[ SECRET POST #2309 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2309 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 068 secrets from Secret Submission Post #330.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 1 = - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I don't understand why people never know how to comment on fics beyond "I liked it", it's not that hard. Just quote your favorite lines and say something like "this is really beautifully written" or "I can totally see character X saying that" or "this made me cry", and you already have a unique, nice review that is sure to make the author happy. Of course there's no obligation to comment on fics, that's not what I'm saying. I just don't understand people who say they would comment if they knew what to say when it's really not that hard to comment on a fic if you liked it.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't usually have favorite lines or strong emotional responses beyond "I really liked this". Everything I try to reply with always sounds trite or stupid so I just leave kudos instead.

[(Anonymous)]

+1
Commenting on fics I loved is easy. Heck, commenting on fics I hated is easy. It's the intermediate ones that are the problem, the ones you read just because you're looking for a hit of your favorite pairing or theme, the ones that sounded interesting in the summary but were just kinda there on execution, the ones you think might be really good but never quite make it there. "Thanks for helping me kill 10 minutes" doesn't go over real well, but what else is there to say?

[scherrymouse]

I, personally, would be really pleased with "I really liked this". Sure, more personal and detailed reviews are awesome, but I get that someone just might not have much to say, or else not know how to say it.

These days I get kind of annoyed seeing people complaining about short reviews, because it can make it seem like no one appreciates them, when that isn't true. I do. I love feedback. For some people it can be possible to improve how they review (I've gone from one liners to essays), but that's hardly mandatory.

Even something basic can reassure someone that their story was on the right track, at least for the person who has that opinion. I guess if you're leaving kudos, you're at least giving authors some feedback, though.

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe I'm just picky, but if a fic is so mediocre that there is not a single thing that I liked enough to say "I liked character X doing this" or "character X saying that was cute", I don't finish reading that fic.

[(Anonymous)]

I feel too embarassed to do something like this. I'm not a writer, not even a comment writer. I always think people are judging my comments. And the ones I post never sound as eloquent as others I read.

[(Anonymous)]

I have given up commenting because these days you can't say anything even slightly critical or comment that you'd like the pairing if the other was the top or something like that. If I can't have an honest discussion I'd rather just keep my mouth shut.

[(Anonymous)]

I have given up commenting because these days you can't say anything even slightly critical or comment that you'd like the pairing if the other was the top or something like that.

Um, what? There's a big difference between on the one hand offering a grammar correction or criticizing the story's pacing and on the other hand oversharing your pairing preferences. The former is actually productive (even if some authors don't want to hear it); the latter is just obnoxious. I mean, do you comment to people's stories to say, "If this fic was for Fandom X rather than Fandom Y, I'd like it," or to say, "If you'd written angst rather than humor, I'd like this fic"?

I'm guessing you don't, 1) because it's rude, and 2) because why the hell should the author care? She wrote the type of story she wanted to write, and if you don't like the genre, then that's your problem and not hers.

[elephantinegrace]

Exactly this. Writers who throw a hissy fit because somebody pointed out that they forgot to warn for triggers or wrote OOC characters or misspeleld something or used, unnecessary, commas, really need to get off their high horse (I'm saying this as a writer). But when I read something like "OMG I'M SO TRIGGERED BY SOMETHING EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN THE WARNINGS," "Kurt belongs with Blaine not Chandler," or "Joan would never move to California and have sex with Irene," I really want to reach across the screen and strangle them.

Teal deer agrees with you.

[(Anonymous)]

And comments like yours are exactly why no one gets comments from me. I'm not sure why, after you post a fic, you don't expect people to say what they feel after reading it. If it's all love and unicorns, fine. But if you like thinking about twisting the ideas presented in the story and comment about your thoughts you are some evil bitchweasel. Took all the fun out of discussing fic when this attitude took over a while back.

[(Anonymous)]

There's actual concrit, and then there's saying you wish the story had a completely different premise. One of these is useful, and the other isn't. Compare:

"I like where you're going with Character A, but the long bit in chapter 2 where we see her internal thoughts didn't feel quite right to me; she doesn't seem that introspective in canon."

versus

"Ugh, why did you have to make Character A dominant in her sex scene with Character B? She's obviously a sub, and reading her as a dom totally killed my girlboner. D:"

If you're saying you want to do the former, than do it -- nobody is saying you shouldn't. But if you want to do the latter... maybe your choice not to leave comments on anybody's fic is a good thing.

[(Anonymous)]

Definitely a good thing then.

[(Anonymous)]

Seriously? You don't understand why people aren't ecstatic to find that by merely sharing something publicly, they've signed to receive all the pointless, unhelpful or unkind remarks that might fall out of a reader's head? Not everyone posts their writing for the purpose of soliciting constructive criticism (or "discussion" as you prefer to call it), and the example upthread wasn't even concrit, it was just "bawwwww this would be better if you wrote MY pairing instead of YOUR pairing!"

There are plenty of writers who enjoy "honest discussion" or constructive criticism feedback of their work. But if you insist upon crapping out your unsolicited concrit on those who don't, why should you be surprised when you get a less than positive reaction?

[(Anonymous)]

You put something out there in public, be prepared for a variety of responses.

[elephantinegrace]

Being prepared=/=understanding. I'm sorry when my work is OOC. I'm sorry when it has grammar and spelling errors. I'm not sorry when you don't like the plot, pairing, or genre because it's called scrolling by.

[(Anonymous)]

Being prepared and knowing that you could receive a variety of responses doesn't mean it's acceptable to spew whatever you want, toward whomever you want and then expect them to greet you with hugs and cookies. Using that as an excuse makes you sound like a douche.

[elephantinegrace]

I love feedback, but not when somebody doesn't like something I said was going to happen in the summary or the tags. Criticizing how the drinks are brewed in my coffeeshop AU is awesome and encouraged; criticizing how Hermione would never work in a coffeeshop is not. Criticizing how unusually cowardly Steve is is awesome and encouraged; criticizing my frostshield pairing is not. Do you get my point here? My plot, my ships, and my genre are my own. If you don't like angst/Sebkurt/crossovers, don't read them. It's like reading Harry Potter and complaining that there wasn't enough Katniss Everdeen.

Evil bitchweasel out!

[(Anonymous)]

"Honest discussion" =/= "say anything irrelevant thing you like".

[(Anonymous)]

because sometimes that's all you felt? you liked it? sometimes you don't have a fav line that made you cry or seems beautiful or whatever? I don't understand how you don't understand that.

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. Even a plain old "I liked it!" is better than total silence, and if you liked a story, then comment on the bits you particularly liked and why. Even if you didn't LOVE it, it's not that difficult to find something nice to say. Pretend it's your birthday and someone's given you a nice, but not great present.

[(Anonymous)]

Why wouldn't you want to know if people didn't like it? Or that they would enjoy it more if you did different things with the characters? People who shut themselves off from negative criticism will never have a clue that there are people out ther who would have enjoyed their work so much more if done differently. Why don't people want to have all the information that is available? Living in ignorance isn't bliss.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, please. Deciding that you're not up for concrit doesn't mean you're living in ignorance in general, it just means that for this particular work at this particular time, you are not interested in concrit. It happens.

Plenty of writers want and ask for concrit. Why not give it to those who want it instead of imposing it on those who don't or imposing it indiscriminately? Do you also go into restaurants and shove vegetables into peoples' mouths because vegetables are healthy and they should eat a healthy diet?