WIP Challenge Day 6, Friday

[jagnikjen]

Bienvenidos, Aloha, Nǐ Hǎo, Zdravstvuj, Hello!

I hope you were able to do something fic related since yesterday's post.

What did you do, anyway?

~ I wrote
~ I edited
~ I posted
~ I beta read
~ I read fic for enjoyment
~ I did nothing...

Please share your accomplishments or your disappointments.

Discussion topic . . . So. When perusing archives or comms or whatever for a fic to read, what types of things in the fic headers or descriptions or author's notes will keep you from reading that fic?

Comments

[sqweakie]

Had a breakthrough in my writing. I was able to link together some random ideas and I think I know where my story is heading next. Feel accomplished making progress over that stumbling block.

Turn offs in reading...

The whole 'I suck at summaries just please read' drives me nuts. I am not very good at creating summaries either, but instead of whining one I use a quote from the first or second chapter. Maybe the author should try to see if a friend will summarize it for you. There are other alternatives out there. It's not that hard, people!

One other issue huge typos and grammar missteps. It makes me very leery when the first thing in the summary/author's note, before even the first paragraph of the story, is filled more mistakes than a text sent while drunk. Doesn't really inspire confidence in what is written after.

[jagnikjen]

I tried to write/edit, but I was feeling pretty meh, so I opted to read fic instead.

Things that keep me from reading...

"This is my first fic! Please read."
"I suck at summaries."

Like sqweakie, if there are spelling mistakes before you even get to the story, then, no.

I'm still fuzzy, so I can't think of anything else atm....

[linaewen]

I posted today! I actually have a bit of a backlog of posting, so I may do more of that. I've also committed myself to writing something today -- feels like it's going to be a good day for it somehow. ;-)

I also did some reading of fic (other people's) and I hope to post some comments to what I've read at some point today.

Discussion topic: The main thing that will keep me from reading a fic is if the author states in the description something to the effect of "This summary sucks." I figure that if a writer can't even come up with a summary to describe what's been written, then the story can't be much better! Sometimes I look, but I'm almost always disappointed. Also, poor grammar and spelling in the intro makes me hesitant to read, but it's not always something that stops me. If the idea of the story is intriguing, I'll have a look anyway.

[elleth]

Finished two stocking fills, 1400 words. :D

Discussion: Bad spelling or grammar are an instant turn-off. I usually don't suppose the story will look much better, and find immersion hard with mistakes jumping me in the face. Misspellings of character names are even worse, because if someone has Sauromon in their summary, rather than Sauron or Saruman, then they either didn't understand the plot of the source texts, or they couldn't be bothered to have the story beta'd and fact-checked - neither is very appealing. (Plus, that particular name is making me think of Digimon, which is not a crossover that needs to happen.)
People pleading for reviews in the summary (let me read the fic and then decide!) or denigrating their story from the get-go aren't that hot on my to-read list either. They may just be insecure (goodness knows I am) but the summary essentially being the blurb to sell your fic... not something you want to do.

[taelle]

Back from holiday vacation and spending the night in train thinking about my stupid-self-indulgent-AU and writing random snippets of it, not fitting into the main text probably.

[lacygrey]

Well, I wrote. I found that allowing myself 5 minute bursts as a reward after finishing bits of RL work is quite productive (I seem to be ablle to do about 100 each time working by hand).

What I like in summaries are things that make me curious, combined with characters or a pairing that I like. I get put off by the same fic ideas again and again or things that suggest Mary Sues, not to mention all the above-mentioned things in the earlier comments.

[lilly_c]

I did nothing fic wise :( had a psychology essay to finish editing to under +10% of the 2500 word limit and I got it done. It's due on Monday, so a wee break from it then a final edit between now and then before turnitin and printing it off :S

This morning I got my prompts for this months round of prompt_in_a_box (on LJ) and I like all 3 so hopefully I can do something for each prompt this time, had a lot of unused prompts from that comm from last year's rounds and the November round (revisiting your prompts round) just didn't happen for me at all:(

Generally I avoid that involves incest or adultery because they are the only things that still squick me big time. I do also try and avoid pairings I don't care for but it's not always easy to do that even when been specific.
I try and avoid anything that has text speak in the headers as well as 'this sucks don't bother' and similar statements. Not so fussed if the author says it's their first within the fandom because we've all been there when starting out in a new fandom.

[crowdog66]

Today was an exhausting day on a number of levels, so I only got ~160 words written. I did read a couple of stories by other authors for enjoyment, though.

To me the tone of the author's note/summary is all-important. If I see evidence of fanbrattishness ("OMG PLZ R&R GAIZ! DON'T LIKE DON'T READ! I SUCK AT SUMMARIES!" and that most annoying of words, "CHAPPY!") I avoid a fic like the plague.

Oh, and vore. It has to be one amazing piece of writing for me to tolerate vore.

[in_lighter_ink]

I posted a comment-fic-ish fill that people seemed to like! Granted, I've gotten nothing done on the fics that are due this month, but I hope to remedy that at tomorrow's writing session.

I concur with the many above me: 'LOL THIS SUMMARY SUCKS,' grammar mistakes, misspelled character names... and add to that 'ship name portmanteaus. It's not something that will scare me off completely, but I will be hesitant.

[bay_alexison]

After a chat with a friend of mine last night over our Big Bangs, I decided today to get some of the editing done over one of the chapters and put in one idea she had suggested over one situation I have in the story. I had also fixed one small canon mistake I did in another chapter, haha. So yeah good day editing wise. Tomorrow I plan to get back to my help_japan fic as I had delayed that for a bit.

Pretty much what everyone else said over the writer mentioning their summary sucks. Grammar mistakes I might let it slide if there is only a typo or two and the fic itself is good grammar wise--I admit I tend to rush when trying to come up a summary for my stories, only to find typos and such hours/days later. >.>; Otherwise only other thing that will keep me from reading is if the summary of the story itself sounds ridiculous, which varies.

[littlebutfierce]

I didn't comment yesterday b/c I was out in the evening, but before then I managed to do my 750 words -- again, nothing I think is going to be super-useful or super-keepable, but... keeping the writing gears oiled. I did a tiny bit of editing too. Hoping to do more today during the session.

Massive spelling or grammar errors in summaries will keep me away, as well as embarrassing self-deprecation (like others have mentioned: "This fic sucks," "I suck at writing summaries," etc.). Warning for slash (as distinct from listing a pairing, obviously) will keep me away.