That old song again
I’ve seen several discussions on the nature of concrit in fandom and, to be honest, I mostly rolled my eyes and thought ‘oh my God, here we go again.’ Then things kept piling up. I saw a post on tumblr where a girl swears she’d punch the next person who dares to say that Arthur and Merlin are maybe more than just friends. To me, it translates pretty much into her wanting to take on the entire fandom, but I don’t know, maybe she’s in such a great physical shape, she’d actually pull that off. Then I saw a comment on one of the Russian boards about my old Star Trek story, and it turns out I spat that reader in the face with it, because Roddenberry created his universe as a happy-go-lucky utopia where the only bad guys were aliens (the bad kind, I’m guessing), and how dare I show a world ‘more like ours’ where ugly is mixed with the pretty. Realism is bad taste these days, huh?
Anyway, it all got me thinking, a bit nostalgically perhaps. It’s funny. I wrote every kind of story out there. Short, long, bad, good, really good, pretty bad, dark, twisted, fluffy, saccharine, angsty, romantic… The list goes on. I’ve received every kind of comment an author can get, from delighted flailing to long detailed posts to flames and insults. And entitled jerks, of course, wouldn’t be a fandom without them.
It’s funny, but my conclusions are actually the same as they were when I was a naïve newbie who went around like ‘what is fanfic?’ You can always tell if the person who leaves a comment has ever written or otherwise created anything in their entire life. Always.
First of all, fellow authors tend to talk little or not at all. I won’t speak for everyone, but I think for most of us, it’s because even when we don’t like something in the story, or notice a weak spot, or a plot hole, we tend to think back to our own writing. Sure, when I read I can tell when the author got tired and stopped trying. Where things didn’t quite add up. Where the characters stopped sounding quite right. We tend to not say anything because we’ve all been there. I wore those shoes not once and not twice. The more stories I got out there, the more careful I became with the words I use when commenting on someone’s stuff. If I disagree with some of the author’s choices I keep my mouth shut about it. I might stop reading and never go back, but tend not to speak up in moments like that anymore.
I’m not saying this to show my superiority, nay. I don’t see it as such, I’m just saying. When you create something yourself, the process you go through gives you a very different perspective on things. Even on badly done things.
Entitled jerks 100% never create anything. This is a category of commentators I’ve always had the biggest problems with. I like how people who jump to the author’s defense always point out that fanfic authors don’t get paid, so they are not obligated to cater to the readers whims. It’s an admirable thought, but this is where it falls short for me - what, you think if you go to the bookshop and pay for a book it gives you the right to tell the author how to write their stuff? I don’t think so. If you don’t like it, the only thing you can do is not buy another book. The only actual difference between ‘real world’ authors and fanfic authors where readers’ opinions are concerned is that fanfic authors are much more reachable, much more vulnerable, and expected to not just write a story but interact with the public afterwards.
They are also by definition less respected. ‘Fanfiction can be written by anyone, right? This author is just like me, right? Hell, I’ve never written a thing in my life, but I bet if I tried I could do better than that in my sleep, it can’t be that hard. This gives me enough moral ground to tell that chick about all the ways she does it wrong.’
The only thing I ever wanted to say to someone like that was ‘fuck you.’ But guess what, fandom conventions demand that I don’t, that I be better than that, that I thank what’s-her-face politely for her opinion. Nobody like s a defensive author, and God forbid you start explaining yourself. They can smell blood like piranhas. They’ll eat you alive, because in all actuality, believe it or not, they truly have nothing better to do.
I’m not sure where that line actually lies. I’ve had prolonged conversations about storytelling and characterization with fandom strangers who later became my friends as a result of those. And I spent my fair share of time trying to reason with entitled assholes. Often those discussions arose about the same points in stories. The difference? I don’t know. I guess there’s a sanity test in there somewhere. And you’d have to not be a dick. It’s probably as simple as that.
It doesn’t matter what you do in this life, what your occupation, profession or hobby is. You either belong to those who create something - something that wouldn’t exist without you making it - or you’re a consumer, you consume what other people produce. Team Action and Team Reaction. The world needs both of them to function, but I think it’d be a good thing for people to be more aware of what team they’re playing for in any situation, because here’s the thing about criticism.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is an admirable sentiment, but if you really want to help, the criticism you offer shouldn’t be something to survive. It’s not boot camp. Hell yeah, we’ll survive it, and it does make us if not exactly stronger then more used to it, gives us a bit of a thicker skin, but honestly? It’s a waste of productive energy.
Essentially, the question is whether the opinion you offer is about the story or about you getting a bit of attention. It’s especially obvious when people try to tell you that you’ve committed some sort of crime against political correctness - but here’s the thing, they never actually care about the issue at hand. They just want their fifteen seconds in the spotlight, complete with a hero cape for ‘standing up for the right thing.’ It’s understandable, but disgusting, and draws sympathy and attention from the person who had actually created something to someone who just shouts really loud.
Yeah, those are kinda my thoughts. Being a jerk doesn’t come from a happy place, another thing to remember. Doesn’t excuse anything, but is no less true for it.
Anyway, it all got me thinking, a bit nostalgically perhaps. It’s funny. I wrote every kind of story out there. Short, long, bad, good, really good, pretty bad, dark, twisted, fluffy, saccharine, angsty, romantic… The list goes on. I’ve received every kind of comment an author can get, from delighted flailing to long detailed posts to flames and insults. And entitled jerks, of course, wouldn’t be a fandom without them.
It’s funny, but my conclusions are actually the same as they were when I was a naïve newbie who went around like ‘what is fanfic?’ You can always tell if the person who leaves a comment has ever written or otherwise created anything in their entire life. Always.
First of all, fellow authors tend to talk little or not at all. I won’t speak for everyone, but I think for most of us, it’s because even when we don’t like something in the story, or notice a weak spot, or a plot hole, we tend to think back to our own writing. Sure, when I read I can tell when the author got tired and stopped trying. Where things didn’t quite add up. Where the characters stopped sounding quite right. We tend to not say anything because we’ve all been there. I wore those shoes not once and not twice. The more stories I got out there, the more careful I became with the words I use when commenting on someone’s stuff. If I disagree with some of the author’s choices I keep my mouth shut about it. I might stop reading and never go back, but tend not to speak up in moments like that anymore.
I’m not saying this to show my superiority, nay. I don’t see it as such, I’m just saying. When you create something yourself, the process you go through gives you a very different perspective on things. Even on badly done things.
Entitled jerks 100% never create anything. This is a category of commentators I’ve always had the biggest problems with. I like how people who jump to the author’s defense always point out that fanfic authors don’t get paid, so they are not obligated to cater to the readers whims. It’s an admirable thought, but this is where it falls short for me - what, you think if you go to the bookshop and pay for a book it gives you the right to tell the author how to write their stuff? I don’t think so. If you don’t like it, the only thing you can do is not buy another book. The only actual difference between ‘real world’ authors and fanfic authors where readers’ opinions are concerned is that fanfic authors are much more reachable, much more vulnerable, and expected to not just write a story but interact with the public afterwards.
They are also by definition less respected. ‘Fanfiction can be written by anyone, right? This author is just like me, right? Hell, I’ve never written a thing in my life, but I bet if I tried I could do better than that in my sleep, it can’t be that hard. This gives me enough moral ground to tell that chick about all the ways she does it wrong.’
The only thing I ever wanted to say to someone like that was ‘fuck you.’ But guess what, fandom conventions demand that I don’t, that I be better than that, that I thank what’s-her-face politely for her opinion. Nobody like s a defensive author, and God forbid you start explaining yourself. They can smell blood like piranhas. They’ll eat you alive, because in all actuality, believe it or not, they truly have nothing better to do.
I’m not sure where that line actually lies. I’ve had prolonged conversations about storytelling and characterization with fandom strangers who later became my friends as a result of those. And I spent my fair share of time trying to reason with entitled assholes. Often those discussions arose about the same points in stories. The difference? I don’t know. I guess there’s a sanity test in there somewhere. And you’d have to not be a dick. It’s probably as simple as that.
It doesn’t matter what you do in this life, what your occupation, profession or hobby is. You either belong to those who create something - something that wouldn’t exist without you making it - or you’re a consumer, you consume what other people produce. Team Action and Team Reaction. The world needs both of them to function, but I think it’d be a good thing for people to be more aware of what team they’re playing for in any situation, because here’s the thing about criticism.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is an admirable sentiment, but if you really want to help, the criticism you offer shouldn’t be something to survive. It’s not boot camp. Hell yeah, we’ll survive it, and it does make us if not exactly stronger then more used to it, gives us a bit of a thicker skin, but honestly? It’s a waste of productive energy.
Essentially, the question is whether the opinion you offer is about the story or about you getting a bit of attention. It’s especially obvious when people try to tell you that you’ve committed some sort of crime against political correctness - but here’s the thing, they never actually care about the issue at hand. They just want their fifteen seconds in the spotlight, complete with a hero cape for ‘standing up for the right thing.’ It’s understandable, but disgusting, and draws sympathy and attention from the person who had actually created something to someone who just shouts really loud.
Yeah, those are kinda my thoughts. Being a jerk doesn’t come from a happy place, another thing to remember. Doesn’t excuse anything, but is no less true for it.