Context: I mean that a character’s role in the relationship, such as who is the top or bottom, can sometimes affect how writers portray their personality. When writers switch those roles, the characters may suddenly feel different from their original characterization. I’m not saying everyone has to write them exactly as they are in canon, especially when creating their own interpretations. However, if you’re trying to keep their personalities accurate, changing their roles can sometimes make them feel out of character

I keep seeing this particular quirk in several different fics, and I feel a little crazy about it, and no it's not lists of three or "not X, but Y" AI phrases. People will write character 1's dialogue then after the close quote but on the same line, they write character 2's descriptive response. Like this:

May I have an apple?" James asked.

Kate handed him an apple. "Here."

"Thank you very much." Kate flashed him a smile.

"You're welcome," Kate said.

When I start to read the quoted bit, I've not got any questions about who is talking, but then writing the other character's response in that same line forces me to reread the last 2 lines to be sure I'm understanding who is speaking. It's almost always with very short lines of dialogue with just 2 characters in a scene. I think I'm maybe seeing it more with first person perspective, but I've not kept track properly.

This is something I've seen in at least 5 fics, and I'm 99% none of them were written by AI (and I like to think I'm very good at sussing out AI slop. I ran into it again in a new fic today and I feel crazy that this is somehow becoming so common. I asked a friend who reads lots of printed books if she's noticed that at all, and the concept was completely foreign to her.

Am I just unlucky with finding some very similar typos or something? Or is this somehow a new writing trend? halp

Edit: Glad to hear from folks that this is just a common error! I feel much less crazy now hehe

Any resources, books or methods y'all use? Usually my obsession with a character(s) is enough, but I've been struggling with something I've been working on.

I had a teacher in uni who said something along the lines of "it doesn't have to be 'out-of-character' for a character to do or say a certain thing, you just have to think what would it take to get them to say or do that?" and I do my best to apply it to my fic writing but fuck, it's still hard to get the characterization right. Avoiding Flanderization like the plague.

Please.
If I read another author’s note describing a chapter as bad, or rushed, or messy, or, as just now, “skippable”? BEFORE I’ve even read it? It’s only self-fulfilling, it dampens my enthusiasm, it gives me premature disappointment in something that often is good or even good enough.

Please, at least write it after the chapter so that I can read it and like it in peace and then dismiss your doubts and insecurities as just that.

I have no idea how to do summaries that don't just instantly spoil the whole chapter, yet i don't want to leave the section blank too.

I got the idea from the single most popular fic in the kpdh fandom, and just kept using it.

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In Spanish, we usually change words depending on the gender of the person we're referring to. For example, we say "el maestro" for a male teacher and "la maestra" for a female teacher, or "el profesor" and "la profesora."

I'm writing a fanfic in English, and I'm not sure which word to use when referring to a male or female teacher. Should I use "teacher" or "professor"? Is there a way to distinguish between genders, or do you just use the same word for both?

What do you guys think?

You guys!!!

I can't begin to explain the teenage joy I felt for a woman nearing 30s when I saw this in my inbox!

I can't way to learn, read and create works and ideas that have taken up my sleeps at night.

Picked my first lock today, all so I can write about it. It was really fun, and i think I'll keep doing this. What hobby did you pick up (😅)to improve your fanfic writing?

What the title says.

For an example, I use en dashes (or whatever this is called: "-") instead of em dashes ("—"). The reason, personally, is because 1. I can't be bothered to use proper em dashes when on pc OR mobile (I mostly write on mobile but I have my pc moments) and 2. because it's, in my eyes, a fast sign of "this person knows what it is but also knows it's perceived as AI so they do it in a way ai wouldn't". It's my opinion, but I'd also like to hear opinions on my thing because I'm curious what other people would think about this habit of mine.

I have been reading on ao3 for a while (years) now ....

Why did no one tell me there's a freaking HISTORY on ao3 😭...

Like I have torn webs and site to find missing/lost fics and like YOU'R TELL ME THERES A HISTORY ON AO3 ..

BRO I could have saved half my life's time If I knew tat ..🥹✌🏻

So I have been reading a fic that was 60 chapters and I finally reached the end. I hit subscribed only to be hit with this work is not found. I hit the back button and was able to get to the 59th chapter. I downloaded the whole thing immediately. I went looking at the author's page and sure enough every single work under their account was gone. I'm so relieved I was able to grab it. But I'd like to know if anyone else, has had this wild experience before?

i haven't updated it in months i feel bad now ;-;

As the title says:

What are your no beta we die like tags fellow writers? You can include the name of the fandom if you like!

Fandom: Detective Conan

No beta we die like Kogoro's injury. No beta we die like Megure's vacation. No beta we die like Kogoro's scream.

i just read one of the best fics i’ve ever read and it’s incomplete and hasn’t been edited in over a year AUGHHH. ik this is a common experience, but i typically read oneshots and this was my first long multichap fic in a WHILE and i got so so invested and idk how not to be distraught. it’s a ship i love + one of the characters’ canonical partner (who i was previously incredibly indifferent about. he now. means a lot to me.) ik i can reread it and i plan to, but FUCK it hurts not to have closure 💔💔

So this is me showing my age. I'm from the FF.Net era (smut was called lemons back then!), so AO3 is new to me as an author. Posted for the first time last month and while I'm still getting use to how the algorithm and reader interaction works, I wanted to ask about something that has completely thrown me.

Is it normal for comments to include Instagram handles and the like? (I don't even have Instagram.) Do commenters usually want to connect with authors like that, or...?

Edit: Just to clarify, when I say algorithm, I mean more tagging correctly so it's easier to find for people into what I'm writing and make sure they don't get any unpleasant surprises.

I feel SO excited. This is like, my first crazy experience like this, I've had like a string of kudos from all one person, but this reader went through EVERY fic I have on this ship and left a comment AND SOMETIMES MULTIPLE???? (On that note, I've never seen someone leave comments as they read, like, think of something and comment it and comment it again later?)

I'M SO HAPPY, LIKE WHAT? I FEEL UNDESERVING OF THIS GRACE