[ SECRET POST #4893 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4893 ⌋

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

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06.
[Interview with the Vampire]


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08.
[Disney Descendants 3]


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09. [SPOILERS for Making the Cut]



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10. [WARNING for discussion of transphobia]



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11. [WARNING for discussion of pedophilia]











Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #700.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[sparklywalls]

I get it. It took me ages to get used to the idea that kudos was effectively a "this is great!" comment because when I started writing fanfic I measured my "success" in comments and how many people bookmarked my fic.

I do appreciate kudos but I won't lie, when I get an actual comment it really gives me a boost. Because comments seem so much rarer these days.

I also get the view that not everyone knows exactly how to put it when they like something but perhaps have some crit. I know this because I'm very selective about what I decide to review properly on Goodreads for example. Basically, I sympathise with many points of view but still get it as a writer that it's nice to have something beyond a button click.

[(Anonymous)]

I also get the view that not everyone knows exactly how to put it when they like something but perhaps have some crit.

I always think of Lizzie's remark to Mr Darcy at Lady Catherine's house. "My fingers... do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women's do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault — because I will not take the trouble of practising. It is not that I do not believe my fingers as capable as any other woman's of superior execution."

Practice is all it takes. I always think, why not leave a comment - it'll make someone's day, what's not to like?

[(Anonymous)]

nayrt - I agree. I roll my eyes when people claim that oh, they'd totally leave a comment but they never know what to say! People, it's not that hard. Nobody's asking you to perform brain surgery with a ballpoint pen and a swiss army knife. Figuring out nice, complimentary ways of speaking to people you appreciate is a skill everyone should learn and reaching adulthood without picking up this basic courtesy should be embarrassing.

[(Anonymous)]

Wow you sound butthurt.

[(Anonymous)]

So do you.

[(Anonymous)]

nayrt: I'd say lurking isn't about skill, it's about emotional trust. And the reader, having absolutely no idea whether you will respond graciously or lash out at any perceived criticism, has absolutely no reason to trust you. Or anyone else who might read the comment.

Never mind that outside of online classrooms and support groups, mandatory participation just isn't that common. It's not an expectation I find stated on AO3. It's not how the commenting system on AO3 is structured. And quite thankfully, AO3 doesn't nag you to leave comments based on your viewing history.

[(Anonymous)]

+1

[(Anonymous)]

Its people like you that make others anxious about leaving comments.

[meadowphoenix]

i don't think that's what anon's saying. i think they're saying that in addition to a reader liking the piece they're critical of it, and fandom doesn't really do crit anymore so those people don't comment because they don't feel comfortable giving unreserved praise when that's not what they think exactly.

[(Anonymous)]

Fairly straightforward. Make a comment, if you get a reply make a few more comments, maybe get into email conversation, and then bring up the point that's niggling, if it really niggles that much. A reserved comment is nice too.

Comments mean more fic, in my experience; I've stopped writing in fandoms because of lack of interaction. SHouting into a void is no fun. Less fic doesn't matter in big fandoms but it surely does in small ones.

[meadowphoenix]

i don't think the solution to wanting to give crit in a non-crit friendly environment where there is already an engagement hurdle is advocating more investment into something a person only somewhat likes.

but if you structure small fandoms as crit-friendly then you won't have to worry about this type of anxious mindset.

[(Anonymous)]

so those people don't comment because they don't feel comfortable giving unreserved praise when that's not what they think exactly.

This is absolutely something I struggle with sometimes. Like, if a fic is in the 9/10 or 10/10 range for me, then I have no problem commenting with pure glowing positivity. But if I'd maybe only give a fic 7.5/10, it gets trickier. I don't like purely leaving praise for things when that's not honestly how I feel about them. I feel it dilutes any sense of what my opinions are founded in.

I mean, I enjoy the movie Twilight...with the caveat that it's not a particularly good movie. But if you tell me I can't have that caveat - I can only praise it or say nothing - well then I'm going to say nothing. Because the statement "I enjoy the movie Twilight," on its own, gives a false impression of my taste in movies.

[(Anonymous)]

If I don't like everything about a work, but I want to comment, I leave a comment describing something I do like about it. A phrase or sentence that moved me. A character description or choice that works particularly well.

Actually I often do this even if I do like everything about a work, because as a writer I like knowing more about what particular things my readers respond to, so I give that to other writers as well.

[sparklywalls]

Yes I think this is along the lines of what I was thinking. I don’t mean you have to tear it apart and be super critical but it seems even saying “this was a little out of character I think because...” I don’t know why, I mean I DO know why in that some people reacted badly to crit in the past.

Last year I remember reading a fic where someone commented that the same thing was happening every chapter and “you made your point, Character A is an asshole, maybe move the story on now because you’re getting stuck in a rut here” and I remember being so taken aback someone had actually said what I was thinking as all the other comments were gushing praise. And the author took it really well!