[ SECRET POST #1755 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1755 ⌋


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


01.



__________________________________________________

02.


__________________________________________________

03.


__________________________________________________

04.


__________________________________________________

05.


__________________________________________________

06.


__________________________________________________

07.


__________________________________________________

08.


__________________________________________________

09.


__________________________________________________

10.


__________________________________________________

11.


__________________________________________________

12.


__________________________________________________

13.


__________________________________________________

14.


__________________________________________________

15.


__________________________________________________

16.


__________________________________________________

17.


__________________________________________________

18.


__________________________________________________

19.


__________________________________________________

20.


__________________________________________________

21.


__________________________________________________

22.


__________________________________________________

23.


__________________________________________________

24.


__________________________________________________

25.


__________________________________________________

26.


__________________________________________________

27.


__________________________________________________

28.


__________________________________________________

29.


__________________________________________________

30.


__________________________________________________

31.


__________________________________________________

32.


__________________________________________________

33.


__________________________________________________

34.


__________________________________________________

35.


__________________________________________________

36.


__________________________________________________

37.


__________________________________________________

38.



Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 09 pages, 206 secrets from Secret Submission Post #251.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 1 2 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeats ]
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom.livejournal.com]

35. http://i51.tinypic.com/20h3cqg.png

[netbug009.livejournal.com]

Ok.

You don't have to like every kind of fin, anon. It's cool.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I prefer tuna fin. Some people prefer dolphin's, or shark's. It's all okay, anon.

[netbug009.livejournal.com]

*FACEPALMS* HOW DOES I SPELL?

[(Anonymous)]

lol, it's okay

for a moment I wondered if "fin" was some sort of new slang for bnf's friend, or something

I just realized that you meant "fic"

[gertie-flirty.livejournal.com]

What is "minimalist fic?"

I'm being genuine, I haven't heard that term before.

[immortality.livejournal.com]

This. I've never heard it either.

[velvet-mace.livejournal.com]

Few words. Terse. Suggestive rather than descriptive.

On one side, the OP is right, the reader has to bring a lot of his or her own imagination to the experience. Some people enjoy this, because it makes the fic more interactive and because it covers a lot of ground in few words, it can be emotionally quite powerful.

However, sometimes a reader just doesn't want to work for their fic. They just want to sit back, read and have the story unfold vividly in front of their eyes. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

And just as you can go so wordy that the story gets lost in the hunks of ponderous exposition, you can also go so barebones and sketchy that it becomes confusing and unsatisfying. I remember reading a story where I got to the end of it and I didn't know which characters were interacting or what precisely they were up to. That's not just minimalist, that's fail.

[gertie-flirty.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay. thanks for the explanation.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree with all you've said, although I'm not sure how "minimalist" we're talking here, or what fics the OP has encountered that they're complaining about. As I've grown as a writer, I've found that less is often more, but I agree that it's not good to write so few words that you confuse your audience. On the other hand, I don't believe in "not making the reader work for their fic". I'm a person who reads between the lines and doesn't appreciate spoon-feeding, so I expect other people to as well. It's fine if others don't like that, but that's how I roll.

But part of being a writer is finding the balance between too much information and too little, and a lot of fanfic writers don't have enough experience to know how to do that.

[straydog733.livejournal.com]

Good description here, I thoroughly approve.

I find mixing it up works really well too. A fair amount of fics use minimalism to build to an end-line reveal, which if done well, can be wonderful. When I go minimalist, I tend towards using first person to disguise the identity of the narrator until the end. But if it's done poorly, you can end up with some serious crash-and-burns.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

And just as you can go so wordy that the story gets lost in the hunks of ponderous exposition, you can also go so barebones and sketchy that it becomes confusing and unsatisfying.

Yes, exactly this. Sometimes I reach the end of fics and go "wait, what the fuck just happened?" and it leaves me feeling really frustrated and angry.

[velvet-mace.livejournal.com]

Even though the local BNF is pimping this writer to the moon, you aren't obligated to read it, much less enjoy it. We all have different tastes. Don't let some odd idea of peer pressure make you think that you have to turn yourself into a taste clone of a BNF to fit in to fandom. Nor do you have to hate all that doesn't appeal to you. Just be yourself, enjoy what you enjoy, and give what you feel comfortable giving.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not about to say that I've never read anything written in a minimalist style that I didn't enjoy, but on the whole, I agree with the OP. I don't think that minimalist writing versus 'normal' writing or whatever we're going to call it is about spoon-feeding or not spoon-feeding. A writer can go into a lot of complex detail without going easy on their readers. I don't like minimalism because I think it's almost totally impossible to do well enough to be good, and because most of the time, it seems to me like someone trying to come across a arty, pretentious and hipster and ending up somewhere in the land of wtf-did-i-just-read. The most successful pieces of writing I've read in the fic world and out of it briefly into minimalism when the time calls for it and not a moment sooner or later.

[atlikarinca.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh you just summed up everything I feel about minimalist fic! I've yet to read a fic that doesn't scream of trying.

[(Anonymous)]

Sock Puppet. Honest Review. Go.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

I am a total chicken-shit when it comes to confrontation -- thus the anonymous secret. Plus the fic which brought this on was co-written by the BNF in question, and they'll probably go into Mama Bear mode if I say a word against it. And this terrifies me.

Re: OP

[(Anonymous)]

That's why other anon suggested using a sock puppet - ie. reviewing it anonymously, not from your real account/name.

anon op replied to

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, that's what I meant. Review anonymously, if it's allowed. If it isn't allowed, create a second account that has nothing to do with your name/nickname or anything that could possibly identify you (create an alternate email account under another name, if you can't hide your email in whatever service the fic is being hosted/reviewed at) and only use that to leave "unpopular" opinions. That way, your reputation isn't tarnished, but you can still speak up your mind.

Just be polite, don't flame, don't be condescending, and if the author still bashes you anyway, at least that way you'll know what that person is really like.

[ologist.livejournal.com]

I've read so many fics where I get to the end and go WTF just happened?? I usually ending up reading the reviews to understand, which makes me think everyone but me gets them, so I guess it's a case of YMMV, but I do prefer when things are explicitly stated.

[kryptoncat.livejournal.com]

I don't mind minimalist fic, except when its about characters who just don't get enough love. I search for an obscure character and find one fic with a promising description. I read it in one minute and then find nothing else about the character. Not as annoying as finding only troll!fics for a certain character, but still disappointing, nonetheless.

[dragonladyk.livejournal.com]

Minimalist fic is like the "girl with a little curl" nursery rhyme: it's either fucking awesome or complete garbage. Not a whole lot of in-between mediocrity, I'm afraid.

DragonLady