Case (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
case) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomsecrets2013-06-10 06:34 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2013-06-10 06:34 pm
[ SECRET POST #2351 ]
⌈ Secret Post #2350 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 05 pages, 113 secrets from Secret Submission Post #336.
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.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-06-11 12:52 am (UTC)(link)So you should really look at your work and why it's not getting the reaction you want. Are you doing rare pairs? Boring plots? Weird themes? Fandom has an emotional fulfillment element, and if you don't hit that for people, it doesn't matter how beautifully written your stuff is, nobody is going to be thrilled over it. On the other side, writers with weak technique that hit people's emotional buttons can be hugely successful. See: Stephanie Meyers.
So you need to find out about the quality of your writing. You need to ask people at that party if you're drunk. Is your writing comparatively weak? Perhaps you can't tell if your own writing is weak--in that case, seek some feedback, honest feedback, from friends or betas. It may sting, but it's better to know. You can't improve unless you know what the problem is.
It's not personal, and this comment is not meant personally, but a lot of writers think they're doing great and they're not. Especially in fandom, where there isn't a lot of genuinely constructive feedback, good or bad. Do you write bland dialogue that doesn't have any feeling of the characters in it? Do your characters really seem like themselves or pale imitations? Could anyone read your stuff and say, "wow, this could be an episode/book/movie in the world!"? Is your action and sex sparkling and exciting, or is it flat and rote?
Does your work have an emotional punch?
Investigate your work like a detective. Start with your older work, the stuff you haven't seen in a while, and try to see it as a reader would. If you found this story on Ao3 at random, what would you think of it? Be honest with yourself. Make notes on what could be improved, what you'd do differently now. Look for patterns, word tics, bad habits--writers develop them in the same way as athletes do. You need to be conscious of what you do and why if you want to raise your game.
You don't have to do any of this, of course. If you're happy with your writing as it is, then just go on being happy with it. But your secret suggests you're not happy right now. Maybe just knowing why your work isn't that popular would make you feel okay with it. Maybe you do really want to improve your writing after you figure out where you stand.
That's up to you. But it doesn't have to be a mystery; you can find out how your writing is perceived and whether it's comparatively good or not.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-06-11 01:22 am (UTC)(link)if you're at a party and one person says you're drunk, you can shrug it off. But if three people say you're drunk, you're probably fucking drunk.
So if three people say Rebecca Black is an awesome singer it means it's true? I'm not saying that the OP is definitely a bad writer, but just because a some fanfiction readers/writers don't like what she writes doesn't mean it's bad, it just means that they don't like it, and that could be because of any number of things. If a bunch of people who have studied writing and have a greater understanding of what makes quality fiction say it's bad, that's one thing, but a lot of times (especially in fanfiction) criticism boils down more to not liking the pairing/character/genre.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-06-11 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-06-11 02:58 am (UTC)(link)Yeah, god forbid the OP should write anything outside the tiny little box of fandom popularity.
I do agree with you that if the OP wants positive feedback, they may have to write the crap that everyone seems to crave. I've also seen fabulous writers fall silent because they got tired of the crickets.
Sometimes those three people at the party don't know shit.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-06-11 03:06 am (UTC)(link)to the op, you want to know how well you're writing is received?
work to get paid to write. money talks.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-06-11 07:50 am (UTC)(link)