grumpy old bear

[roxy]

You know, young fandom, we have perfectly good ways to indicate that in the featured story, there will be no sex of the boy-on-boy kind. No need to explain that your story doesn't contain slash, no need to make it part of the title. When you have a pairing you use the /. No need to spell it out. Just, Sam/Dean will do. Or Sam & Dean. The & lets us know that this is not an AU of the sexin' brothers kind. (Because if the Winchesters are having sex of any kind with each other, that automatically throws your story into an alternate universe, no matter how close you stick to canon outside of that.) Also, believe it or not, SpN has a *very* healthy gen component, with very well respected and ass-kicking writers. Not writing slash is not a bold move into areas heretofore uncovered, little ones.

While I'm bitching, here's another thing what pisses me off--learn to correctly use cuts, use headers for god's sake--word count would be nice--and stop telling us how shitty your story is, do you really think I want to read it if it's that much a pile of crap? Save the chatty intros for your LJ. Also for cryin' out loud, being new to a fandom is no excuse for misspellings and gross murder of grammar. I'm not on top of it all the time either but I try to listen and remember when I get corrected. My god, make your damn story readable! It's not enough to have a great idea if it sounds like it was written by your 12 year old sister under the influence of too many Skittles.

I'm going to crawl back in my cave now, and just for fun I'm going to kick Boo-Boo's ass. GROWL!!!

*snatches your pik-i-nick basket*

Comments

[portraitofafool.livejournal.com]

What you said and about 50,000 other things. The only thing I don't care about is word count; I don't use them due to personal preference (and my tendency to tinker endlessly, therefore making any word count I may post null and void anyway). I don't/won't read drabbles or what I call "drabblish (between 250-1,000 words) unless I really know the author well. Anything that short and sorry, but to me that is not a story; that's a glorified outline if it's 500-1k words long and anything shorter... that's just a plot bunny that never reached fruition and yet... the desire to share it was still there. These are, of course, only my opinions on the matter and I have written drabbles before just to see if I could do it (because I can go on for days when I get taken up with an idea). As for betas... a lot of the time I can't see where they do one damned bit of good. I really, really don't. I may find a story claiming to've used 3 different betas and yet... there are still grammar/punctuation/spelling errors galore and plot holes big enough you could fit the Grand Canyon in them three times over and still have room to spare.

What I mean to say is: I am hopelessly, ridiculously nitpicky about what I read and I still agree with damned near everything you just said.

I also want to know what you found in the pic-a-nic basket you stole. Easter candy? Any coconut nests? I need some of those. I may or may not be trying to hit you up for your imaginary candy now. *koff* /e-mooch

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

As for betas... a lot of the time I can't see where they do one damned bit of good. I really, really don't. I may find a story claiming to've used 3 different betas and yet... there are still grammar/punctuation/spelling errors galore and plot holes big enough you could fit the Grand Canyon in them three times over and still have room to spare.

I think that folks confuse having an 'audience' to your fic and having a beta. Just because your friends read it and loved it and pointed out a mistake or two, doesn't mean it you had it betaed. I've had stories betaed and not and while I admit that the betaed versions were always really good, I don't have the patience to wait.

Please to be having a handsome assortment of imaginary candies! :)