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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Discussion Fan Fic Pet Peeves?

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by alienyouthct, Jul 30, 2002.

  1. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    When i was reading the fics by this author they would sometimes talk about what happened in the last chapter and at the end they would comment on things in the chapter and they would have other things. Palpatine drinking Vader's cappuccinos characters going on joy rides in either Mace's or Snape's mustang.

    As I said before: amusing for a while but after a time it isn't.
     
  2. Mayla

    Mayla Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 4, 2012
    ^ Agreed. Some authors really go all out... I've seen a few stories where the "talk section" would last for half a page or a full page. It gets really confusing when they don't clearly delineate what is the "real" story from the "talk section"... that cappuccino scene might appear to be a direct continuation of a deadly lightsaber battle.
     
  3. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    This might be a peeve, then - breaking the fourth wall too much, in the name of comedy. I take my fanfics seriously.[:D]
     
  4. Skywalker_T-65

    Skywalker_T-65 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2009
    I think my time doing that never got above...four or so sentences at a time. Even when I was doing that, I never made it a half-page monstrosity :p
     
  5. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    You can tell when they went from joy rides in the mustang to a lightsaber duel. The chitter chatter was sort of set up like a script. I think it took up a quarter of the the page maybe as much as a third.

    Breaking the fourth wall can be o_O

    It can be amusing if done right and infrequently. I think it belongs in other entertainment mediums. There this anime where one of the characters addresses the viewers and when another character demands to know who he was talking to answer was no one (if my memory serves me).
     
  6. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    Well, Shakespeare's plays had his 'asides,' so why not?
     
  7. J_Girl

    J_Girl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    Yes, Shakespeare does have asides, but keep in mind, those are plays and meant to be seen as a performance rather than read as a story in book/fic form. Plays can be difficult to follow for some people, but whenever I have taken friends/family to see the actual performances, they can follow them easily whereas they cringe when one mentions reading Shakespeare.

    I think the infrequent part that Lady_Misty mentioned is right on the mark. Also, maybe it would be most effective if done at the end of the fic? I don't know, it really has to be handled a specific way.
     
  8. Skywalker_T-65

    Skywalker_T-65 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2009
    Like I said, while mine (when I did it) were at the start and end of each chapter, it was never more than a couple sentences. If it is short, and to the point, it can work well. Just going overboard is bad, like in a lot of things really.
     
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  9. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    Ha, sure. I've read numerous humor pieces with 'spew warnings!!' in the header, sort of fun to point out what the author hopes will happen.
     
  10. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    The only time I found those "asides" amusing is when they're done in comic form. A short strip at the end, with the editor conversing with a couple of the characters.
     
  11. S1thari

    S1thari Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 13, 2008
    The fact that every fic I read on here lately is based solely around Like and Mara, or Jaina and Jag, or some other Twilight-esque romance combination. Okay, yeah, SW does include some romance, but that's only a small portion of what the EU is. Adventure, crime, space battles, murder, mystery, vast weapons, political machinations and epic lightsaber duels comprise SW. I would love to see this place expand its horizons.
     
  12. Bale

    Bale Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 9, 2005
    Hopefully as the ST approaches we'll attract more writers and the variety of stories will increase as well.
     
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  13. DarthBreezy

    DarthBreezy Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2002
    You're just not looking in the right places....
     
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  14. J_Girl

    J_Girl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    Yeah, it's a phase.... they'll grow out of it. And once the truncated posts are fixed from the older board, you can find plenty of good stuff on there as well.
     
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  15. Skywalker_T-65

    Skywalker_T-65 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2009
    It's a phase alright. One of the main reasons I post more on FFN. While the reviews are lower quality, at least one is more likely to actually get some, because people aren't just writing/reading one genre.

    In this case, romance.
     
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  16. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Yeah, but if I wanted to read adventure, crime, space battles, murder, mystery and all that stuff...then I can read the profic novels. The fact that the EU only has SOME romance (and by some I mean almost none)...is the reason I read fanfiction. And this romance phase has been going on since I joined in 2004. People write and read fanfiction usually to get what they are missing in the profics whether it is romance or a happy ending...something that has been missing in the profics also.

    I don't have hard evidence to prove that this is the case, but usually it is the serious space battle, lightsaber dueling, political machination writers that complain about nobody reading their stories whereas the worst Luke/Mara writer can get hundreds of views and dozens of reviews for a short mushy drabble. It is not because of cliques...it's because people like me come to this site to read one type of story. I like certain EU characters and I want to read about them. The best written Anakin/Padme story in the world would not interest me one bit because I am not interested in those characters (no offense to their fans). What you need to do is attract more readers of serious fanfiction. You can have a million L/M 'shippers but that doesn't preclude non-L/M 'shippers from joining and reviewing other stories. There is no Maximum Occupancy in TFN that I know of. I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that the Luke/Mara 'shippers are resented a bit and are blamed for the poorly reviewed serious non-romance fanfics. Like I said, I may be wrong about that, but that is the impression I am getting.

    So that is my pet peeve...L/M readers and writers getting grief for being devoted writers and reviewers.
     
  17. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    I recognize the feeling of no more new horizons - of having read every story that interests one.

    http://www.dragonlibrary.net/fiction/star_wars/ archive recently discovered by me might have something of interest ...
     
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  18. J_Girl

    J_Girl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    The romance phase has been going on for years. This is very true. It used to be Han/Leia, but now it's more L/M and Jaina/Jag. That was the phase I was referring to actually. The Twlight-esque -ness of it all will also evolve a bit more as time goes on. Nothing wrong with any of those pairings, mind you! They all have their followers as they should, but I think as H/L is no longer as prevalent here as it once was, so too shall L/M fade and Jaina/Jag. Perhaps when the ST comes about and we see new characters to fill out the missing moments.

    Jedi_Lover is correct about fanfiction filling in the romantic 'missing moments' because the movies and EU have already filled in the action, et al. There will always be a plethora of character driven fics with romance in them. Let's face it, the world thrives on relationships. Fanfic tends to reflect what we want to see. Someone writes a fic because they want to see something happen. If you don't see what you like, it's a good time to get writing and produce it.
     
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  19. Stone Jade

    Stone Jade Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    I'm guilty of this, certainly, although I take umbrage at the comparison of L/M, J/J, etc. romance to Twilight (even though I've never read the latter).


    Indeed, and I was going to make the same point as Jedi_Lover did above. The fact that SW includes only some romance is the impetus for many writers to venture into fan fiction. It certainly was a contributing factor for me, although I don't exclusively write romance.

    I own and have read pretty much every profic book from the ANH period through the end of LOTF, along with a smattering of prequel-era stuff. There's plenty of adventure, crime, space battles, etc. in the profic. I look to fanfic for the stuff I can't get elsewhere. These tend to be either character- and relationship-focused works or "missing moments".

    I have to admit that, even given the above, I read very little fanfic, though I write it myself and post here. I just don't have the time. I also restrict both my writing and reading to canon-compliant works.

    Here is the important part: I will make exceptions for people that review my work. I tend to write short stories in the 4,000-10,000 word range. It takes a major time commitment for people to read and comment on what I write. I try to reciprocate whenever possible. The obvious side effect of this is that the only people reading my work are those interested in L/M stories or romance stories in general. That means that I tend to read stories written by those people, which are usually L/M or romance stories.

    My suggestion is this: If you're desperate for reviews, and if you have the time, read outside your comfort zone. Even if you're not a fan of L/M (as an example, as this particular genre seems to be the most objectionable to a lot of people), you may find something of interest in some of those stories. Leave a comment on someone else's story, and you're much more likely to get reviews in return.


    It's not a phase, and it's not going away. Vision of the Future was published in 1998. Mara was killed off in Sacrifice more than 5 years ago. Jaina and Jag first got together more than 10 years ago in Rebel Dream. If anything, the ST will generate more romance plots, depending on which characters Disney decides to use. As long as SW fails to deliver romance in the profic stories, you will see it written ad nauseum in fanfic.
     
  20. Skywalker_T-65

    Skywalker_T-65 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2009
    I was talking more about how the romance fluctuates in popularity. At one point, you can have say...Luke/Mara be popular, while at another you have Siriwan. I know the romance in general won't go away, its just that it may fluctuate in popularity.

    I blame the fact I was half-asleep when posting that for the less than stellar wording :p
     
  21. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Very true. And I think this is where the impression that there are cliques are born. I write L/M and L/M 'shippers read and review. I see a faithful reviewer writing a story and I will read it...usually because it is L/M...but that is not always the case. I will read a story WAY out of my comfort zone because the writer reviewed my stories. I am talking about romance stories about Palpatine. [face_sick] (Okay, I told the writer after about five chapters that it was good writing, but the visualization of Palpy-nookie was way too much for me).

    Do not underestimate the power of reviews. It gets people to notice your name. When they see a story written by you they are more apt to take a look. The best reviewed writers are usually the best reviewers.
     
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  22. Valairy Scot

    Valairy Scot Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 16, 2005
    Everything said above is valid, but this is the Pet Peeves thread and so I don't think one should pile upon the person commenting (to be clear, no one above is "piling on" except several posts build on the other). If I said I was peeved by stories longer than drabbles, I'd hope six folks wouldn't post that some folks like longer stories, etc. (For the record, I like drabbles, shorts, and epics.)

    As to the comments above - the romance fans have always been around and will always be. The pairings change with time. But right now its Beyond romances getting all the love (ha, pun). I know an excellent romance fic, but it's Saga and it tends to get overlooked for Beyond romances (no, it's not my story).

    The "problem" if one characterizes it as such is the grouping of all sagas - I think too many folks don't filter the Sagas for one, and filtering doesn't work for the type of stories. The current fan faves are Beyond romances and so they get bumped and then read again and then bumped so it's a self-feeding cycle. It could and probably has happened with Before or Saga stories too in the past, but then at least each era had its own board and "other" stories were buried closer to the top rather than pages down. Yes, I do remember the glory days when a new story was page 3 in six hours and never again seen.

    And for those exhorting "review" - I used to review far more than I do nowadays (time issues) and it took me years to get more than maybe one review. I don't review to get reviews, although that certainly helps, but even then, it may or may not get return reviews - unfortunately, the truth is folks read what they want to read and there's very little one can do to get read if folks want to read other stuff.

    One suggestion: if you like a character get active in that character thread. Contribute. Don't plug your story there, but mention it in passing. Over in the Obi-Wan thread, we have a lot of great authors and we discuss story ideas as much as we discuss Obi-Wan's "eyes" or some such - we've turned into each other's betas and cheering section, even, from time to time.

    When the truncation issue is fixed and if the index links are ever fixed, I'd suggest searching the indexes for stories you like, note the author, and then look for stories by those authors. I find most write similar stories most of the time, so if you want X,Y and Z stories, author A, K and M may be the ones to look at.

    When the new movie(s) come out, I suspect even current Beyond stories will get buried if the board remains one for fanfic.
     
  23. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    That is very true. I hope it didn't sound like I review simply to get reviews. I don't want some writers thinking I am commenting on their story simply to get them to review my stories. But it is human nature to want to reciprocate or at least look at a faithful reviewers stories. After all, if they like my story maybe they have a similar mindset and will write stories I like.

    This is absolutely spot on. When I started coming to these boards in 2004 I wouldn't have dreamed I would be writing stories. I hated writing. I wasn't good at it (not that I am now, but I at least enjoy it more). But I was over at the literature Forum and hung around the Mara Jade threads or the infamous Sex in the EU thread. There we came up with weird conspiracy theories...especially Thrawn McEwok and his Marakin theory. :p The bottom line is all this talk and discussion on characters had me saying, "Somebody should write a story about that!" And then I was told, "You should write a story about that." And so I did. Character Forums are a great place to get story ideas.
     
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  24. J_Girl

    J_Girl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    You're right! People should be allowed to say what peeves them in a fic without repercussions. This thread started out just sort of listing what annoyed people several times over - or was that the old board's pet peeve thread? Can't remember. Either way, it was a more simple thread for a more simple time.

    Each person is going to have things that annoy them that doesn't necessarily annoy others.
     
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  25. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    True but my pet peeve is listed above as
    I think it is just as valid as everybody else's pet peeve.