[ SECRET POST #2916 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2916 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


__________________________________________________



02.


__________________________________________________



03.


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.



__________________________________________________



09.











Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 050 secrets from Secret Submission Post #417.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 (second time) - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - posted twice ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Again, I regret to tell you this isn't true. Lots of people ask for concrit from betas. The logical thing is to assume that 1) they know their writing needs help and 2) they'll be open to constructive criticism since they've actively solicited it. HOWEVER. Some people who ask for concrit are fooling themselves. They don't mean to be dishonest about what they want, but they might not be prepared to find out the full extent of what needs fixing in their work. When they find out, the tendency is to shoot the messenger. I can testify this from firsthand experience, from eager authors who swear they want me to be brutal when I edit their fic and then throw seven kinds of tantrums when I point out their fic is full of run-ons... and worse.

As to the second, yes, perhaps people who don't know what needs fixing in their own fic won't know whether or not a beta did a good job or not. But maybe they will. Being objective about your own fic is hard, but reading someone's concrit and figuring out if they're right or completely off target is a different issue altogether.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think you're necessarily comparing like with like though.

In your example, people get offended because they're getting more than they imagined they would, or more than they were prepared for. Of course hurt feelings would run rampant, however well intentioned and however carefully you make sure they knew what they were getting into.

In OP's case, people would be getting less than they thought they would, i.e. paying for an editing service that was only a glorified copyedit. What are they going to get upset about, "you didn't make this fic a million times better and it didn't get me a hundred more reviews than I usually get"?

Far more likely that they either wouldn't know (and maybe don't even want) true editing if it bit them on the ass, or they're part of the majority who think that getting a friend to read over their fic once constitutes having it betaed and therefore it must be perfect.

But hey, caveat emptor, right? If you can't be bothered or can't tell enough to do your homework, then too bad.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, in the example of the concrit, you can argue that yes, the client was getting more than they bargained for, but... they're also getting less. Granted this is my experience, but when someone asks for blunt concrit but doesn't really expect blunt concrit, what they expected instead was compliments. They expected their beta (me, in that case) to say, "OMG, this is fantastic I loved it and I couldn't find anything wrong! <3 <3"

But that's not what they got, so in their mind, they did get less than what they wanted from me and the services I offered. It's all in the perspective.


What are they going to get upset about, "you didn't make this fic a million times better and it didn't get me a hundred more reviews than I usually get"?

I can see this happening. Not with reasonable people, of course, but you won't always be dealing with reasonable people on the internet. Quite often, you won't know they're not reasonable people until they erupt. IA, it would definitely be a case of "too bad for them!", but that wouldn't really help whoever it was they were mad at.