Reading/Book Pet Peeves

[Lynn2000]

Since we're on fanfiction and reviewers of such-

I'm not sure what's worse/funnier, the guy who reviewed one of my slash fics with "that's so g*y", or the chick to went and reviewed another slash fic of mine with a complaint about how horrible people were to be writing non-canon ships, as well as a list of ships that were canon and therefor acceptable*.

I was reading some fanfic that was clearly labeled as AU (alternate universe) and changed the fundamental nature of the relationship between two of the main characters. The writer had a whole series of these stories. Personally, they didn't work for me, but I love how creative and freeform fanfic can be, so I was cool with the basic idea. Why not try it, right? Well, another person who read them posted increasingly negative comments on them--basically, they just couldn't see that relationship actually happening that way, and since the writer had "some talent," they should really just try writing the relationship as it was in canon. 

I thought that was a pretty awful thing to say, about free stories that no one has to read. I know some writers put notes saying they really, truly want constructive criticism but I don't think this writer said that, and anyway there were a lot better ways to say what the commenter said. I don't think I would ever criticize the fundamental creative idea someone had, unless it was truly offensive (or maybe point out that it wasn't as unique as they thought it was, but emphasize that they could surely bring something new to it). If they really wanted constructive criticism I would mention things like grammar or plot holes or pacing. But to say, "I really don't like how you turned the main characters into vampire squid. I just can't see it. But you have some talent, so why don't you just try writing them normally?" Lots of people can write them normally! But how many thought of writing them as vampire squid, huh?

[PeterM]

Who even  does that? I mean, I'll regularly respond to series I like, but I would never presume to tell the author what to do with his/her stories! It's not my character to say what to do with it. If I don't like it, I can go read something else.

Fanfic readers do that. It happens to "normally" published creators, too, but from everything I've seen it's much more common in fanfic. I think it's partially that most fanfic writers are heavily involved in the fandom and thus more approachable, and that since fanfic is about non-original characters who were created by other people some fans feel that gives them just as much right to say how a story should go as the actual author. Me, I've often felt a given fic has various people ridiculously out of character, but I just stop reading. I don't email the author and tell him he's doing it wrong.

With my own fanfic I've only ever gotten two ridiculous demands from readers. One was a young lady who felt she'd waited long enough for me to finish a fic I'd left hanging, so she threatened to decapitate her cousin's teddy bear, Mandy, if I didn't get it in gear and finish the story. I thought that was very sweet. Psychotic, but sweet. And it did get me to finish the story, which was probably rewarding the wrong behavior.

The other was a weird ranty email from a guy who wanted me to have an adult character have sex with an underage character. I ignored him and he went away. He later became mildly infamous for demanding the same thing of many, many writers in that fandom, and would escalate when he was ignored rather than turn his attention elsewhere. I always wondered if he just hadn't yet completely lost his mind when he contacted me, and that's why he let it drop, or if he didn't think I was worth the effort of cyber-stalking to assure my obedience. I felt kind of insulted, really.

[starry diadem]

I've only just recently gotten into fanfiction (fanfiction.net and archiveofourown.org - are there other sites I should be tracking down?) but I can absolutely see how you'd get comments like that.  My first comment on my very first story was about when one of the characters does a magic spell - the commenter thought the flash of light should have been blue, not red, because of COURSE the character would use this other spell instead of the one I wrote.  (In a situation where both would have had the same result.)

I really can't see any other way to interpret that than "I know this fandom better than you do!"  Since then, I've had to suppress the urge several times to suggest if a particular commenter wants a story to have a specific plot, they're more than welcome to write it themselves - it's not like I own the characters!

Dreamwidth can be good if you're looking for a specific fandom - a lot of fandoms have prompt memes on Dreamwidth, where you can suggest ideas for stories and people might pick them up.

Be warned, the prompt memes can often be very NSFW

That's the main reason I migrated from fanfiction.net to AO3 - what's the point of fanfiction if there's no smut?   

Other large multi-fandom archives include  http://www.adultfanfiction.net/     and  http://archive.skyehawke.com/ 

Both have large helpings of smut!

[Cherry91]

For the FF people, I recommend FanficRants on Livejournal, which has many similar stories of people receiving comments trying to control the story, or just not getting it, as well as issues with Fanfics themselves. Very entertaining in a car crash fashion.

If there's a few fanfic writers/readers, maybe we could set up a separate thread?

[magicdomino]

The other was a weird ranty email from a guy who wanted me to have an adult character have sex with an underage character. I ignored him and he went away. He later became mildly infamous for demanding the same thing of many, many writers in that fandom, and would escalate when he was ignored rather than turn his attention elsewhere. I always wondered if he just hadn't yet completely lost his mind when he contacted me, and that's why he let it drop, or if he didn't think I was worth the effort of cyber-stalking to assure my obedience. I felt kind of insulted, really.

That's creepy.  I don't want to know what kind of fantasies he had.   

[goldilocks]

The thing I hate the most is when an author abruptly ruins characterisation to force the plot along.

Eg, in an awful lot of novels, the romance subplot will be a love triangle, or even a shape with more sides like that. Character A is admired by characters B and C, and the author makes both would be paramours attractive and likeable to justify A's struggle to choose.

Then A decides she likes B more, and so C becomes a total jerk to justify A choosing B.

This seems to especially be the case where the fans' favourite and the triumphant suitor aren't the same person...

If they have to do that, I wish they would at least set up what one commenter called The Other Guy (or Girl). So, C remains C, but D enters the picture, so we don't have to feel bad for C, because s/he has eyes for D by the end of the book.

It's a little over-neat as an  ending, but at least it keeps you from sobbing "But what about C???!?" when A and B drive off into the sunset (particularly if you were hoping for A to pick C, who is clearly the better partner).

Danielle Steel's books are the worst at this (at least they used to be, haven't read her in years).    Girl has 2 lovers -both are wonderful.  So, one of them will die and she winds up with the remaining one.

Drives me crazy!     This happened in at least 2 of her books.

[AnnaJ]

A synopsis of what drives readers crazy...and I relate to all of them:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/harpercollins/17-problems-only-book-lovers-will-understand-9npd

[andi]

Those are great!  All very true!  And I have an author that stopped mid series.

[Piratelvr1121]

Since we're on fanfiction and reviewers of such-

I'm not sure what's worse/funnier, the guy who reviewed one of my slash fics with "that's so g*y", or the chick to went and reviewed another slash fic of mine with a complaint about how horrible people were to be writing non-canon ships, as well as a list of ships that were canon and therefor acceptable*.

I was reading some fanfic that was clearly labeled as AU (alternate universe) and changed the fundamental nature of the relationship between two of the main characters. The writer had a whole series of these stories. Personally, they didn't work for me, but I love how creative and freeform fanfic can be, so I was cool with the basic idea. Why not try it, right? Well, another person who read them posted increasingly negative comments on them--basically, they just couldn't see that relationship actually happening that way, and since the writer had "some talent," they should really just try writing the relationship as it was in canon. 

I thought that was a pretty awful thing to say, about free stories that no one has to read.

Agreed.  I mean Pirates of the Caribbean is my fandom and both my bff and I like the shippings as the were in the movies.  Will with Elizabeth and neither of us care for "Sparrabeth".  But because of that, we just don't read it! If it says in the summary that's what ship the author's going with, we don't click on it! It's that easy!

I've come across authors having "Challenges" from other authors, and my friend did one, I think writing Jack as he'd react to a certain situation, and it turned out to be funny while keeping him in character.  I think challenges can be fun and good for stretching one's writing muscles, but rudely insisting someone write a character into certain situations or implying they're doing it all wrong is quite rude.

I had one reviewer inform me that racism was an invention of the 19th and 20th centuries and that people were far more accepting of other races back in the 18th century!!!

Yeeeeaaahhh...cause there was no racism at ALL in slavery...

[Slartibartfast]

I had one reviewer inform me that racism was an invention of the 19th and 20th centuries and that people were far more accepting of other races back in the 18th century!!!

Yeeeeaaahhh...cause there was no racism at ALL in slavery...

Nah, racism itself isn't new, it's just the "feeling bad about it" part that is 

[sweet_basil]

I don't like historical fiction that reads like it's people playing dress-up. I do not want to read a book that takes place in 17th century Italy (for example) and have the characters use modern slang or have names that people in 17th century Italy wouldn't have! Another peeve is the "Ice Maiden" type characters, the ones who act all cold and Female Dog to everyone until something happens (usually the love interest saves her)  she starts to "defrost" and she starts acting nice.

[Slartibartfast]

I don't like historical fiction that reads like it's people playing dress-up. I do not want to read a book that takes place in 17th century Italy (for example) and have the characters use modern slang or have names that people in 17th century Italy wouldn't have! Another peeve is the "Ice Maiden" type characters, the ones who act all cold and Female Dog to everyone until something happens (usually the love interest saves her)  she starts to "defrost" and she starts acting nice.

Ah, see, I can totally get behind the "ice maiden" archetype as long as it's a necessity - usually because the female character is doing something unusual for a woman to do, and people won't take her seriously otherwise.  ("Unusual" can be as simple as running her own business in a male-dominated industry, but usually in the books I read it's a historical context and she's managing the family finances, championing some cause, or just flat-out standing her ground against the people in her life who want to steamroll over her objections and opinions.)  I guess that's totally different than "Female Dog because she doesn't know any differently," though 

[Barney girl]

Since we're on fanfiction and reviewers of such-

I'm not sure what's worse/funnier, the guy who reviewed one of my slash fics with "that's so g*y", or the chick to went and reviewed another slash fic of mine with a complaint about how horrible people were to be writing non-canon ships, as well as a list of ships that were canon and therefor acceptable*.

I was reading some fanfic that was clearly labeled as AU (alternate universe) and changed the fundamental nature of the relationship between two of the main characters. The writer had a whole series of these stories. Personally, they didn't work for me, but I love how creative and freeform fanfic can be, so I was cool with the basic idea. Why not try it, right? Well, another person who read them posted increasingly negative comments on them--basically, they just couldn't see that relationship actually happening that way, and since the writer had "some talent," they should really just try writing the relationship as it was in canon. 

I thought that was a pretty awful thing to say, about free stories that no one has to read.

Agreed.  I mean Pirates of the Caribbean is my fandom and both my bff and I like the shippings as the were in the movies.  Will with Elizabeth and neither of us care for "Sparrabeth".  But because of that, we just don't read it! If it says in the summary that's what ship the author's going with, we don't click on it! It's that easy!

I've come across authors having "Challenges" from other authors, and my friend did one, I think writing Jack as he'd react to a certain situation, and it turned out to be funny while keeping him in character.  I think challenges can be fun and good for stretching one's writing muscles, but rudely insisting someone write a character into certain situations or implying they're doing it all wrong is quite rude.

I had one reviewer inform me that racism was an invention of the 19th and 20th centuries and that people were far more accepting of other races back in the 18th century!!!

Yeeeeaaahhh...cause there was no racism at ALL in slavery...

Doesn't that depend which slavery you are talking about? As I understand it most slavery in history has nothing to do with race, but is about relative power.
In relation to racism I did read something (I couldn't now tell you where, but it would be probably be a BBC Radio 4 programme) which made the point that as the anti-slavery movement gained strength, so did racism as the those in the slave trade brought in quasi-scientific arguments to attempt to justify why there was nothing morally wrong with what they were doing.

[VorFemme]

Romans held slaves based on who had lost the last war....i.e. NON-Romans.

Other countries, races, etc. held slaves based on much the same thing - someone taken in battle or captured after a battle was lost, as part of the "looting & pillaging" thing that was how most soldiers got PAID - the Romans paid them, "looting & pillaging" was by way of being their combat pay or bonus.....and selling captives as slaves was part of it.

[Piratelvr1121]

Since we're on fanfiction and reviewers of such-

I'm not sure what's worse/funnier, the guy who reviewed one of my slash fics with "that's so g*y", or the chick to went and reviewed another slash fic of mine with a complaint about how horrible people were to be writing non-canon ships, as well as a list of ships that were canon and therefor acceptable*.

I was reading some fanfic that was clearly labeled as AU (alternate universe) and changed the fundamental nature of the relationship between two of the main characters. The writer had a whole series of these stories. Personally, they didn't work for me, but I love how creative and freeform fanfic can be, so I was cool with the basic idea. Why not try it, right? Well, another person who read them posted increasingly negative comments on them--basically, they just couldn't see that relationship actually happening that way, and since the writer had "some talent," they should really just try writing the relationship as it was in canon. 

I thought that was a pretty awful thing to say, about free stories that no one has to read.

Agreed.  I mean Pirates of the Caribbean is my fandom and both my bff and I like the shippings as the were in the movies.  Will with Elizabeth and neither of us care for "Sparrabeth".  But because of that, we just don't read it! If it says in the summary that's what ship the author's going with, we don't click on it! It's that easy!

I've come across authors having "Challenges" from other authors, and my friend did one, I think writing Jack as he'd react to a certain situation, and it turned out to be funny while keeping him in character.  I think challenges can be fun and good for stretching one's writing muscles, but rudely insisting someone write a character into certain situations or implying they're doing it all wrong is quite rude.

I had one reviewer inform me that racism was an invention of the 19th and 20th centuries and that people were far more accepting of other races back in the 18th century!!!

Yeeeeaaahhh...cause there was no racism at ALL in slavery...

Doesn't that depend which slavery you are talking about? As I understand it most slavery in history has nothing to do with race, but is about relative power.
In relation to racism I did read something (I couldn't now tell you where, but it would be probably be a BBC Radio 4 programme) which made the point that as the anti-slavery movement gained strength, so did racism as the those in the slave trade brought in quasi-scientific arguments to attempt to justify why there was nothing morally wrong with what they were doing.

Well there wasn't really slavery so much in my story but I was thinking of the practice of using Africans as slaves by colonists/Americans up till the Civil War.