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My FF.net pet peeves...


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#41 Catwho

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Posted 07 March 2012 - 02:55 AM

I'm okay with lemons as long as they're in character (and for a couple I care for.) I avoid AU lemons because, well, what's the point? And I'm super picky about them. If I'm not hooked within the first three sentences, I'm hitting backspace.

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#42 Konohakitten

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Posted 07 March 2012 - 05:11 AM

QUOTE (Toasty Warrior @ Mar 6 2012, 06:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I definitely have some pet peeves when it comes to stories, and they're pretty much common ones:

-Stories without a good plot or character development, I know this is usually important, but please try to deliver on some development for the character you're trying to write for.

- Grammar, and sentence structure, another big one. I usually don't like stories that have huge ass paragraphs that I have to read. Try to keep the sentences to three to four sentences.

-Bashing, this one I've always hated in stories. Come on people, try to write a story without bashing the character too much, but if it's for the lolz, it has to be done in a way that makes the character not lost any respect or dignity.

- Characters acting OOC, this is another one I truly hate. I could see if they're doing it to fit within the story, but when you have a character kill off one of the main characters simply because you don't like them, your story has no credit whatsoever. It turns into a bashfest.

- Stories that have chapters less than a paragraph long. I can understand if you're setting up with a prologue or epilogue, but please try to make the story at least a good three to four pages long for others to read.

- Misleading stories, I hate hate stories that are under a specific category, and then turn out to be a whole another pairing. I believe people do this just to be trolls or get lots of reviews for their stories because usually their stories suck.

- Lemons, well I'm kinda on the fence about this. I usually don't mind lemons if they're done well, or part of the story, but if they're not part of the plot or too vulgar, I avoid them at all costs.

- Harem stories, I've never been able to read harem stories because they end up being too confusing or just one big lemon story.

I think that about covers my pet peeves with stories. sleep.gif



I agree so much with your peeves Toasty. As for the lemons I'm the same, they need to have class in order to be appealing. That's what I take into consideration when I write mine. As for Harems I dont like them since I dont like the fact of Naruto being a man whore.

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#43 redkunai66

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Posted 07 March 2012 - 04:32 PM

wow- seems like everyone already covered my pet peeves XD

- most of the fics- with the signs everyone's mentioned- i've avoided like a plague. nah- the issue for me for fanfics is simply being disappointed as the story goes on.

it might start with a good idea- but as the story moves forwards- the characters start acting OOC- or the author themselves start changing the character interactions in a way that's unbelievable- and you're just expected to go along.

that and negative anon reviews- I've gotten one so far- and I find it amusing- though somewhat bewildering-

Edited by redkunai66, 07 March 2012 - 05:08 PM.


#44 harry4e

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 12:40 AM

Yeah have to agree with most of the original post I tend to avoid them as well another I've found is when the description has the words 'just read' or 'better than it sounds' i've found in nearly every single case you wished you didn't read, and it's actually worst than it sounds.

Bashing inorder to make the writers pairing work, this is one of the reason why I almost never stray away from NaruSaku pairing as so many of the fics i've started have Sakura as a complete biatch. I find this especially infuriating when the pairing is with Ino, the girl who Sakura grew up imitating. Also find it highly amusing the number of times i'll pick up a fic and find a scene with the Civillian Council demanding Naruto's head on a platter and the loudest member just happens to Haruno senior. I'll admit in the past I have read bashing fics, (mainly Sasuke as I did have a major dislike for him,) but I grew tired of this quickly enough, you find it's often a tool used by the auther as a eans of covering their lack or creativity. Ofcourse if it's a Bash fic for the sake of humour then I'm usually fine with them.

Hinata bashing, or a complete OOC Hinata, I might not like her paired with Naruto but she's never done anything to be bashed, Sakura wasn't a very nice person to Naruto at the beginning, and when she made light of Naruto being a orphan she gained allot of enemies, Hinata has always been a nice girl, so see no reason to bash her to make NaruSaku work.

Kyuubi giving Naruto a super powerful bloodline, even worst a Doujutsu more powerful than a Rinnigan and MS, specially now that it's pretty much been confirmed the Rinnigan and Sharingan originated from the ten tails so getting a bloodline more powerful than one that originated from a being more powerful than the Kyuubi makes little sense.

Constantly angry Naruto from his treatment when younger, yet still tends to feel he needs to tell off other people off for their own vices like Sasuke's need for revenge at all cost, and Kakashi living in the past.

Changing the plot halway through the fic, you read one thing and then the focus completely changes, and you are left baffled and ticked off you wasted time on something that could have been better spent. (i'll admit I feel like that about the manga aswell at times, specially when the focus shifts to Sasuke and the all powerful Sharingan.)

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#45 Dragunov

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 12:46 AM

Writing a great ass story and not updating in at least three months. Its cruel to the readers, y'know.

Edited by Dragunov, 15 March 2012 - 12:46 AM.


#46 Konohakitten

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 06:03 AM

QUOTE (Dragunov @ Mar 6 2012, 06:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The author doesnt seem professional. Its kinda hard to do, but im just picky when it comes to fanfics.


I'm super picky too, so I usually tend to just writing instead of reading biggrin.gif

QUOTE (Dragunov @ Mar 14 2012, 06:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Writing a great ass story and not updating in at least three months. Its cruel to the readers, y'know.


Agreed, I'm doing my best to try and finish my current fanfic before I have my baby. However that doesn't seem like its going to happen, my story still has a long way to go and three months isn't enough time to wrap everything up. I think something big like having a baby is a good reason to not write for some time. Even then I dont plan on leaving the story un-updated for more than a month, which is no different then how things are right now. I cant stand when ppl start a story off so well then dont update for months, due to writers block, lost of interest, or being too busy. Now life happens I know that, however I personally make sure that the entire plot is already set in my mind before I even think of writing. I dont start something unless I intend to finish it, then again that's just me. What makes the whole not updating for months thing even worse is when the author's upload an authors note instead of a new chapter. Usually they want to explain that they wont finish the story due to whatever reason and in the end I find most readers get irritated with the false update.

Edited by Konohakitten, 15 March 2012 - 06:11 AM.

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#47 KnS

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 07:14 AM

Constructive criticism is a good thing. By constructive I mean helpful comments regarding elements that affect general readability -- grammar, punctuation, spelling, flow, basic construction, etc. I would hope any writer would want to know if they're losing readers because their product lacks technical polish. That type of problem is easily fixed with a beta or by learning the rules yourself.

Criticism of creative content, however, is a slippery slope. I think writers ought to be secure enough in their work to be able to defend their creative decisions, but should they really have to? Who's the last word when it comes to the reading experience -- the reader or the writer? (I've had this discussion with loads of people in other fandoms.)

In my opinion, reader preferences do not necessarily qualify as legitimate criticism. Writers cannot possibly please everyone and all of their expectations, no matter how faithful they try to be to the characters. If you're not the canon author you're not the authority on what's "right" or "in character," and a reader's opinion doesn't count any more on that score than the fan fiction writer's. We're all playing in Kishimoto's sandbox here. So it's frustrating when I see reviews that imply an author's choices are wrong, stupid, ill-conceived, uninformed -- whatever -- when what the reader really means is, "You didn't write exactly what I wanted to read." It's okay for a reader to not like a story, but it's also okay for the writer to have written it that way.

As for some of the other comments....

+ I'm surprised by all the scorn for lemons. What makes sex scenes worth reading?

+ I generally don't care to read first person myself. However, when I chose to write a character study of Gaara, I couldn't figure out a way to give the story any depth or insight without using that POV. I know some people's anti-first person bias will prevent them from reading it, but sometimes it's the only perspective that will work for the kind of story you want to write. Just saying.

Edited by KnS, 15 March 2012 - 07:27 AM.


#48 Guest_Kim_*

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 09:29 AM

QUOTE (Konohakitten @ Mar 15 2012, 07:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Agreed, I'm doing my best to try and finish my current fanfic before I have my baby. However that doesn't seem like its going to happen, my story still has a long way to go and three months isn't enough time to wrap everything up. I think something big like having a baby is a good reason to not write for some time. Even then I dont plan on leaving the story un-updated for more than a month, which is no different then how things are right now. I cant stand when ppl start a story off so well then dont update for months, due to writers block, lost of interest, or being too busy. Now life happens I know that, however I personally make sure that the entire plot is already set in my mind before I even think of writing. I dont start something unless I intend to finish it, then again that's just me. What makes the whole not updating for months thing even worse is when the author's upload an authors note instead of a new chapter. Usually they want to explain that they wont finish the story due to whatever reason and in the end I find most readers get irritated with the false update.


Hehe well, you got an excuse, Konohakitten. I generally don't mind a delay of even a month or two if I know the author is planning to finish it and already has the ending thought out. I don't like it when an author starts out with a really new and interesting idea that keeps you on the edge of your seat and then admits he/she won't be continuing the story because all inspiration is lost. It frustrates me so much that I just want to send them a message and ask them to continue the story for them. biggrin.gif

#49 TwinEnigma

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 10:29 AM

I spotted this thread while I was popping in to check messages and decided to add mine to the pile before I run off again.

1. Any fic where something like "the raven" or "raven-haired" is used to describe someone, because I just sit there going "Why is Sasuke suddenly a bird? Why is his hair made of birds?" and I can no longer read the story without seeing that. The sapphires [eyes] followed him, etc. How about using things like the young Uchiha or the dark-haired youth or Her sapphire-blue eyes...? This bothers me in every fandom I'm in.

2. Crossover Cliches

Naruto raised by *insert name here*, Kagome goes to *insert universe* after Inuyasha dumps her and falls in love with *insert name*, etc etc etc ad nauseum.

Almost all of it is tired, overdone, supersaturates the crossover categories, and almost no thought is given to giving the universes a proper crossover treatment, let alone keeping anyone in character. A little leeway is acceptable, but when I'm seeing Always SuperPowered and Angsty Abused Naruto the Demon Fox running into the arms of, well, self-insert disguised as canon character from another verse, I'm just passing it over.

3. OCs

Any time an OC is brought in, I cringe and wait for the other shoe to drop and prove my fears about the horror I sensed to be true.

It's not that they're awful - some just plain ARE all around -, it's that even ones that could be good are usually in the hands of a writer who has no idea how to make us A: care or B: handle the character's development. And it's like "oh man, you could be awesome, but what are you doing?"

4. Being bugged for updates, which I realize might fly in the face of some of your opinions about long-times-between updates.

Mostly this ties into the whole "GIMME GIMME I EXPECT THIS NOW NOW NOW" attitude fandoms seem to adopt at times. There's this On Demand sort of factor where you're almost expected to immediately produce updates, as if you have nothing else to do or have no other interests and each chapter is just another episode archived in the cable box. And yeah, I get it, it's frustrating for readers to be left hanging, but it's a bit unfair to writers when people do this to us. I don't like being expected to apologize for not blasting out a chapter at a rate that would make the Flash cry because I have other obligations, am interested in other things that ALSO make me happy, or simply lack the inspiration/motivation to continue at the moment. And yet, some people treat writers like we should have to.

Sometimes, the wait is worth it, especially when it's one of us who plan our stories way in advance. Quality, not quantity or speed of update. I'd rather you wait than get something I smashed into my keyboard without editing or refining.

And, when it comes down to it, I have no problem making people wait six years for an update. kruemelmonsteryn0.gif

Edited by TwinEnigma, 15 March 2012 - 10:29 AM.

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#50 harry4e

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 06:13 PM

QUOTE (TwinEnigma @ Mar 15 2012, 10:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I spotted this thread while I was popping in to check messages and decided to add mine to the pile before I run off again.

1. Any fic where something like "the raven" or "raven-haired" is used to describe someone, because I just sit there going "Why is Sasuke suddenly a bird? Why is his hair made of birds?" and I can no longer read the story without seeing that. The sapphires [eyes] followed him, etc. How about using things like the young Uchiha or the dark-haired youth or Her sapphire-blue eyes...? This bothers me in every fandom I'm in.


Well his hair is black like a Raven, and it does look like a birds backside, so I would let them get away with Raven haired biggrin.gif tongue.gif

Also Adjective: Raven is perfectly acceptable to describe Sasuke's hair.

Edited by harry4e, 15 March 2012 - 06:18 PM.

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#51 Catwho

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 03:59 AM

Adding in a few more:

- Reviews that flame the pairing. Why did you read it if you knew it was a pairing you don't like?

- Conversely, fics that lie about the pairing, and turn out not to feature that pairing at all but a rival one. Yaoi fans tend to be the most guilty of this one. You don't have to put Heero/Relena and then have a Heero/Duo hardcore lemon just to rub the pairing in everyone's faces.

Edited by Catwho, 16 March 2012 - 04:00 AM.

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#52 TwinEnigma

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 04:40 AM

QUOTE (harry4e @ Mar 15 2012, 02:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well his hair is black like a Raven, and it does look like a birds backside, so I would let them get away with Raven haired biggrin.gif tongue.gif

Also Adjective: Raven is perfectly acceptable to describe Sasuke's hair.


Well, it's fine when it's used as an adjective proper (and in moderation, not all the time and to the exclusion of all other black&shiny adjectives), but when it replaces his name or is used as a noun? No. Then, we would be talking about Sasuke the Bird Wonder. Not to mention it gets very confusing when there are multiple black-haired people in the story and the author noticeably struggles to identify them as separate people by replacing nouns with adjectives and hoping we'll follow.

I mean, is it really so wrong to use the character's name?
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#53 Nate River

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 04:49 AM

QUOTE (TwinEnigma @ Mar 15 2012, 05:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I spotted this thread while I was popping in to check messages and decided to add mine to the pile before I run off again.

1. Any fic where something like "the raven" or "raven-haired" is used to describe someone, because I just sit there going "Why is Sasuke suddenly a bird? Why is his hair made of birds?" and I can no longer read the story without seeing that. The sapphires [eyes] followed him, etc. How about using things like the young Uchiha or the dark-haired youth or Her sapphire-blue eyes...? This bothers me in every fandom I'm in.


Chocolate-colored eyes is my big hang-up because it's beat into the dirt so much. I can't think of a descriptor I have seen that is more heavily abused.

#54 Dragunov

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 05:13 AM

Writing at a tenth grade level.

#55 tricksie

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 11:23 AM

Re: the low-hanging fruit of descriptive adjectives:

I forgot that's a pet peeve of mine too! lol

—Sakura as "the rosette" with emeral orbs.

—Sasuke as the raven-haired Uchiha.

—Naruto with his cerulean or azure orbs.

As well as some others....

—Sakura's good smelling shampoo (like strawberries or cherries)

—the smell of the hospital

—Sakura as overworked and exhausted

And my biggest one:

—Sasuke saying "Hn."

Man.... I hate that one. Weakest dialogue evaaaaaar. It's such a handy cop out for writing him. 'Don't know what Sasuke should say? No problem! Just throw in a "Hn" and you can keep the story moving along!' I don't think Sasuke's ever said that. Ever. And if he did, it was in the first handful of chapters/episodes. It should be retired along with Sakura's punching trope.

All that being said, I don't fault the author. Kudos on them for adding spice to their story through descriptive terms. They are actually trying to jazz up their story with these well-worn adjectives and phrases. But I think this is one of those cases where what sounds great to the author is a little stale to the reader.

The problem is the fanfics become an echo chamber. Authors are just repeating other phrases they've heard. Not questioning the value of the description (does it describe the character in a way that hasn't been done before?) or pushing themselves to cover new ground (is it uncovering some aspect of the character that has not yet come to light?).

Think about news stories about hurricanes. Think about the headlines. What's the first descriptive word that pops into your head. Is it "churn?" As in "Hurricane What's-his-name Churns Toward the Coast." (It's not hard to imagine, is it?) Well, if churn is the first thing that comes to mind...don't use it! Chances are it's coming to everyone else's mind too! And if you repeat that, you're not creating anything original, just echoing the thoughts that are already there.

I read once about an author who, seeking to improve their own writing, sat down to read a trashy romance about pirates. But before she cracked the book, she wrote down all the stereotypes she could imagine: windswept bow, barrel-chested pirate captain, innocent daughter of a wealthy passenger, rebellious first mate, yadda yadda yadda. Then reading the book, she checked off the list of all the stereotypes, descriptive phrases and scenarios that had been hit.

My point is if it's a stereotype, don't use it. It's not writing, just echoing.

Raven-haired Uchihas, rosette Sakuras and cerulean-orbed Narutos are not inaccurate terms, but there's so many more interesting things to describe them, why waste your precious time writing something that's already been said?

Alright. I'm done with my PSA on the ills of over-used adjectives! wink.gif

#56 Nate River

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 03:58 PM

QUOTE (tricksie @ Mar 16 2012, 06:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Re: the low-hanging fruit of descriptive adjectives:

I forgot that's a pet peeve of mine too! lol

—Sakura as "the rosette" with emeral orbs.


I've never heard that one.

QUOTE
—Sasuke as the raven-haired Uchiha.

—Naruto with his cerulean or azure orbs.


Now that, I have. Along with "foxy grin." Oh, that adjective drives me nuts.

QUOTE
—Sasuke saying "Hn."


I remember first seeing that in the Gundam Wing days with Heero Yui saying it all the time. If you think Sasuke gets the short end of the stick on that one, Heero had it worse. My least favorite Sasuke related one is "Sasuke-teme."

The other thing to watch for is repetition. I have seen authors use a lesson common description, but then make the mistake of repeating it constantly throughout the story. Sufficient variation without sounding like I'm trying to hard is one of the biggest issues I have with my own writing.

I like writing dialogue, I hate writing descriptive language because I think I am so bad it.

#57 JoHamSandwich

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 04:16 PM

QUOTE (harry4e @ Mar 15 2012, 11:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well his hair is black like a Raven, and it does look like a birds backside, so I would let them get away with Raven haired biggrin.gif tongue.gif

Also Adjective: Raven is perfectly acceptable to describe Sasuke's hair.


Honestly, I preferred duck-butt to describe Sasuke's hair. laugh.gif

#58 Konohakitten

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 05:08 PM

QUOTE (Kim @ Mar 15 2012, 03:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hehe well, you got an excuse, Konohakitten. I generally don't mind a delay of even a month or two if I know the author is planning to finish it and already has the ending thought out. I don't like it when an author starts out with a really new and interesting idea that keeps you on the edge of your seat and then admits he/she won't be continuing the story because all inspiration is lost. It frustrates me so much that I just want to send them a message and ask them to continue the story for them. biggrin.gif



Lol yeah I got something big that will put my story on hold, but in reality I dont see it changing with the length in between updates. I'm really good at multitasking my time. Plus those sleepless nights will give me time to brainstorm lol XD Oh and I agree with it being frustrating when you're left on a cliffhanger that wont ever be solved, it's such a let down :/

As for the whole adjective thing I use different ones to describe characters. However it's none of the ones that were named here which I gather are overused, even though I'm not familiar with any of them. I guess that's because I dont really read fanfics. I do agree that over using them is annoying but I use them when needed. Sometimes reading the characters names over and over again can get boring as well. That's when I'll use an adjective to describe someone.

Edited by Konohakitten, 16 March 2012 - 05:10 PM.

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#59 pharix

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Posted 16 March 2012 - 07:42 PM

QUOTE (Nate River @ Mar 16 2012, 11:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
My least favorite Sasuke related one is "Sasuke-teme."

I don't know how many people I've had to tell that "teme" is not "bastard" sweatdrop.gif

#60 harry4e

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Posted 17 March 2012 - 12:36 AM

QUOTE (tricksie @ Mar 16 2012, 11:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Re: the low-hanging fruit of descriptive adjectives:

I forgot that's a pet peeve of mine too! lol

—Sakura as "the rosette" with emeral orbs.

—Sasuke as the raven-haired Uchiha.

—Naruto with his cerulean or azure orbs.

As well as some others....

—Sakura's good smelling shampoo (like strawberries or cherries)

—the smell of the hospital

—Sakura as overworked and exhausted

And my biggest one:

—Sasuke saying "Hn."

Man.... I hate that one. Weakest dialogue evaaaaaar. It's such a handy cop out for writing him. 'Don't know what Sasuke should say? No problem! Just throw in a "Hn" and you can keep the story moving along!' I don't think Sasuke's ever said that. Ever. And if he did, it was in the first handful of chapters/episodes. It should be retired along with Sakura's punching trope.

All that being said, I don't fault the author. Kudos on them for adding spice to their story through descriptive terms. They are actually trying to jazz up their story with these well-worn adjectives and phrases. But I think this is one of those cases where what sounds great to the author is a little stale to the reader.

The problem is the fanfics become an echo chamber. Authors are just repeating other phrases they've heard. Not questioning the value of the description (does it describe the character in a way that hasn't been done before?) or pushing themselves to cover new ground (is it uncovering some aspect of the character that has not yet come to light?).

Think about news stories about hurricanes. Think about the headlines. What's the first descriptive word that pops into your head. Is it "churn?" As in "Hurricane What's-his-name Churns Toward the Coast." (It's not hard to imagine, is it?) Well, if churn is the first thing that comes to mind...don't use it! Chances are it's coming to everyone else's mind too! And if you repeat that, you're not creating anything original, just echoing the thoughts that are already there.

I read once about an author who, seeking to improve their own writing, sat down to read a trashy romance about pirates. But before she cracked the book, she wrote down all the stereotypes she could imagine: windswept bow, barrel-chested pirate captain, innocent daughter of a wealthy passenger, rebellious first mate, yadda yadda yadda. Then reading the book, she checked off the list of all the stereotypes, descriptive phrases and scenarios that had been hit.

My point is if it's a stereotype, don't use it. It's not writing, just echoing.

Raven-haired Uchihas, rosette Sakuras and cerulean-orbed Narutos are not inaccurate terms, but there's so many more interesting things to describe them, why waste your precious time writing something that's already been said?

Alright. I'm done with my PSA on the ills of over-used adjectives! wink.gif


You must be really pissed off with most fics, as some of those are the most commonly used in fics.

And I like the 'Hn' part for Sasuke I tend to randomly make us what that particular grunt meant, I've read a few where The auther has used the grunts in such a way, always amusing to read. and Sasuke did use the Hn quite a bit in the manga didn't he?

QUOTE (JoHamSandwich @ Mar 16 2012, 04:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Honestly, I preferred duck-butt to describe Sasuke's hair. laugh.gif


But best is Chocobo Butt from Gravenimage in his ffxiii crossover fic.

iAnby7W.gif





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