[ SECRET POST #4537 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4537 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 42 secrets from Secret Submission Post #650.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

03. https://i.imgur.com/IV527MG.png

[(Anonymous)]

I see this as two different issues... one is pretty common. A lot of people who read primarily fanfiction like the fact that they can read very selectively, thanks to tagging. They don't want to read widely, they want to read exactly the sorts of tropes, pairings and genres they like and nothing else. I don't necessarily agree with that approach to reading in general, but I understand why people do it.

However. I firmly believe that if you want to write original fiction well, you need to read widely... not just stuff you like, and definitely not just fanfiction. It's not a judgment about quality, mind you. It's that published original fiction isn't the same as fanfiction, even when you're comparing well written original fiction and well written fanfiction. The lines are blurry these days, but it still benefits a writer to read outside of their comfort zone for the exposure to how other people write and the technical aspects of the craft.

That said, most people who read selectively like that usually have lots of reasons for why they do so, and IME, they don't react well to suggestions that maybe the should read more variety. If you have specific suggestions for specific works that showcase a good example of [insert specific aspect of writing here] that this author has trouble with, maybe you could recommend that specific work to her? Sort of a "Hey, I noticed you said you were having trouble with writing natural dialogue. You might want to check out [author name], I've always admired how well they write character interactions and how natural it sounds."

[(Anonymous)]

OP of the comment but not the secret, here, and I have tried recommending specific things I liked that reminded me of the kind of story the author likes. But I haven’t found anything that’s exactly the kind of story she likes.

[(Anonymous)]

The honestly, you've put more effort into this than most people would, I think. She needs to expand her horizons, but she clearly isn't interested and that's a shame.

[(Anonymous)]

Well... by not seeking out or following advice from any of the many many places that could make them a better writer, this person is just handicapping themself.

As frustrating as that might be for you, that's not your responsibility.

(Also: part of the writer "work ethic" is constant self-improvement, so to me their narrow focus makes me think less of their efforts than you do, OP.)

[(Anonymous)]

+1 Lots of writers make the mistake of writing in a vacuum and not actively trying to improve. It's unfortunate, but you know... there's no shortage of online resources for writers. If they wanted to put in the work, they could.

[(Anonymous)]

I've known someone like this too. Wanted to be a published author, but wouldn't read anything other than Harry Potter and writes similar to that. When she dropped that into a conversation about writing fiction I couldn't take her seriously any more (and yes, she was an adult at this point)

[(Anonymous)]

Well, if she wants to be a published author of MG and YA. I guess. I'd still recommend reading other YA and MG works. There's a lot of range there. And READING.

Oh wait, I'm a word addict. Carry on.

[(Anonymous)]

Had a friend who wanted to write a specific genre and yet I was more familiar with it.

I should have handled it better, but there's only so many times you can hear about someone's 'unique' new ideas before pointing out it's been done by several authors and popular shows before.

[tabaqui]

If you really think you need to say something, why not suggest some things that are close to but a little outside of their comfort zone, and see if they'll go for it?

Otherwise - it's frustrating, but really not your job.

[(Anonymous)]

OP of the comment if not the secret, and I’ve tried suggesting that she read things that hit almost all her favorite tropes/kinks, including a few books I’ve really liked and that reminded me of the better parts of her fic... no dice. I know it’s not my job, but yeah, it is frustrating.

[(Anonymous)]

nayrt - Well, you tried and that's to your credit. Unfortunately, you can lead a horse to water, etc. etc.

Hopefully if she's serious about wanting to write original fiction, she'll learn that she needs to broaden her focus. If she doesn't do this, well... then I guess she only "wants to improve" up until a point and that point won't be enough. Sad for her, but there you have it.

[tabaqui]

Meh, that's really too bad. They're missing out on so much!

[(Anonymous)]

Comment OP here—Yeah, they seem to like a lot of different, primarily visual media, but I dunno that they read many books. Which, well, their art is actually pretty cool, but if they read as many books as they played video games, their writing would be so much better!

And I love reading, and back before I could carry a hundred books on my phone, I would read anything. So it’s hard to imagine not actually enjoying reading just because one specific story I really want to read doesn’t exist.

[tabaqui]

Ha, yeah. When i was a kid, and even now, i'll read whatever i can put my hand on, even if it's bad, because ...hey, it's a book, it's there. I was in the habit of carrying a book with me even to the movies, before, but now I can't see in the dim light well enough, heh, so I watch the stupid stuff the theater puts up on the screen pre-movie.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for making my monster comment into a secret, OP! Seriously, you made my wall of text intelligible, you graphic design wizard, you!

[(Anonymous)]

If you want to be a writer, you really need to read books tbh.

[(Anonymous)]

Seems like a no brainer to me, but you'd be amazed how many would be writers don't read much and don't see that as a problem.

[(Anonymous)]

NAYRT but as a writer I find that mindset so weeeeird. Like, part of the reason I wanted to write (as a kid and growing up) was reading all of these amazing worlds and loving them and wanting to do that and make people feel the joy I felt.

[(Anonymous)]

Ditto. I don't get it, either. I think that some people are a little... I don't know. Self-centered doesn't seem like quite the right description, but it's the closest I can come up with. Maybe a touch of narcissism? I've met writers who thought they could write an amazing book because hey, they were amazing people and of course they don't need to do research or read other books, or listen to constructive criticism or proofread, etc. etc.

Not everyone is this bad to this degree. It's just a similar mindset.