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On making a story readable and making a story reasonable.
I've been doing some beta'ing lately - one-offs, mostly because the people I beta don't usually come back to me a second time. I'm a very critical beta, because that's what I want from my betas. These are a couple of things I've noticed in those betas and in the various stories that I've read through the years. No specifics, but some general trends that keep coming up regarding writing and writing styles.
Making A Fic 'Readable'
These are all 'technical' details, relating to the proper use of the English language.
If you cannot master these basics, do not even think of writing fanfiction (or essays or emails or blog comments or anything, really). Or else, please keep it far, far away from me.
Writing a readable fic has absolutely nothing to do with plot, characterisation, believability, depiction, philosophy, conceptualisation, or the art of storytelling. An AI could put together a readable fic, given a dictionary of the English language and the rules of language.
Making A Fic 'Reasonable'
A Reasonable fic has all the aspects of a readable fic, plus:
Adjust your story and the kind of interactions you're writing to accommodate the characters you're writing for and the history they've been through. It makes a difference.
Please note that writing a reasonable fic is not the same as writing a good fic, although it's better than a fic which is merely readable.
These two points are the basics of writing any kind of story. Some people are naturally better at it than others, but everyone can learn how to do it well - the key word here is 'learn'.
At one point in time, we're all new to this thing. But the intelligent, clever people learn - and the more intelligent they are, the faster they learn.
Ignorance that is content to remain ignorant? That refuses to learn and grow and change and improve? That can't be self-critical and won't otherwise take criticism? Please get far far away from me. Because I won't read your story, I won't review your story, and I won't rec your story if that's your attitude. I've been called a snob before - ironically, the person who called me a snob had noted elsewhere that I was a very good writer.
Good writers are snobs because they're good writers; it means not letting everything through just because 'this is for fun' and not saying that things are lovely work when they're not, just because 'people need encouragement'.
I don't believe in sparing the red pen when I'm marking things - if they've got any backbone, then they'll be able to take it. As a friend with a toddling son told me, "If he pulls your hair or slaps you, reprimand him. You're a reasonable person, you won't go too far. And he needs to learn that other people's standards matter, even if they shouldn't rule him."
It was good advice for rearing a child; it's good advice when writing a fic. Other people's standards matter, too - whether you're doing this for fun or profit.
I've been doing some beta'ing lately - one-offs, mostly because the people I beta don't usually come back to me a second time. I'm a very critical beta, because that's what I want from my betas. These are a couple of things I've noticed in those betas and in the various stories that I've read through the years. No specifics, but some general trends that keep coming up regarding writing and writing styles.
Making A Fic 'Readable'
Spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, and grammar are correct. Almost all word processing programs have a spell and grammar check. Use it. And try to work what the spell-checker is saying to you and note it down for next time. Punctuation is a trickier situation - there are rules regarding the use of commas and semi-colons and dash-phrasing - you can learn these. And then there's the verb tense in which the story is being written. Is it being written in present tense or past tense? Have you switched tenses in the middle of a sentence, a paragraph, a story?
Character names are spelled correctly. You wouldn't believe the number of people who cannot even spell the character names correctly. I'm not talking about Ronon/Ronan, or Emmagan/Emmagen so much, but Teyla being spelled Telya, and Elizabeth being spelled Elizaebth - repeatedly - in a story. Errors that are blatantly obvious but which the writer hasn't picked up.
Correct words are used and homonym errors aren't commonplace. Did you really mean to say that John's family is effluent? Are you aware that 'to pique' means to annoy, 'to peak' means to reach the highest point of achievement, and that 'to peek' means to quickly look?
These are all 'technical' details, relating to the proper use of the English language.
If you cannot master these basics, do not even think of writing fanfiction (or essays or emails or blog comments or anything, really). Or else, please keep it far, far away from me.
Writing a readable fic has absolutely nothing to do with plot, characterisation, believability, depiction, philosophy, conceptualisation, or the art of storytelling. An AI could put together a readable fic, given a dictionary of the English language and the rules of language.
Making A Fic 'Reasonable'
A Reasonable fic has all the aspects of a readable fic, plus:
A plot, character revelation, or completed scene with a sense of ending. You can't just start something and not finish it in some way. Just as you put a period (full-stop) at the end of your sentence, your fic must feature a period or full-stop to it – an ending. Ultimately, a character should either: a) reach a revelation, or b) achieve a goal/prevent a catastrophe, or else a 'curtain' should close on your scene in some way.
An ability to show the reader what is happening with the characters without infodumping. Infodumping is putting a block of information down just for the sake of telling your readers what's happening, not necessarily showing them the situation. It's the difference between saying that character X is attracted to character Y, and depicting character X admiring something about Y that s/he might not otherwise notice.
Characters that speak, think, and act like people, not like tropes in a stereotype. Every fandom I know is awash with romantic fics of the rough plotline - X meets Y, conflicts happen which keep them apart, but in the end they come together. However, the exact interactions between X and Y should not be dictated to by a Harlequin romance. X does not need to be a sassy, spirited character whose sharp tongue hides a tender heart that's just waiting for the Right One to come along. Y does not need to be a tough-yet-noble-minded character whose emotional wounds hides a deeply passionate soul that's looking for the Right One to heal all hurts.
Adjust your story and the kind of interactions you're writing to accommodate the characters you're writing for and the history they've been through. It makes a difference.
Please note that writing a reasonable fic is not the same as writing a good fic, although it's better than a fic which is merely readable.
These two points are the basics of writing any kind of story. Some people are naturally better at it than others, but everyone can learn how to do it well - the key word here is 'learn'.
At one point in time, we're all new to this thing. But the intelligent, clever people learn - and the more intelligent they are, the faster they learn.
Ignorance that is content to remain ignorant? That refuses to learn and grow and change and improve? That can't be self-critical and won't otherwise take criticism? Please get far far away from me. Because I won't read your story, I won't review your story, and I won't rec your story if that's your attitude. I've been called a snob before - ironically, the person who called me a snob had noted elsewhere that I was a very good writer.
Good writers are snobs because they're good writers; it means not letting everything through just because 'this is for fun' and not saying that things are lovely work when they're not, just because 'people need encouragement'.
I don't believe in sparing the red pen when I'm marking things - if they've got any backbone, then they'll be able to take it. As a friend with a toddling son told me, "If he pulls your hair or slaps you, reprimand him. You're a reasonable person, you won't go too far. And he needs to learn that other people's standards matter, even if they shouldn't rule him."
It was good advice for rearing a child; it's good advice when writing a fic. Other people's standards matter, too - whether you're doing this for fun or profit.
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I feel the same way about writing. I've only beta'd a fic once, but I always included mechanics and construction in the grading standards I used when I was teaching in grad school. This is basic stuff and I don't understand why people freak out about it and act like you're being an unreasonable asshole just because you insist upon basic literacy. Every quarter, I would offer to proof read rough draft for my students' final papers, which was a free grade bump for them and a massive assache for me (since I had 30+ students, it was difficult to make time to read their papers on top of my regular teaching duties and my own classes). Invariably, I would have students who never bothered to show me a rough draft and would then complain loudly that they should get a higher grade and grammar and construction shouldn't matter since this wasn't an English class. *headdesk*
I think my favorite writing mistake of all time was the "pre-Madonna" thing. I had several students use the term "pre-Madonna" (rather than prima donna) in their papers, thinking it meant a slutty girl who would end up like the singer Madonna if she didn't get better role models/listen to her parents/come to Jesus/etc. That was actually too hilarious to be horrifying!
no subject
I feel the same way about writing. I've only beta'd a fic once, but I always included mechanics and construction in the grading standards I used when I was teaching in grad school. This is basic stuff and I don't understand why people freak out about it and act like you're being an unreasonable asshole just because you insist upon basic literacy. Every quarter, I would offer to proof read rough draft for my students' final papers, which was a free grade bump for them and a massive assache for me (since I had 30+ students, it was difficult to make time to read their papers on top of my regular teaching duties and my own classes). Invariably, I would have students who never bothered to show me a rough draft and would then complain loudly that they should get a higher grade and grammar and construction shouldn't matter since this wasn't an English class. *headdesk*
I think my favorite writing mistake of all time was the "pre-Madonna" thing. I had several students use the term "pre-Madonna" (rather than prima donna) in their papers, thinking it meant a slutty girl who would end up like the singer Madonna if she didn't get better role models/listen to her parents/come to Jesus/etc. That was actually too hilarious to be horrifying!