Why Do You Read Our Stories? [PAGE 15!]

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Jaya

@pink.lotus

Voyager

Posted: 13 years ago

#31

i read only fanfics that touch my emotions in the first chapter.

spelling and grammar are VERY important to me.. but if a writer can manage to touch emotions while writing in english, it goes without saying that the writer does have good grammar and spelling skills.

usually i go with fic recs from someone else.. so i know someone else thinks that story is good.. before i read it.

a few sentences in hindi are okay.. but too much hinglish bothers me, and i skip those.

I do return to read new stories from authors whom i know are good.. for example smitar, bingala, angelteen, firebolt, gargee, meera30, yuks, nayika, krani, telefan, inked, HoH, munchy.. oh well. too many more, including you!

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einstein88

@einstein88

Beginner

Posted: 13 years ago

#32

I read a fictional story for its content as in story line, characters- their bonds. The grammar or even the spelling mistake hardly matters. The simplest example for me would be harry potter. While reading the fictional world of that character I am so involved in it that, many a times I come across few words which are not in my vocab but I don't take a dictionary to find the meaning because gist of the sentence is anyways clear. Same way if story line and characters are endearing to you I guess one can easily discount the grammatical errors or bloopers or what else

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rhearuhi

@rhearuhi

Voyager

+ 5

Posted: 13 years ago

#33

Well for the following things don't work in a FF or a SS:

1. Don't like too many hindi words written in English script unless accompanied by a translation but even then I somehow lose the interest.

2. If the story is written in a too modern setting it does not appeal to me. I can't say I won't read such a story but I will not stalk it like I do tot he others...a present day setting is more appealing...city or village does not matter.

What works in a story:

1. a recommendation on the forum about a story.

2. Usually go back to check authors whose stories I have already read and liked.

3. A real gripping story.

4. Spellings and grammer are important because if their are too many mistakes it takes the fun out of reading but again if the story is too good then it can be tolerated but only to an extend...

I will be frank and tell you when you first started Kalarikkal house I did not take to it instantly because it did have a lot of different words in a language I had no clue about but after a few chapters the setting and the story over whelmed that and now I am so addicted to it that I stalk it day and night...and I love Lavender..I hope u will one day complete that story...the characters in that story and in Kalarikkal House are so different but both the stories are equally addictive and awesome...can't think of anything else at the moment...

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Deepa

@spvd

Trailblazer

+ 4

Posted: 13 years ago

#34

thanks Devi for this post...many would express themselves here...

well i read FFs and continue till the end for the plot, characterization, the way its been described...

and then i would like writers to make the presentation be clear with the right font and dark colors...sometimes its really frustrating when its not properly aligned like light colors or different font sizes...

language is one thing that will attract many but more than that the story will hold higher importance in FFs if the way its described at its best be it any language...English might not be everyone's forte but creativity and depth of the story should be there always for the writer to have a strong audience...

and most importantly as a reader i would request the writer to complete the FF once they have started and not leave it in the mid...even if u have a single reader, they should feel that they have one reader by their side throughout...many might find me silly for stating this but am saying this in the readers' POV...

i support and appreciate every writer in this IF and everywhere for not just writing and making us happy but for the creativity they come up with and their unique way of describing them...its not everyone's forte to write and possess creative thinking...i have read so many FFs in the past few years but still i cant write with such vigor...so writers never lose hope or doubt ur writing capabilities if u dont get many readers but try to improvise urself coz thats the only thing will make u a better writer...

a story is always successful if it creates many emotions in the readers...the reaction people give indicates the idea and creativity has reached them...be it positive or negative...or kinda emotion...

i have come to know about many many things reading these many FFs and me thinking and understanding range have completely changed...usage of the reality be it in the happy way or the sad (ra**) makes the people to come to know whats happening and what all atrocities the society is facing...

so from POV
- be it any language or how much ever grammar mistakes its ok but the story should gripping and what the writer wanted to express should reach us...

- the alignment helps a lot to not be frustrated...thought this is optional...

- no SMS lingos would be preferable...

- the most important thing is the description of the characters and the story...and the way it is done till the end...

- writer should complete the story at least by giving the gist of the remaining story if they are leaving it half way...

Edited by spvd - 13 years ago

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nj.123

@nj.123

Explorer

+ 5

Posted: 13 years ago

#35

Why do you read our stories? And by us, I mean any writer that you choose to read here and have been reading.

I am an ardent reader and reading novels keeps me busy most of the time but since I follow IPKKND I came across some very well written stories on IF that are just brilliantly written and I couldn't help getting hooked and becoming a regular reader and these stories allow me to see my favorite characters in a setting that is different from the show and sometimes I even find them much more addicting that the show.😊

What are you requirements for choosing and sticking with a story?

For me it is very important that the writer should know how to narrate the story with skill that will keep the reader engaged and captured in reading, I like stories that offer me something different from the cliched story lines, A great writer can convey the deepest emotions in the simplest words and any story that tugs at my heart and portrays the characters well makes me become a huge fan.

How important are things like spelling and grammar?

Spelling and Grammar are very important, small mistakes and typos are easily ignored but if grammatical errors are repetitive it makes the story look messy and makes it a tough read.

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duncanelise

@duncanelise

Explorer

Posted: 13 years ago

#36

Well, I have gone through a lot of fanfictions here on this forum, but an absolutely necessary prerequisite for me to continue with any of them is that the the writing should be free flowing. When the story jumps from one scenario to another without any link I between, and is written in a disjointed manner, it kind of irritates me. I love a strong plot, and good characterisation.Shades of grey by gargee and bingala is par excellence and it stands for everything that I love in a fan fiction. I love KH too, the story moves along in a very smooth manner, one scene melding into the other, so thank you writing such a wonderful one. I also love ATU and careless whispers... Those stories just leave me speechless.

I usually choose a story from the authors that I've already read. Sometimes I randomly go through the FF forum, and if I think the concept is good, then I decide to continue with it.

The spelling and grammar may not have to be perfect per se, but I can't tolerate the SMS language, or just completely ignoring punctuations.. Without punctuations its hard to tell the tone of what the character is saying. Sometimes the authors starts with the past perfect tense and suddenly changes to present perfect, and that irritates me a little bit, but if the plot is strong enough I still decide to read it, although I wish that it could have been written in a much better way.

I'm no writer, but I really appreciate all the effort that goes into a fanfiction. But if it is written in absolutely atrocious English, I really feel that they could have just put in a little more hardwork.

But that's just my opinion, to each her own..

Edited by duncanelise - 13 years ago

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nuts

@nuts

Explorer

Posted: 13 years ago

#37

Hey Devi first of all sorry for not commenting on KH for a while now. To be very honest I have over 20 chapters to catch up on and I hope to do it one day soon.

As for ur queries, I read stories that I can connect to. I am not particularly into television characters, I read any intresting story. Stories in different setting mimicking real life are a pull. Am not into dark and twisted stories, as I get too affected by them. I prefer light romantic ones, esp ones where the hero and heroine are equals and love verbal duels between them (quite like ur works). Love stories where the female character has spirit and gumption. I also generally stick to writers whose work I have read previously and liked. I watch out for thier stories and keep track of them. I also give a read to some recommended stories esp by authors I like and then stick through to the ones I like.

Grammar and spelling are important, else it becomes tedious to read. Also I am terrible at all this text lingo and so by the time I figure out what the author is getting at, I lose track of the plot. So even though the premise is good, I would not stick with a FF with bad language. Also I find too many hindi dialogues in english hard to read as it is not my first language. I generally prefer FF in english, though I loved BIFA, coz it had bits in tamil and KH coz u have translations there.

I also prefer FFs where the authors update regularly without 3 to 4 months gap, as I tend to forget the plot and then have to start from scratch again. Garish fonts and threats to not update without 20 pages of comments put me off, though I do comment on the ones I like.

Thank you for opening up a discussion on this topic, don't know to what u were referring to about the previous discussion, but am sure will catch with it soon.

Edited by nuts - 13 years ago

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Rehanna aka Parri

@Black_Paradize

Inactive

+ 6

Posted: 13 years ago

#38

First of all thanks alot for making such a positive post among all this negativity...seriously i am tired of reading posts that are full of sarcasim and are meant to offend people whom they dont like. so the questions u have asked were

Why do you read our stories? And by us, I mean any writer that you choose to read here and have been reading.

well i have many reasons to be honest... i'll state them priority wise.

1. if the plot is interesting.

2. if i trust a write that he/she is according to my taste.

3. if i want to encourage some one because i know she can do well than she is doing or can grow more if she keeps on practicing.(regardless of me knowing her, thts how i play my constructive part)

4. if the writting is understandable enough for me... (its obvious that i dont care about gramer at all untill i am able to understand the content in one read)

What are your requirements for choosing and sticking with a story?

My requirements...

1. i just see how less cheezy and realistic the content is...

2. i search for intensity... and by intensity i mean some spice... if every thing is perfect and fine...then its not my cup of tea..

3. the charachterization of a FF... for example i saw many people who charachterized Arnav as weak charachter, in jail, have cancer,have bla bla bla deficencies, is insane(as i only read Arshi stories) where as i have an impression of Arnav being a strong head powerful alpha male...so what i usually do when i see Arnav having cancer is to click the X button silently...without teasing the author to correct himself and make him stronger like i want him to be...i mean for heaven sake people...its his story and he is writting a FF not some facts in daily news paper tht i shd be worried if he's is portraying a charachter wrongly...

How important are things like spelling and grammar?

For me its not a big deal unless i am unable to read the content... and even i am unable to read the content i will not be insulting the writter to correct herself...like i said before on many posts...IF is not english language class...nor American embassy is paying us for tht... so if i dont like the way writter is writting what i usually do is to simply click the X button...coz its an entertainment portal and i am here to enjoy only..and to become a teacher or some sati savitri, or Godess of Truth, or Rakhi Sawant🤓 for heaven sake 😆

Edited by Black_Paradize - 13 years ago

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segad

@segad

Inactive

Posted: 13 years ago

#39

I am a reader. What turns me off?

Heading the list would be

Entire stories written in SMS lingo. Not interested, not gonna bother to read. Logic is simple, if you as a writer cannot be bothered to write fully, I as a reader don't care to read.

Glorification of violence against women is a definite turn off.

There are some stories even now on the forum, written by good writers that seem to believe that it is OK to label a story as dark and have the male character indulge in horrific acts on the female. Of course he is blameless because it is all a misunderstanding and then he cares for her and everything is A OK because they love each other.

There are others where kidnap, rape, sexual harassment in the workplace are trivialized. Not acceptable. I don't care what the background of the male protagonist is, none of the above are acceptable.

Mindless sexual acts that seem to be written for the sole purpose of titillation. They have no place in the storyline and no foundation has even been laid. It borders on p*rn. That is not why I am on the forum.

Descriptions of sexual acts by writers who obviously have no experience and hence are focused on textbook descriptions or worse, descriptions from cheesy romance novels. As a reader, it is easy to identify the maturity level of the writer from the written word. Sex is more between the ears and less between the legs. A wise woman mentioned that to me once and I have never forgotten.

Recycling of scenes from the serial/show reveals to me a paucity of imagination in the writer.

Poor grammar/syntax: I understand a few errors and if I feel that English language is new to the writer, I can overlook a few errors but too many errors indicates that the writer either doesn't know better or worse, doesn't care. Either way, not good. Even if English is not your first language, it is easy enough to ask someone to proof your work for grammatical errors. Even one of your readers, maybe. Read the comments and pick someone who seems to have a good grasp of the language.

Endless detailed descriptions of clothing as part of the ambiance development, particularly if I am so unfamiliar with the mentioned brands/designers/whatever, that I almost need to go online and look it up to get a sense of what was being described. To be honest, I will just skip such descriptions. As a reader, I equate such writing with intellectual snobbery. Not appealing. Descriptions of places are fine as I can visualize a verdant green mountain slope without the need to look it up.

Well, now on the other hand, as a reader, what is it that gets me hooked to a story?

Kalarikkal House, Unexpectedly Expected, Master Class, Fighting Fire with Fire, Pursuit of Love, -khushi (about last night)

These are some of the stories that have me hooked right now. So to best answer the question, I took a look at these stories to identify the common threads.

Innovative story line - Yes, they all have some or all of the characters from the show but they take them in a different direction. They have something in common with and yet distinct from the show. This enables me to visualize the scenes in the story but does not ape the show.

Well written with minimum errors in English grammar/syntax. I can be understanding of errors but I can also be picky. If I know a particular writer can write at a higher level, I have no qualms in letting them know if they slip up. Blame that on a lifetime spent in Quality.

Well presented in that the writing looks mature. Bright Comic Sans lettering in large font, clearly indicative of an immature writer in my book.

To my mind, a story is successful when the characters take on a life and I find myself wondering what will happen next.

This is becoming a marathon post so I will stop here. But if any of the writers feel the need for any clarification, please PM me.

Edited by segad - 13 years ago

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Vee

@reflorated

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 13 years ago

#40

I'll be brutally honest here.

I did not join the forum because I was a huge IPK phangurl... to be honest, the fangirling grew to me AFTER I joined the forum.

So for me, reading a story... I wont read it JUST for arnav and khushi. For me, the best stories are those which have a plot, and the writer knows how to do justice to it. There should be a semblance of control, like how much information to give... and when to give it. A writer should ALWAYS proof-read their work, because it feels wierd, when you read something which has booboo's in it, and last, but not the least, the characters and the situations in the story should be believable. I would read a particular author... if i enjoy the way they go about their stories, and have good command over the language they are writing in...

Here I'd like to refer you guys back to some of the best FF's I know. And an FF most of you may have read. Yep... I am talking of KH, by the author of this post.

Kalarikkal House, by far is one of the best I have read on the forum (nope, not flattering) and not just for the concept and the setting, but also for the way the author has weaved this beautiful story... it grabs you attention first hand.

For me, I'd like to read a story where I relate to the characters, be it the bad guy or the good guy. Also, the story should catch my attention from the first chapter.

I also lose interest very quickly if an author has the same base in every story... as in... not the same plot... but the same base. An example- suppose an author specialises in writing teen romances... something like twilight. Now I have nothing against stories like this... but writing along set lines every time gets a tad uninteresting for me to read. Another thing that turns me off the reading, is when the author repeatedly uses the SAME words a lot of times. It gives a sense of deja vu, not something I particularly enjoy.

Not knowing spelling and grammar, and then attempting to write a story is somewhat like driving, without knowing the traffic rules. Spelling and grammar are very important, and so is keeping the font as basic as you can. The last part may seem irrelevant, but when I see a post in VIBGYOR, I quickly go back to leafing the forum, without checking the post out, however brilliant the post may be. Please keep the colours at bay, my eyes hurt when I see the flashy colours.

In order to write a good story, one needs to-

a) have a good story to tell

b) create strong characters

c) have an ability to think out of the box

d) be open to constructive criticism

e) not write along a set line EVERY time. Experimentation doesn't really harm.

Also- I suggest that authors go local as opposed to citing exotic locations like Spain and blah blah. You can write best about what you have experienced. And if you draw from experience, you will be able to make it sound more believable... more real, if you get what I mean. Think global. Go local. And keep writing.

Also- you cannot become a good writer after just writing once. There is no rocket science to writing. Just reach for a paper, a pen and write. Keep yourself open for any nugget of information... and RESEARCH WELL.

What pisses me off most is when people don't bother researching what they are writing about. The other day, I read this OS about a pregnant Khushi eating PAPAYA!! Come on... really? and no, she wasn't trying to kill the kid off.

HERE is an example of everything I have come to hate on the forum.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/iss-pyaar-ko-kya-naam-doon/3191890/one-shit-hp-lakshmi-ka-pyaar

I hope this helps Devi :') I'm glad you made this post :)

-V

Edited by V323 - 13 years ago