• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Author Habits That Annoy You

Honestly? The only thing, that I could name is the over-reliance of one Gosho Aoyama to the "Murder in the locked room"-mystery. Honestly, every third to fourth Detective-Conan-Manga has these and every time it's treated as this big mystery , when even Kogoro Mori should have said "Huh - a murder in a locked room. Okay... probably someone used a certain trick."

One could say, that I am annoyed by this constant need to make everything grim'n'gritty, that plagues at least me since "Batman begins", that even infected Bond, Stargate and also Star Trek, and that, apparently, the only way of getting back at least some levity can lead into complete absurdity.

But besides that...

I gotta say, I'm a guy, who tries to write himself and I know that it's hard, that trying to find the right words to evoke the right emotion is complicated and that sometimes, although I love doing that, writing is just a frakking nightmare. So, I'm very chilled about the habits of the authors. I mean, I don't even have a problem with Mary-Sue-Characters, even in published novels.

Old Shatterhand in the Winnetou-novels was a Gary Stu, and the generation of my parents and partially grand-parents did read these novels and watched the movies. Same goes for Kara Ben-Nemsi - it's also a Gary Stu, which should not surprise, it's the same Author after all: Karl May.

In the Winnetou-Novels Winnetou calls his friend Old Shatterhand "Scharlih" - which comes from "Charlie" - and what is the Authors name? Karl - the german form of "Charlie".

And there is Kara Ben-Nemsi - it means "Karl - offspring of the Germans" - and at least Scharlih Shatterhand knew everything, could do anything, even though he was just a greenhorn, but he was a better tracker than the more seasoned Sam Hawkens, knocked the enemies down with just one punch - and you know what? These stories were popular nonetheless.
 
I can think of one author who uses the word "smirk" as meaning "a wry smile" and that irritates me as it alters the meaning of passages. This might be a difference between American English usage and English usage.

That's probably me, since I've gotten notes about that from copyeditors in the past, and I admit I'm not clear on what other word could be used in its stead. I mean, "she smiled wryly" is rather awkward.


My other general irritation is more to do with evolution of language across the years. For example "passed on" used to be the usage: now it's "passed". (As a snob, I think it should be "dead" anyway), But in universe the expression should not have changed.

If anything, "passed" seems more archaic to my ear. And I would've thought "passed away" was more common than either. Could be a regional thing.



I think with MJF, my big issue is how often he seems to rely on using apostrophes in alien names. Seems sometimes like every alien species or even individual has at least one apostrophe, if not more. Just kinda wish there was more variety in his way of saying “this is an alien.” But it’s really just kind of a pet peeve over an actual irritant.

Is Chief O'Brien an alien? Was D'Artagnan an alien? Apostrophes are used in a number of Earth names. I'll never understand the perception that they're some kind of unnatural way of conveying alienness. If anything, I think they might well be more common in "alien" names, by analogy with how non-Western languages are transliterated. The glottal stop in Arabic is represented by an apostrophe (which is where Marc Okrand borrowed it from for Klingonese), and the older Wade-Giles romanization scheme for Mandarin Chinese used apostrophes heavily to differentiate variances in pronunication, e.g. between "ch'i" (qi) and "chi" (ji) or "t'ang" (tang) and "tang" (dang).



I mean, I don't even have a problem with Mary-Sue-Characters, even in published novels.

Old Shatterhand in the Winnetou-novels was a Gary Stu, and the generation of my parents and partially grand-parents did read these novels and watched the movies. Same goes for Kara Ben-Nemsi - it's also a Gary Stu, which should not surprise, it's the same Author after all: Karl May.

That's something that bugs me -- people broadening "Mary Sue" beyond its intended definition of a poorly written fan-insert guest character and use it to mean "a character I dislike created by the original author." When the definition of a term of criticism becomes that flexible, it becomes meaningless as a criticism and is reduced to a mere epithet.
 
That's something that bugs me -- people broadening "Mary Sue" beyond its intended definition of a poorly written fan-insert guest character and use it to mean "a character I dislike created by the original author." When the definition of a term of criticism becomes that flexible, it becomes meaningless as a criticism and is reduced to a mere epithet.

Yup, people do that. I mean, that's something, I read concerning Kirk in the "Kirk-lives-Again"-Saga by William Shatner and concerning Michael in Discovery. And maybe we should narrow the "Mary Sue/Gary-Stu" criticism down to the original meaning: "poorly written fan insert guest character, that takes over the story and is loved and adored by everyone, meeting a tragic end in the ... erm... end".

Concerning Mister May: I like the Winnetou-story, watched it and listened to the adaption "Ja, uff erstmal - Winnetou unter Comedy-Geiern".
 
What you do in your own home is none of my business, but please do not discuss DRM removal here.
Alright, but I wasn't trying to initiate a copyright discussion here. Rather, I mentioned only in passing, without any specifics and as part of a larger post, that I preserved my access to ebooks I legally bought, as I have a legal right to do (even in the strictest letter of the law, since the method I used in this case employed the analog hole and thus did not violate the DMCA because no decryption occurred). I just wanted to know if the author knew why those ebooks which I legally purchased have been removed. I already received an answer and didn't plan to mention it further.
 
I haven’t read many official novels but I’ve read lots of fanfics. I find fanfics tend to be too feelings based with very little action while the novels I’ve read have been too action based with not enough feelings and downtime.

More of a publisher thing, but I wish they would loosen the romance restrictions and allow some main characters to hook up at least in alternate universes or pollen made them do it situations. It’s betacanon and doesn’t have to be official or explicit.

I actually have a theory that companies are going to eventually try and cash in on fanfiction and fanart at some point and release official sexy books for franchises and have character onlyfans and such like.
 
I have a pet theory that the reason the official XENA tie-in novels never caught on in a big way is because they couldn't do what the XENA fanfic could: i.e. portray Xena and Gabrielle as actual romantic partners in the main text, rather than just as subtext.

So, in the case of XENA, the fanfic definitely seemed to eclipse the authorized tie-in books, more so than with any other TV tie-ins I can think of.

I recall attending a XENA convention where, yes, a big-name fanfic author was definitely more of a celebrity than us lowly Xena tie-in writers. :)
 
I have a pet theory that the reason the official XENA tie-in novels never caught on in a big way is because they couldn't do what the XENA fanfic could: i.e. portray Xena and Gabrielle as actual romantic partners in the main text, rather than just as subtext.

So, in the case of XENA, the fanfic definitely seemed to eclipse the authorized tie-in books, more so than with any other TV tie-ins I can think of.

I recall attending a XENA convention where, yes, a big-name fanfic author was definitely more of a celebrity than us lowly Xena tie-in writers. :)

And of course, top Xena fanfic writer Melissa Good actually joined the writing staff of the show in the final season, which is a rare career trajectory. I mean, some people who wrote Star Trek or Doctor Who fanfic have ended up on the staffs of revival or sequel series decades later, but for it to happen during the run of the same series, within just a few years, is pretty extraordinary.
 
Seeing Greg's comment about not being able to please everyone with his 4400 books makes me think of my own behaviour with Trek. I'm currently reading a Trek novel for the first time in decades, and straight away some of my old behaviours return. Basically I'm unhappy with whatever the authors do in terms of characters.

I find it hard to gel with new characters. And I swear inevitably they have a tail and odd names. "K'thrnitan'z swiped his tail as he considered the words. He stroked his long nose with his hoof and used his species' telepathic antlers to know that the commander was lying."

I just find that grating in Trek books.

If instead they bring back a character we know... and I then go "Why the hell are they bringing them back? They were in 5 minutes of TNG and I don't care about them."

So I don't want original characters, I don't want re-used characters... I'm kinda limiting the story there! I think basically I just wanted a walled in story with the main characters I know. :lol: Then I go and watch Trek TV and complain they're not exploring and broadening the story with new races etc.

I am awash with contradictions.
 
And of course, top Xena fanfic writer Melissa Good actually joined the writing staff of the show in the final season, which is a rare career trajectory. I mean, some people who wrote Star Trek or Doctor Who fanfic have ended up on the staffs of revival or sequel series decades later, but for it to happen during the run of the same series, within just a few years, is pretty extraordinary.

Missy Good was in fact the big-name fanfic author I was referring to, before she made the leap to writing for the show itself. She was definitely a star at that convention.
 
Well, calling out the various authors by name seems rude, since so many of them are members here. And more than a few of them I consider online friends, since I'm Facebook friends with them and chat with them on a regular basis. And at least two Trek authors I can think of are actual, IRL friends of mine.

But I suppose I can list a few annoying habits that have annoyed me in past Trek tie-in fiction that I've read. With some of these criticisms, it'll be obvious who I'm talking about, some criticisms will apply to more than one author, and a few of them are things that have annoyed me in interviews or posts here in the BBS. Here goes:

- One author loves in-jokes and puns to an almost unholy degree, to the point that they'll derail their story for the sake of including a joke. These days, this habit makes me cringe, as 90% of the time it takes me out of the story. But I can think of at least one in-joke they included where it was subtle enough that I didn't recognize it until a reread. That was a good in-joke, IMO, because it made sense in the context of the scene.​

- Including Slash Fic subtext really irritates me, as most of the time it's in direct opposition to what the shows show us.​
- Similarly, there's one author who seems to think it's their duty to present thinly-veiled political tracts in their Trek novels. Again, this annoys me both because it takes me out of the story and because it's a rather bizarre interpretation of the ST Universe.​

- A few Easter Eggs are fine, but yeah, it's easy to go overboard with them. If you get the reference, it takes you out of the story, even if it's momentarily. If you don't, it just confuses you. So I don't see much upside to including a ton of them.​
- I'm not nuts about original characters stealing focus from the TV characters. I generally prefer it when I get to discover new things about some of the more obscure characters from the shows. (For instance, I thought Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' book Federation did a great job of expanding the character of Zephram Cochrane beyond what we saw in "Metamorphosis," and I loved what Margaret Wander Bonanno's Burning Dreams did with Captain Pike, back when all when knew about him came from "The Menagerie." Great reads both, even though they're both contradicted by later canon.)​

- There is one author whose posts here on the BBS have annoyed me enough that it's actually lowered my (initially favorable) impression of their writing, and I'm reluctant to read or reread most of their books as a result. (We generally don't engage with each other on here now.)​
- There's one author whose ultra-pretentious comments about their work in the book Voyages of the Imagination persuaded me that I never want to ever read anything they wrote. Probably not the effect they were going for. :lol:

- I hate it when an author is writing a novelization of an episode or a movie and it becomes obvious that they dislike the movie or episode they're adapting, to the point where they're undercutting the narrative, or criticizing plot points or dialogue by commenting on how stupid they are. This is unprofessional in the extreme IMO, and it's downright insulting to the readers, as it's more or less saying, "This thing is dumb, and you're dumb for liking it."
- It annoys me when Trek authors get details of the shows wrong, like saying a 5th season episode occurred before a 3rd season episode, or using TNG terminology like "away team" in a TOS era story instead of the correct "landing party." Again, something that immediately throws me out of a story. This is more understandable in eras like the '70s or '80s when it wasn't so easy to double-check details like this, but today, in the era of Memory Alpha or YouTube, there's less excuse for it.​

FYI: If anyone tries to guess the specific authors I'm talking about in any of these items, I will neither confirm nor deny if you're correct. So you might as well not even bother. :)
 
My idea is that
a "landing party" was originally a group assembled out of those determined to be needed on a particular special mission or those available, while an "away team" was a pre-arranged group of people that were dispatched when the threat status or situation wasn't known. Over time, the terms became interchangeable.
 
The "away team" thing bugs me too, and I strive to avoid it in my TOS books, but I fear this battle is lost since the term has crept into pre-TOS series like DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS.
Heck, Enterprise used it even earlier. The same goes for "warp core" -- introduced in TNG, retroactively used in pre-TOS prequels.


My idea is that
a "landing party" was originally a group assembled out of those determined to be needed on a particular special mission or those available, while an "away team" was a pre-arranged group of people that were dispatched when the threat status or situation wasn't known. Over time, the terms became interchangeable.

The thing about "landing party" is that it only works for a planet -- if you're going to another ship or a space station, it would be a boarding party. The advantage of "away team" is that it's more inclusive.
 
My idea is that
a "landing party" was originally a group assembled out of those determined to be needed on a particular special mission or those available, while an "away team" was a pre-arranged group of people that were dispatched when the threat status or situation wasn't known. Over time, the terms became interchangeable.

And, granted, the term "landing party" doesn't alway fit if the crew members are beaming over to a space station, an alien starship, etc. Which are "away" but not necessarily something you "land" on. :)

I occasionally experiment with "rescue party" or "search party" instead, depending on the mission and setting.

EDIT: Ah, I see Christopher beat me by a minute.

I sometimes balk at "boarding party" because it seems to have aggressive connotations, at least for me.
 
- Including Slash Fic subtext really irritates me, as most of the time it's in direct opposition to what the shows show us.
I've never understood this criticism, regardless of the personal like/dislike for a specific couple. It's extremely rare for a fictional character to come out in a show and say "Hello, I'm X. I'm 100% straight. I would never, ever, have a relationship with Y, etc."
So how can something as ambiguous as a fictional character's "subtextual feelings" be in direct opposition to a show? We see plenty of big events in novels that never happened in the shows (otherwise, the novels would be very boring). Like characters dying and resurrecting. If something like that is acceptable, even if the show never mentions it, why is something that happens inside a character's head impossible?
 
I wonder whether there should be another thread for "Reader Habits That Annoy You" where the authors on the board can complain about the awful things readers do.... I'm sure there are plenty of things...assuming someone gives authors their ideas...whinging about wording (ahem)...asking not to be put into a book...
 
The "away team" thing bugs me too, and I strive to avoid it in my TOS books, but I fear this battle is lost since the term has crept into pre-TOS series like DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS.

I'm not sure it constitutes a "mistake" anymore.
Yeah, true. It grates on me every time I hear it on the shows, though. Same as when characters say "Enterprise" instead of "The Enterprise," with the definitive article. That's something that happened when the VOY writers realized that "Voyager" sounded better than "The Voyager" and they carried the habit over to ENT.
Heck, Enterprise used it even earlier. The same goes for "warp core" -- introduced in TNG, retroactively used in pre-TOS prequels.
Strangely enough, I don't have much of a problem with "warp core" or "shuttlebay," even though both of those originated on TNG too. I guess I heard them so much they became normal to me.
The thing about "landing party" is that it only works for a planet -- if you're going to another ship or a space station, it would be a boarding party. The advantage of "away team" is that it's more inclusive.
Yeah, "boarding party" is fine by me. Part of the reason I dislike "away team" so much is because it's such a non-term that doesn't mean much of anything. It's the sort of weaselly corporate speak that George Carlin would've complained about. I imagine the TNG crew saying, "We're AWAY!!!" in the same infantile tone that Carlin has baseball players saying, "We're going HOME!!!" in his "Baseball vs. Football" routine.

 
It's extremely rare for a fictional character to come out in a show and say "Hello, I'm X. I'm 100% straight. I would never, ever, have a relationship with Y, etc."
OK, first off, you're making a BIG leap by assuming I was only talking about same sex relationships. And I don't appreciate the implication.
So how can something as ambiguous as a fictional character's "subtextual feelings" be in direct opposition to a show?
When that subtext is never implied by the show, very easily.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top