Praise is earned. Criticism is deserved.
Where is this coming from? you might ask me. The truth is really simple. Thanks to a few comments from a fellow author friend (love you, Kat ;)), I've been thinking about the writer-reader relationship, and how I've perceived it over the last few years.
The first thing I'm going to say is I've had a really crappy attitude towards certain kinds of reviews. I'll admit it, and I'm sure there are a few people out there who would not only agree with me but maybe even preen like a peacock over this admission. I figure this because these are the people who have told me “Not everyone is as articulate as you are when it comes to expressing yourself. That's why they leave the reviews that they do.”
This is a truth I have come to accept. I can't change the fact that some people are just too lazy to say something more than “update soon” in a review, and, yes, this is my crappy attitude speaking out. It is also my opinion on the “update soon” review. I feel that, if you cannot say more than just those two words for an author and the work, you should not be leaving a review. However, for some people, that kind of review works for them. I've had a few people tell me this. (I was trying to get it so authors could disable anonymous reviewing at this particular website. The moderators were not so receptive of the idea. Some of them even told me I should feel grateful for receiving any reviews at all because there are other authors out there who weren’t receiving reviews when they should. Wrong thing to tell someone, really.) One person even told me how she “ended” a story at, like fifteen or twenty chapters, but started to write more because people kept “begging” her for more of the story. Personally, I thought that what she told me about her experiences was ridiculous because every story needs an end. It may not be where the reader wants it to end, but it must end all the same. (This is actually something I can get fanatical about with my own writing. Is the story too long? Is it not long enough? I still remember when I wrote my first Transformers story, Darkness. I got to a point where I knew I could have kept going, but I ended it. It needed to end. I firmly believe that if a story drags on too long, readers will be lost. A story needs an end.)
There is a reason why I really and truly detest such a simple review. It really does not tell me much. Yes, it tells me the reader wants to read more, but not WHY they want to read more. What part of the story that is receiving this review does this person like? What's working for this person? What isn't working? What have I done correctly? What haven't I done correctly? Are there errors? I pride myself on my ability to write and to write properly. You have no idea how frustrated I get when, months after I've published something to the web, I go back and read something and notice my mistakes. Yet all of the reviews are glowing so to speak. It's like, WTF?! Why didn't someone say something about that? I'm not going to bite your head off for pointing out a legitimate error. Yes, if you tell me I have errors but don't point them out to me, I will ask you where they're at, but that's so I can fix them. I'm not being haughty or whatever else. I'm really truly asking you where the errors are. If you don't tell me after I've asked you, I'm going to think you're just saying it because you want to be a brat about something. I believe I’m a good author, but I’m not so conceited about my abilities that I won’t even recognize when I’ve made an error in my writing. My ego and my self-esteem are not that fragile that I can’t handle criticisms. (Just be prepared for a fight if you turn something I’ve said or believe in into a personal attack, though. I won’t sit by and let anyone do that. You wouldn’t allow someone else to do that to you so don’t expect me to sit by as meek as a mouse and say, “Okay. I’ll let you verbally assault me.” Nope. Won’t happen. Ever.)
Also, when it comes to the “update soon” thing, I feel like I'm being pressured to start cranking out less-than-quality chapters just to appease these kinds of people, and I dislike such a feeling. It's like they truly do not care about the quality of the story but more about how quickly the author can publish the next chapter. When it keeps up, I start to hate the story because I'm trying to force the creativity out and onto the document, and that's not always good for the story.
Yes, my dear and wonderful f-list, I read reviews left on my stories. I read them as soon as they're available to me. I have to take a deep breath and calm myself when I see those two little words, but I do read the reviews for my stories. Of course, since I've bitched about it quite a bit over the years, I don't acquire nearly as many of those kinds of reviews anymore. Hooray for me. I also read reviews for other stories. This is actually how the whole “update soon” fight got started. I saw the same people reading these stories and leaving the same kind of review over and over and over again. A new chapter uploaded. An hour later, a review is left. It says “update soon” . . . wtf?! I just updated! Graaah!!! (See how that can be frustrating at times? If not, shame on you.)
Anyway, back to the “update soon” and its relationship to quality vs. quantity for story writing. It is something I do see. Maybe I see it because I've put it there. Then again, maybe it's just there all the same. I know many on my f-list read fanfiction. Hell, that's how I've met a good portion of you guys, and I know many of you lament the quality of fanfiction out there. There are too many authors with the same kinds of ideas, and they use poor grammar, poor spelling, and poor punctuation. (I'm guilty of the punctuation thing myself but only because I question where a comma or semi-colon should go, and I don't trust myself. I really need to consult my grammar guide at times like that.) These are also the same authors who thrive on the “update soon” or “Wow, this is soo good! I can't wait to read more!”-style of reviewing. Yet, when someone throws out constructive criticisms on the piece, they get mad because you're not reviewing the way that everyone else has. Or they throw a temper tantrum and tear the story down and whine and cry about it because someone was “being mean” to them. The “meanness” is overly exaggerated in author’s notes and then the reviewer is rushing to “comfort” the poor individual who’s been told they really suck at writing. (Has anyone else noticed that?) Maybe this is my imagination kicking in, but it seems like these authors want the demands for more. They're not truly serious about writing. They just want the attention and praise for a less-than-stellar story.
The way I see it, such people have truly done something horrible disservice to the reader-writer relationship. “Yes, you can tell me what you think of my story, but it needs to be what I want to hear. Sugarcoat your words for me. Don't tell me what I've done wrong. Just tell me that you love me and my piece of trash story.”
Now, no one has actually come out and said that to my knowledge. That's my interpretation of attitudes from the various fandom communities I've participated in, especially when I see in a summary “Please read and reviews.” Hell, I've even seen author's notes where someone has said, “I'll update again when I receive (insert number) of reviews.” (I call that review whoring.) They act so fragile and like every positive review in the world will make them stronger and better at writing when all such reviews really do is enable crappy writing. Again, maybe I'm just projecting this because of my own attitude and personal experiences with other authors as a reader and as an author dealing with readers. I'll let everyone formulate their own opinions on that.
So how do I perceive the writer-reader relationship, one might ask. (Then again, one might not care, either. ^_^) How do I feel people should act when it comes to reading a story? (And this is not only for fanfiction but original material as well.) Again, for me, this is very simple and actually, to me, straightforward.
The writer, in my opinion, actually has a most difficult task. Anyone who has ever written (and cared about) a story knows it isn't just about putting words on a piece of paper (or a document). It's finding the right combination of words to tell an engaging and entertaining story. It's about creating an emotional response within the reader, and it's about taking them on a journey, be it in one hundred words or one hundred thousand words. It's about understanding that, though we may not want it to, a story eventually finds its end, despite our cries for more. (As I write this, I'm thinking a few of my pieces are going to disappear from the web so I can work on them. I wasn't going to before, but I think I will now. Damn, I'm good at persuading myself at these things.) It's an art form, a platform for the writer to be expressive, to live out those fantasies. If you don’t care that much about the intricacies (proper spelling, proper grammar, plot, and characterization) involved in creating a story, then you should NOT be writing. Writing is a passion. To me, it is up to the author on whether or not those stories are shared. Sharing is quite optional. You don’t see someone who is serious about art (be it drawing, painting, sculpting, etc . . . and is really, really good at rendering the most awesome of pictures, the bastard) just render up some random, crappy stick figure piece then post it to deviantArt and expect to be praised for a piece of crap. (At least, I don’t see that. Feel free to say if you have.) Better yet, you wouldn’t read the local paper if every paragraph was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. You’d take one look at that first article and say to yourself, “What the hell? It looks like something a second-grader would write!” (That really isn’t a put-down for second-graders and their writing abilities. The Gods only know they’re doing the best they can with the teachers that they have, and if there’s thirty and then some kids to a classroom . . . it isn’t looking very promising. Then again, I really don’t expect very many second-graders to be serious about a potential writing career. They’re young, let them be children and have all sorts of fun, and let them learn the right way to write.) Or better yet, if you’re a parent and your child is in the second-grade, you’d be saying, “My kid can write better than that!” However, I digress. My point on this is the writer must hold himself (or herself) to a long-standing set of traditions and rules that have been proven time and time again on what makes a story (or poem, or whatever) truly exceptional. For the writer to do otherwise is not only shameful but very disrespectful of the craft and of the writing community. There are some people (such as myself) who take it very seriously and it’s very disheartening to see a well-crafted story, something (s)he has poured a great deal of emotion into, be ignored for something that isn’t so finely tuned. No, a person is not being paid to write fanfiction (as a rule), but that love should still be there. Otherwise, there is no point to writing. It’s that simple.
The reader's duty is to be honest about the story should (s)he decide to read a published piece and leave a review, and perhaps this is what makes reviewing a story really, really difficult for some people. I know reading a story can sometimes be trying, and you feel like you're eyes are burning from the material because it’s got so many plot holes, you could take an entire Decepticon army through ten Decepticons wide (a reference for you, Brian). I’ve read material that’s given me headaches. Literally! You read stuff like that, and you just want to say, “What was the point of you even doing this? It’s awful! You shouldn’t even be writing!” I know what does it for me sometimes is the first person point of view, which, more often than not, is horribly done. Or perhaps you've read a piece that just left you saying to yourself, “Wow . . . I really can't think of anything to say to this.” I've been there, too, and that makes reviewing difficult because, really, what can you say? Other people have already said it! Again, my opinion is this: reading a published piece (and leaving a review) is optional. Just because someone’s posted it doesn’t mean the reader is required to click on it and subject himself (or herself) to something that ultimately will not be an enjoyable experience. Asking people to read and leave a review should not be a requirement for an author to continue a story. Reading, and leaving a review, is something someone should want to do, not feel like they have to do because that’s what the author wants. If I see that in a story I'm reading, I actually don't review and I don’t want to review. That is an absolute turn-off for me, and I tend to avoid writings by that author afterwards. I may, if I'm truly irritated enough, send the author a private message about that then start a private message war over the review issue, but I don't review stories that require a review for the author to continue. That's just crap, anyway. It’s also asking for people to actually be honest in what they think of your story when all you may want is praise, praise, and more praise. I mean, I've asked people for their opinions on a few of my stories. Know that right now, my dear f-list, but I've asked for their honest opinions about my stories (especially from some of you). I expect that honesty. I may not always be truly receptive to it, but, if I ask for the input, I want the brutal, honest truth. I've asked for input because it's the input that helps to make the story BETTER. (Yes, I'm referring to you, Brian. ;) 550 Years will get a slight makeover. It’s gotten one now, but I’m starting to think it needs a little more. ^_^ I loves you, too, but I’m still not writing out Ironhide’s accent. That drives me nuts!!!) I’m seeking that criticism because I’m unsure of how that story stands at that moment and whether or not it’s ready for the world to see it. Yes, in some cases, the story’s already published, but that doesn’t stop me from taking that input and re-editing that story. I’ve heard it said that a writer never quits writing a particular piece. I’ve found that to be true, especially in light of the opinions that I’ve asked and have received. That is the objective of criticism, is it not? To help the author improve upon his/her writing skills? Someone please tell me if I’m wrong in that estimation.
Here is where I may confuse some people, mostly because I've admitted that I've had a crappy attitude towards reviewers and towards specific kinds of reviews. Seeing that someone has taken the time to review a story is nice. It's very nice. This person did not have to do so and yet (s)he has. It's also nice when the review has positive things to say about the story, the highlights and the low points and everything in between. I love it when people “curse” me for making them cry or when they get mad because I've depicted something so horrifying that makes them cringe and get mad at what's happened in the story. When I read such reviews, I laugh (albeit evilly) to myself. I love those reviews because I know I've accomplished what I've set out to do with that particular piece. Yes, the “Wow, this is really good. I can't wait to see more” are nice (they're five steps better than an “update soon” . . . most of the time) but I truly love it when the reader is emotional when (s) is leaving me that review, and they're cursing me out because I've made them cry or feel anger. As I said, that tells me I’ve done my job as an author. I also really love the constructive criticisms. They make me think of how I can improve myself on the next piece or even the current piece. I'll admit right here and right now, I've gone back to a completed story and revised it because of constructive reviews. Those are the reviews that, oddly enough, give me confidence. In my opinion, the constructive reviews are what every author should strive for every time something is published, be it original material or fanfiction.
For original material, and this is where I really need to change my attitude about reviews, it's the reviews that will make you or break you. I understand this. DO I like it? No, but it's a cold harsh reality, and writing this entry for you guys today is helping me with this reality. Here's something else that will help.
Not everyone will like what I write. That is a given. How many critics like everything Stephen King writes? Or Dean Koontz? I would almost bet there are some who, while they like previous works of those authors, they do not like everything King and Koontz have written. They may feel something fell flat in this book or it just sounded like total contrive bull shit in another book. I think that's something all writers should keep in mind when publishing a story, be it fanfiction or original fiction. A writer cannot be every critic's darling. (I also find it ironic with reviews that, when some people start complaining about how “awful” something is, more people actually read that book or they go to that movie. Those are the people I give kudos to because they’re finding out for themselves if they truly like that book or that movie instead of relying on the opinions of others.)
And maybe that's why a lot of fanfiction authors try to carry the attitude, “Well, I'm doing this for fun so I don't care what you think. I'm not getting paid for it anyway.” They know not everyone is going to like the story or the concept of the story (for example, yaoi pairings like from the Gravitation fandom, Tohma Seguchi (male) dating Shuichi Shindou (male) instead of the popular Eiri “Yuki” Uesugi (male) with Shuichi Shindou, or, from Transformers, Prowl x Jazz, or, from Star Ocean 3, Luther Lansfeld (male, final boss in the game) x Fayt Leingod (male, the hero of the story)). Such things are not everyone's cup of tea so they try to warn off those who would completely trash the story. They're hoping (and expecting) those who like those pairings to read their stories and to leave the glowing and the “I love this story sooo much, it makes me stupidly happy to read this!” reviews. For the most part, and it's just me saying it as I see it, they get what they want from those like-minded people. To hell with how the couple actually might end up as a feasible couple (Tohma x Shuichi for the Gravi people, Prowl x Jazz for the Transfans, and Luther x Fayt for the Star Ocean peeps) or why it might even be so. It's surprising for these people when someone like me, who doesn't mind the pairing, starts asking questions or starts to point out the errors or impracticalities because they do expect an immediate and positive response to what they've written. However, this is simply speculation on my part. I have no proof either way.
Another thing I’d like to address is just how carried away some readers get when leaving reviews. As someone who likes to read, I know it can be quite frustrating when a story doesn’t quite go the way we would like it to go or when it does end and you’re wondering, “Okay . . what happens next?” Now I’m going to lay some blame here because it’s going to start sounding like a rant. It isn’t a rant, per se, but it’s something I’m going to address so here I go.
I’ve written a few stories (Nothing of Importance, Six Feet, and For the Honour of My Family - all Inuyasha stories and just a few examples) where I’ve left the ending wide open. I mean, really, really wide open, you don’t know what’s happened next, what’s going to happen next or how the characters have reacted afterwards. (If you don’t mind Inuyasha, I’d recommend reading my story, Nothing of Importance, to see what I mean by that and then read the reviews. Not everyone was happy with how I ended that one.) I’ve done it on purpose every single time. Some of it is, okay, this needs to end. I’m tired of working on this story, it’s just dragging on and on and on (much like this entry, ha ha), and I’m just going to end it. There are times it’s a trick to do that because I think I’ve gotten the ending just where I want it and then it’s, “Oh . . . that doesn’t have the impact I’m looking for . . . Hrmmm . . . Okay, here I go” and I keep going until I get to where I’m satisfied with the ending. Some of it is, oh, I want to do a sequel so I’m going to find a way and end it this manner, and that’s what I do. There are also times when the story starts to take on a new direction yet I need to keep it within the confines I’ve set for myself, and the need for a sequel is in order. (For the Honour of My Family is the example for this. I wrote it entirely from one character’s view point and, towards the end, it started to call for a multi-point-of-view story, something I was not comfortable doing to that story. I felt that, if I had continued it beyond its fifteen chapters and changed points of view that far into the story, it would have destroyed the piece. I wasn’t going to do that.) For some stories, well, I guess I do a little ego-tripping or whatever you want to call it. I want to leave the ending so someone else can decide what happens next. Call me crazy, but I love it when someone writes something because (s)he was inspired by a story I wrote. That’s what I did with Nothing of Importance.
Oh my goodness. I listed that story as complete with an open ending, and nearly all of the reviews for the final chapter were of the attitude, “That can’t be how it ended! It isn’t complete. You’ve got to update it!” I even had someone tell me in a private message to put it back on my writing to-do list for fanfiction.net (boy was I very displeased with that remark!) because it wasn’t complete. I finally had to write an author’s note, post it as a separate chapter at first (it later become an author’s note to the final chapter), and say, “Hey, I did this on purpose. I was hoping someone else would be inspired by the ending and write a story about what happens next.” Destroyed my fun on that, let me tell you, but they did get that message.
Here is where I’m going to lay some blame. This goes on to every author out there who has ended a story ONLY to resume it because everyone else feels that it isn’t complete and that there should be more. This is what I want to say to such people if they ever read this entry.
DON’T DO IT AGAIN!!
Seriously. Do NOT let someone else tell you that your story is incomplete when it has ended where you (and the story) want it to end. That person is NOT the author of that story. You are. As I said before, every story MUST end. Not everyone will be happy with how it ends. There is only ONE opinion that should count when it comes to the final chapter of a story, and that is the author’s opinion. If you, as an author, agrees that there should be more to the story, that’s fine, and you should continue with it. That is what you feel, and that does count for something. I say that with confidence because I’ve been there before. I may end up there again. It’s hard to say. However, if you are satisfied with how you’ve ended something, you think it’s the best ending ever, but someone else (or many someone elses) want you to continue with it and keeps badgering you about writing more . . . giving in is actually the worst thing you can do for your story. The story itself does have a say in what gets done, too. If it wants to have an open ending, let it have an open ending. If the story wants a complete resolution, give it a complete resolution.
For the readers who like to say a story isn’t complete to an author, I know you may think that more can be done, you may be right about that, but the author does know what (s)he is doing when a story ends at a particular point. If you’ve never even written a story, try it sometime. Again, I am serious about this. It’s something I’ve noticed. It’s usually the readers who have never written so much as even a one hundred word drabble that throw the biggest fits when a story is listed as complete. Some are fellow authors, but the vast majority of the throwers of “temper tantrums” are not writers. To me, these non-writers are the people who truly do not appreciate the effort and the time it takes to write those well-crafted stories they just love to read. They get to reap the benefits of a well-told story only, and it bugs me when they think they can tell an author what to do. (The person who told me to take Nothing of Importance off the completed list and back on to my writing list is a non-writer. I looked at her profile at fanfiction.net, and she had absolutely no stories written whatsoever yet she had like a couple hundred stories in her favourites list. Yes, that added greatly to my displeasure with her, and it took paganpoet to calm me down and help me write back a calm and nice reply back to her private message. I love paganpoet, too. She is my best friend and my counter-balance, it would seem. ^_^)
Now this probably sounds harsh to a lot of people, and I invite my f-list to disagree with me wholeheartedly on this matter. Please bear in mind, though, that I am not ragging on any particular group of people. I’m not even irritated as I write this. These are simply my observations both as an author and as a reader, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve behaved badly in the past. I’m also not ashamed to state my opinions. However, I think I’ve come across as someone who does not appreciate the reader of my stories (the post called the Complaint Department comes to mind), and that is not true. I do appreciate readers and reviewers alike. I just would like for people to understand that there are some things a person cannot take “lightly” or treat it as something they can do poorly and still be considered good. I believe in freedom of expression and freedom of speech, but I do not restrict that to myself and my beliefs alone. It goes for everyone. Writing is like drawing. It takes practice, practice, and more practice to get it right. The criticisms make a person stronger. The praise is the reward. If you’re going to express yourself in writing, do it right.
That’s all I have to say on that.
Note: I've been writing fanfiction steadily since 2000. I started with Transformers, and I wrote mostly Ironhide/Chromia stories. I didn't get a lot of reviews. It was that way for a few years, until I branched out into the Lord of the Rings, Speed Racer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jem, and Inuyasha fandoms. That's when a lot of things started to change. I started to write multi-chaptered stories, and, with the Inuyasha fandom, I dove into yaoi and (graphic) stories. I went from receiving minimal reviews posted sporadically to "update soon" reviews within an hour of a chapter's posting, especially for the smut stories (I wonder how many people actually read the whole story and didn't just skip to the smut). It was quite a shock, and it started to really define me as an author and what I was willing to endure from the readers. It also taught me that an "update soon" review was quite stifling to my creativity, and I wasn't going to allow that. My stories are more important than appeasing the demands of people who hold no real interest in my work. I know that makes me sound bitchy and may be the reason why it sounds like I don't appreciate all of my readers, but I had to take a stand for myself and for my stories. I will always do that, too, but I don't ever want it to be mistaken as a lack of respect or appreciation for those who truly enjoy my work.
And now I leave the forum open for everyone to rally against me. ^_^ Go ahead. You know you want to call me a windbag! LOL