Am I a new member of the Cult of Mean?

[author_by_night]

So at a site, I read a fanfic that was... well, to say the least, it needed a lot of work. The chapters ranged from about two paragraphs to one page long, and the author really doesn't have a sense of punctuation.

So I left what I thought was a very constructively critical review.

Here's what I said:

Okay. This is promising, but there are a few problems. I really hope you understand that I am not trying to flame or be offensive - take these as tips.

First, you can't start your first story with "testing." It throws people off, you know? Plus, it's a little annoying when you expect to see a story and see "testing."

Second, you really need to write longer chapters. Some of them are a little too short, and could easily be merged. In fairness, a lot of people on this site post short chapters - even I used to - but it is easier to be drawn into a story with longer ones. Here's an idea - write your fic in Notepad, Word or another Word Processor, then post. That way, you won't run out of time.

Finally, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, you need to work on your punctuation a bit. All sentences end with a period, and there should be a comma before the last quotation. For instance:

"Yes," said Mark, laughing. "I agree."

I hope that helped. If you have any more questions, drop me a PM.

Well, apparently, I very much offended the person, as they replied:

Ok Ok I see what you mean OK BUT I AM DOING IT IN WORD BUT RATHER FEEL THAT I CANT TYPE SO MUCH SO SORTLY SO GO #%^#$^#@ $^&@^$ %&*&#$$#% [INFINITE]

And, naturally, their next reply was"beter now". (Written like that).

I'm not sure what I said that merited that response.

On one hand, I do see where I could've been a bit harsh. I mean, it was obviously a first fic, and truth be told, the site in question - ecfans.com - really isn't like Sugar Quill or Fiction Alley. The purpose isn't fanfiction - the fanfiction was a site add-on.

On the other hand, it is still public writing, and I feel you are expected to recieve any feedback.

Thoughts?

Comments

[shalli.livejournal.com]

Absolutely serious. Not all of them, of course, but enough that someone who has been in the industry for, as she puts it, 'over twenty five years' will say that it is the norm.

Were you thinking of being an author, or an editor?

[jamc91.livejournal.com]

...

*crosses 'editor' off list; highlights 'author'*

:D

Both, actually. I don't know. Erm. Yeah. *shrug*

[shalli.livejournal.com]

Sounds like me when I was younger *grins* Good luck with it. And if you do become and author, be one of the good ones who takes the suggestions without flying of the handles, and considers them, whether you take them or dismiss them in the end. I know your editor will appreciate it.

[jamc91.livejournal.com]

What? No way. Why do you think I highlighted 'author'? :P

Weeell, I'll probably dismiss most suggestions anyway. And if they should happen to find any spelling/grammar mistakes, I will take a gun and shoot them, so I won't have to shoot myself. :D

[shalli.livejournal.com]

Editors of the world beware ;)

[jamc91.livejournal.com]

^_^ I know. Now all I need to do is get a gun, of course...