A message to authors: Is there a fail fic?

A/N: Please bear in mind that this is just my personal opinion and you don't have to agree with me.

So I came across these blogs/tumblrs: asianfanficsfail.tumblr.com and asianfanfic.tumblr.com, a new addition thanks to conchobar is WTFAsianfanfics.tumblr.com

Basically they're blogs where the owners submit/receive submission of things considered as "fail" in AFF.

What makes me decide to write this blog post is because of the first post I read from asianfanficsfail, where someone asked the blogger to not be so hard on AFF writers. Apparently these writers decided to delete their chapters because the criticisms on these blogs. I have had a few of my favourite authors leave AFF because their works get plagiarized/stolen or they get hateful comments or and criticisms on their fics.

What these blogs mostly feature/say about "fail" fanfics:

1. Author with bad grammars/English shouldn't write

I have to say that I need to disagree with this because writing is not just about grammar/spellings, it is about telling a story. As reference, I am a fourth year international non-English native journalism student in Australia. My professors often say that writing is not about technical issues, it is about conveying what you want to say. As long as the message come across, no matter how bad the grammar is, then you have suceeded in telling your story.

2. POVs/character description/etc are not needed when the author is good

Again, what makes a good author is a good story-teller who manages to get his/her story across. What means he/she uses to tell the story is irrelevant. In fact, I think these authors are really kind to put in extra hardwork to help their readers understand the story more easily.

3. "Bad" plot/ scene/title/poster/formatting style/etc

Is there such thing as bad plot/title/poster? I think there is none, it is art and art is not like math/science/any school exams where you get scored between 0-100. It is simply a matter of taste and self expression. There is no such thing as fail in art. Think of Pablo Picasso/Michelangelo. If people say your fanfic is bad, it simply means that "your self expression does not match their taste". That is all there is, never let theses critics get in your way of expressing yourself.

4. Scenes that don't make sense or are laughable

I had seen something like this before in aarinfantasy before where people posted fics that don't make sense. It makes me think now, does writing/art in general have to make sense? I personally like crack fic. I don't take those kinds of fics seriously but still enjoy it. If you do imagine a person having on top of a roof and write it, is that wrong? Again, writing is an expression of self, including your imagination, and imagination is limitless

I don't think I am a great writer myself but I love to write. This is important, dear authors who read this blog post (thank you for reading, by the way), write for yourself and never for the others. It is okay if you take in criticism to revise/improve your writing, but only revise/improve/redo your writing when you want to. What are criticisms? They are simply things that can help your writings get more acknowledgement. You are the writer and although it is great if the others love your writings, the most important thing is to have you, the author, to love your own writing no matter how little views/subscribers you get. Isn't that what make you write at first? Hate comments criticizing your bad fics? Never let it get in your way of wanting to write. Cheers.

Aceparan made a good point that escaped my mind: to write is a right :) I love this.

Shierine

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elihotaru #1
Wise words, ai.. Wise words (y)
Yes..yes for no.3 (╯‵□′)╯""┻━┻☆(˚▽ °) its the matter of taste~
And yes for no.1 (ʃƪ ื▿ ื) whatever I don't care as long as it's still readable~
informantxgirl #2
The biggest fail for me is 'writers' who bully the readers. I'm sorry, but demanding a certain number of comments or subscribers or whatever before posting a new chapter? Absurd to the nth degree. As it was noted, writing is for you, the writer, first and foremost, because the writer is always the first reader, and everyone else is just an angel who takes time out of their busy lives to read what, for many, is a highly personal exploration of aspects of your own psyche. I love my readers, silent and otherwise, and I would never, ever bully them in anyway. For me, anyone who threatens their readers or is sarcastic to them has written a 'fail' fic, no matter how interesting, well-crafted, etc. the story is.
aceparan #3
You should definitely write for yourself and not others. People who criticize too much probably don't know a second language themselves or know how hard it is to write in it. Writing is a talent just like any other and some people may not be as good as others but they still have a right to do it. It's the same as drawing or painting or anything else. Even if we aren't talented if we like it we should keep doing it.

Thanks for writing this post because hopefully writers who have been discouraged from writing may feel like quitting. It's a shame if they do.

Like all art: we only get better the more we do it! Their English and writing will get better in time even if they aren't naturally talented. If you have a story, tell it!

Thanks again for writing this ^^
peachysoo #4
Well, the first blog hasn't been updated in months and the second one hasn't been updated in 2 years. So they're not really relevant, but if you want to know the most relevant one, I suggest wtfasianfanfics (which is basically reblogging of ual themes/scenes in fic that don't make sense, are impossible ually, and are just strange and laughable - which makes sense, because I'm pretty sure the people that write fics that get featured there are either trolls or young writers that don't understand the technicalities when it comes to and decide to use words like flesh taco for or other awkward things) because that one is actually kind of hilarious sometimes.

However, when people complain about AFF, it's usually because they see fic that has a decently high reading level, has wonderful characterization, good plot, good grammar, etc... get sidelined for a fic with 50+ chapters with anywhere between having decent characters, writing, or plot, but none usually have all three. So a lot of writers, especially people who have been in fandom for a while don't understand/can't wrap their head around something like that when you go to any other fandom where the general populous of AFF says is good fic is actually more like mediocre fic in other fandoms. So essentially the older generation or the people who know about fandom and are a part of other fandoms where the fic is generally at a higher reading level and is constructed well, some of them can't understand how some of the popular fics here get featured while stories they views as great and basically meet the standards of what would be considered good fic in their other fandoms is pretty upsetting.
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