[ SECRET POST #2183 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2183 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Sorry for late, overslept.

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 067 secrets from Secret Submission Post #312.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - 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

[chardmonster]

If someone is a jerk in their criticism, the author should be adult enough to fucking deal with it.

I'm sorry. Did someone say something mean to you? GROW UP, COMMENT BACK ABOUT HOW THEY'RE BEING AN ASSHOLE. Or ignore it!

If you curl up into a ball and hate yourself because someone said something mean on the internet you have a legitimate problem that needs to be dealt with. How do you think people taking writing classes carry on? You criticize each other's work!

[(Anonymous)]

Fandom isn't a writing class, you stupid cunt.

I already used you blew it above, so...

[insanenoodlyguy]

[(Anonymous)]

If this is the type of "criticism" you would leave on fics? You're part of the problem.

[insanenoodlyguy]

No. She, myself, and those like us are the solution. TO your crappy writing. You are failing to be part of the solution with us. By being so shit at criticism and being a big kid who can wipe ones own ass without a pat on the head.

[(Anonymous)]

There is no solution to crappy writing. It will always exist. Being an asshole on the internet will not change this, and is far more likely to inspire even more crappy writing just to spite you.

[thene]

Yeah I am seriously a bit disturbed by this comparison of 'fanfic' to 'crayon drawing'. Sure, that's where we all start out, but don't most of us want our work to get a little bit better than that?

[velvet_mace]

Yeah, no. It doesn't work that way. You make fandom free of crappy writing, you make fandom too much of a punishment to be worth writing in. Even good writers think twice when crappy writers are trounced on. Nothing kills a community faster than when they start putting up rules about what qualifies as good writing.

Fandom is about fun. You aren't having fun reading someone's peice of shit writing, you stop wasting your fucking day on it. Hit the back arrow button, and move on.

Now some of us writers really do want to improve, but people like you don't help us. With your attitude, I wouldn't trust your opinions. And why should I? Why should I believe you have more insight on how to write a better story than I, the person who wrote the damn thing, has? You cast doubt on my qualifications as a writer, but what are your qualifications as a critic? Just as going to high school doesn't make you an expert on how to run a high school, reading a fic doesn't make you an expert on how to improve it.

[chardmonster]

I'm a teaching assistant in the humanities. Concrit is literally a big chunk of how I pay for school.

You have to be nice, honest, and useful. Always find at least one nice thing to say.

I don't leave a lot of criticism period but that's because I don't read much fanfiction.

[(Anonymous)]

If only more people shared your views on concrit, I think we'd be having much less wank up in this thread. Although I am kind of enjoying said wank, so I guess it's still a win for me.

[velvet_mace]

Why is it always the writers responsibility to do all the hard work? They have to write a story the best they are able and if they want to share it all, they have to somehow be gracious and emotionless in the face of people whose total investment is the five seconds they took writing "Your writing sucks".

Writers are human beings. They are allowed to feel upset when someone insults them and their work.

Talk about fucking reader entitlement.

[(Anonymous)]

JFC thank you. I'm so tired of this "you need to be grateful that I tore your work apart in a public forum when you were just trying to have fun!" attitude. Drives me up the fucking wall.

[(Anonymous)]

Just my two cents, but while I think it's completely fine and legitimate to feel upset, it's not a good idea to try to shut down that experience - writers do not have the right to never be upset about their writing. God knows we do it to ourselves all the time.

If someone says "Your writing sucks" your options are either a), look at your writing and determine that it does not suck, and be proud of it and say as much, or b) look at your writing and figure out how to reduce/remove the suck. I think either of these routes can help build who you are as a writer.

[velvet_mace]

No, there's a third one. There's "I've done as much as I can with this writing, it may suck, but it's the best it will ever be."

[insanenoodlyguy]

Readers are entitled in this way. and they should be.

[(Anonymous)]

Unless you're paying people to write fanfic for you, no you aren't entitled to a damned thing.

[velvet_mace]

No they shouldn't. No one should feel entitled to anything in fandom. Fandom doesn't owe you shit.

[(Anonymous)]

Talk about fucking reader entitlement.

This exactly.

Good constructive crit, is really easy to spot. It usually done with care, respect, and with a sense that the person really does want to help.

As for the rest well, sometimes it's best to just let it go, and to seek the advice of those who really do love the craft of writing.

[velvet_mace]

A good beta is an amazing and beautiful thing.

[chardmonster]

Nobody said be emotionless or even gracious! Just to deal with it.

If you're posting your work up, you need to deal with concrit. This goes for anyone. Whether it's fanfiction or a blog post or even a little status message on Facebook, people have the ability to comment on it. Hell, people are going to comment on your outfit when you walk out the door.

Dealing with people being assholes to you is part of adulthood. Should they be assholes? No, of course not. But they WILL be.

This is aside from the fact that there are people out there who appear to think all criticism is someone being an asshole, which is just laughable.

[(Anonymous)]

I think a lot of the issues come with the whole public part of the equation, too. I've seen wonderful concrit, but I've also seen people being entitled, know-it-all assholes to writers. The latter seem to tend to leave their comments on public sites instead of contacting the writer privately because it's less about giving honest feedback and more about wanting to make their thoughts and opinions known in a public way.

[(Anonymous)]

And is that so bad? Commenting and reccing and sharing your opinions is part of fandom engagement too. What is so wrong with doing it in public? When I say nice things about a fic in public comments or in a rec post, that's also me wanting to make my thoughts and opinions known in public and promote works I care about. And that public conversation is not going to be 100% positive at all times.

Last time I posted any serious crit on AO3 (which was a mixture of positive comments and negative ones), someone else in the fandom actually thanked me a couple of days later because they'd been having the same mixed feelings but hadn't felt up to voicing them. It was essentially a hate fic about one particular character. I'm definitely glad I said something that wasn't all fuzzybunnies about it.

[(Anonymous)]

Not all fanfic authors are adults, and even some of those who are are just... lagging a bit, shall we say. In any case, not everyone is seeking to be the next Stephen King, so shitting on their work isn't going to accomplish much. Easier to just back button and go have your fun somewhere else.

[(Anonymous)]

Very true.

People who like using the meme of Teh Internetz isn't Huggy Space to jump on kids are entitled shits in my book. I'd rather see kids write out their bad fics online and learn on their own whether or not they want to be more serious about their writing and decide for themselves if they want good concrit. The ones who decide on their own to be more serious will improve their writing. The ones who don't are just having fun. It's fucking fantastic that they are trying to write at all. It means they care about literacy, whether they care about writing or not.

THE BACKBUTTON IS A BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL THING. LESS STRESS AND AGGRAVATION IN YOUR LIFE GUARANTEED.

[author_by_night]

I acknowledge that there's people who are young or "lagging" (nice way of putting it), but at the same time, isn't that how they learn? It's how I did. I mean, sure, I got some pretty nasty reviews and so did some of my friends - I mean, truly nasty, spiteful shit that was more intended to troll than to be helpful. But the truth is... well, I'm horrible at certain games, and when I play them, people around me tell me what I should do differently. They don't think I'm trying to be the next professional athlete, they're just trying to help me refine my skills. If I didn't want that, I wouldn't participate.

Again, I totally agree that there's a certain mentality (or there used to be anyway) that it's acceptable to be absolutely horrible to writers who probably are kids and/or lagging a little. And that's horrible. But there's a big difference between "die in a fire this fic sucks" and "(insert positive feedback here), but just one tip..."