I remember as a kid reading Star Trek novels (the ones actually published in association with the show, as opposed to fanfic) and being very annoyed whenever each character was introduced with full name, rank, and job duty. Yes, I KNOW that about each character already. I probably wouldn't be reading this if I DIDN'T know that Picard's first name is "Jean-Luc" and he's the captain. I feel the same way about "unnecessary" descriptions in fanfic. I don't want to hear a rundown of exactly what House looks like. I've got that down pat. I also don't need to be reminded in that other guy's first scene that his name is James Wilson and he's the Head of Oncology and he's House's best friend. I actually find the "name, rank, and serial number" descriptions more annoying than the physical descriptions. Anyone else annoyed by full names and descriptions of duties in the character's first scene? Or is that just me? (Awww, and thanks for quoting that, Dee. You're a sweetheart!)

Yup. I get completely annoyed if someone feels the need to tell me that Cuddy is the attractive brunette Dean of Medicine who is House's boss. Even if I didn't already know that, there are better ways to go about imparting that information, simply by letting me watch and listen to the characters. Their interactions should tell me enough so that I can figure it out.

Show, not tell, eh? My junior high English teacher is beaming at all of you.

In terms of description, personally I like to drop in little bits, but not necessarily about physical description but more like movement -- someone sits forward, elbows on knees, or House fiddles with the blinds while he's telling Wilson something personal. That's more about using description to set the mood. I've also had Wilson (and Blythe) observe House just as a way to track how he's feeling physically, since he isn't the type to tell them that he's having a difficult day. But I think you can get away with some description when you're dealing with the POV of a non-regualar cast member. When I wrote from the maid Lady's POV, I had her refer to House's gaze as reminding her of a carnival barker who wagers they can guess your age. And of course, pwcorgigirl does nothing but description in "Map of the Body," but again from a very different perspective both in terms of the POV and what Ingrid the masseuse is observing. http://pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com/38858.html#cutid1/

The thing about descriptions is this: YOU may know that Cuddy is "the attractive Dean of Medicine." Everyone who reads the story might know that too, but you can't guarantee that. I think that a great story is going to be written so that someone who is completely unfamilar with House could read it and follow along without having too many questions. It will avoid redundancy of refering to Wilson as "the oncologist" in every third paragraph, but will also avoid the redundancy/blandness of calling Wilson just "Wilson" the whole story. Descriptions and references to the dynamics between characters help set the mindframe of the characters for the reader. Just like you're not supposed to under-estimate your audience, you should never over-estimate them either. For example, I got into Harry Potter via the movies while I was stuck in bed sick. I wasn't healthy enough to go out and buy the books before I was bored enough to attempt to find fan fiction. I found some fan fic and references to Death Eaters confused me because I didn't know what they were based on the first two movies. There's nothing I find weaker than than a story with all dialogue and no description. Even worse, stories where the author doesn't even bother to say who says what so you get lost trying to keep up with the voice changes. To that end, you have to write something more than "..." House said. "..." Chase said. "..." House said. There's a balance between describing every hair on House's head and fleshing out a story so that it could possibly stand alone.

Extra_cat, I agree that not everyone may know who's who -- or they may not know very well. But I didn't say there shouldn't be any description; I merely said there are better ways to impart the relevant information than just plunking it there like a lead weight in the story. I love the term "info-dump." That happy medium is a trick, isn't it? There's a certain level of skill required to weave the descriptions and character information into the story naturally. It should be more like watching the show. I didn't come in on the pilot episode, and no one was around to tell me that Chase was Australian and Wilson was an oncologist and House was permanently lame. I picked everything up on my own. I've read a very few short dialogue-only pieces that I've loved, but those are definitely in the "for fans only" category. If I didn't already know the characters I'd be lost.

I've read a very few short dialogue-only pieces that I've loved, but those are definitely in the "for fans only" category. If I didn't already know the characters I'd be lost. Which is perfectly all right! Writers shouldn't write for fandom newbies; most of your readers will be long time fans like yourself. And if newbies have some difficulty understanding references at first, well, they'll pick it up after they've read a couple of more stories or googling the characters, just like we all did when we got into the fandom. It really doesn't take long.

how many of your personal kinks (food, music, fashion, whatever) do you manage to work into your stories? None. They are characters unto themselves. There happen to be some small overlaps here and there: Wilson and I both like cooking, and House and I both like old-timey blues. All three of us happen to live in the NY-metro area. Other than that, I am nothing like either of them. And I see no logical reason to force my own personal tastes onto pre-existing fictional characters. I guess writers can get away with it in pornographic fiction, because we have very little information about the characters' sex lives. Thus I guiltily admit to enjoying a story in which Cuddy buys Wilson a pair of leather pants, followed by a rather wild threesome. But other than that, it just rings false to me when I read fiction in which the characters' personal tastes are very obviously the writers' personal tastes. It's easier to write what you know, of course. But I prefer fan fiction that refelects the original characters to some degree. A little extrapolation is fine, but not to the extent where Wilson's cutting himself and House is a rabid fan of Robert Smith or somesuch. Regarding the descriptions of their appearances, despite the fact that we all know what they look like, I think it's fine for slash fics, because sexual and romantic attraction does have some element of the physical. I don't object to physical descriptions if they are placed within the context of the characters' relationships to each other. But not if they are merely the writer's own impressions. I'm not too keen on the author as a presence in the story and prefer that the characters relate to each other through the prose. I've known many of my friends for longer than House and Wilson have know each other, so you'd think I would be completely oblivious to their appearances, but sometimes I do still find myself thinking, wow, so-and-so has such intensely blue eyes, or noticing some other aspect of their appearance that logically I ought not to notice anymore. I don't know why, it's not as if my friends are incredibly gorgeous, but some of them have unique characteristics that I still notice. My fan fiction is not intended for people who have never seen House. I'd prefer such readers to watch the actual show to be introduced to the characters. So I don't hold to the standalone theory for my own writing, and I do find it a bit awkward to read, because I am a fan.

Sorry. Must rant for a moment ... Yes, House likes rueben sandwiches. But for God's sake, it's not the only thing he ever eats. Thank you. (This rant sponsored by, I swear, the 3,680th reference to a ruben I've come across.)

Yes, House likes rueben sandwiches. But for God's sake, it's not the only thing he ever eats. Yeah...I've heard somewhere that he also eats chinese takeout. :shifty:

What about Macadamia nut pancakes? :wink: :D

Little silver dollar slices of heaven.

See, speaking of the pancakes, I love it when an author describes the taste, or smell, or even feel of something (well, I guess you get those in smut, which I actually don't read much of). There's something about an author describing the scent of a character's fabric softener that just makes me want to read more. Or the crunch of the macademia nuts in contrast with the melting sweetness of the syrup in a character's mouth as they take their first bite. But there's also a fine line with description. Too much, even with the great authors (F Scott Fitzgerald, I'm looking at you here), and it can be a burden to read. So, if you must fall back on an old cliché and use one of the apparent "three" foods that House eats, at least do it in a new way. Make me, the reader, want to be there too, otherwise, I'll close the tab that the story is in and say "Bye-bye."

He also likes food other than macademia nut pancakes! For the sake of my sanity, authors, stop it with the pancake references! Wilson made them ONCE!!

The question of food is one area in which I don't hesitate to give the characters a few of my own tastes. In canon we've only seen a limited number of things that these people eat, and I heartily agree that fan writers have way overused those few items. Therefore, if I'm writing something involving food I'll pick out a food I happen to like and use that, just to avoid the cliches. It's particularly easy with regards to House because you get the feeling that he will eat almost anything as long as there are no pickles involved. You could believably see House consuming anything from Twinkies to caviar -- just more evidence of his very eclectic tastes.