May
24th
2014
Epic Beards, now on TVTropes! · 7:52pm May 24th, 2014
I just got a PM from a fella named La Vallett1 directing me to this page.
To be honest, I've never understood TVTropes, or at least not the fervor surrounding it, and I sure as heck don't understand the significance of making pages like this, but I see other authors get excited when this happens to them, so I shall be quietly honored. I read through it, it's fun, I'll have to remember to check it out once the story is done, see what's changed.
None of my stories are on tvtropes.
What a terrible site.
If a fan fiction is on TVTropes it means that at least one reader was interested enough to not only read the story, but create what amounts to a fan page and a (hopefully) deep analysis of the tropes (including narrative techniques and story elements) used in it. Seems flattering. Or perhaps creepy, depending on your point of view.
It also means that the story is now linked as an example on the TVTropes pages for the tropes it uses, with a short explanation of how the story uses those tropes. I have no idea if the increased exposure results in more readers, though I did start reading a few webcomics due to finding them there.
2141681
Cool. :O Though if it's pointing out the tropes used, isn't it basically a spotlight for how unoriginal a fanfic is? :B
2142219
Actually, one of the taglines for the site is Tropes Are Not Bad.
It just points out narrative devices, among other things. It can be interesting, or offer an interesting alternate viewpoint according to a reader. Which leads to things like Wild Mass Guessing pages for loose plot threads.
2142228
Well, I've gotten hits off TVT for fics without their own pages before, so hopefully it'll just be a good thing. :)
2142257
It is. I've found some GRAND stuff out there thanks to the site.
2142219
2142228
My main use for TVTropes, as a writer, is to find examples of the usage of a trope. A research tool that allows me to reference works by the techniques, plot devices, tricks, etc, that are used in them.
For example, some time ago I started to write a fic about body swapping, which is something I'm not really familiar with as a reader; so one of the first things I did before starting to write was to find the TVTropes page about body swapping as a plot element and go through the most interesting examples.
The articles themselves are also often amusing and even helpful, specially for a starting writer (like the ones from this list). Of course the same caveats apply as when looking up references in any wiki; people that tend to believe that if something is written in an authoritative language it's true should be kept well away from that site. Also, since whether a trope applies or not can be subjective, reader discretion is always advised.
Why are there no beard tropes?
2149448
Obviously, the site isn't as good as people are saying. :V
Yeah, this isn't all that significant. I have seen some amateurish, awful fics (coughInnerDemonscough) get TV Tropes entries and much better ones get ignored.
As for how to explain it, well, it's sort of a haven for people who want to learn how stories are constructed in a superficial, fun way that probably isn't all that helpful to actual writing and requires no hard work on the reader's part. You're trawling for information, but you need mental discipline to filter out the majority that won't be useful to you. Also, if you're one of those people for whom hearing a certain spoiler will get you much more interested in getting into a story (with a plot twist or dynamic or whatever you've never seen before or think is awesome), this site was pretty much made for you.
2141681
You have an abundance of hope, sir/madam/other.
2149448
There are, though they may not be on the page for the actual fic. The example that comes to mind for me is Go Nagai Sideburns. I'm sure there's a Beard Index that'll help you. As for why they aren't on your page, well, get on it, folks reading the comments! Don't disappoint this guy here!
2167191
It's why I never mentioned quality when I described how fics get there. It's based on who likes the fic well enough to put up the effort, allowing users to effectively dictate what gets there, like most wikis.
In other words, it's similar to the feature box in how fics get added there. And we all know how well the feature box determines the quality of the fics inside
We can only hope
It's a useful tool, though. As long as the user is smart enough to not blindly trust it, at least