[ SECRET POST #2660 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2660 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 048 secrets from Secret Submission Post #380.
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

[perverse_idyll]

I probably shouldn't get into this, but I'm a bit saddened and bewildered by some of the pissed-off denunciations of long feedback in this thread. I don't actually care if a writer thanks me for a review; some do, some don't. In my turn, I try to respond to all the reviews left on my stories because I'm grateful for them. It's really brilliant having an audience.

But part of the pleasure I get (or perhaps that should be past tense now) from journal fandom is rhapsodizing over fic and writing out a verbal flail. It's as much a way of participating in fandom as meta or conversation or producing a fic of my own. I realize that that kind of long, dense back-and-forth is dying out with journal fandom, but I guess I never got the message that multiple comment boxes were considered a burden inflicted on the writer.

Anyway, I just checked a comment I left on a fic I loved when it was first posted, and you know what? It's almost 1700 words. Yeah, it's embarrassing. Yes, it's blithery. Over the top. Emotional. Probably pretentious, too, although I really fucking hate the use of that word in fandom because it's generally intended to silence the recipient. But I had a fantastic time writing out that comment because I was running on the emotional high from the fic, and the people who shared my shipping preferences at the time actually enjoyed talking to each other, and there was no one around to say, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I wrote that feedback in the hope of letting the writer know she'd created something wonderful, and I wrote it for me because I was excited and had a lot to say. And it's not the only three-comment-boxes worth of feedback I've posted over the years.

I was under the impression that writers liked receiving feedback. When did posting paragraphs of infatuated praise suddenly become the wrong way to do fandom? Or has it always been frowned upon and I just didn't know?

[(Anonymous)]

Wow this is purple

[caecilia]

Personally my favorites are the ones that are like:

excerpt
Oh man! I never interpreted that character like that! That is really neat and it gives me an idea.

other excerpt
I really love the imagery here.

yet another excerpt
hahahaha

Paragraphs of gushing...man, I don't know. Keep doing what you're doing if you like it, but I'm more likely to want to talk to someone who approaches me in a more laid back way. And I love talking to people about my stories. The method I described above is a great way to get me into a conversation, and conversations sometimes lead to life-long friendship and sometimes even co-writing.

[chardmonster]

Yeah, this. I don't deal with fiction crit--it's all nonfiction on my end--but critiques that work as conversations rather than great big blocks of text seem to work better. Obviously that's not going to work unless they respond, but if they don't respond they aren't worth your time.

[perverse_idyll]

Oh yeah, I do those, too. More often, obviously, because not all fics inspire a big outburst.

*shrugs* Paragraphs of gushing have led me to two of my dearest RL friends, and my first fic in fandom was a collaboration with one of them. I also have a lot of lovely online friends who don't seem to mind the verbosity. I guess I should trust them to nudge me back over the line when I'm crossing it and not expect Fandomsecrets to reassure me or set the standard.

I was just surprised that it's considered "a bad thing and you shouldn't do it" versus a confusing and/or flattering thing. But I'll take it into account the next time I leave feedback. Which will be later today, since several fests in my fandom are posting.

[caecilia]

Yeah, keep doing it if it works for you and makes you happy and...don't run your life based on what people on FS say. We disagree with each other about everything.

[perverse_idyll]

don't run your life based on what people on FS say

Heh. Don't worry, there's absolutely no chance of that.