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Post by Butterscotch on May 20, 2009 19:41:39 GMT -5
The "Just for Fun" card, used by fanfic writers and webcomic artists alike! (And others too, I'm sure; I just see it more in fanfics and webcomics)
The argument is this: I am writing/drawing this for my own enjoyment, so I don't care ifI make mistakes.
The counter argument is this: I am reading your fanfic/webcomic for my own enjoyment. I do care that you've made mistakes.
Both sides have good points. How much effort are you required to put into something that is just a hobby? On the other hand, if you don't put enough effort into what you do, it seems like you don't care at all.
Is there a happy medium?
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Post by moko on May 20, 2009 20:42:22 GMT -5
hmm..... even if it's for fun, i do think you need to put in SOME effort for punctuation/grammar/spelling/etc.
an error every once in a while is okay, but when they're consistent, it gets annoying.
frankly, i think if you're doing it just for fun, your actual TALENT shouldn't matter. you may suck at writing, but if you wanna do it, all the more power to ya. what people think of it should only matter if you actually plan on improving.
in other words, it doesn't really matter to me all that much; if a story sucks, i just won't read it. however, constant punctuation/grammar/spelling/etc. mistakes in a good fic annoy me to no end.
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Post by Snake on May 21, 2009 17:14:58 GMT -5
Paragraphs are failing me right now, so I'll use a list. [/b] [li]Since it's just a hobby I don't think the quality or effort really matters. At the same time, writers need to realize that there are going to be people who don't like their fic no matter what the quality is or how much effort they put into writing. Of course, a fanfic with no effort will probably receive more negative reviews, but that's just part of writing. [/li][li]Just because the writer likes something doesn't mean it has to be uploaded online. There are so many fanfics that are just...really hard to read that a lot of them might be better off being shared with either close friends or not shared at all (unless the author wants constructive criticism, of course). [/li][li]There should be warnings for anything that might make people go, "Why did I waste my time on this?" If someone is looking for a serious fanfic and comes across one with all of the characters in Persona 4 eating sugar then that will only add to frustration. Readers[/li][li]If a reader reads a fanfic that's marked that it was written for fun and goes to complain about it then, well, I have absolutely no sympathy for them. If you don't like AUs don't click on a story that says "AU" just to whine. If you don't like mpreg don't look for mpreg. And if you don't like fanfics written by people who are only writing it for their own enjoyment then don't click on the story. [/li][li]Fandom doesn't always have to be serious business. Let writers write what they want and try not to get OUTRAGED!! about it. [/li][/ul] Personally, I like fanfics that are entertaining. Just because a story is edited or has a lot of effort put into it doesn't mean it is going to be good. I've stopped reading well-written fanfics because of the characterization (Abusive!Kai, especially), not to mention that some people might be putting in a lot of effort, but for whatever reason have problems with their spelling (ie. dyslexia). I think I've digressed a but, but overall I think people take fanfiction way too seriously. Yeah, the sheer amount of "omg i was high on sugar!" fics can get annoying, but it's easy to scroll past them. Unless the reader had no way of knowing that the author doesn't care, it shouldn't matter that much.
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Post by Pickle on May 22, 2009 13:55:43 GMT -5
I can find a happy medium. It is quite easy:
Writers are obligated to do writing levels appropriate for their age. Now, I admit I make mistakes that make me a dolt, but you should capitalize what needs to be capitalize and dot all the i's and cross your t's, as it will. Check your mechanics.
Also, at least do one spell check through. Because of how bad I am, I go throw my own work twice with a spell checker. I also still end up with crap in it, but I hope nobody has much of a problem with it. I also try to make up with my mechanical problem with making my stories that much better.
Now, for the reader, which I do that too. It is alright to say mistakes. You should mention that there are written mistakes. I know Laughing has mistakes, and I never minded when people tell me about them. However, a reader has the right to critize what they read. It is on the internet and can tell others that this particular person is a louzy writer. They might not be right about it, but it is a person's opinion to stated.
But also a comment I give to the readers; you don't like what you are reading, they have back buttons for it.
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Post by Snake on May 24, 2009 14:03:23 GMT -5
That reminds me, I think the happy medium is up to the reader. For a while there were a ton of "THERE WAS A MISTAKE IN THIS ONE FANFIC I WAS READING AND IT TOTALLY THREW ME OUT OF THE STORY!" rants on Fanfiction Rants. I just...don't understand it. Even professionally published work will have typos and other errors because it's being written and edited by a human. If someone can't forgive one simple typo, which might have been a word spelled right and not caught by a spellchecker/beta, then how do they read other work?
Also, some fanfics with a ton of typos can be very enjoyable as well. "Doom: Repercussions of Evil" is a great example. It was written by a troll and has a ton of typos, but it's hilarious.
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Post by Butterscotch on May 24, 2009 16:03:30 GMT -5
I think there's some truth to that; everyone has their own pet peeves, and what I can overlook might be very jarring to someone else.
But yeah, some people take fanfics way to seriously. This isn't what prompted the thread, but over at SJ, I've got some Zelda fanboy who keeps nit-picking at Mario's Day Job. I so want to play the "just for fun" card, because, well, it is. But it sounds immature somehow. But geez, it's a comic where Link is palling around with Mario and rides a Rapidash. It doesn't have to be 100% accurate.
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Post by Juxapose on May 24, 2009 18:04:52 GMT -5
Even though I write "Just for fun" I care to the best of my abilities n what I'm writing. Sure, sometimes I do get that feeling about "Eh, it's just a fanfiction/fanart. It doesn't have to be 'perfect'." But typically, it means that the art/story that I am creating may be out of my own league, and it may be best to write something sloppy, than turn in nothing at all. Practice makes perfect I always say.
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