What are you doing right now?

[EndOfTheEarth]

Besides posting on here and replying to this thread. Original credit for this goes back to Fate and Nathan on MX.

[Fake]

...

 

You...have a book that's published, not on an Ebook, but in actual paper.

And you aren't famous.

 

...

 

...

 

*backs away slowly*

 

What...what kind of monster are you?

 

In all seriousness, though...it is kind of surprising. I wasn't aware that that was still possible.

[Avenged]

Heh. 

[Xuut]

Then if I ever get around to getting a copy, reading it and figure out how it is then I'll give you feedback. Which may be a little short of never considering I haven't read a book for fun since last summer...

[o0_flying high_0o]

Why is City of Bones shit? I mean, it's not exactly literature, but still, as YA supernatural romance novels go...

I am very happy about the movie, it looks /great/. And the story is really interesting, it'd be nice to enjoy without the horrible writing distracting me. 

[Omega]

City of Bones was written by a former Harry Potter fanfic author who threw a massive shitfit a few years ago now, when it was found that her infamous trilogy heavily relied on other people's work. Basically she was massively plagiarising a whole pile of other (published) authors. When called on it, she pulled all her work from the net, after having a huge go at the people who had called her on it. Things got nasty. and this shows in the writing style.

 

Actually, the trailer does look good, doesn't it.

[o0_flying high_0o]

Being a former fanfic writer in itself isn't a bad thing. And, well, so long as the writing style doesn't detract from the story, I'm kind of ambivalent. A former plagiariser is a bit different, I actually heard about that like a week ago. Which... makes me like her less, and I wouldn't recommend her. However, I still enjoyed the stories prior to knowing that.

 

I was expecting it to look cheesy and awful, but I am actually impressed.

[Xuut]

I don't think the book is as good as people constantly say it is. It's... Alright for a book. I mean it does the job, it amuses me for the hours I read it but I don't really remember much from it asides from my favorite charaters (who didn't have major roles anyways) and it was just.... Nothing new or exciting. I found a lot I the charters (Jace, Clary, Simon halfway through the second book, Isabelle) irritating. Plus they just seem really illogical ad there's only so much deus ex machina that can save you.

Then there's the plagiarism stuff. I mean if I'm gonna support someone I want to support an tuner with relatively original ideas, not Clare.

Also, Clary is the biggest self-insert Sue ever.

[Omega]

Yeah, you do get the occasional gem of a former fanfic writer who goes on to do BIG THINGS, but often fanficcers get stuck in the rut of assuming that readers know what they're talking about. Which is one of the reasons why I have so much trouble writing Real Stuff. Yes, blatant plagiarism, of the take a page of someone else's and change the names/appropriate adjectives and pronouns kind. Although it's got almost nothing to do with what she's doing now, really, except for faint unease that in some way she's still got to be being dishonest.

[o0_flying high_0o]

Xuut: Most people base what's good and what's not on their experience of reading Twilight, or maybe even Sarah Dessen. And it does its job. I like that their are memorable side characters, and yes Clary and Jace are a bit predictable, even Simon at times. But the world was interesting, the villain kind of intriguing. I must admit, they weren't close reading books, but I didn't notice anything too implausible. Unlikely, perhaps, but when has a book ever been written about people acting in likely and sensible ways? And there wasn't a point where I was (mentally) screaming at the book because they were all such idiots. 

 

Jace is a much bigger Sue/ Stu, really. But, again, I don't think it was obvious to the point it impacted on the story. Only annoying when you sit back and analyse it.

 

Omega: Actually, Clare's the only fanfic turned relatively successful author I know about. And while I guess she wasn't exactly explicit about how everything worked, I can't stand authors that assume we know nothing and that it all needs to be spelled out for us, so I quite like that she lets us just discover it. 

 

Re: Plagiarism from both of you: The thing is, The Mortal Instruments do feel original. Yes, there are some old tropes and ideas, and the oh so inevitable love triangle, but on the whole the story is /new/, and doesn't obviously resemble anything I've seen before. 

However, after reading some excerpts of the plagiarised stuff, and some of the defences, I, yeah. Faint unease is definitely present. I can't help but think/ hope, that after all of that her published writing would have been analysed /very/ carefully for any other discrepancies. And she did make the comment that fanfic is all about taking someone's work, which isn't right, and doesn't excuse what she did, but means her published work is probably clear. Apart from the fact she got her start by building up a fanbase of readers using someone else's work. And I seriously cannot understand how someone who works with words and stories can't grasp that blatantly copying someone else's work for any reason isn't okay.... 

So yes, I completely get that she's a less than great person, but I didn't mind the books back when I was ignorant. 

[Fake]

Just run for the hills, when the sun sets!

 

And aim for my heart, it’s a real threat

 

To my good well being,

 

I’m guaranteeing,

 

If you do you’ll be fleeing.

 

Renfield once had a soul,

 

Was defiant.

 

My mind control,

 

Made him compliant.

 

I bought some new digs,

 

A mansion that’s big

 

I rode on a ship!

 

And it goes like this:

 

[Chorus]

 

Think I’m not a vamp and I’ll teach you,

 

That even though I’m camp I’ll still leech-you

 

I’ve got the moves, like Dracula

I’ve got the moves, like Dracula.

I’ve got the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ves, like Dracula.

I don’t need to bite you to control you!

Look into my eyes and I’ll own you!

You’ll follow the rules, of Dracula

I’ve got the moves, of Dracula

I’ve got the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ves, of Dracula.

It’s no walk in the park; people feel dread

When I walk in the dark, ‘cause I’m undead.

But if I didn’t suck blood,

And if I was good,

 

I’d be understood,

Oh

You don’t want to be vamped

Cause I’m scary

My coffin is cramped,

Feels like you’re buried,

 

And now you’ve got a stake,

But that legend is fake,

Now you’re starting to shake (Oh! Yeah, Yeah!)

Cause my heart you missed (Uh!)

[Chorus]

Think I’m not a vamp and I’ll teach you,

That even though I’m camp I’ll still leech-you

I’ve got the moves, like Dracula

 

I’ve got the moves, like Dracula.

I’ve got the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ves, like Dracula.

I don’t need to bite you to control you!

Look into my eyes and I’ll own you!

 

You’ll follow the rules, of Dracula

I’ve got the moves, of Dracula

I’ve got the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ves, of Dracula.

[Edward]

 

You wanna know, how to make me smile!

Just say you’re ok with pedophiles!

And if I try to turn you,

Then the sun will burn you,

And our child will be a freak

So I’m sorry if,

You want to sparkle like me,

But whatever, Bella, as you can see,

If I try to turn you,

Then the sun will burn you,

 

And our child will be a freak (Ay! Ay! Ay! Aaay!)

And it goes like this:


[Chorus]

Think I’m not a vamp (Think I’m not a vamp) and I’ll teach you,

That even though I’m camp I’ll still leech-you (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!)

All the moves, of Dracula

I’ve got the moves, like Dracula.

I’ve got the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ves, like Dracula. (Oh, yeah!)

I don’t need to bite you to control you!

Look into my eyes and I’ll own you!

You’ll follow the rules, of Dracula

 

I’ve got the moves, of Dracula

 

I’ve got the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ves, of Dracula.

[Avenged]

+1

[Omega]

Does anyone else think that the strike-through thing is simultaneously an extremely useful and totally pointless invention?

 

Well, aside from the whole, mods can't read strike-through thing.