I'm sure many of you have discovered TV Tropes, but as I've wandered through this site, reading thousands of pages worth of prose and comments, I've found a few additional themes / tropes / stereotypes / clichés, which may or may not occur elsewhere or in different media...
As with the main TV Tropes site, the aim is just to point them out, with a slightly satirical or tongue-in-cheek description. It's just a bit of fun, and is not intended as criticism of any particular author / genre / writing style etc. Feel free to add any others you've spotted...
Author namedropping - Other authors are mentioned or given cameos in a story. Occasionally, you'll even find a story where characters read stories on BCTS (although I don't think we've had a character discovering their own story on the site yet...)
Encore Wall - The usual response to a well-written solo - commenters practically screaming ENCORE!
Frog - A forum that thinks it's a blog. Or is it a blog that thinks it's a forum? Anyway, it's the practice of commenters commenting on other comments (a la forums) as much as the original post (a la blogs)
Gabyphiles - Maddy Bell's "Gaby" books have a stange habit of turning up on the bookshelves of characters...
Intersex Shocker - Protagonist appears to be a MTF TG... but on closer medical examination it turns out they're intersexed and have a complete set of female genitalia...
Lingerieaholics - Lingerie appears to have similar effects to certain illegal stimulants. Wearing it makes the character feel euphoric, and addiction is quickly established... An almost guaranteed precursor to "Caught with Consequences"
Nominative Confusion 1 - a classic amongst commenters: in otherwise well-spelled comments, there can be considerable variation in the spelling of character names. Megan / Meegan / Meagan, Billy / Billie, Jayne / Jane are but a few examples.
Nominative Confusion 2 - slightly rarer than #1, commenters who refer to a character by a completely different name(!). Often a consequence of the commenter reading several stories simultaneously featuring differently named characters in similar situations.
RLS - Real Life Syndrome. A devastating condition that can force an author to suspend writing / posting for months at a time...
...while they struggle to overcome the challenges of earning money, caring for others or recovering from illnesses/surgeries.
Unfinished Symphony - halfway through a serial, the author suddenly encounters a bad spell of writer's block. Then, to add insult to injury, their muse attacks them with a completely different story idea, so the original is left abandoned. Although IIRC there have been a few cases where the author has returned at a later date, dusted down the story, and picked it up again.
Comments
Guilty Of;
Okay, ya got me.
I am guilty of;
1. Unfinished Symphony, having left 'While the Band Played Waltzing Matilda' to go out and dig in the the Nine Century backyard with Persephone.
2. Author name dropping, though it is something I do more frequently in my other writing.
3. Nominative confusion of the 1st degree, which is why I use name lists and very simple names.
To the above I add another TV tropes; DST, 'Delayed Stress transgenderism,' a condition brought on by a sudden traumatic experience such as combat or the breaking of a fingernail.
Of course, since I believe there has been very little new added to the art of story telling since Willie Shakespeare took up the pen and started scratching plays he borrowed from another writer, I have no problem using literary devices and techniques others have used or, on occasion, a tried and true convention. So long as one does not make a habit of it and is able to put an entertaining spin on it, you can not only get away with it, you can have some fun with it.
So, dread naught, TV tropes-ers. Just do try to be a bit creative and, whatever you do, have fun while you're doing it.
Until next time, write on.
Nancy Cole
"You may be what you resolve to be."
T.J. Jackson
Sigh
You've figured us out all too well.
Penny
Nominative confusion 2
It's not only commenters who refer to characters by a totally different name; writers themselves are guilty too. I suspect it's due to time lags between writing sessions. Would that be called Nominative Confusion 3?
btw I don't think the Frog trope is a bad thing. Sometimes the comment string is as entertaining as the story itself. Particularly when it drifts into confusing fantasy and reality.
Robi
Frogs
Actually I borrowed the term from a BBC Blog of which I'm a member.
The PM Blog was started in the middle of August, and quickly evolved into a place to just have a general chat and banter, as well as discussing news topics. When the "Day One" thread broke because the blog software they were using at the time couldn't cope with more than 1,000 comments, a weekly off-topic post was started. Soon the regulars started calling it a "Frog" and themselves "froggers". Then about twice a year, froggers feel sufficiently deluded to agree to meet "in the flesh" at one of their houses over a weekend. These "FrogFests" are accompanied by chat, banter, songs and gallons of red wine.
And, back to the Frog itself, just as over here there tends to be a lot of topic drift.
-oOo-
Confusing fantasy and reality - could do with a catchier name, but that's quite common as well - people so wrapped up in the story that when an event occurs or people behave in ways that are improbable in real life, they feel the need to moan about it.
Then there's the "interactive author" - some (me included) are so captivated by the concept of people commenting on their stories they regularly weigh into the comments, thanking / explaining / discussing / teasing their story. Oh, and repeatedly saying "I'm not going to write a sequel - no matter how much you badger me into doing so." :)
(In my case, I definitely won't write a sequel to Genie, and probably won't to Petra. Whether I write sequels to any as-yet unwritten stories hasn't been decided on yet. For obvious reasons.)
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Catchier Name?
Hi Ben,
Confusing fantasy and reality: how about “Fantality� or “Fantareality�
Just a suggestion.
Gabi.
Gabi.
So, is it just me...
...or can other people picture a commentator standing over the just-pugilized form of a story with a deep voice echoing from above "Fantality!"?
Or, perhaps, a group of Color Coded women bursting across the screen at the end of a story singing an inane jingle, "Wanna Fantareality?"
^^;
^____^
//dork
-Liz
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
Could you find a more fitting coincidence?
TV? Tropes
Perhaps some authors have experienced these?
Guiltsies (also refer to I'vebeenmeaningtogettothatitis) - Commentator apologizes to author for not having read their story, after reading same for the fourth time. This is often true for authors commenting on another author's work.
Minutia Magnets - Authors who attract curious new species: Organic Spell Checkers, Scarlet-Inked Nit-Pickers, Foregone Conclusionites, and my personal favorite, the very rare but exotic Tangential Bird, who cites another author's work and proceeds to crow loudly, often at first light, about the other story while forgetting yours. Curiously, Minutia Magnets as a species themselves seem to flock to the top shelf and are rapidly increasing in number.
Nominative Confusion 3 - even rarer than #1 or #2, writers who refer to themselves by a completely different name(!). Often a consequence of the author writing several stories simultaneously featuring similarly named characters in semi-autobiographical situations; frequently exacerbated by new meds, yes? Pharmaceutically yours! Andrea ('drea? 'Drea? Andi? Lena? DiMag?)
She was born for all the wrong reasons but grew up for all the right ones.
Possa Dio riccamente vi benedica, tutto il mio amore, Andrea
Love, Andrea Lena
Hard to be more...
...fitting than TV! Tropes. ^__^
-Liz
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
Guuuaaaffff, giggle, chortle, and snort!
Yes, we are all rather transparent aren't we!
Khadijah Gwen
Additions...
Instant Castrato - A very unfortunate accident results in a metal pole impaling the protagonist. But by sheer fluke, instead of impaling him in the chest area, it conveniently pierces a rather insignificant looking sack of flesh hanging from his midriff...
Then there's also a broad church of medical mayhem, ranging from experiemental treatments that accidentally castrate the poor lad, to uterine transplants. Inevitably, whatever the procedure, the result is to permanently demasculinise / feminise the protagonist. Not to mention a staple of some FF fiction - HRT overdose implants (which conveniently also seem to be metabolised at a scarily fast rate).
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
I have heard of accidental castration
My X was a nurse and she took care of risk management, and HIPPA sucks.
I've heard of Docs removing the non cancerous breast, the wrong hand, and the wrong kidney. I even heard of the wrong eye being removed. That is why now days if you are having surgery, the jump through their asses to avoid that mistake.
I can't imagine how an accidental castration could take place though. Mine was done while I was sitting in a sort of dentist chair, with a local and I was fully conscious. It really was no big deal at all. That's why I can't imagine anyone needing after care for it. I drove home took a nap and mowed the grass.
Khadija Gwen