(no subject)
LJ and Reviewing.
This is a subject I've been thinking about for quite a long time. How does reviewing relate to LJ. Basically, how does it work? LJ seems to have a very specific reviewing style, at least in the fandoms I'm a part of, and it's nothing like other sites or forums. I'd love to get ideas on this from my flist as well.
Take FF.net, for example. Now, the stories are often less than stellar, but there's still something very open about the reviews being left there. You either get the 'OMG WRITE MOAR' reply, or you could actually get constructive criticism. I've written for several fandoms, including Lord of the Rings and Pokémon. (Yes, Pokémon. I actually still write for that. You can laugh at me later. XD)
These two fandoms are prime examples of fandoms that, at least on FF.net, believe in constructive criticism. Lord of the Rings has its share of actual critics, probably due to the fact that those who appreciate Tolkien's work would like some sort of semblance of competence when they're reading something. They expect more than the average reader. (Which isn't to say other fandom don't have the same high-standards, I just think that LOTR fans are more vocal about wanting to achieve that high standard. They love Tolkien, so they love a certain type of writing. If that makes sense.)
When I was writing in that fandom I received constructive criticism on every chapter I wrote. Granted, it was during the time of the movies, but before and after that you also had a big group of constructive reviewers. It was part of the fandom.
Pokémon is a fandom I review in a lot. Maybe it's because the collective fandom age is so low and there are few people who can correct punctuate speech, but I've always tried my best to review constructively in that fandom. Also on FF.net. You actually have a constructive reviewer on FF.net who chooses random months to do a National Review Writing Month, where she reviews every story that is submitted during that month.
Other fandoms I've read and written in - Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Firefly, and many others - have also had constructive reviewers. While it's certainly not a given that you'll get one, they are certainly around. It's a bit more hit and miss than I'd like, but they're there. If you're lucky you'll get one.
Forums are a different matter. I have to admit, I'm not part of too many different forums, but those I do visit are orientated on constructive criticism. I'm especially active on pokémon forums and I never stray far from the fanfiction section. I am a member of at least three and review sporadically on those. However, even if I don't review, everyone is likely to get a constructive review at one point or another. Unless your story is stellar to begin with, there will almost always be someone to help you out.
That's been the experience I've had with forums. They're a lot more ardent about constructive criticism and a lot more in-depth. I'll show you one of the reviews I wrote. It's basically what the average constructive review is like and what I'm used to writing. Actually, this is probably a short review, mainly because the 'chapter' I was reviewing was pretty short.
Review here.
Compared to FF.net reviews are a lot more personal and a lot more in-depth. You'll get your occasional 'omg, write moar' type of review, but certain rules and regulations discourage that and encourage constructive reviewing. As a result there are more constructive reviewers than there are at FF.net.
Then there's LJ. Livejournal is nothing like these other two, I think. I've been in quite a few fandoms here, ranging from the wrestling fandom to what I'm in now - Bleach - but I've never seen much love for constructive reviews. I hardly see them. It seems like reviews left on LJ are nothing but positive, with occasional suggestions thrown in. Nothing besides that. I could never review like I normally do here, because it's not the norm.
A few posts before this one I asked about reviewing in the Bleach fandom. People said that they were open to constructive criticism, but others also said that I shouldn't do it unless people asked for it and if I did, I should PM it to them. That's the way LJ seems to be. The few constructive reviews I gave were appreciated, according to the replies I got, but I still felt like the reception was sometimes cold. And those were on a community that was for bettering writing skills and writing prompts.
At FF.net and the forums I frequent any story that is posted is open for constructive criticism. It's a rule that if you're not okay with accepting criticism, then you shouldn't be posting it. On LJ this is not the case. If I were to choose a random story from the Bleach News lists, left a constructive review in the manner I'm used to, and pointed out what I would change, I can bet that I'd be met with anger and resistance. Most fandoms I've come across here aren't into constructive criticism unless specifically asked for. And very few people specifically ask for it.
It reminds me of wrestling fandom, somewhat. There was one yahoo group that resented me so much for leaving them constructive reviews that they made it a rule that unless someone posted that they were open to constructive reviews, you couldn't mention anything that needed improving. And these were reviews where I pointed out only a thing or two.
LJ feels like that to me. There have been people who have very graciously accepted the constructive criticism I left them, but there seems to be a climate of nothing but positive things to me. I tried reviewing in the wrestling fandom like I normally do, but people got mad. I tried mildly reviewing in the Bleach fandom, but it didn't feel accepted. I tried reviewing in the Harry Potter fandom, but I was ignored. LJ has such a different vibe than most other sites do. Its so unlike what I'm used to that I've just given up reviewing altogether. Which I don't really want to, to be honest. I enjoy reviewing constructively. I like working with the language and helping others, just like I was helped when I first joined the LOTR fandom.
LJ and constructive criticism doesn't seem to work as well as other places do.
Your thoughts? : P I know this probably doesn't make sense to a lot of people and that it's jumbled, but I just wanted to write down my thoughts.
~
Meme.
One.
Comment saying "YOU DON'T NEED A LICENCE FOR A HIT AND RUN!" and I will tell you the following:
1. Something random about you.
2. Which color you remind me of.
3. My first memory of you.
4. What random character I associate with you.
5. My favorite thing about you.
6. What fandom I associate with you.
7. Challenge you to post this on your journal.
Two.
Icon Meme:
1. Reply to this post, and I will pick six of your icons.
2. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
3. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon squee.
I was given these by muha
: Byakuya is my favourite character, so I'd been looking for something of his that was calming and him. Him watching his koi jump around just seemed like a good thing to icon, so I stretched my animation fingers and fiddled with it until this came out.
: Hah. Well, I wanted to make some text-based icons and had just watched House. There's not much else to say about this, other than the fact that Aizen is the prime example of everyone lying. He just did it so well that it creeps me out still. ;)
: It's Mayuri, sortof, and it's cute. I just wanted to use cute doll!Mayuri and commemorate his awesome battle with Szayel. The doll is cute, it being stamped on is sad and creepy, and I had a lot of trouble creating the animation bit.
: I looked for some funny text-based icons that I could use for various circumstances. I mean, I have a lot of icons that are about the people I fangirl, but had very few that stood for emotions. So I looked up some funny and true ones and added them. Hey, if you have 100 icon spaces to fill...
: I'm a Ravenclaw through and through. No, I'm not quite as smart as them, but when it comes to fanfiction and fandom I'm about detail, improvement, research, and I'm the hugest dork to ever dork. Have you looked at my fandoms? They're crazy. XD I use this icon when I'm pondering something, or reviewing, or feeling like I'm being a bit too pretentious but don't know how else to say it. I would have used this icon for this post, but I have repeated the same icon. *grin*
: Osamu-chan was being his cute, dorky self in one of the backstage videos they had. He was doing Catharsis' dance first and then did this dorky dance, which ended aligning perfectly when I added the screencaps. So perfectly that it seems like it's an ongoing dance, which just fits my childish moments and Osamu-chan's adorably dorky side. ^^
This is a subject I've been thinking about for quite a long time. How does reviewing relate to LJ. Basically, how does it work? LJ seems to have a very specific reviewing style, at least in the fandoms I'm a part of, and it's nothing like other sites or forums. I'd love to get ideas on this from my flist as well.
Take FF.net, for example. Now, the stories are often less than stellar, but there's still something very open about the reviews being left there. You either get the 'OMG WRITE MOAR' reply, or you could actually get constructive criticism. I've written for several fandoms, including Lord of the Rings and Pokémon. (Yes, Pokémon. I actually still write for that. You can laugh at me later. XD)
These two fandoms are prime examples of fandoms that, at least on FF.net, believe in constructive criticism. Lord of the Rings has its share of actual critics, probably due to the fact that those who appreciate Tolkien's work would like some sort of semblance of competence when they're reading something. They expect more than the average reader. (Which isn't to say other fandom don't have the same high-standards, I just think that LOTR fans are more vocal about wanting to achieve that high standard. They love Tolkien, so they love a certain type of writing. If that makes sense.)
When I was writing in that fandom I received constructive criticism on every chapter I wrote. Granted, it was during the time of the movies, but before and after that you also had a big group of constructive reviewers. It was part of the fandom.
Pokémon is a fandom I review in a lot. Maybe it's because the collective fandom age is so low and there are few people who can correct punctuate speech, but I've always tried my best to review constructively in that fandom. Also on FF.net. You actually have a constructive reviewer on FF.net who chooses random months to do a National Review Writing Month, where she reviews every story that is submitted during that month.
Other fandoms I've read and written in - Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Firefly, and many others - have also had constructive reviewers. While it's certainly not a given that you'll get one, they are certainly around. It's a bit more hit and miss than I'd like, but they're there. If you're lucky you'll get one.
Forums are a different matter. I have to admit, I'm not part of too many different forums, but those I do visit are orientated on constructive criticism. I'm especially active on pokémon forums and I never stray far from the fanfiction section. I am a member of at least three and review sporadically on those. However, even if I don't review, everyone is likely to get a constructive review at one point or another. Unless your story is stellar to begin with, there will almost always be someone to help you out.
That's been the experience I've had with forums. They're a lot more ardent about constructive criticism and a lot more in-depth. I'll show you one of the reviews I wrote. It's basically what the average constructive review is like and what I'm used to writing. Actually, this is probably a short review, mainly because the 'chapter' I was reviewing was pretty short.
Review here.
Compared to FF.net reviews are a lot more personal and a lot more in-depth. You'll get your occasional 'omg, write moar' type of review, but certain rules and regulations discourage that and encourage constructive reviewing. As a result there are more constructive reviewers than there are at FF.net.
Then there's LJ. Livejournal is nothing like these other two, I think. I've been in quite a few fandoms here, ranging from the wrestling fandom to what I'm in now - Bleach - but I've never seen much love for constructive reviews. I hardly see them. It seems like reviews left on LJ are nothing but positive, with occasional suggestions thrown in. Nothing besides that. I could never review like I normally do here, because it's not the norm.
A few posts before this one I asked about reviewing in the Bleach fandom. People said that they were open to constructive criticism, but others also said that I shouldn't do it unless people asked for it and if I did, I should PM it to them. That's the way LJ seems to be. The few constructive reviews I gave were appreciated, according to the replies I got, but I still felt like the reception was sometimes cold. And those were on a community that was for bettering writing skills and writing prompts.
At FF.net and the forums I frequent any story that is posted is open for constructive criticism. It's a rule that if you're not okay with accepting criticism, then you shouldn't be posting it. On LJ this is not the case. If I were to choose a random story from the Bleach News lists, left a constructive review in the manner I'm used to, and pointed out what I would change, I can bet that I'd be met with anger and resistance. Most fandoms I've come across here aren't into constructive criticism unless specifically asked for. And very few people specifically ask for it.
It reminds me of wrestling fandom, somewhat. There was one yahoo group that resented me so much for leaving them constructive reviews that they made it a rule that unless someone posted that they were open to constructive reviews, you couldn't mention anything that needed improving. And these were reviews where I pointed out only a thing or two.
LJ feels like that to me. There have been people who have very graciously accepted the constructive criticism I left them, but there seems to be a climate of nothing but positive things to me. I tried reviewing in the wrestling fandom like I normally do, but people got mad. I tried mildly reviewing in the Bleach fandom, but it didn't feel accepted. I tried reviewing in the Harry Potter fandom, but I was ignored. LJ has such a different vibe than most other sites do. Its so unlike what I'm used to that I've just given up reviewing altogether. Which I don't really want to, to be honest. I enjoy reviewing constructively. I like working with the language and helping others, just like I was helped when I first joined the LOTR fandom.
LJ and constructive criticism doesn't seem to work as well as other places do.
Your thoughts? : P I know this probably doesn't make sense to a lot of people and that it's jumbled, but I just wanted to write down my thoughts.
~
Meme.
One.
Comment saying "YOU DON'T NEED A LICENCE FOR A HIT AND RUN!" and I will tell you the following:
1. Something random about you.
2. Which color you remind me of.
3. My first memory of you.
4. What random character I associate with you.
5. My favorite thing about you.
6. What fandom I associate with you.
7. Challenge you to post this on your journal.
Two.
Icon Meme:
1. Reply to this post, and I will pick six of your icons.
2. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
3. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon squee.
I was given these by muha
: Byakuya is my favourite character, so I'd been looking for something of his that was calming and him. Him watching his koi jump around just seemed like a good thing to icon, so I stretched my animation fingers and fiddled with it until this came out.
: Hah. Well, I wanted to make some text-based icons and had just watched House. There's not much else to say about this, other than the fact that Aizen is the prime example of everyone lying. He just did it so well that it creeps me out still. ;)
: It's Mayuri, sortof, and it's cute. I just wanted to use cute doll!Mayuri and commemorate his awesome battle with Szayel. The doll is cute, it being stamped on is sad and creepy, and I had a lot of trouble creating the animation bit.
: I looked for some funny text-based icons that I could use for various circumstances. I mean, I have a lot of icons that are about the people I fangirl, but had very few that stood for emotions. So I looked up some funny and true ones and added them. Hey, if you have 100 icon spaces to fill...
: I'm a Ravenclaw through and through. No, I'm not quite as smart as them, but when it comes to fanfiction and fandom I'm about detail, improvement, research, and I'm the hugest dork to ever dork. Have you looked at my fandoms? They're crazy. XD I use this icon when I'm pondering something, or reviewing, or feeling like I'm being a bit too pretentious but don't know how else to say it. I would have used this icon for this post, but I have repeated the same icon. *grin*
: Osamu-chan was being his cute, dorky self in one of the backstage videos they had. He was doing Catharsis' dance first and then did this dorky dance, which ended aligning perfectly when I added the screencaps. So perfectly that it seems like it's an ongoing dance, which just fits my childish moments and Osamu-chan's adorably dorky side. ^^