Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

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SweetKay
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by SweetKay »

Fizzles wrote:Possible Spoilers Ahead for 'Emancipation Proclamation' and 'Master of the Universe'

Fanfiction owns my soul right now! I last posted here just before new year telling you guys I had just found EP. :D That was a rollercoaster and a half to get caught up on. Totally sucked me in. All 65 chapters read. Sleepless nights etc just like I was when I found WA. Love MobWard and BellaRegazza! I adore the sassiness thats come through. These two have just grown and evolved so much. I love the length of this story, its been a greatly written adaptation of our favourite couple. They have been through a hell of a lot but there is still so much more that I think can come. Consigliere Cullen - I'm torn over what to feel about Daddy C. At times I wanna hate him for his actions, at times I wanna hug him cause I think he needs one, such a conflicted complex character. I enjoy the interactions with the other Cullen boys so hope for more of that. Jacob - why did she have to call him? Is she trying to push MobWard over the edge? Silly silly Bella. As if this story wasn't 'da bomb' anyway, the Italian just puts the cherry on top. HOTT (in capitals and with two t's)! :lol:

So after I got caught up on EP, I was craving something else good to read. So guess what I went and did?! Found Master of the Universe! Am I trying to kill myself with glorious fanfiction overdose??? I think I may be. Somebody should seriously put a warning alongside some of these stories. :twisted: Have read all 61 chapters. I don't know where this one is going but it feels like we're only touching the tip of the iceberg. The witty banter between this Edward and Bella is brilliant. He thinks he's a Dom but I don't think he is. It's all he's ever known and he's a control freak (most probably due to his past). IMO he could do just fine with a whole mixture of things - a bit of 'kink', a few 'scenes', and some 'vanilla'. And this Bella couldn't be a sub (and I think he would miss her smart mouth too much). She could 'play' for him but never on a more full time basis. I think if these two could just sort themselves out they could enjoy the best of both worlds.

I am serioulsy addicted, feel like I need to take my eyes out and give them some rest. What am I gonna read now? :lol:
Laura - HA! Well I am right there with ya, absoutely overdosing on my fanfic obsession!! Yikes, if it wasn't for the bus ride to and from work, and my lunch time I would not get any other books read. But I use those times to read other than Twilight fanfic. Which really is a nice balance, that way I can keep caught up on other books too. But the big ole plus about reading the fanfic is being able to discuss it with you all, plus knowing that it is just not me obsessing over these stories, you all make it "normal". (Whatever that might be!!)

Master of the Universe - Love this fanfic!! And my goodness it has over 30,000 reviews! Quite an incredible achivement. Kudos Icy!! Laura, I have to agree with you about Edward, he really does not seem like a Dom to me either. But he sure does have some fracked up stuff that went on in his childhood. I like how he is trying to work on allowing Bella to touch him. He is a mess, but he truly loves Bella and he can not live, or manage without her. They still have a way to go, but they absoutely have to be together.
SweetKay
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TEAM EDWARD ~~ EX-FACTOR ADDICT ~~ WA ADDICT ~~ TEAM ALICE
Amanda Beth
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by Amanda Beth »

I'm getting annoyed with the PMs and reviews from people pointing out errors and typos and telling me I should have a beta. I know I have them, and I don't care. Nor do I want a beta. There are a few VERY popular fanfics with betas (don't worry Caryn, its not TEF!!) and the grammar and punctuation is HORRIBLE to the point where if I hadn't been so addicted to the story it would have caused me to stop reading it. My use of semi-colons, comas (damn those comas!) and the format on how character conversation should be are definitely less to be desired (I should learn proper format for conversation, really), and I definitely find typos because I've written it so I kind of don't see the wrong word since I know the right one in my head. I definitely mix up character names which when pointed out I QUICKLY change... but sobs and snobs...c'mon you know what I meant. This is all for fun, I have a life.
[/end rant]
Essay33
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by Essay33 »

Amanda Beth, I understand what you are saying, that you are writing for fun. If it can't be fun, even when you're a professional like Stephenie Meyer, there's no point in writing at all.

However, what may seem like irrelevant grammatical and punctuation errors to you can end up really ruining your story for your readers. Unfortunately, most review options (including fanfiction.net's) directly encourage constructive criticism, even though some authors don't want it. I don't know what kind of PMs you've received, but if your readers are contacting you privately rather than posting public reviews criticizing the flaws in your writing, they probably are just trying to help you and don't want to hurt your feelings while doing it.

For me, because of my education and background (I teach English Lit), it's very, very hard--impossible sometimes--to ignore a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes in a story (by that I mean more than two or three). I find myself thinking "Dang, this author had a good idea, but it's buried under all the errors." I find it literally painful to read writing like that. And yes, I wish the author had someone (a beta) proof read her work, particularly when the errors are all that is keeping an okay story from being a really good one.

Good writing takes effort, even when we're just doing it "for fun." So, please don't lose heart or get discouraged; nobody wants to steal your joy in writing. At the same time though, admitting that something could be better, and looking for ways to make it better, is part of the creative process.

Just my two cents as a reader and a writer.
"Where I am not understood, it shall be concluded that something very useful and profound is couched underneath." --Jonathan Swift, A Tale of a Tub
ringswraith
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by ringswraith »

I want to second what Essay33 just said. Amanda Beth- you mentioned almost giving up on some stories because of (quote) "horrible" errors but you stuck with them anyway because of the plot. Well, consider how you would feel if someone gave up on your stories because of similar errors.

(Not that I am in any way saying your stories are full of errors. Just encouraging a little look at the other side, if you will.)

For me, even a slight error can jar me from the story. That's just the way I am. Usually I can figure out what they really meant and keep going. But if I end up doing it multiple times... It starts to really take away from the experience.

One more thing. Part of the writing process is the fun of sharing a story, yes. But part of it is also the honing of your writing skills. You can put out as many stories as you want, for fun, and that's fine- but it's such a waste if you're not also using the experience to get better at actually writing. That's kind of like gardening for fun, just putting seeds in the soil and watering them here and there, seeing what pops up. Then there's the gardening that's also fun, but you take time and use the proper tools, figure out the best depth in soil, what kind of soil, how much sunlight and water, and so on. One gives okay results, and the other produces something really great. If you really love writing, then you owe it to yourself to work at becoming a better writer. :)
Amanda Beth
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by Amanda Beth »

For me to become a better novelist I need to go take a class or get books on punctuation... and I'm dead serious. Comas and semi-colons confuse the hell out of me with all of their rules. To learn how to write conversation I actually look at my other books, but some set rules would be nice. As I mentioned before, most of the stories with betas have just as much or more errors than mine do and some are MUCH worse, so I find nothing appealing about them.

My grammar is actually on target most of the time besides a mistake here or there. Whenever I read "He did good" or "It hurt me so bad" I want to gouge my eyes out...unless it's from someone like Jake's POV who doesn't have the best vocabulary. Edward would NEVER speak like that and Bella was 17 and used words like irrevocably--I'd say she would know how to speak correctly also. Oh and the newest one driving me nuts... "he drug her out the door" It's DRAGGED...as in "look what the cat dragged in". *nervous twitch* One thing I REALLY need to work on is changing tenses... the entire story should be written in one tense (besides conversation) and I'm constantly editing myself.

I'm sure it's more noticeable to people who are just reading LAF now (which probably has many more errors in it than TPC does) since it's one chapter after another, but most of these people don't have any stories written... put your own stuff out there if you want to "let me know" that a sentence says "on" instead of "one". And I will better myself, but not by writing more fanfics. After I move, get settled, and finish writing TPC then I'll concentrate on really honing my skills.
Chernaudi
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by Chernaudi »

To be honest, Amanda, when I read people's stories, I don't seek out grammatical errors, spelling errors, or what not-I just want to read the freakin' story! But I have to be honest, I submitted one of my fan fics on Twilighted, and I expect to be told to fix several things before the fully accept it-I'm horrible at spelling and I usually have to copy and paste my stories on my Mozilla Thunderbird Email browser to correct spelling errors, and even then, it doesn't get all of them.

As far as I know, the only time where spelling errors or whatever is dismissed is when something(usually dialoge) is written in vernacular(ie, -gs missing from words that end in "ing", etc).

Don't let it get to you, and remember that Stephenie has editors to help her with her writing, and they do basically the same thing as betas or those who take it upon themselves to edit their own work. We're not so fortunate-we either have to ask betas or do the tedious editing ourselves.
Audi, Twilight, Cher, Pink Floyd, symphonic/progressive rock, KStew, RP, Bio-Booster Armor Guyver-what's not to like

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Fan fic stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2192109/
JillOBean
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by JillOBean »

AmandaBeth-- I haven't read anything you've written-- I'll check and see if there's something other than a Renesmee story... sorry, not a fan of the kid. :lol:

Unfortunately, improper grammar can change the meaning of a sentence...

example:

Woman without her man is nothing

Woman: without her, man is nothing.

Woman, without her man, is nothing.

But-- short of serious issues like the above, most of it you can understand with some thought.

I don't have a beta either... I probably should because I've always struggled with proper grammar.

Does a beta just edit the story or what? I'm new to posting my stuff on the web so I'm a little unfamiliar with the role.
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JillOBean
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by JillOBean »

Amanda Beth wrote:I will better myself, but not by writing more fanfics. After I move, get settled, and finish writing TPC then I'll concentrate on really honing my skills.
Don't let it get to you too badly. I use FF for fun, too... and write my original works on the side. They move much slower than the FF because every single word of their content matters to me. Don't let people be too critical-- in one chapter of WA, the author stated that she was mis-spelling Emmett's name as Emmet just to tick people off.

As in all areas of life, people will find anything to complain about...
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Essay33
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by Essay33 »

JillOBean, a "beta" is a proof reader who can also in some situations serve as an editor. He or she will review your writing and make suggestions for improvement before you post it on the Internet. Ideally, a beta should be an experienced writer whose own work is excellent. Unfortunately, some people use betas who are their best friends, or simply other readers who like the chance to read fanfiction.

Amanda Beth, Would it bother you if I pointed out that the word is "comma," and not "coma?" See, it's the little things like that which make a difference. Spell check would not catch that. Being well read, having a solid vocabulary, and having a second pair of eyes review your writing (eyes that aren't those of a BFF necessarily but of someone whose writing is quite good themselves) would catch such a repeated mistake.

One way to review your work yourself and catch mistakes is to read it aloud to yourself. When you do that, you often will hear word choice errors and punctuation problems that your eyes skip over when reading silently.

Regarding semicolons (I tell my students they are commas that went to college), there are not a lot of complicated rules. It's all about the length of the pause. Read a sentence out loud. If you are pausing anywhere, at that point the sentence probably needs a comma. If you could break the sentence where you pause and begin an entirely new sentence, that's where you'd need a semicolon; the potential new sentence would have both a subject (noun) and a predicate (verb). The preceding two sentences are examples of comma and semicolon use.

It's not complicated, but it does take some practice. If a class of 34 public middle school students with their minds on the upcoming Christmas break can correctly master semicolon use after two days of practice, Amanda Beth I am certain you could do it in even less time.

I understand that you don't think this is worth the time and effort it would take you right now, that since some writers apparently don't bother with it you ought not to be expected to bother, and that it annoys you that it's important to some readers (important enough for them to point out your errors to you). But writing is not meant to be a purely self-involved activity, particularly when you are deliberately sharing it with the world at large via the Internet. You want people to read what you write and presumably you want them to enjoy it and come back for more. Respecting your readers by trying to give them high quality work encourages them to enjoy what you are doing, and to appreciate your time and effort.

If this is not what you want to hear, I apologize for wasting your time with my suggestions. I guess I'm just wrestling with what seems to me like someone saying, "I really love to dance ballet, but I just do it for fun, I don't have time to take dance lessons, and all those steps just confuse me anyway." Why get up on a public stage and do that in front of an audience? It quickly becomes embarrassing if not downright unpleasant to watch.
JillOBean wrote:in one chapter of WA, the author stated that she was mis-spelling Emmett's name as Emmet just to tick people off.
What the...why would a writer want to deliberately annoy her readers like that? That author has issues... :roll:
"Where I am not understood, it shall be concluded that something very useful and profound is couched underneath." --Jonathan Swift, A Tale of a Tub
JillOBean
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Re: Twilight Fanfiction Discussion Thread

Post by JillOBean »

Have you read WA? The author doesn't strike me as particularly concerned with a small subset of uptight readers. She has a HUGE following that I doubt she felt like she was missing much of anything by doing that.

I got a kick out it, but I do understand your point. As for my writing, I have done things to intentionally irritate people. Anything from mis-spelling a name to adding in a non-existant word every now and then. I like reviews, I like readers... but I write for me first. If there is an on-going issue with my writing, grammar or story structure or what have you... tell me... but don't take ONE error out of 100,000 word story and lamblast me for it... I'm likely to retaliate in a small, but humorous way. Which I believe is what happened in WA. The story is well over 200,000 words long and somebody found ONE mis-spelling of Emmett's name somewhere and I think made a point to complain about it or something... lighten up, people. I take my writing seriously outside of fan fiction... with ff, I'm just playing around and most of it has been skimmed over rather than truly edited.

By the way, how do you find somebody with the skills necessary to Beta?

Some people forget that we're not publishing anything here, we're not making money off it, we're not doing it as a job-- it's a passion, it's fun, it's supposed to be a delight in our day... but some readers treat a fanfiction like it's on the New York Times best seller list and it made it from author to editor to agent to publisher to shelf with that one spelling error.
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