Have you ever had an author...

[bookworm51485]

Have you ever reviewed a story about a complete a total lack of realism or logic and had an author respond by saying, "It's fiction. It doesn't have to make sense." It's ridiculous how many authors I've had say this to me recently and it's really starting to make me irritated. I don't think they realize that just because a story is based in a magical universe or a fantasy universe it doesn't mean that they can do whateeeeever they want. When they start contradicting themselves in their own stories, that's not good. When they starting writing crap like Harry adopting Dobby as a son, making his name Dobby Li Potter and having him call him Daddy, I'm sorry, that's just nonsense. And what's frustrating me is story's like this are almost all I can find, they might have good spelling and grammar but they're complete nonsense. Either that or they're really well-written smut. I don't hate smut, but how many ways can you read it. It's just not that interesting anymore. *sigh*

And I keep running into this one author on ff.net. I don't know why but she has like 10 different accounts, pretending to be 10 different people. But her stories tend to all be very similar and when I called her on it, she responded to me on that account, then responded on an entirely new account. I just don't understand why a person would feel the need to do that, and pretend to be different people. I've for the most part learned how to spot her (or him, who knows, though she claimed to be pregnant in one of her responses), especially after she sends me a message of some kind. She's from Canada and usually has nothing on her profile. Though sometimes I run into her randomly, and bam, get drawn back into her little psycho world. It's starting to drive me nuts, and it's almost like there's no way to avoid her because she has so many damn accounts, under so many different names. I search for something and half the responses that come up are her in some form or another.

[Velvet D Coolette]

She sounds like a compulsive liar. I tend to find boys are more likely to do this than girls, but it sounds like she's fabricating this made-up world to protect against people knowing who she really is. Possibly stays at home a lot and is single, or something. Whatever it is, she's not proud of her real self.

Might as well leave her to it; you'd struggle to make her snap out of it unless you found a group of friends she invests a lot of trust in by telling them her lies and then call her out in front of these friends with blatant contradictions in her story. But then, if she's not doing any harm, is it worth it?

[Keith Inc.]

Well, i try hard to understand the logic of a particular setting.

The logic of a given world may not match ours, but i think consistency is more important than imposing our values on another place.

But then, if the author doesn't justify something so outrageously different as to adopt a house-elf after all the efforts to free house elves, then it spins the readers out of the story and into the peanut gallery.

I could agree that 'it doesn't have to make sense in our terms' as a story defense, but i do agree that 'it doesn't have to make sense' only works in particular kinds of story telling. Ones where the lack of logic, continuity or any idea what the hell is going on are the artist's points, the very message he's trying to send.

But then the defense is 'It's absurdist, it's not SUPPOSED to make sense....'

[bookworm51485]

She sounds like a compulsive liar. I tend to find boys are more likely to do this than girls, but it sounds like she's fabricating this made-up world to protect against people knowing who she really is. Possibly stays at home a lot and is single, or something. Whatever it is, she's not proud of her real self.

Might as well leave her to it; you'd struggle to make her snap out of it unless you found a group of friends she invests a lot of trust in by telling them her lies and then call her out in front of these friends with blatant contradictions in her story. But then, if she's not doing any harm, is it worth it?

I've pretty much just decided to avoid her as much as possible, 2nd author, except on those days when I'm feeling a little bitchy and she's perfect to annoy. I'd say she's harmless but in the process of figuring out how many accounts she has, I found that she attacks a lot of her readers, anyone who gives anything remotely resembling constructive criticism, even if it's layered under a lot of praise. So I'd say, free reign on screwing with the bitch. One person who responded to me actually sent me a copy of her review and a response she got to it:

Review:

I'm reading "Marriage Arrangements" and absolutely adore it. I honestly think it's a fantastic story. Um, my one suggestion, and it's JUST that: a suggestion, the use of 'then' 'than'. I also noticed 'bee' when it was supposed to be 'been' and a couple of other mistakes. Again, I do think that this is a fantastic storyline. I've never read anything where Lucius and Fred are a pairing and think it's quite brilliant. I love the writing style and I honestly felt so bad for Harry when he had to relive everything. I think your writing is wonderful and I plan on reading your other works. My only suggestion is to watch the grammar. I can't wait to finish reading "Marriage Arrangements".

Response:

HarrySnapeAlways

May 29th, 3:54pm set your suggestions on fire and shove them as far up your ** as they can go, for that is the only place they belong. Grammar ** police like you have no business on a site like this, read a ** novel. This is an amateur site, no professional editors, go ** on someone else, or better still, on yourself

But then the defense is 'It's absurdist, it's not SUPPOSED to make sense....'

Yeah, it is a pretty stupid argument. I think that it's just one for the lazy authors who don't want to put any actually effort into writing something that doesn't suck.

I think after getting a few other responses who said they had the same experience, and my own, personally, I'm really not out to feel sorry for her anymore.

[Velvet D Coolette]

Fucking hell, what a twat! Well, fair comment if she's playing that kind of game: give it to her with both barrells... when you can be arsed, of course

[xAingealx]

Review:

I'm reading "Marriage Arrangements" and absolutely adore it. I honestly think it's a fantastic story. Um, my one suggestion, and it's JUST that: a suggestion, the use of 'then' 'than'. I also noticed 'bee' when it was supposed to be 'been' and a couple of other mistakes. Again, I do think that this is a fantastic storyline. I've never read anything where Lucius and Fred are a pairing and think it's quite brilliant. I love the writing style and I honestly felt so bad for Harry when he had to relive everything. I think your writing is wonderful and I plan on reading your other works. My only suggestion is to watch the grammar. I can't wait to finish reading "Marriage Arrangements".

Response:

HarrySnapeAlways

May 29th, 3:54pm set your suggestions on fire and shove them as far up your ** as they can go, for that is the only place they belong. Grammar ** police like you have no business on a site like this, read a ** novel. This is an amateur site, no professional editors, go ** on someone else, or better still, on yourself

Ok where should I start. Oh yeah! I know! Wow! Someone had something shoved a little to far up their butt. And it is definatly not you. Holy poo, that chick/dude is crazy.

You did what I like to call (as does Stewie on Family Guy) the compliment sandwich, which is a compliment, critizisum (sp?), and then compliment again.

If anything your review was to nice, and I would advise her/him to get that bug outta their butt before it gets so big it kills them.

((And as a side note I know my grammar and spelling need work))

Edited September 28, 2009 by xAingealx