Comments | rhetoretician: Review Envy

rhetoretician

Review Envy

Dec 04, 2006 21:58

I'm disappointed with myself for caring so much whether people review my posted fan fiction or not.

It seems to me that, given that there's no money in fan fiction, the only reasons to do it are (1) to have the creative experience itself, (2) to touch other people, and (3) to get to indulge yourself in the characters and the settings you love. ( Read more... )

reviews, fanfic, self-doubt, awards

Comments 17

stmargarets December 5 2006, 03:33:35 UTC

Oh, Ken. I think everyone who posts their writing feels this way ( ... )

rhetoretician December 5 2006, 04:07:48 UTC

Dearest Mary, you are one of the reasons this is such a satisfying experience for me. The chance to talk at length with others about the writing, people like you and David and Dave and Matthew and Christine and Valerie and Stacey and Rachel and..., to talk about their work and to talk about mine, to get to praise each other and bask like a kitten who's found a sunny spot on the carpet, it's like really good coffee and really dark chocolate all at the same time ( ... )

mickawber December 5 2006, 06:27:31 UTC

See now, this is why we love you (well, this and the fact that you write wonderful, fluffy, mythopoetic fics): because you manage to make the whole sordid exercise be part of a positive, creative process ( ... )

rhetoretician December 5 2006, 18:58:10 UTC

I think this is something like the question of whether you'd rather be popular or instead have a few, really good friends. My tendency has always been the latter, but I've always wondered what the former would feel like.

I didn't know that about "Monster"; when I first read it, I loved it because (1) Harry needed to be told off for dumping Ginny, and (2) I thought that bit at the end iof Ch. 1 was pretty romantic. I can imagine how I'd feel if I wrote something that conveyed meaning I cared about, but 100 people replied saying, "loved the bran muffins in chapter two; they're really tasty, aren't they?"

I guess what I'm working through is this: You and Mary and several others write really interesting, rich, gratifying replies to my work, and I love them. We have other interactions and I love them too. So I have a few good friends. My own issue, probably something to take up with my therapist, is, why do I still long to be more popular too? It's so tiresome, at 46, to be still dealing with stuff that I think dates from 32 years

girlspell December 5 2006, 20:24:24 UTC

I'm a reader not a writer. I like to read stories that provoke you into either a response or at least thinking about what you just read. I get that reaction after reading stories from Ken, Mary and Antosha, Viridian, and a few others. These authors are gems. What I don't care very much for is the Silver Trinket award. This is not supposed to be a popularity contest. Many times I find myself shaking my head and moving on to the next one. In the end, I'd much rather read the featured story list. All of you are doing something you love to do. It should just be that. I'm also a little jealous. It takes talent to write well. All of you have it.

Oh, I did ask Ken if he had any original fiction. I would love to see that form all of you.

rhetoretician December 6 2006, 02:21:50 UTC

Well, I've already told Mary she should "get out of JKR's shadow and start working without a net." "Roger & Lisa" is essentially an original piece of fiction and could easily be redone outside the potterverse with no real damage. Antosha, I'm pretty sure, has other literary pursuits and I think he does this for fun. Viridian has written at least four original novels (they're pretty good, and if you ask him he'll send some of them to you) but can't find a publisher ( ... )

sovranspecific December 6 2006, 02:59:36 UTC

Hmm. I have some vague fear of being lynched for posting here, given the direction of the conversation. But I'm a brave soul who basks in relative anonymity, so I'll do it anyway.

Ken, I feel just the way you do. When I posted the first three chapters of MoO, I treasured every single review I got. 10 reviews for 3 chapters was really wonderful. People had read my story, odd as it was, and at least taken the time to let me know that they'd done so. Because, really, that's what those "Dude! Update soon!" reviews are . . . "I wuz here" graffiti on your story. Unlike most graffiti, however, they have value by their very existence.
You have to understand that I'm a little obsessive compulsive about numbers and analyses. I track, chart, and manipulate anything I can quantify, including reviews, views, favorites... all of that mess. So as I published more chapters, I watched more reviews arrive, and the craving grew. A review/chapter ratio of 3.33 was no longer acceptable. I wanted 5. Then 10. Every time a new chapter got a few ( ... )

rhetoretician December 6 2006, 03:30:11 UTC

I voted for her story too, even though I really liked yours. Your prominence doesn't keep anyone from anything, except for those readers who only read the things that get rewards or a lot of reviews ( ... )

bandcandy December 6 2006, 05:13:42 UTC

I do the same thing, Ken. Every time I post a chapter I immediately wonder how many reviews it's going to get. Even if it's a terrible review, which I thankfully haven't had so far, I'd still be happy that my story evoked some kind of feeling from someone. I'm sure if I got 88 reviews for one chapter (wow!) I'd probably turn off the e-mail notification feature, but as it is right now I have it turned on and I immediately head to SIYE to see who reviewed and what they said.

I don't do it for the reviews; I do it for myself more than anything and might not have even posted for others to read if it hadn't been for some encouragement from friends, but I still obsess about them anyway.

moonette1 December 11 2006, 22:05:05 UTC

Hi Ken,

The wonderful St. Margarets referred me to this thread, because I've recently been agonizing over the exact same things as you are in your post! I have to say it was very therapeutic for me to read this thread, as it was an intelligent and thoughtful discussion about something that came to the forefront for me after posting and concluding my latest multichaptered story. So, if this is what your LJ is like, I'd love to friend you! Is that OK? By the way - please don't let my last LJ entry scare you off - St. Margarets and I only get that silly once in a while. Thanks!

moonette1 December 12 2006, 02:58:08 UTC

Delighted, Annette! St. Maggie gave me a heads-up, and I *think* I friended you first.

As to today's post on your LJ, I'll confess that I only skimmed it, but was sorely tempted to add a chapter of my own in which a middle-aged fellow with thinning hair named "Rhet" picked the lock and came in to bewail all the excellent fiction that wasn't being written while the two ladies discussed their love lives...

rhetoretician December 12 2006, 03:08:00 UTC

Oh, that was pretty amateurish of me, wasn't it? Failing to log in on my own LJ? ~Ken