![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Thus far I would have to say that my biggest writing pet peeve is not knowing if I'm being too vague. I hate stating the obvious - or what I feel is stating the obvious - and wonder, sometimes, if in my attempt not to clutter a story up with what I feel is obvious just leaves readers confused. Or if what I'm doing does work but only if the reader is actually paying attention to what they read.
This is basically a universal ordeal for both my original fiction and fanfiction, but I'll use fanfiction as an example. More specifically, my Doctor Who story (10th Doctor). It's a "five things" story, where the "five things" are organized by season and companion, starting with Rose, then Martha, then Sarah Jane (as a cameo appearance between seasons), then Donna, then the TARDIS.
I had my sister read the story. She was confused by number five, wanting to know why the Doctor was alone and who the companion was supposed to be. I had thought that, by going in order, she would have realized that it was the end of Journey's End. I even make mention of certain incidents from the finale. Enough, I thought, to let the reader know that number five takes place directly after that episode.
So was I not clear enough? Was my sister not paying close enough attention (she does multi-task like crazy on the computer)? I'm not sure. I didn't want to actually have to rehash the episode as it always annoys me when other stories do that: write entire paragraphs dedicated to the retelling of the episode, amounting to what could be considered a synopsis or major spoiler.
I think I sometimes rely too much on my readers to think logically and realize something based on "what makes sense." It's hard to know when it's a pit fall and when it isn't, because some readers are good at catching the understatments and some seem to want everything spelled out for them (I empahsize "seem").
I need to find me some trustworthy readers to get a more majority opinion on things for my original stuff.
This is basically a universal ordeal for both my original fiction and fanfiction, but I'll use fanfiction as an example. More specifically, my Doctor Who story (10th Doctor). It's a "five things" story, where the "five things" are organized by season and companion, starting with Rose, then Martha, then Sarah Jane (as a cameo appearance between seasons), then Donna, then the TARDIS.
I had my sister read the story. She was confused by number five, wanting to know why the Doctor was alone and who the companion was supposed to be. I had thought that, by going in order, she would have realized that it was the end of Journey's End. I even make mention of certain incidents from the finale. Enough, I thought, to let the reader know that number five takes place directly after that episode.
So was I not clear enough? Was my sister not paying close enough attention (she does multi-task like crazy on the computer)? I'm not sure. I didn't want to actually have to rehash the episode as it always annoys me when other stories do that: write entire paragraphs dedicated to the retelling of the episode, amounting to what could be considered a synopsis or major spoiler.
I think I sometimes rely too much on my readers to think logically and realize something based on "what makes sense." It's hard to know when it's a pit fall and when it isn't, because some readers are good at catching the understatments and some seem to want everything spelled out for them (I empahsize "seem").
I need to find me some trustworthy readers to get a more majority opinion on things for my original stuff.
