In lieu of an entry, how about the burning question of fanfiction?

[cimorene]

[Poll #949489]

If it's too early in the day for burning questions, have St Patrick Drives The Snakes From Ireland (cartoon; link from cleolinda).

Comments

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

Although it was very hard for me to choose between the two options, as I frequently will read a story that fits the second description and be equally as put off as by a story that fits the first.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

It really seems to be a contentious issue, with a current 50/50 split!

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Definitely the second, because you're taunted by how it could have been good, yet sucked so badly.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

For me as well, but I've had conversations with people who seemed to feel the other way, too.

[schonste.livejournal.com]

Most pertinent example of the second option for me: I was reading a story that was very good, beautiful, and it got to the sex scene, very romantic, and it gave the description that one of the characters "moaned like a cow giving birth".

While this may not be significant

it pretty much ruined my life. XD

[cimness.livejournal.com]

...A bit more colourful than usual but still encapsulates why I choose #2 as well.

[kegom.livejournal.com]

Definitely 2. I think the worst thing is when people continuously change the tense they're writing in. With really bad OOC, even if it's OK otherwise, I can still say "OK, the story's not something for me" and forget about it. But if it truly seems to be a great story and I can't finish it because the tenses (and, usually, the rest of the grammar as well) give me a headache, then it really bugs me. V-V"

[geeklite.livejournal.com]

hahaha, I do that all the time and it drives anyone who betas for me nuts!

[kegom.livejournal.com]

Well, at least you have a beta, even if you drive them nuts!

It's really sad, because sometimes these authors are definitely non-native speakers and while I can understand how hard it can be to find someone to beta for you in English when you previously only wrote in your own language, it's really just sad, because clearly the potential is there, and the only thing lacking is a beta-reader...

[cimness.livejournal.com]

I'll be very surprised if I ever find a story that's flawless except for insurmountable mechanical problems; usually people who are that good are intelligent enough to know that they need a beta, particularly if (possibly the most likely case) they are non-native speakers. It's also a much smaller problem, even if the mechanical errors are such as to require significant revision, because it's a problem that is solved simply by... finding a beta, so not as poignantly heartbreaking as when the writing is flawed and prevents a story from being good or great.

[geeklite.livejournal.com]

the first option leaves room for hilarity. the second just leaves room for sadness.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it's horrible and there's no room for hilarity, but at least then it's just kind of boring, or possibly somewhat annoying. But not tragic.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

A story shows signs of promise but is marred by a significant flaw.

OMG THIS ONE NO QUESTION. The first one, I can just back button and be done with. But the second one, I'm pained by. I want to fix it. And it's a million times worse if there's something I want to say about the story, if the signs of promise are really promising and something I'd love to discuss if not for the significant flaw.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Surely you can still discuss it that way, albeit not as satisfyingly, even if you can't rec it?

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Well, no. I can't. Part of that is - well, recs are where I talk about stories. I don't have any other way to do that, no other platform in which I can discuss a story. I just don't know how else I could talk about the story - about this brilliant moment that I love, where Clark reveals his alien-ness to Lex - without recommending it. So if I can't, then I don't.

And part of that is just me. I also can't talk about the brilliant moment that I love without discussing the significant flaw, and, okay, it's hard for me to do that in a fannish context. I cringe inside when I see badfic, because I know someone loved it and thought it was good enough to post. I hate it when people's babies, their stories, are horrible and deformed and you can't say, "Oh, what a lovely story!" because, well, it isn't. It has a Problem. I won't pretend the Problem isn't there, and I don't want to criticize the baby, so...yeah.

Plus, I learned early and well that even minor critical comments about stories can sucker punch the writer. And I don't want to do that! That's not why I'm here! I save that for pro writing, where I expect people to be professionals and able to handle criticism (and even when they can't, which is often - look, it's our *job*, suck it up), and it's really hard for me to be critical of a fan, someone who is not doing it for money but out of love. (Well, as a beta, sure. I'll clearly identify the parts that didn't work for me, take apart a story, praise the good and excoriate the bad, fight over commas and word choices, whatever. But if someone asks me for a beta, she's asked for that, all my opinions, good and bad. A stranger? A fan who didn't ask for it? No. I wish I could, but I can't. I feel too weird about it.)

[cimness.livejournal.com]

I can see that in terms of feedback, but I guess... even if you are incapable of writing publically about the exciting parts of a story without talking about the problems in a painful way, or making a rec with even vague caveats, or of a story that you think isn't flawless, surely you have people you can talk to about it, if it gives you meta thoughts or gets really exciting? Just to unburden your soul with "God, if you could just understand the sheer breathtaking scope of this world she's created. Of course the Harry Potter world is underneath somewhere, but she might as well have made her own fantasy universe and it's just magical, something to lose yourself in, if you could, and if only these were original characters and she hadn't felt constrained, I can only presume, by the requirement of producing an adventure plot!" Do you really feel like you haven't been able to talk about something if you haven't been able to publish your enthusiasm for all to see?

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Oh, no. One person would be fine. It's just that I often don't have that one person. Sometimes, if a friend has read the same thing, or sometimes I'll blather on about it to Best Beloved. But of course BB hasn't read the story in question, and often I don't know anyone who has. Which isn't to say that doesn't work, because it somewhat does, just - not as well.

I guess partly I feel weird about inflicting my story analyses directly on one person, if that makes sense. In my LJ, it's more of - I have no expectation that someone will actually read, so if anyone chooses to, it's on them. Whereas in one-on-one conversation I feel kind of bad about endlessly dumping the contents of my brain on people.

*thinky*

You know, maybe a private LJ post would for this. Next time, I should totally try that and see.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Hee, I've done that before too, actually. But more often I make people who haven't read it listen to me, or c&p chunks at them to illustrate before I climb onto the soapbox.