few people have mentioned this but I've never seen it. Is it really that prevalent? And how exaclty is it done, a comment in brackets or something right smack dab in the middle of a regular paragraph? Talk about jarring.