This is a minor complaint concerning the quality of some of the phanfic here on this site. I'm not saying there aren't some very good stories here, because there are! But some of them just show a severe lack of care on the part of the author: people who are so hungry for reviews that they'll upload a story that's ill-written, out of character, and full of mechanical errors, and then try to excuse bad writing with a lame "Oh, you know what I mean!"
You mustn't depend on the reader to know what you mean! If youconsistantly use wrong words, or don't punctuate properly or make other (easily corrected) errors, the readers won't know what you mean, and won't care enough to find out, either. Don't expect the reader to have to work hard to understand your writing.If you're not willing to put forth the effort to make your story clear and understandable, then you shouldn't be writing in the first place... and definitely shouldn't be posting!
So here's my lecture to all those lazy and inconsiderate phanfic writers. It's in the form of a song parody. Enjoy!
Angel of Fanfic
Ignorant writer,
Free of talent
Churning out pure drivel!
Characters should
remain consistent:
Erik does not snivel!
You should be doing some research,
(these folks don't use modern slang)
When it's a man, not a picture,
The past tense is "hanged."
Please break your paragraphs,
Use spell-check,
Double-check all grammar!
Errors like these
Confuse your readers
Making them say, "Damn her!"
Too long you've written your fanfic
Far from grammatical rules,
Stories like that are like torture,
A kick in the jewels!
Edit your work
before you post it,
Diligently revise!
Take the suggestions
of your betas:
Every one they devise!
You're writing, even now
(My hands are cold)
And posting them
(My heart lies still with dread!)
You frighten me
Bad writers: Oh, be frightened…