1001 things you don't do in a fanfic

^ Definitely. Accents the characters already have are just fine and should be included in a fic. If Calleigh were speaking to someone, she would probably say "Could y'all stand up for me please?" instead of "Could you guys stand up?"

Of course some shouldn't go overboard though. :lol:
 
Another thing people on fanfic.net are guilty of is writing Authors notes longer than the actual chapter.

Look we (the readers) are glad you updated your story so don't spend ages describing how busy your life is at the moment. A small A/N is fine but keep it 3 lines at the most :)
 
oh yeah I'm leaning toward agreeing on the whole rape thing...on one hand there are likely some well executed fics of that type out there but I usually don't care to read it either. I wouldn't go near it with the guys either...have gleaned it may happen too now and then from a few summaries on LJ.
 
I really can't stand it when people write, "this chap sucks lol i hate it but plz r&r!!" No, shut the hell up. Don't post something you're not happy about. Go back and make the effort to fix it.

Also, if you're working on a multi-chapter story, don't post 200 words per update and drag out one scene over ten "chapters." Nobody cares if you UPDATE DAILY LOL if you post three lines of dialogue and call it a chapter. It really breaks the flow of the story.

Regarding the rape issue, I have read good fics that included a main character getting raped (not in the Miami fandom though), but in general, I'm against the whole boo-hoo, I'm a broken girl who needs a guy to pick up the pieces for me thing. As if the show doesn't force-feed us enough of that (I'm looking at you, season 4 Natalia Boa Vista).

Another thing that is so UGH is simultaneous realization. You know what I'm talking about. Eric and Calleigh both realized at the same time that they were in love simultaneous in the exact same moment together. No, I can assure you, they didn't.

And yeah, if I see one more story about Callie/Calliegh or Yelena/Yellina, there's gonna be a bloody rampage.
 
magicmunchies said:
Another thing people on fanfic.net are guilty of is writing Authors notes longer than the actual chapter.

Look we (the readers) are glad you updated your story so don't spend ages describing how busy your life is at the moment. A small A/N is fine but keep it 3 lines at the most :)
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Or when you spend the whole A/N talking about how if you don't get a certain number of reviews, you'll quit writing the story. That's just really crappy.

And I totally agree to whoever said that character names need to be spelled right. It's a total turn off to see a character's name spelled wrong.

Another thing: if you've only been watching CSI (or Miami/NY) for a week, please don't write a story. Take the time to actually figure out what the show's about, and the backstories on the characters before you write a story that's completely OOC.
 
I personally don't like reading fics when people can't peg the characters. Understand the character a little more before you attempt to write about them. I have stopped reading some in the past, for that reason alone because I found it frustrating, even though there could be a decent plot to the story. It is something I can't get past once I get it into my head.
 
On names and spelling, nothing seems to urk me more than opening up a fanfic and seing a story about "Sarah" or "Warwick." I even attempted to read a yobling story (which until that point I think I've read every single one availble at Evident Gamble and ff.net) where the author had been spelling Catherine's name Katherine.

And another thing I hate is how people don't make the distinction between the CSI Hummers and Denalis and the character's personal cars. Sara drives a sedan, Nick a truck.

And... characterization... ugh I won't even touch that one.

Or... or.... slash fics where they go from straight to gay in a matter of a few minutes and by the 10th chapter they are driving up to Canada to tie the knot.
 
Accents the characters already have are just fine and should be included in a fic. If Calleigh were speaking to someone, she would probably say "Could y'all stand up for me please?" instead of "Could you guys stand up?"
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If you watch enough of the show you should know at least the basics of a character's accent. If you can't hear the character saying that in your head, then they probably wouldn't. Whether it be Calleigh's southern drawl, Nick's Texas Twang, or Any of the New York Character's accent, you can catch on to their voice/slang/linguistics just by listening to them talk obn the show.
As for OOC stories. They bother me. If something is happening in your story that makes them act out of character then that's fine, but if they are randomly acting completely different, then that's not okay.
Another thing is total disregard of a character's back story. Most characters have a back story, or have some indication of what their lives were like. If you don't know, ASK! For each show there is a board, and on that board are people who know the characters almost as well as their own families. If you want to know if it's been said whether or not a character is an only child/from the city their currently working in/ect ask someone on that board. They don't bite! They will help you. Its not s big a problem here, but for other shows I have seen writers ignore things that were said on the show about a character's life.
If you're going to ignore something that happened in the show, state that in your A/N. Oh! And tell us when you're going to have spoilers for certian episodes. a little 'if you haven't seen past this episode' or 'this story has references to...' heads up is a good idea, since there are people who haven't seen every episode and don't want it entirly spoiled.
 
I agree with whoever said to watch reviews...I don't think we should only post "your story is awesome" reviews all the time but no one likes a bunch of "this stinks" reviews either. Mostly people should make sure to know the difference between flames and constructive criticism and not review soley to flame.
 
I rarley give one line reviews. I think it's a bit inconsidorate to say 'Yeah, great. Update soon' when the writers has clearly put a lot of time and effort into the post.

I usually post both +ves and -ves when I reviews; offering advise where possible.

And as for the long authors notes. Guilty. Oops, I do babble a lot. But my updates are long hehehe. I do try to tone it down, I just always have a lot to say.

Yeah, I hate it when writers ignore the back story. And I hate it when they are all 'this happened, but this didn't because I don't like it'. Well, it's part of the plot and the character... deal with it. Or manipulate the facts to suit your opinion.
 
^^On that note, don't just ignore the latest shippings if you're righting a slasher story. Say I want to write a Danny/Flack story I would have to look at the fact that tptb paired Danny off with Lindsay and Flack is currently flirting with Angell. I have two options, place the story before Danny and Lindsay hooked up, or show a break up because of Flack.
 
I'm not a writer but I can tell you that when some authors write, sometimes they don't capitalize where its necessary. It bothers me a lot and it almost draws me away from the story. And about the name spelling, I don't know why some people spell Eric Delko's last name as "Delco". That reminds me of a car company. :rolleyes:
 
Yeah I think one line reviews are an insult to the author who spends so much time on their story. I can understand if there really isn't much to say, then a one-line review is fine but a lot of writers appreciate some girth to the feedback. :)

Authors notes...I consider myself guilty on that front, heh. With my fic though, it's not so much an 'authors' note as it is a response to reviewed posts--as it's on TalkCSI and not your ordinary fanfiction.net site and the like. But my starter posts can be a bit long, heh. :eek:

However when I'm reading other people's material, they don't bother me much even if they're lengthy. Ever see a novel with 13 pages of A/N? :lol: THAT bothers me.

Agreed, back stories are important to keep in mind when writing a fic. (That is unless your character doesn't have much of a back story then creativity is a big plus)

Physical characteristics--For example, Calleigh has green eyes, not blue eyes. Speedle is rarely clean shaven and Mac doesn't run around the lab in t-shirts and shorts.

^^ Yeah! Or the battery AC/Delco. :eek:
 
Physical characteristics--For example, Calleigh has green eyes, not blue eyes.
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THANK YOU! I don't know how many stories I have read where Calleigh is gazing up at someone with her "sparkling blue eyes". :rolleyes:

And if a writer wishes to have a character start a relationship with another character, fine. Wonderful, even.

But explain it. Explain why they aren’t already together, why they have/are dating other people. Things like:

- I was scared by how I felt so I took the easy road but dating [_____].

- I didn't want to risk out friendship.

NOT just, 'I've always been in love with you [___]. Lets jump into bed, get married have triplets and move to Hawaii'

Though I freely hold my hands up and say yeah, I've written something like that, back when I was young and had no regard for the quality of my writing.
 
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