I've been into Charmikitty recently, they're just so wrong, yet so right, like Tanagaki,
Tanagaki? I haven't read that one yet! Still got a lot to read here at
Charmikitty is a pairing that has really interesting because of the conflicting personalities. I love reading about them, almost as much as IshiYoshi.
Yes I do, ever since I was a baby.
Do you find it hard to get chapters written, then? I'd imagine so... but everybody's pace is different I guess. I'm just a regular kid and I still have so many problems with sitting down long enough to get something decent written
I don't mind knowing what is coming, as long as it's well executed....... there's no such as a completely original story, not in our time. 
Agreed. And to be honest, I've come to not expect much originality from fanfiction (I come from a Winglin stance here
). I don't place my expectations high for anything actually. So when I come across a really good fic, I feel quite surprised and inspired. ^__^
What draws you most to a fanfic? It can be more than one thing; pairing, genre (as in comedy/angst/fluff/etc), theme/setting, or anything else you can think of.
For me, the storyline and characterisation rule supreme. As long as those two elements are delivered effectively, the fic can involve anybody for all I care.
I would go further to add that since every pairing as their own quirks and dynamics, it is more to that particular type of dynamic that I am interested than the pairing per se; though it helps to care about the people in the pairing as well.
For sure! I think how the author portrays these personalities is VERY important.
Of course, it helps if the writer knows how to portray what I'm looking for. Tension can be created in conversation, even in description;
Especially in description. Well, more than just description, I think word choice is critical. More at the end of the post...
I find that it is never enough to simply state a emotion or thought, it must be shown through, well, everything that the writer deigns to show.
You mean the fair art of showing rather than telling? xD That's something I'm working very hard on at the moment, though the professionals tell you it's best to have a good combination of both telling and showing. I went through creative writing programs in high school because I was so in love with writing. A lot of my writing perceptions at the time completely changed... you are constantly growing all the time as a writer. There's no perfection in writing. Maybe something close to it though...
But ultimately, a good story, even if the grammar isn't great or the pairing's overdone, supersedes all else. Unless the pairing's Yomiki, I hate Yomiki...
Yup yup!
I've read a few extremely memorable fics and they were by authors who had quite messy grammar and punctuation (English was their second/third language). I didn't mind though, because their imagination was just incredible. For me, storyline... above all else.
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Now, more to do with writing itself...
A few years ago, I got some books from a friend that are 'Writing Fiction' kind of books by professional authors/editors. I got quite a lot of tips from these books... if you guys are really serious about your writing, you should check these kind of books out.
One thing that has really stuck with me is that 'less is more.' Sometimes all we need is a well-placed noun/verb to carry the meaning for us. I do feel that a lot of fanfiction writers (especially those @ the famous Soompi) tend to overuse adjectives and adverbs - these kind of words should be used moderately; they're more like the flavouring of writing. The core of the writing lies in the nouns and verbs. So nowadays, I pay MUCH more attention to these than descriptive words. Adjectives and adverbs can be really distracting because in fanfiction, they're used quite superficially. They detract from meaning rather than add to it.
E.G.
Description must be relevant to the story at hand. You need not describe the "old, scarred, rickety maple table in the foyer" when a simple "table in the foyer" will do. A string of adjectives like this - words with similar meaning and impact - doesn't create much of a mental image and may even distract the readers from your fiction world. This is irrelevant description, description for its own sake. If the table is important, then describe it in a way that shows its relevant to the sotry. The same table described as "a sentry burdened by weeks of unopened mail" becomes an object with a purpose in the household - why do they let their mail go for weeks unopened? It is up to you to guide your readers through the story's events and make sure they don't get lost in a thicket of words and images along the way.That's one of the most useful tips I've gotten from one of the writing books (as a teenager, I thought the world revolved around adjectives and adverbs xD). The book is called "Description" from the Elements of Fiction Writing series, by Monica Wood, if anybody is interested. She doesn't write the best examples, but good enough that you can see what she's trying to get at.
Topic: Fanfics Review / General Discussion Thread (Read 305881 times)