Bewildered

[wiseheart]

People really amaze me sometimes. I got this very positive, detailed and long review for Atlantis Café, and the person who wrote it favourited the story and put it on their alert. So far, so good. I was pleased and flattered.

But: they mentioned that I jump tenses in the story. Yes, I do. I expressly state so in the A/N in before each chapter in which it happens. I also declare that it's done consciously and with a reason. (Namely that all events happening in Atlantis are written in present tense and all things happening back on Earth, especially in Cardiff, are written in past tense.)

Do people never read Author's notes? *shakes head*

Comments

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Well, it seems that it is too much to expect - at least they read it and liked it. :)

It seems that people will always find new and weird ways to have problems with things!

[jsks.livejournal.com]

i do. will leave reviews for stories after the babies go home to mommy as the 2yr old loves to hit the computer keys.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid so. I thought I'd find a clever way to suggest that Cardiff belonged to Ianto's past while Atlantis was his future, without banging it into people's head with a sledgehammer, and what did I get for my pains? They think my grammar sucks. Well, it does, but not to that extent.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Works for me. :)

Are you babysitting?

[dr-doomsduck.livejournal.com]

HAH, :p, yeah it's rather obvious that you should read the A/N. Though I'll admit that I sometimes only skim over things if it gets to tedious: "Yes, I know you want me to review. No, I don't care that it's late because your garden gnome broke or that you've done the dishes this afternoon. Cruel but true, if I wanted to know those things, I'd read your blog." So sometimes I miss some important bits and pieces there.

Is it possible that while the reader KNEW you were using the tenses, they still wanted to point out to you that it might be confusing or a disturbance in the story (honestly, I didn't mind it in Atlantis Café) but you know.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, tough shit. If I ever get inspired to continue that story, it'll be continued in the same manner.

[dr-doomsduck.livejournal.com]

And you should, it's your imperative as a writer to make those decisions :p, honestly if you'd follow everyone's opinion, the story would be completely unhinged.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly. I just find it tiresome that there's always somebody who'd want a completely different story than the one I'm writing. I mean, why don't they write it themseves? That's how I started fanficcing - because I rarely found stories that I'd like.

[dr-doomsduck.livejournal.com]

To be fair, there are people who just aren't as talented as you are. Now I know that your stories are so fine partially because of lots and lots of practice. I've tried writing fictional stories several times, for a long while, it just always ended up looking like some unhinged picasso. I can write research articles, reports and law texts for a living but my stories lack all sense of cohesion. I get off topic, I ramble on and on about worldbuilding details that have no relation to the story, I lose interest in said story or several characters.

Honestly, If I come across stories that are good, but not my style (I'm not fond of first person POVs) I just skip the story.

[artemis10002000]

I think most people don't read author's notes. Sometimes, I don't do so either because if I'm reading a multi-chaptered story in one go, I don't want to get "pulled out of the story" by them.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

So do I. But apparently some people are just unable to hit the Back button.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, duh, I put up a warning before each chapter where I switch tenses, one would think that they should have noticed at least one of them.

I ignore A/Ns when the author chats about their private life and stuff too. But my notes usually serve the purpose to prevent stupid questions. Of course, if people don't read them, they would ask stupid questions.

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

It is an interesting way to do it - I hadn't realised that it was what you were trying to do from the bits I had read, but it did seem to make the break between the two parts of the story stand out. :)

It may not be to do with them thinking your grammar is bad, I know a lot of people hate stories written in the present tense - I have no idea why.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

As a rule, I don't like stories written in present tense, either - they always give me the impression that they're hurried somehow... I don't know why. "Atlantis Café" was the first ever story in which I used the present tense, and later only a Merlin one-shot or two. I'm more comfortable with past tense, too.

As for you not realizing what I was doing - I think you need to read the story in its entirety (or at least the 20+ chapters that are already done) to notice the pattern.