Gracefully stolen this topic from Bonesology forum, credit goes to Biba79, but since a lot of people are here as well and maybe not on the other forums I feel the need to post it anyway.

I also have the feeling that compared with last year the quality of the fanfiction on FF.net is not what it used to be, it may be personal, but a lot of tiny things can annoy me when I read a summary, when that happens I just skip the story entirely. And ofc we have the stuff inside the stories that can annoy us readers.

Feel free to add your own list, copy mine, add your own, this is NOT a guide for how writers should write, your stories are still your own, but I have the feeling that a lot of people might feel the same and never speak up.


1. Misspelled character names, make me think that the writer does not read other fics or watch the show at all, It's SEELEY, not sealey or Seley or even Seelay etcetc

2. Authors Note as a chapter, Yay an update, only to be dissapointed by a note, getting all exited for nothing...

3. Writers writing: ''I suck at summaries'' in the summary, makes me think you probably suck a writing as well.

4. Writers begging for reviews or they won't post the new chapter..

5. When I open a fanfic link and see BOOTH: blablabla BRENNAN: blablabla this will make me hit the ''back'' button straight away

6. When people invent a dozen of middle names for characters

7. Episode dialogue, I understand that for some reasons you can't go around it, but I sometimes see a One Shot that consists of 95% dialogue from the episode and the writer added a few sentences

8. I'm sure Brennan can make other dishes, because if was up the the FF writers BB would eat Mac and Cheese or Grilled cheese every day



Booth does NOT call Brennan: Tempe or Temperance (unless he's introducing her), lets see if season 7 changes that, I hope not.

Brennan does NOT call Booth, Seeley...

LOL the mac and cheese thing. Hahaha why can't people get over that!?

Here are my pet peeves:
-Seeley & Temperance... I hate stories that refer to Booth and Brennan like this. I really hate it when they have B&B get together... and then have them both start calling one another by their first names. It just seems so unnatural. I don't mind one "Temperance" being thrown out here and there... but...eh.

-Sarcastic Brennan... I know she was sarcastic in the first couple episodes. I know. But the first couple episodes of a show are always when the writers are kind of finding their footing. Later on I believe she declares "I don't do that" in reference to sarcasm and that she thinks "its never helpful".

-Badly written children... I hate it when writers add kids to stories and make them talk like buffoons. I guess they think its cutesy... but really its just annoying and sounds ridiculous.

EDIT (I wanted to add another)

Characters referring to other characters incorrectly... Such as...
Hodgins only calls Brennan: Dr. Brennan or Dr. B. He never just says Brennan to her face.
Cam only calls Brennan: Dr. Brennan to her face. Occasionally Brennan to someone else.
Angela does not call Brennan, "Temperance". Or Tempe. It's Bren or Brennan or Sweetie.
The only character to call Booth "Seeley" is Cam. And she doesn't do it often.
Hannah calls Booth "Seeley". Not Booth.

I agree with all the above and want to add:

Proper names are capitalized. This drives me crazy when they are not.

Use of contractions:

your and you're---please use them correctly. Is this your book? You're going to be late.

Also there, their and they're.

Please run spell check before you post.

Ooooooooh, yes!!! I agree vehemently. "Your" and "you're" used wrong drive me crazy! Argh.

Maybe just me....

I stop reading any story that Brennan all of the sudden can voice any and all feelings she possess.

Example: I love you, Booth and always have. I was just scared of you not returning my love so I ran but now I know that life without you is empty. I was a slut bucket before you but those thousands of unnecessary men meant nothing to me. I want to marry you and have tons of babies because love is everything that makes the world go round. I now love God and Jesus because you showed me the way.... let's go to church, Booth and christen all our children including me.

I know I exaggerated my example. Those stories throw me off because I can't stretch my imagination to see her saying stuff like this....but it's fanfiction for a reason, someone wishes Brennan actually was that way.

I also can't read story when Booth or Brennan have died for some reason....it's just too much!

My two biggest pet peeves

1) B&B calling each other Tempe, Temperance, Seeley, Honey, Baby ---> especially BABY, or any other "cutesy" pet names.

2) Any ridiculous over the top declaration of love, thoughts or feelings. B&B have always been about subtly and I can't imagine that changing anytime soon.

I guess when it comes down to it, (even if the concept behind the story is a good one), if the characters aren't portrayed correctly....I can't read it.

1.)When Brennan falls to floor and weeps for booths forgiveness/ gives cheesy love speech

2.) They get married (idk put me in the minority but it just dosen't feel right to me)

I'm very picky about the fanfiction I read...

1) Calling each other Temperance/Seeley.

2) When they turn into a total soap-opera, lovey dovey couple. I'm okay with them getting together. I'm okay with them getting married. I just like stories that are more on their dynamic that they have had for the last 6 years and solving murders...instead of stories all about their relationship and their family together...because I haven't really thought about what it would be like to actually see B/B together and I can't really picture them like that.

These ones I try and avoid but frustrating when I have opened it and started reading

Quote:

7. Episode dialogue, I understand that for some reasons you can't go around it, but I sometimes see a One Shot that consists of 95% dialogue from the episode and the writer added a few sentences

The ones that Beg for reviews, if i like it i'll write something or thoes that hold chapters untill they get x amount of reviews

When BB are pregnant after one night.

Booth and Brennan being lovey dovey while at a crime scene.

Hannah comes back and is a total conniving witch. I don't like her, but I don't think she'd scheme to steal Booth from his pregnant girlfriend.

Parker has no questions when Booth and Brennan explain that they are together, getting married, and having a baby in a two minute conversation.

Booth has no emotional baggage at all! Never mind that he's had a father that abused him and his mother, two marriage proposals refused, and one relationship proposal refused from the same woman he's now in a relationship with. This boy's fine, and totally ready to propose again WITH NO DISCUSSION OF ANY OF THIS WITH ANYONE.

This isn't something any writer can fix, but I hate everything BB name their baby. Christine, Cecelia, Tesla. It doesn't matter, as soon as it's been given to the kid, I hate it. Nothing sounds right to me.

I agree about the requests for reviews.

What bugs me the most is bad grammar, especially incorrect use of their/there/they're; too/to; past/passed; its/it's; etc. and too long paragraphs. Another pet peeve is ff writers having the Bones characters use teen slang &/or describe them wearing clothes that no one the age of the Bones characters would wear. In fact, too many writers, IMO, go into too much detail about clothes; just tell me Booth's wearing a tux, I don't need it described.