The List of Writing Red Flags · 8:25pm Jan 4th, 2015
Over at the TVTropes pony fanfiction thread, we have been compiling a list of "red flags" inspired by various stories around FIMfic.
What is a red flag, you might ask? Put simply, it is a story element that is indicative of poor story quality: something that warns or dissuades potential readers. Red flags can include all sorts of different story aspects, like spelling, character behavior, or plotting. What separates a red flag from true bad writing is the ease of identification. Red flags should be noticeable very quickly, usually from the description or first few paragraphs.
You can find the list here; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q9fPZ3zazH-esfPklroJxWlwXKTj8uoZlHMRBlhwVmM/edit?usp=sharing
If you have any additions, then you can post a comment on the doc (anonymous commenting is enabled) or here, and I will add it in. You can also object to items already there, either due to vagueness, excessive specificity, or other reasons they might not belong.
I was hoping to get it to at least a hundred. I'm still considering ways to get it some attention (like maybe posting it on /fic/ or something). I figured since all my followers are both highly witty and critical thinkers, then they might have some additions to it. 
Hey, quick question.
These actually read more like general fanfiction read flags...not that I'm complaining :-P
2700367 Some of them can apply to published fiction, but the origin of the list definitely affected its applicability. A lot of the flags are things that would only really show up in fanfic
2700347 I think I might have answered you on the doc already, but if that was a different person you're welcome to ask here.
Lots of those make sense, but some of them are a bit silly.
Number 65 comes to mind, a shared universe (like the Winning Pony example, or the Lunaverse for another I'm familiar with) is generally one where the various stories are collectively planned and written with the consent and approval of the original popular story author. That's much different than, say, Realitycheck's Nyx stories that are explicitly not a shared universe because Pen Stroke has nothing to do with them.
2700391 I think the original author of that comment (I think it was Midnight Rambler) was trying to target non-canon spin-offs with tenuous connections to the original, like a lot of Fallout: Equestria stories or non-canon side entries in the Lunaverse.
You aren't the first person to raise objection to that, but the others couldn't think of a clearer wording for it. I'm open to suggestions, naturally (for any item, not just that one)
2700375 You already answered me on the doc. :P
2700408 I'd chunk any mention of Winning Pony since as far as I aware the majority of those stories really are in the shared universe that is centrally planned by Chengar. Probably any mention of shared universe too for similar reasons, most of the times I've seen that term used it has been correct and not really a euphemism at all.
Nice list. There is one I've noticed a lot of bad fics have that wasn't noted and might be a good addition:
- If the main character is described as insane in an attempt to make the story look darker or edgier with an obvious lack of research on the mental disorder named. Bonus points if that character is an OC. Double bonus points if they act otherwise sane but insanity is used as an excuse for them to act angsty and with vague motives (e.g. "Why did you punch Blueblood, Shadowblade Dash?" Asked Twilight. "Because, I'm insane," Shadowblade said.)
2700497 Stories with a different author are only a red flag when not sanctioned by the original author. Collaborative efforts are particularly exempt. Simple enough.
Stories about adoption are minor red flags if at all when the parental type relationship already exists in canon (Scootaloo/Rainbow Dash, Spike/Twilight) and major red flags if the adopter is an OC, a crossover character or has an antagonistic relationship with the adoptee in canon.
Related, but I think separate red flag is when the main character has a very different personality as a premise (usually different upbringing, see Harry raised by X stories in HP, extra points if the change is due to a minor incident that logically shouldn't have large effects).
something to add to "red flags in a story description":
but this story is different from all the other ones in this particularly narrow subgenre!*
Yeah, this comes from the LoHAV craze a while ago.
*or, more generally, the author proclaims that the story is original. If it is original, one wouldn't need to say so.
Okay I know what First and Third person point of views are but what is second person? I never learned that in school.
I'm commenting on some of them now.
Yay, I have one of them! Or close to it: The author’s username is the same as the protagonist's name. Bonus points if the story cover and the user’s avatar are the same image.
Well, it's not exactly the same for the first part, but one of my stories has the same cover art as my avatar.
So... the question is... where is my red flag?
While this is a good idea, I can see how this could also end up being quite negative. Already I'm seeing less and less newer stories getting a chance on this site. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad, sometimes you have to take chances that could end up giving you a bad story. Because, sometimes you get a good one.
Some of these are a bit bitter sounding. Like it's something someone hates or dislikes from Fim, but not necessarily a fact or something that should be a red flag. For example, the one where a story is featured in a group just for wanting a comment, what is wrong with that one? New users with low confidence tend to do that, they are trying to see if the site is for them. Maybe I'm missing something.
I don't see how ease of identification separates red flags from truly bad writing. The more red flags something throws up in my mind, the more likely it is to be either worse or much worse than I was expecting.
2701280 That is true, but a reader's time is a valuable resource. Time you spend reading a bad story is time you could have spent reading a good one. Being able to more readily identify sub-par stories is good for both readers and writers. And of course, the best way to tell a good story from bad is always going to be actually reading it.
2701320 This list was compiled by lots of different people, so I can't speak for the personal intent of every item. For that one, if a story was only featured in such groups, then it might caution me that the author didn't know where else to put it. I use groups as a way to help get a feel for a story (kind of like additional tags), so I can see why that was put there.
2701158 Second person narration is where the reader is referred to as "you" and is a character in the story. It is commonly used as a gimmick over a mediocre story, which is why it is on this list.
2701397 The items on this list aren't mutually inclusive with bad writing. To use an example from another user, a misspelled title might be used to represent a character to has dyslexia/a learning disorder. If you see a thing with multiple red flags then it is a safer bet that they were not intentional and a result of bad writing, but it is not a guarantee, and that's what that was getting at.
2700556 For me, adoption fics are a major red flag regardless of preexisting attachment. The setup and tact required to make them work is incredibly complicated and sometimes counter-intuitive. If a story bends over backwards to make a character need adoption (killing off Twilight's/Scootaloo's/Sweetie Belle's/Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake's parents, for instance), then it doesn't matter if it is building upon a preexisting relationship; it still looks contrived.
2700529 2700666 2700497 Added
2701524
Yay! I'm a contributing member of society!
Most Dangerous Game 3: attempt to write a good story while hitting as many of these red flags as possible.
2701524 I didn't consider creating the need for adoption - I was talking about characters that are orphan children in the first place.
2701918 Except there are no canon orphan characters, so that runs into your previous comment about OCs.
2701780 Someone already tried that; https://www.fimfiction.net/story/234827/derpestia-red-flag-ryze-fall-reheated-revendetta-the-spoiled-broth-a-n-spelling-of-lancre
Whether it is "good" is up to others to judge, since I didn't read it because of all the red flags in it
2702613 ...I gave you two examples right there in my original post.
2702623 Spike yes, but Scootaloo's orphan status is about as confirmed as Applejack's is (which is to say, almost certain but not canon). Scootaloo wanted Rainbow Dash to be her sister, not her mother.
2702613 I meant as a contest, see who can write the best one :)
2702662 ...What? After Flight to the Finish Scootaloo's orphan status is essentially disproven (was a reasonable assumption before) while no one can claim that AJ's parents are alive seriously. Terrible analogy here.
2702681All we got from that scene is she's not homeless. She could still be sans parents, we just don't know. But I will admit it is much less clear now unlike with Applejack. I rewatched the scene to be sure and realized my earlier impression of it was incorrect- I remember it as "Scootaloo has a room inside a building", but when they leave I can now clearly see that it is in fact a house she's living in. Whether or not that's her parents' house is another thing entirely (and she only has pictures of Rainbow Dash and celebrity athletes), but it is most certainly a house and she definitely lives in it.
But you said two examples, and the only "two examples" I saw in your post were Scootaloo and Spike so this is a very confusing response to me because my intent was to say that it's NOT canon while it sounded like you meant to say it was?