What I meant by it was, why do so many fic authors use it ALL THE TIME.

Because it can be an easy substitute for characterization.

I feel like my grasp on British English is not too bad, largely due to a lot of British TV and mystery novel consumption.

Isn't "bollix" just a misspelling?

Well, it's years since I read Bill Bryson's books on language, but I'm pretty sure I remember him saying that that was the US spelling, and that it had taken on a slightly different meaning over the years.

I feel like my grasp on British English is not too bad, largely due to a lot of British TV and mystery novel consumption.

Mine comes from HP (surprise) and the British romance novels I read. Some from Are You Being Served? and now that I have BBC again, My Family.

And this kind little thing I found out cracks me up - I love Nora Roberts (American author) and Jane Greene (English author) equally. Maybe I love Jane a little bit more, but Nora has way more published works. They are similar authors in that they both write romance. What cracks me up is that at Border's, Nora's books are in "Romance" while Jane's books are in "Literature".

(Ok, I'm new to the Land O' Fic. Is it okay for me to be so critical of The Fic? Cause some of it - it is so bad.)

I love Nora Roberts

I have a Nora Roberts/JD Robb (same person, same characters, slightly different time period) two-part novel Remember When that I listen to a couple of times per year. Just love it.

I didn't realize Roberts was 'romance' until I looked for more of her stuff at the book store. There must be more crime in romance than I was led to believe as a teenager reading bodice-rippers.

Just don't be snarkily critical of The Fic where the poor author gets to see you being cruel. Honor the intent that it was posted with, i. e. most bad authors meant to write something good and fun and did so to the best of a limited ability. Much better to praise to the skies the stuff that is brilliant.

Is it okay for me to be so critical of The Fic?

You wouldn't be a Buffista if you weren't.

Just don't be snarkily critical of The Fic where the poor author gets to see you being cruel.

Yeah, come here and tell us about it instead.

Just don't be snarkily critical of The Fic where the poor author gets to see you being cruel.

Oh gods, no!! I would never ever ever. When I write a review at Checkmated, which isn't often, I make sure I point out the one or two things I really liked about it. Or, I just don't say anything.

I meant, can I be critical of it here. Like, b.org the backchannel for bad fic.

And Ailleann answers!!

Well, it's years since I read Bill Bryson's books on language, but I'm pretty sure I remember him saying that that was the US spelling, and that it had taken on a slightly different meaning over the years.

I can't recall ever seeing "bollix" in US English.

There was one fic I read that had the opposite problem -- it was following Remus in the years between the Potters' deaths and PoA, and for a few of those years it had him teaching at a wizard school in Alabama. This was quite clearly meant to be a very American school, complete with lots of American cliches (including a school song mentioning kicking the Yankee wizards asses), but the classes were refered to as first year, second year, etc., rather than sixth grade, seventh grade, and so on, and the teachers were called professors. (I really enjoyed the story in that one, but kept getting thrown out of it by stuff like that.)

I can't recall ever seeing "bollix" in US English.

I've only seen it in this discussion, and ita used it somewhere on the board once.

Like, b.org the backchannel for bad fic.

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