schemingreader

Different strokes for different folks. I just don't read what I don't like, saves lots of aggravation. I happen to like sentiment better than deathfic, or scat, or GS, or bloodplay, or... well, lots of things. *shrug* But there is nothing wrong with reading or writing sentiment. What feels "true" to you might not feel true to someone else, and vice versa. I'm sure people have looked at my fics, and your fics, and anyone's fics and screamed "Why?" If the writer likes what they are writing and it makes them happy, who cares what anyone else really thinks?

I haven't encountered this often, but then I tend to snap-judge fics according to whether they offer me something I want or whether I ought simply to nod and pass on by. Better writers than I are usually better writers all round.

I have experienced being knee-deep in reading a fic executed with skill and some grace, only to have the story take a sudden wrong turn halfway through into OOCness and protestations of undying love, a turn that defeats every damn thing that's gone before. It always perplexes me, because clearly the writers know what they're about. Yet the imperative of romance trumps all considerations of character, plot, and common sense. I don't mean that happy endings are implausible. But I strenuously object to the use of histrionics as symptoms of love. To me it demonstrate neither proof of love (in a real-world sense) nor respect for a character's integrity (in a fictional sense). Too often a full-grown man ends up exhibiting the emotional immaturity of a frightened child who can be reduced to tears by a harsh word or a withheld caress. Any author who commits this particular sin loses me pretty much instantly and forever.

On a completely different note, I've just listened to Jacques Brel singing "La Chanson des Vieux Amants" and "Ne Me Quitte Pas" three times in a row. Romantic obsession much? *clears throat*

Yeah. Writing is more than technical style. A person can write flawlessly in a grammatical, mechanical sense, and yet utterly lose the characters and tone of a fic. I think a person's reaction to this depends on how she look at fanfic: one person's OOC is not my OOC. Because you can tell a story about a character or using a character. Personally, I'd say if you're using a character, you have a higher likelihood of falling into the OOC category.

But beyond that, more to the point of what you're saying, technically good writing doesn't mean you can engage the reader or make it believable. Probably no one, ourselves included *g*, is free from this at some point. I would hate to come off condescending here, as I know I've written utter shit, even if it's grammatically readable utter shit. But when I see it happening, it's sometimes the most painful kind of bad writing - because the clear writing makes the lack of substance so much more obvious. It's like elevating procedure over substance, putting beautiful clothing on a mannequin.

I think I see what you mean about not wanting to feel manipulated, but I’m having trouble expressing to my own satisfaction what constitutes emotional manipulation.

If we assume most writers have in mind a certain response they’re trying to elicit, when are they working toward something genuine and when are they just massaging the reader’s glands? I might know a character I’ve created well enough to “know” she kicked the family dog when she was twelve. Whether I decide to show that scene or not will probably make an important difference in how the reader sees her. Since we’re making choices like this all the time as we write, when do we cross the line into manipulation?

I suspect it has something to do with using stock characters or situations. Everybody recognizes the cues that mean we’re supposed to scream or cry or laugh. If that’s the case, though, what about fan fiction? We begin by assuming that the reader already knows what Snape or Sherlock Holmes is like. We might provide background that attempts to explain their personalities, we can create new situations for them to behave in, we can even subvert the reader’s expectations, but we don't need to do the work of inventing them from scratch and introducing them.

I know I’m probably rambling here, besides showing up late to the discussion. I’m glad you posted this and hope you haven’t lost interest in the whole thing. Somewhere in here I should probably admit that I’ve felt manipulated by certain movies and not minded it a bit.

I'm not writing well enough for anyone to be frustrated about my choice of subject matter.
I don’t think I understand that – unless no one were reading you at all, wouldn’t there at least be the possibility of someone’s wishing you were writing about something else? It definitely wouldn't be me, though.

See, this is why I just read your fics instead. Hopefully you didnt read all the way through - not that I can talk, but I am getting better and better at being able to justlet go when in the first three paragraphs induce nausea.