Concrit, betas, and paragraph structure, oh my!
So I was originally going to ask if anyone was having trouble with comments not working properly. A while back LJ told me I wasn’t allowed to edit a comment, but when I refreshed there was no reply. I thought I was going nuts. Nope. I just figured out that it wasn’t me. I felt bad too, but it wasn’t me after all, which is a relief. Anyway, to ( Read more... )
Technicals: I have a paid account, there was no reply to the comment, and it was still there afterward. It was, however, screened (a fact which I was not initially aware of). I didn't realize you couldn't edit screened comments; in fact, I'm almost certain you can. But since they screened their reply (the e-mail for which I unfortunately deleted, thereby ruining any re-telling of the tale later), there's a chance they just sniped in and I didn't realize it.
That brings up another whole can of worms, however. Everyone else's comments were unscreened. Mine were not. So this person seems to be getting all these glowing/positive reviews, and no negative comments, but I KNOW it's not the case, because I tried to offer concrit and my comment (even the one with praise in it) is still hidden. That alone makes me dislike the author's behavior, which, even without the misunderstanding and their replies to me, would make me not want to read their fic. Maybe it's just me, but if you're going to unscreen the positive comments, you should unscreen the not-so-happy ones too (at least as a general rule).
Yes, yes, yes. The problem now seems to be that people WILL read this, because they don't know any better or can't find anything decent to read, so people don't improve because they think they don't NEED to improve. And yes, BMG is a wonderful ego-stroker. My issue with her as a beta is that she tells me everything's lovely even when I think stuff needs work, which means you never really improve, but hey, back-patting is nice in those cases where you need to be patted. ♥
I don't care if you're writing on the web or for a publisher. If your writing is messy or inarticulate, you're doing it wrong. (I know I struggle with long -multi-chapter, for instance- fics, because I try to reach a goal or tell a story and sometimes am just shooting my fingers off for nothing.)
I'd be creeped out if any of my old profs read my stuff. Not necessarily for quality, but because I have a writing degree and am writing fic with it. I like to keep a clear divide (with notable exceptions) between RL and webs-life. And yes. Some people need a lot of help with their fics, but sadly most aren't willing to take it when they need it.
The biggest trouble for me is that I see these fics getting so many comments, whereas mine get next to nothing (and what I do get seems to be mostly from my friends). Of course I'm not The Writer, but when things of that quality are "doing better" than my own work, I get depressed(er).
*hugs back*
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*glomps you*
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The irony is that i never used to write anything rated above NC-17. However, i reached a point in my life where i wanted answers to certain questions and i couldn't find them in the Bible or "decent" novels. I would never buy (photographic or videographic) porn or read a Harlequin Romance. But even smutty fics do not contain what is in my head. I don't know if i should be writing these things, but i'm trying to get it out of my system so i can go on and write better things. If you're interested, my Star Trek Voyager fics were very clean and had no sex in them (well, i get a little closer to it in 9 Days, but there is no pron scene, not really). And i understand not wanting to read anything with a rating as it can be embarrassing and/or wrong. Please don't judge me. /squeak
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Echoes in the Library (can stand alone)
Just a Kiss series (assorted Doctor ships)
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