The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

What is it with fanfic authors deleting their works when they've barely been up two hours?

Copyright owner of original complained?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Copyright owner of original complained?

They get feedback or messages and realize how unutterably s****y they are????

Hitch

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Hitch

They get feedback or messages and realize how unutterably s****y they are????

Hitch

Not sure if that would have any effect.

One fanfic I commented on (along with quite a few others) about how bad the fanfic was at following canon, spelling, grammar, etc. was responded to by the fanfic's scribbler stating that the problems were with the originals and the readers not with their output. When I followed up with a list of misspelled names (nothing like misspelling multiple main characters names incorrectly to make a reader go Huh???), general misspellings, misused homonyms, grammar errors, etc., it was suggested that I and my criticisms were a small mind trying to chain genius.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by DNSB

... it was suggested that I and my criticisms were a small mind trying to chain genius.

Lol. That would have been a mild response, from what I've seen. Many seem to believe that bad grammar and misspellings are a legitmate 'style' and you're pooping on their muse if you point it out.

Fanfic has changed since the late 1990's, when I found it and jumped in. It's about quantity now, quality is too much work for some.

[ownedbycats]

My best guess on the deletions is either low self-confidence or getting a hate comment and not wanting to deal with it. (Fandom people can get... intense, especially if there's 'problematic' content. Apparently 'don't like don't read' is a skill people have forgot.)

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

... intense, especially if there's 'problematic' content. Apparently 'don't like don't read' is a skill people have forgot.)

Too True.

I have heard of some fandoms that are really toxic, and authors get attacked if they don't write something the majority want to see.

And there's those on Fanfiction (dot) net that like to go around sending warnings to authors whose stories break some of the TOC's. Not that FF.N seems to care, but they have had huge purges once in a while.

[ownedbycats]

AO3 was made in response to the ffnet/livejournal purges, hence why it's very light on the rules (basically if it's a fanfic, not plagarized, and doesn't have content that's outright illegal, it's allowed).

[ownedbycats]

I started reading a book. By the time I got to the end of the first chapter, I wanted some character to punch the protagonist.

Probably a sign that I should DNF.

[hildea]

Originally Posted by DNSB

One fanfic I commented on (along with quite a few others) about how bad the fanfic was at following canon, spelling, grammar, etc. was responded to by the fanfic's scribbler stating that the problems were with the originals and the readers not with their output. When I followed up with a list of misspelled names (nothing like misspelling multiple main characters names incorrectly to make a reader go Huh???), general misspellings, misused homonyms, grammar errors, etc., it was suggested that I and my criticisms were a small mind trying to chain genius.

That seems pretty rude of you, unless the author wrote that they wanted criticism. Fanfic is written for fun and offered for free. As ownedbycats wrote, 'don't like don't read'. I'd say posting criticism in the comments is as rude as sending reviews to an author (by @-linking them on social media etc).

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

My best guess on the deletions is either low self-confidence or getting a hate comment and not wanting to deal with it. (Fandom people can get... intense, especially if there's 'problematic' content. Apparently 'don't like don't read' is a skill people have forgot.)

Yes, all true.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I started reading a book. By the time I got to the end of the first chapter, I wanted some character to punch the protagonist.

I dunno, I felt that way after the first chapter of The Caine Mutiny and I loved that book.

Now you just have to hope your author is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist...

[Renate]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I dunno, I felt that way after the first chapter of The Caine Mutiny and I loved that book.

Dee-dee, da-dee-dee, da-dee, da-da-da-dah....

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by hildea

That seems pretty rude of you, unless the author wrote that they wanted criticism. Fanfic is written for fun and offered for free. As ownedbycats wrote, 'don't like don't read'. I'd say posting criticism in the comments is as rude as sending reviews to an author (by @-linking them on social media etc).

I would disagree with you. Are you expecting only nice comments to be written? That I should worry about hurting the scribbler's feelings by pointing out their poor English skills? Please note that I did not criticize the content, just the number of errors that made a story that I wanted to read very hard to read. If the author had offered a private message capability, I would have used that but no such option was seen.

I do have expectations about an author having at least minimal skills in using spelling and grammar checking tools not to mention the ability to use the correct homonym though I will admit to that using 'gentile pride' on multiple occasions was a rather humorous error (IMNSHO).

I have sent messages to various professional authors about errors in their ebooks. Oddly, most of them seem to be quite happy to be given the chance to correct errors. Perhaps for some, it beats learning about errors when you receive a takedown notice. Some authors/publishers even include a link in their ebooks to report errors, sometimes with a bounty for spotting multiple errors.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Renate

Dee-dee, da-dee-dee, da-dee, da-da-da-dah....

I kinda want to go rent the movie again. Humphrey Bogart was great as Captain Queeg...

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I have sent messages to various professional authors about errors in their ebooks.

Unlike professional authors, I guess fanfic writers tend to vomit out perfection on a page