Fanfiction Lounge

[Grovyle42(Griff8416)]

Purple prose consists of words and phrases that sound stilted, overly descriptive, or cliché. Now that doesn't mean we should never use beautiful, descriptive language. Not at all. What it means is the overuse of it irritates your reader and can mutate into the dreaded purple prose

Excerpt from Noveltalk.

Past and Present? Why? It's easier xD I'm a lazy boy P:

Oh, so kind of like Saber's new fic. *Is shot and beaten by crazed fans*

My favorite tense?

present for thoughts, past for everything else, I guess.

 

[Astinus]

Oh, so kind of like Saber's new fic. *Is shot and beaten by crazed fans*

Or like Eragon. Let me see if I can find you a quote from that book.

The sandstone around her nose shimmered like gilded dew, turning clear with dancing silver highlights. Eragon watched in wonder as tendrils of white diamond twisted over the tomb's surface in a web of priceless filigree. Sparkling shadows were cast on the ground, reflecting splashes of brilliant colors that shifted dazzlingly as the sandstone continued to change.

As a reviewer, what is your absolute least favorite explanation for a character that understands Pokemon outside of "miraculously able to for no reason at all"?
I'm going to go with the others that said the answer of "It's my story! And I'll do what I wanna!" I think after the funeral for the English language, we should hold one for logic.

What do you think the easiest tense to work with is?
Past tense. It's the most common, the simplest. It's what I always write my stories in.

 

[Percy Thrillington]

Don't get me wrong, it could be written well :).

It can and is written well, just look at books like the Bartimeus Trilogy and the Demonata...

As a reviewer, what is your absolute least favorite explanation for a character that understands Pokemon outside of "miraculously able to for no reason at all"?

Because my character feels like it.

The amount of times that line has been said to me scares me.

 

[Orange_Flaaffy]

The sandstone around her nose shimmered , turning clear with silver highlights. Eragon watched in wonder as tendrils of white diamond twisted over the tomb's surface. Shadows were cast on the ground, reflecting splashes of brilliant colors that shifted as the sandstone continued to change.

It's words like 'gilded dew', 'dancing' and 'dazzlingly' that makes writing 'purple' IMHO :)

It can and is written well, just look at books like the Bartimeus Trilogy and the Demonata...

I have read those :). I was talking about in the case of fan fiction. The fanfic world=/= the normal fiction world. When I say something here, on a fanfic forum, I am only talking about the fanfic world. Of course anything could/can be written well, in fanfic or not.

 

[Act]

Eek... >< sorry about messing up 'tense' and 'person.' I fixed that above.

It's words like 'gilded dew', 'dancing' and 'dazzlingly' that makes writing 'purple' IMHO :)

Well, it's usually not the words as much as how they're used. Those words (since when is 'dancing' a purple word?) are fine and lovely on their own. But all of them right next to each other in the same sentence is overbearing, and makes a story difficult to understand. And when every sentence had 10 extra five-syllable words... it's bad.

Also, authors who do that either A) tend to lose track of their words or B) are using a thesaurus, so the use words incorrectly very often, which only adds to the confusion. Words that are synonymous can't just be inserted for one another like that, because 'synonyms' don't mean the exact same thing: the mean similar things and are often not interchangable.

Also, with all the big words, there's very often run-on sentences, and authors check definitions so often they sort of 'forget' what they were writing in the first place, and the sentences make no sense and have poor syntax.

So it's usually a lot more complex than 'a few big words.'

The fanfic world=/= the normal fiction world.

Also, I agree with Jax about this. Fanfiction doesn't have less value (assuming one can even assign arbitrary numerical 'values' to writing) because of the 'fan' prefix. It's all the same in principle, at the end of the day.

 

[JX Valentine]

I have read those :). I was talking about in the case of fan fiction. The fanfic world=/= the normal fiction world. When I say something here, on a fanfic forum, I am only talking about the fanfic world. Of course anything could/can be written well, in fanfic or not.

Except for the obvious difference that one is published while the other isn't, I really don't think there's much actual difference between the quality of published work (i.e. "normal fiction world") and a fanfiction. I have read some fanfics that are better than some books out there, and there are some published books out there that are just as godawful as fanfiction. (The latter are usually done through a vanity press or self-publishing. Lulu.com is an example of this, where if you submit your story, they print your book and allow you to sell copies of it online. To make it easy for the author -- who pays to have his work be published -- to get his work out there, they don't really have editors going over your work with a fine-toothed comb before they bind it. For that reason, it's not exactly unusual to find stuff coming from that site as being not as great as some fanfiction people put up on forums for free. Nonetheless, Lulu's good for some cheap reads.)

Sure, there's a difference in creativity and reputation (as generally, people will take a published book more seriously than a fanfiction... except for fanfiction authors), but there's really no reason why a fanfiction author can't achieve the same quality of writing that an author presenting an original fiction can. So, yes, literature is literature to me.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

Heh, for my next fic, I'm planning on INTENTIONALLY using purple prose to describe, of all things, a moving van.

The mighty, all-encompassing aroma of diesel fuel of an high octane level permeated the inhabitants of the tiny, rural community. Taking his position of vehicular command at the helm of his eight-cylinder steed, the associate of the residential relocation services company flicked his dry, malnourished wrist to shift the capacious van's antiquated transmission out of its "park" position in preparation to depart Littleroot and embark on its next destination, which, unlike the tiny hamlet where it was now situated, was a sizable metropolis that went by the name, Jacksonvile.

Yeah, pretty obvious this is gonna be a parody fic :)

 

[Orange_Flaaffy]

And then there are the authors that not only look up 'bigger' words just for their own sake (without knowing if they really fit), but try to use the most uncommon wording they can find on top of it :P.

So, yes, literature is literature to me.

Fanfic is literature to you :). It isn't to me, not in terms of quality but in creativity like you said IMHO :).
And by less creativity I don't mean the fact that fanfic is based on something already made, it's that the ideas just are'nt as varied as in normal fiction.
It is sad, because there is so much that could be done with the form that has not been done yet :\

vanity press or self-publishing

A vanity press and self publishing are'nt on the same level BTW :3. Every author worth their salt knows that vanity publishing is a rip off IMHO ...

 

[Act]

Fanfic is literature to you :). It isn't to me, not in terms of quality but in creativity like you said IMHO :).
And by less creativity I don't mean the fact that fanfic is based on something already made, it's that the ideas just are'nt as varied as in normal fiction.
It is sad, because there is so much that could be done with the form that has not been done yet :\

So wait. You're saying that the best written fanfic in the entire world by definintion pales in comparison to the worst written publsihed work? Hell, to a mediocre published work? What about a good one?

Honestly, what?

As someone who writes both... there are times when my original stuff just sucks. But you're saying, because it's original... it's automatically better than, say, Reflect, which IMO was my best thing I've ever coughed up? You have to see why this is nonsensical.

 

[Orange_Flaaffy]

So wait. You're saying that the best written fanfic in the entire world by definintion pales in comparison to the worst written publsihed work? Hell, to a mediocre published work? What about a good one?

Honestly, what?

As someone who writes both... there are times when my original stuff just sucks. But you're saying, because it's original... it's automatically better than, say, Reflect, which IMO was my best thing I've ever coughed up? You have to see why this is nonsensical.

No, no that's not what I mean at all :). Some fanfic can be better than published work, much better. I'm just saying that pokemon fanfic as a whole type of writing as not yet gotten to the level of realms of theme/ideas that real life literature has in the big picture. That's not to say that it can't grow to be better :)

 

[Percy Thrillington]

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one here that knows what she's going on about...

Anyways, new topic:

Are One Shots worth writing?

 

[JX Valentine]

it's that the ideas just are'nt as varied as in normal fiction.

That depends completely on the author. There are a number of fanfiction authors who can't come up with original ideas, just as there are a number of published authors who can't come up with something unique. Eragon, for example, has been labeled by certain critics to have a disturbing similarity to the Star Wars series. I just see it as the same thing as the usual fantasy quest (or at least like most fantasy fanfics I've ever read) and got strange Lord of the Rings vibes from it.

Likewise, I've seen some pretty creative stuff be pulled off in fanfiction. For example, as much as I didn't like the characterization, I'll have to admit that "Pokemon MASTER" was fairly creative in this aspect, given that I've yet to see a good fanfiction out there that depicts Ash's life -- or the future of the Pokemon world in general -- to be quite like that.

It is sad, because there is so much that could be done with the form that has not been done yet :\

Again, it depends completely on the author.

A vanity press and self publishing are'nt on the same level BTW :3.

At the risk of being overly blunt, are you conscious of the times when you attempt to soften (potential lead-ins to) arguments or possibly condescending points with smilies, or is it just a subconscious habit? =/

I never really said they were. I just said that both have the potential to create some pretty mediocre to godawful stuff. (Eragon, for example, was self-published.)

Edit: To Oni Raichu, yes, they are, if you're into that sort of thing. One-shots are a legitimate form of fanfiction, just like serials are. The difference is that the writer is challenged to condense an idea to a smaller amount of space because of the lack of the option for chapters through which to continue his work, if that makes sense.

Point is, if you're just the sort of writer who prefers to get right to the point and capture a small number of scenes instead of an epic-length journey, then yes, one-shots are definitely worth writing.

 

[Orange_Flaaffy]

Are One Shots worth writing?

Yes, I think so :). If you have something that can't be said in a longer story :)

 

[Act]

Are One Shots worth writing?

Are they "worth" writing? That's an odd question. If they don't suck then, yeah. O_o.

Short stories are, IMO, the hardest thing to write. You need a conflict, rise of action, climax, and resolution all in the context of one short story. It's hard. You need a plot that can wrap itself up quickly without being too shallow. Consistent symbolism in a short frame. Good short stories are real prowess, IMO.

 

[Orange_Flaaffy]

Again, it depends completely on the author.

I was'nt talking about the issue on an author vs. author level though, I just meant the whole of real world literature themes vs. the whole of pokemon fanfic themes.

Are you conscious of the times when you attempt to soften argumentative or possibly condescending points with smilies, or is it just a subconscious habit? =/

I do it because you can't hear the tone of my voice. No matter how 'condescending' you think I am being I really don't mean it in the serious tone you seem to think I am speaking in :).
I only said that because you put them both in the same ether/or line, that's all :).
You know they are different, okay :). I've met many many people online who don't...

 

[JX Valentine]

I was'nt talking about the issue on an author vs. author level though, I just meant the whole of real world literature themes vs. the whole of pokemon fanfic themes.

Well, even then, it's hard to say. There are some really creative fanfiction authors out there, and there are really uncreative authors out there. It's not easy to judge because I've most likely read different fics from you, so from what I've seen, there's a ton of really original stuff out there (FFNet included, if you know how to search for it). Likewise, there are a number of published works that suspiciously echo one another. (You've heard about the lawsuits involving Dan Brown allegedly stealing the ideas for The Da Vinci Code, right?)

So, again, it comes down to which author you're talking about.

I mean, after all, if you wrote a fanfic that was something incredibly new and different, would that automatically mean you're not as creative as a published author, just because you're writing fanfiction?

 

[Act]

I was'nt talking about the issue on an author vs. author level though, I just meant the whole of real world literature themes vs. the whole of pokemon fanfic themes.

Themes? How can themes be worse than one another? Or is this a case of literary term misuse?

Again, I don't really think it makes sense to say that "Arbitrary Collection of Stories A" is more creative/better/more thematic' than "Arbitrary Collection of Stories B." First of all, something like 'creativity' (I'm using this word because 'themes' makes no sense in this context) is so subjective in the first place that comparing two stories that are "good" in terms of 'creativity' is hard to do. Secondly, there is no completely 'original' idea.* There is some basis for every story... it just so happens that fanfiction allows us to organize that basis by 'fandom.'

And really, that relays into my third point... you are, at the end of the day, kind of 'grouping' writing on odd terms. Writing within the domain of 'all original literature' is so varied that it's impossible to categorize it as 'better' because some of is just not. In fact, if you have to make me assign numbers to quality, both fandoms probably would average out to a 50/100 simply by fact of the matter that anyone can write anything. Out in this "real world" of writing, they have the same problems we do here. It's just in a much braoder context.

This is like arguing that fantasy writing is more creative then science-fiction writing because science fiction has to include science (or something).

*Joe Campbell FTW. This is like, twice in the space of two weeks. AP Lit would be proud.

 

[Percy Thrillington]

Which leaves me with a question.

The fan fiction I'm working on is remarkably similar to the work of Duncan McNeil's... We have discussed this and decided it was coincidence... Still, I can feel the accusations of plagrism waiting to happen.

 

[Act]

Which leaves me with a question.

The fan fiction I'm working on is remarkably similar to the work of Duncan McNeil's... We have discussed this and decided it was coincidence... Still, I can feel the accusations of plagrism waiting to happen.

The masses of our fandom tend to not care about (or notice) plagiarism, in my experience...

But if you're really concerned about it, just put a message in the intro saying Duncan is aware of the similarities and okay with it.

 

[Grovyle42(Griff8416)]

Which leaves me with a question.

The fan fiction I'm working on is remarkably similar to the work of Duncan McNeil's... We have discussed this and decided it was coincidence... Still, I can feel the accusations of plagrism waiting to happen.

This happened to me a few times (with Glajummy, in particular, but these were minor) but for the big one, just put a memo at the start of your fic in the Author's notes.