[ SECRET POST #2202 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2202 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Sorry, early today!

Also: I'm not going to officially warn for tongue-in-cheek "triggers" just to provide anyone with a fandom-specific in-joke when there are none in the secret.

Secrets Left to Post: 06 pages, 140 secrets from Secret Submission Post #315.
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

[fscom]

19. http://i45.tinypic.com/154cytk.png

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe they just don't have anything to say about it that they didn't say when they were encouraging you to write it.

I mean, I generally don't have much to say after reading something - no matter how excited I was to read it before it was posted or how much I enjoyed reading it.

[fenm]

Yeah, I have a friend who betas my work, and he doesn't comment on the page(s) I post on becasue he's already told me how he feels about it. [shrug]

[(Anonymous)]

This. If I've been giving feedback on your drafts and helping you hash out issues, I'm talked out by the time I read the final product. I just read it and then sort of sit back with the kind of sigh you give after your first drink of your relaxation beverage of choice on Friday after a long week.

[elaminator]

Are you sure it isn't this, OP? I doubt the person just lost interest, but maybe they've said all they had to say on the subject?

[lunabee34]

*nods*

If they are acting as a beta, this is doubly true. I always comment on fics I beta, but usually the comments consist of things I've already told the author. Some people might feel weird just rehashing the same comments they've already told you.

*hugs*

It sucks, though, when you feel like you can't decipher whether someone is being genuine with you or not.

[(Anonymous)]

I always save some comments for when the fic is posted! Which I know sounds elaborate, but I like to comment, and I think as a beta sometimes there are little details that you love, but haven't bothered to mention as there's so much to feedback on. If it's not relevant to the beta process I save it until the posting.

[lunabee34]

That's a great idea. You must be a pleasure to work with. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Ugh, you sound like one of those people who has to have constant asspats because OMG YOU WROTE SOMETHING. No one is obligated to leave you a comment, whether they're a friend or not.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. Someone on my flist (hence why I'm posting anonymously) does this all the time -- she's all "I can't wait to read it!" when I mention the plot/pairing/whatever of my current WIP, and sometimes she asks for links to older stuff that I mention. And that's it! She never actually bothers to read it, and never brings it up again. Yet, without fail, she'll return with those comments the next time I mention writing.

It's like... I don't mind if you don't read my stuff! Honestly, I don't. But please, don't get my hopes up by acting like you care and would genuinely be interested in reading it, just to seem like a nice guy or whatever.

[(Anonymous)]

If she's asking for older stuff she's probably reading it - she's just not commenting on it.

And why the fuck should she have to? She tells you she likes your stuff and can't wait to read it at other times, does she need to repeat herself on the actual fic?

[(Anonymous)]

She's not reading it. According to my counter, she doesn't even CLICK the link. She's never said she "likes my stuff" as you put it, because she's never bothered to read it -- just make comments about looking forward to it, and to be sure to tell her when it's up and blah blah.

Like I already said, she doesn't have to read/comment/do anything at all. But I find it to be frustrating as hell that she puts up the act of caring, when she in fact doesn't.

[(Anonymous)]

Jesus Christ you ungrateful ass, isn't it obvious that she's just trying to be supportive of your hobby?

Also, using your counter to determine if a specific person has read your fic is FUCKING CREEPY!

DA

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah. No. That's not being supportive. That's lying.

Re: DA

[(Anonymous)]

The two aren't mutually exclusive. "I don't enjoy this hobby, but you do, so I will cheer for you, even though I really couldn't give a rat's ass."

Re: DA

[(Anonymous)]

Uh, in this case they are mutually exclusive: you can't look forward to something _and_ not give it a rat's ass.
Still lying: She says she looks forward to something when she couldn't care less.

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds like she's pandering to your ego OP, saying what she thinks you want to hear? Have you got a fic masterlist or anything? If not, make one up and then she can use that rather then bother you with false niceties-job done.

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe you should try asking her about specifics in your fics?

Cuz to be honest this situation is very similar to mine (I am the friend who never comments but I'm always excited about the fics.). So I'll cheer her on as it's going and act as a sounding board but what the hell else am I supposed to say when it's done? BUT if my friend asks me "What did you think? What did you like? What didn't you like?" it gives me some focus and I'll tell her. I never ignore that request. It's just, firstly, what's the point in giving her blanket comments like "Oh this was so good. Update pls!" She doesn't really care about that sort of drivel and neither do I.

So try asking her about her feelings? She may not be forthcoming herself, but when asked, she'll probably have something to say.

That's how I work anyway. And also how my betas work when I write. They very rarely write out huge long comments cos we've already said so much in private.

Also, then you would know for sure whether she's reading or not. Cuz to me it sounds like you're making the false assumption that reading=comment. VERY untrue. When you've talked something to death with someone, maybe they just don't have anything else to say other than trite platitudes -- and do you really want those?

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe they were excited about the idea, but didn't enjoy the fic, and being your friend, they didn't want to hurt your feelings. It happens. It's not the end of the world.

[(Anonymous)]

Or maybe they liked it, but don't have anything to say. I don't always have stuff to say after I read someone's stuff.

[(Anonymous)]

I have a friend who would always act excited about reading my stuff and then... pretend she'd read it when she hadn't. (She would comment on it very vaguely saying things like "another amazing chapter!", "loved it!", until one time she said she "liked the angst part" in the last chapter of a longfic I was writing that was usually extremely angsty. Except that one chapter was an interlude thing kinda unrelated to the main plot and had no angst at all. I asked her about it and she ended up admitting she hadn't actually read most of the stuff she'd commented on.)
I don't usually care about people reading or commenting on my stuff but... that hurt quite a bit.

[pengychan]

There's something similar going on between a friend and me - we cheer each other on as we write, we exchanges lines and snippets, talk about the direction our fics will take... but neither has reviewed the other's fics for a long time. I don't actually read it because I'm not that familiar with the canon to begin with (but I have a lot of fun talking about the story as she writes), while she reads mine since she knows the canon, but doesn't leave comments, nor I think she has to. I mean, she pretty much told me most of what she thought of it as I wrote, so it's no wonder there isn't much left to say.

So yeah, maybe it's the same for them: they simply said what they think of the story as you wrote it, and have nothing else to add.

[badass_tiger]

Ah shit I just realised I did this to a friend.

In my defense, it was pretty horrible writing and I don't know how to say 'I couldn't get past the first three lines' in a polite manner.

[diabolicalfiend]

Say it was like Classic Literature.

Time to move on

[(Anonymous)]

You don't really need friends like this. A good friend either follows your work and supports it in full, or tells you the flaws that plague it. The type of person you speak of would be considered an acquaintance.