Right now I'm just a reader on AFF.  I would really, really like to write myself (I have three, make that four, stories in my head already), but as fate would have it I'm in the midst of what might be the most stressful year of my life...and I don't see that I will have the time to waste gallivanting around in my imagination.  I also thought it would be cruel to start a fic only to abandon it once the year from hell starts.  So, yeah, I'll be around reading for stress relief when I get the chance.  If I haven't commented as quickly as I normally do I'm probably disgustingly busy.

 

I may be new to AFF, but I've been around Asian fandoms for a while.  I've watched a lot of Jdramas, Kdramas, TWdramas, listened to J/K/TW/C music, and read fanfictions before in a different community.  K-groups I like or have listened to include Super Junior, SHINee, 2PM, Big Bang, 2NE1, f(x), Infinite, Beast, B1A4, Miss A,  F.T Island, CNBlue, MBLAQ, SS501, Teen Top, U-Kiss, Girl's Generation, Jay Park, Wonder Girls, Sunny Hill, etc. (I don't necessarily know the names of everyone in all the groups).

 

At this point some of my favorite pairings are: Eunhyuk + Donghae (either topping, I could care less), Kangin + Leeteuk, Heechul + Han Geng, Minho + Taemin, Minho + Key, Key + Taemin, Doojoon + Yoseob, Junhyung + Hyunseung, among others

 

The pairings that don't really interest me include: Eunhyuk or Donghae paired with anyone besides each other (although I'm acquiring a small soft spot for really well-written KyuHyuk), Heechul + Siwon, Kyuhyun + Sungmin (yeah, just don't like this one, although I know a lot of people are into it.  I've only read one story where I even kinda liked how Kyumin was written), Jonghyun + Minho (eww.), and I don't really read GuyxGirl stuff without some compelling reason - just ain't my thing (those "you" fics weird me out - just no)

 

I'm a er for character/story development - if there isn't any I probably won't waste my time reading.  Plot devices alone are like reading a documentary to me, and that is seriously boring.  I'll forgive a lot of plot devices if the character development is good.  Other things that bug me include gender-bending and guys acting way too girly - especially making guys cross dress just to force them to act more girly (in a well plotted and thoroughly thought out story this can turn out okay, but most of the time it's just an excuse to put a character in drag - if they wanted a girl, wouldn't they go out with a girl?!).

 

My tiny little stupid list of writing mistakes to avoid (or, I like to rant even when no one is listening):

 

This list is as much a reminder for me as it is a guide for people that struggle with these issues.

 

1.  No Punctuation, or really lousy punctuation.  Yeah.  This one is obvious.  Why people bother to do this is what I don't understand.

2.  Lack of speaker clarity.  I can't say how many times I've had to back up and say "Wait.  Who's saying what?"  There are a few instances where leaving the speaker vague is an important part of the story - for most fanfiction this is not the case - the author (because they know who is talking) doesn't realize how confusing the dialogue really is.  Punctuating Properly helps, but when in doubt - stick in who is talking.

3. Cliché's: Oh my word, some of these little buggers just make otherwise great paragraphs fizzle.  I don't think I should just drum out a current list right here, but this is just a little encouragement to be creative when considering word choice.  There's going to be some overlap with the way things are said, but it's always good to try and avoid the most obvious cliché's.  Okay, one example is "hot cavern".  Every time I read that all I think is: *frustrated sigh* not again.  It doesn't sound as good as people think it does, and even if it did it loses any pull because it is so overused.

4.  Theasaurus Abuse: On the other hand there is something I like to call theasaurus abuse.  I didn't coin the phrase, but I've seen this little monster creep in when people are trying to be too diverse in their word choice.   Often theasaurus abuse happens when people abuse some electronic theasaurus like the one available in Word.  Just because something is in a list of synonyms does not mean it carries exactly the same meaning.  Theasaurus abuse is when someone picks a synonym for one word without considering that the connotation, or shades of meaning, are way different than the word that was replaced.  I think the effort to diversify word choice is a good one, just don't put in words you don't fully understand.  In the worst case scenario someone's story ends up reading more like a collegiate thesis, by that I mean lots of big words you look at and go - huh?

3.  Quite vs. Quiet vs. Quit:  I see this mistake way too often for it to be just an accumulation of typos.

      Quite (meaning actually, very, or completely - an adverb): This room is quite dusty;  You are quite the silly one;  We've lived here quite a while.

      Quiet (slent or calm - not loud adjective, sometimes a verb): The room was quiet as a tomb. (adjective)  The street was disturbingly quiet.  (adjective)  He tried to quiet the crying boy. (verb)

      Quit (to stop doing something, resign, leave - generally a verb): Don't quit your job;  Quit struggling;  He quit singing in frustration.

4.  Your vs You're:  This is easy to check - if you can replace You're with you are you picked the right one.

      Your is possessive:  Your skirt is on fire; That is your shoe. 

      You're is a shortening of You are:  You're silly (You are silly); What do you think you're doing (you are doing)?

5.  Its vs It's: Again, easy to check this - if you can replace It's with It is then you you picked the right one

      Its is possessive: Joe is its owner; I never knew its name.

      It's is a shortening of It is: It's (it is) hot in here; I never knew it's (it is) allergic to peanuts.

6.  There vs. Their vs They're: One of these (they're) is a contraction again - as in "They are"

      There tells you where:  There is the toilet paper; Go over there; I love that restaurant over there.

      Their is multiple people possessing something: That is their house; Why aren't you their friend?

      They're is a shortening of They are: They're (They are) my friends; They're (They are) always in the way.

7.  To vs. Too: This one is easy but so many people screw up here.  I think it's primarily a typo issue.

      To is a preposition: Go to bed.  Where are you going to go? 

      Too (an adverb) often modifies something:  That is too crazy;  I love you too much; Why don't you try it too? 

      Here's a good example of both in action: I'm too tired to talk to you.

8.  Then vs. Than: Or when do I use than?  Than is primarily used when you're comparing things.

      Than: You're nicer than anyone I've ever met;  I'd rather die than be your friend.

      Then often indicates when something will occur:  I'll eat the cookie then the cake;  If you leave then I will cry.

      And both at once:  If you are nicer than me then I am going to cry. 

9.  Lose vs. Loose: Okay, lose is a verb while loose is an adjective.

      Lose (verb) other tenses include lost, loss:  Don't lose my keys;  I'm trying to lose the man stalking me.

      Loose (adjective) is often something not attached well:  She's such a loose woman;  He's got a few screws loose upstairs.

      And both at once:  If the screws on your bicycle go loose you might lose them. 

10: Affect vs. Effect: This is one I still struggle with.  An affect is something that influences something or someone while an effect is often something that results from an action.

      Affect (often a verb):  When it rains it affects my mood; Does my beauty affect your heart rate? The woman was not affected by the news of the car accident.

      Effect (often a noun, sometimes a verb) Thinking cause and effect can help: The drug had an effect on me (noun);  The politician wanted to effect change in the taxation system (verb);  What effect does this button have?  He said you were stupid, or something to that effect. 

      To reiterate: The rain has an effect on my mood.  vs  The rain affects my mood.

11: Threw vs. Through vs. Thru (and though, and thorough just to be thorough XD)

      Threw (verb - past tense of throw):  Jill threw the ball; The kiss threw him for a loop.

                                                               NEVER: He walked threw the park.  (Don't throw the park, seriously!)

      Through (never used as a verb):  He walked through the park; Blood pumped quickly through his veins; My dog tried to walk through the sliding glass door;  His date showed up when the movie was already half through;  My spring break is March 15 through March 25.  His girlfriend said they were through.  Etc., etc.

       Thru (juvenile text-junkie version of "through"):  Using this in the text of your story makes you look like a thirteen-year-old girl that thinks life = text messages.  Don't use this abbreviated version of through in a story.  It carries a different connotation with it.  What does that mean?  Good example: "After they broke up, he ran blindly through the rain."  This sentence is about people breaking up so you want it to sound serious, not distract readers with this:  "After they broke up, he ran blindly thru the rain."  Okay, that's not serious, I just want to crack up laughing at this sentence.  ONE EXCEPTION:  sometimes this word is used in accepted formats like "drive-thru window".  That's the only tolerable example I can think of right now, if I find more I'll add them!

      Thorough (often meaning done completely with great care):  He thoroughly searched the room for his lost shoe;  The lawyer was decidedly thorough in his analysis.  This isn't a hard one.  I think people just forget how to spell and instead of looking up the word they take blind stabs in the dark and misspell this word (and all the others here).

       Though (often can mean however, but this is a widely used word!):  His real name was David, though everyone called him Dave.  You're not really a jerk though, are you?  We still walked home together, even though it was raining.  (Although can sometimes be used instead - but not always!)

        Combo sentences:  I threw the ball though the drive-thru window. (please don't try this at home)

                                       Though he was not thorough in studying for math, he still pulled high marks on the exam.

12.  Poor vs. Pour vs. Pore:  Spelling errors with these three words can be really embarrassing!

       Poor (adjective - often not having money, or lacking in some area):  You're a poor singer;  My family used to be poor;  Oh, my poor child!

       Pour (verb - often meaning rapid flow):  The waiter came to pour my drink;  Fanletters continued to pour into the office;  She decided to pour her heart out to her best friend;  We got stuck in a downpour on the way home.

       Pore (noun - yeah, it's those holes in your skin that produce oil and get clogged causing zits and blackheads.  Eww.)  Pimples happen when a pore is clogged;  My pores look huge in the mirror!  There are other rather scientific uses of the word for example: pores in wood or rocks, but often the word used is "Porous" and not pore.  I put this one here so people won't make a mistake and use it instead of pour or poor.  It is a word, but you probably won't have much cause to use it, unless you are writing about problems with acne (and mistakenly using it makes otherwise good sentences really hilarious).

       Combo sentence:  The poor little girl just poured out her heart and soul when she sang.

If I made any mistakes/errors in this little guide feel free to tell me.   I may amend this list from time to time.