I am puzzled by something I see when searching through stories posted on all kinds of sites. It seems to happen in every fandom. It is something that, when I see it, I automatically do NOT want to read the story.

Perhaps maybe it's because the writers who do it are inexperienced or nervous about their stories? But this is the phrase that just seems to pop up all the time:

"I suck at summaries."

Why do you put this in your summary? Do you think that it will somehow reassure your readers that your story should be read despite your 'sucky' summary? Many times I read the summary and find absolutely nothing wrong with it....and then the author has to go and make it suck by QUALIFYING that they suck at summaries.

Have a little faith in your writing! That type of thing isn't necessary to lure readers into your story.

Anyhoo, I am probably weird for noticing something like this >.<

I don't really know how to put this delicately, but these types of topics really tend to be leading in the direction of a rant, and as thats against the rules, I'm asking everyone to be very cautious when replying to this thread.

I think (and I'm putting it all on myself if anyone takes this the wrong way- like if I say 'mostly new writers' and you aren't a new writer but you tend to do this, than I apologize, no offense is intended) that for the most part, this is done by the newer, or at least less experienced writers- by this I mean those that perhaps have been writing for a while, but are new to putting their writing out there in a public venue for others to share, which can be just as nerve wracking as coming into it completely green. I don't think they're doing it to 'lure' anyone in, though, so much as they're worried that they do not know how to adequately sum up their story in a way that's going to grab the reader's interest, or that nothing they can fit into a few sentences is going to do justice to the story they're trying to tell. I think they're just concerned that they aren't able to make the story sound appealing, so they decide to honestly say they 'suck at summaries' hoping that the reader will give the story a far shot despite it.

When I was new to fanfiction writing in general, I was only aware of FF.net at the time and most of us are well aware how limited their summary space is, and I was always worried that no matter what I said in that limited space, I would end up making a story I was working so hard on sound like garbage that wasn't worth anyone's time. Of course, back then I'd never seen anyone put out there that they sucked at summaries, or I might have used it, myself (or at lest something to that effect ) . . . but then again, maybe not, 'cause there goes a sentence I could have put toward trying to sum up the story .

I mean (and no, this is not a rant or a put down on anyone who does this) I would prefer the attempt at summarizing with the 'I suck at summaries' disclaimer to the summaries that are beautiful and poetic . . . but tell the reader nothing about the story itself. But that is largely a personal preference because I think the summaries are supposed to accomplish the same thing as the back cover (or book jacket, in the case of hard covers) of a novel does, in that it's supposed to give you a taste of what you can expect from the story without really spoiling the bulk of the content. That being said, I think it's this very thing (perhaps the writer is concerned that they'll give too much away) when it comes to making a summary completely vague and almost detached-seeming.

MoxyMikki wrote:
I don't really know how to put this delicately, but these types of topics really tend to be leading in the direction of a rant, and as thats against the rules, I'm asking everyone to be very cautious when replying to this thread.


Oh dear, it certainly wasn't my intention to start a thread that would devolve into a rant. This is something I have noticed when searching for fics and I am curious about it, that's all. It's on topic as far as I can see, and I didn't mention anyone's name. I was merely wondering what other people's opinion is on the matter. I appreciate Freya's thoughtful reply and it seems she kept it in the spirit I intended when I asked my question.

If I have offended anyone, I apologize. It was not my intention. I really was curious about this, however, and was hoping to spark discussion, but TOTALLY not at the risk of breaking any rules. My bad.

Freya Ishtar wrote:
I think (and I'm putting it all on myself if anyone takes this the wrong way- like if I say 'mostly new writers' and you aren't a new writer but you tend to do this, than I apologize, no offense is intended) that for the most part, this is done by the newer, or at least less experienced writers- by this I mean those that perhaps have been writing for a while, but are new to putting their writing out there in a public venue for others to share, which can be just as nerve wracking as coming into it completely green. I don't think they're doing it to 'lure' anyone in, though, so much as they're worried that they do not know how to adequately sum up their story in a way that's going to grab the reader's interest, or that nothing they can fit into a few sentences is going to do justice to the story they're trying to tell. I think they're just concerned that they aren't able to make the story sound appealing, so they decide to honestly say they 'suck at summaries' hoping that the reader will give the story a far shot despite it.

When I was new to fanfiction writing in general, I was only aware of FF.net at the time and most of us are well aware how limited their summary space is, and I was always worried that no matter what I said in that limited space, I would end up making a story I was working so hard on sound like garbage that wasn't worth anyone's time. Of course, back then I'd never seen anyone put out there that they sucked at summaries, or I might have used it, myself (or at lest something to that effect ) . . . but then again, maybe not, 'cause there goes a sentence I could have put toward trying to sum up the story .

I mean (and no, this is not a rant or a put down on anyone who does this) I would prefer the attempt at summarizing with the 'I suck at summaries' disclaimer to the summaries that are beautiful and poetic . . . but tell the reader nothing about the story itself. But that is largely a personal preference because I think the summaries are supposed to accomplish the same thing as the back cover (or book jacket, in the case of hard covers) of a novel does, in that it's supposed to give you a taste of what you can expect from the story without really spoiling the bulk of the content. That being said, I think it's this very thing (perhaps the writer is concerned that they'll give too much away) when it comes to making a summary completely vague and almost detached-seeming.


Yeah I took forever in replying to this xD and also it seems I may have overstepped myself in posting this topic, and once again I do apologize and I promise to behave on the forums in future!

That said, thank you Freya for your thoughts on this. I think you hit it exactly when you said that summaries should be like the back of a novel: gives the reader an idea what to expect without spoiling the story. I myself struggle with summarizing stories (the few I have done). I'm like you in that I don't like the nebulous purple prosey summaries that offer absolutely nothing in the way pertinent info on the story...mainly because I dislike purple prose in general, but that's just me. I am more inclined to click on a story that clearly indicates the setting and whether or not it's AU or CU, because I have a definite preference for one over the other.

When I said that inserting a phrase such as "I suck at summaries" isn't needed to lure readers into a story, I guess that came out wrong. What I mean is, by putting this in a summary, it's the first thing readers see. And I know for me, it doesn't do anything to make me WANT to read the story. I totally understand the difficulty when it comes to summing up a story in one sentence. However, my personal opinion is that less is more. Even if the writer is dissatisfied with the summary, or thinks maybe it doesn't quite say what they want it to say, adding this phrase only detracts, it doesn't add anything relevant.

Mamasama wrote:
What I mean is, by putting this in a summary, it's the first thing readers see. And I know for me, it doesn't do anything to make me WANT to read the story. I totally understand the difficulty when it comes to summing up a story in one sentence. However, my personal opinion is that less is more. Even if the writer is dissatisfied with the summary, or thinks maybe it doesn't quite say what they want it to say, adding this phrase only detracts, it doesn't add anything relevant.

I agree with this. "I suck at summaries" has never encouraged me to delve further into the story. If anything, it's been more of a turnoff than a fumbling and/or overlong summary.

It takes a certain skill to sum up an entire story in one or two sentences, one that I hardly possess myself, unfortunately! Still, any attempt to let the reader know what they're in for, should they click on the story, is better than nothing, quite frankly, and shouldn't be devalued by that 'disclaimer.' The "I suck at summaries" thing definitely does not add to one's desire to read, no matter how good or sucky the summary.

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts, and so nicely, on the subject!!

~~Wiccan~~

Mamasama, i'm sure you never meant to start a rant, and you HAVEN'T! Its just I've seen topics like this turn south because of people (not necessarily the conversation starter) not being careful about tone when replying. YOU'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! I was just trying to head off a potential problem BEFORE it happened. Gentle reminders about how easily topics can turn, usually go a long way to help avoid nastysituations. I'm very sorry if you thought i was calling you out on something, because it was never my intention. Again... you've done NOTHING wrong!

My theory is they do either suck or they just find it hard to condense the story into so few words while still catching the attention of potential readers. Some people hyperfocus and just begin to talk about one part not the story as a whole possibly because they themselves have no idea where the story is going. Possibly just dabbling in "freewriting fanfiction" ( dare you to say that five times fast). Either way when I see that I read the first five sentences. To many typos or the story has already progressed so far in so few words I just dismiss it. Or maybe they are just lazy, ahh lazyness

I agree that something like that shouldn't be put in your summary, because it gives the reader a negative feeling from the get-go, and they're less likely to enjoy your summary, and consequently your story.

I'm training to be a designer, and the first thing all my teachers have said in critiques is that YOU shouldn't highlight your project's and process' short-comings. If it is noticed, the people giving you critiques will tell you.

I think the same idea can be applied to summaries.

I'm going to try to not make this sound like a rant and I hope I haven't in my other posts since I have a history of having a strong a opinion.

When I see things like "I suck at summaries" in a summary, that turns me off from a story no matter how good it might actually be. It tells me that if you don't believe you can write a somewhat decent summary, how am I supposed to believe you can write a full story? I understand as a writer that it is a challenge to write a summary without spoiling the whole story, but I'd rather see an attempt than giving up half way through with that line. I understand what it's like to be self concious of your writing(I'm still not as confident as I should be) and to want some hits/feedback, but being desperate about it going to turn more readers away. As contradicting as this sounds, I believe in faking confidence to an extent instead of being completely desperate. It's a matter of self respect(which I find different from self confidence). At least to me.

yea... it does kind of steer the desire to read the fic away but perhaps you shouldn't be so hard on them The summary may suck in their eyes but the story could be amazing! And you'd miss out on a totally awesome fic all because of a self-consciense writer's tendancy to make it known that they are self-conscience.

I hope that made sense. lol Kinda one of those situations where I know what I'm talking about but other people look at me like I've grown a second head. lol

Some writers are just looking for reassurance that their summary actually drew attention to their fic. Doesn't mean that thay are inexperianced.