thinky thoughts
There's been a lovely deluge of fic today, which led me to thinking about leaving feedback.
From other discussions about this, it seems the general concensus is that everyone likes lots of feedback. Which makes sense, because otherwise, why would we be online sharing and forming communities etc? And most everyone I've seen to discuss this, has been in favor of constructive criticism. (That's what we all say anyway. Whether it's really true or not...)
But I've noticed that lately, when I reply to fics, I seem to be analysing them like I would for a lit class. And I suck because I can't think of an example right now...Well. I'm especially aware of doing this when I leave feedback to miss-porcupine. I seem to go off on tangents about her SGA universe in general, and how that specific fic has added to it, and so on.
So what my question is, is this cool? When I write, which hasn't been lately (I'm totally counting what I've written here for my 10 mins for wrisomifu), I'm just thrilled to get any kind of feedback. I'd probably be happy even to get a flame, because then I'd still know that someone read it. But for more prolific and widely-read authors, do you want your fic analysed? Do you want to hear that, "The way you wrote John in this scene reflects what we saw in blahblah ep," or do you just think, "yes, which is why I wrote him that way. Congratulations, you can pass a high school English class."
I mean, the thing my English teacher always told us was that we were in no position to pass judgement on whatever piece we were writing about. That wiser and more-educated people had already read it and said it was good, so we needed to focus on developing our ability to pick out what made it good so that we could become those wise and more-educated people. But with fic and fandom in general, we are that judgemental audience. So it's a little different situation.
Plus too, we're writing to the author, who is probably aware of their own themes and motifs. (Sometimes. I generally pick up on what I'm writing after I've gotten a good chunk at least planned out.) So the comments are written to an entirely different audiece than English papers are.
And...I've completely lost my train of thought. Hey, I still have history homework to do...
Back on topic: what do you prefer to get or leave? Comments that just point out what was liked, or comments that go in and dig apart characterization, symbols, motifs, themes, and so on? Another way of saying it, do you want your fic interpreted or just responded to?
I ramble a lot.
From other discussions about this, it seems the general concensus is that everyone likes lots of feedback. Which makes sense, because otherwise, why would we be online sharing and forming communities etc? And most everyone I've seen to discuss this, has been in favor of constructive criticism. (That's what we all say anyway. Whether it's really true or not...)
But I've noticed that lately, when I reply to fics, I seem to be analysing them like I would for a lit class. And I suck because I can't think of an example right now...Well. I'm especially aware of doing this when I leave feedback to miss-porcupine. I seem to go off on tangents about her SGA universe in general, and how that specific fic has added to it, and so on.
So what my question is, is this cool? When I write, which hasn't been lately (I'm totally counting what I've written here for my 10 mins for wrisomifu), I'm just thrilled to get any kind of feedback. I'd probably be happy even to get a flame, because then I'd still know that someone read it. But for more prolific and widely-read authors, do you want your fic analysed? Do you want to hear that, "The way you wrote John in this scene reflects what we saw in blahblah ep," or do you just think, "yes, which is why I wrote him that way. Congratulations, you can pass a high school English class."
I mean, the thing my English teacher always told us was that we were in no position to pass judgement on whatever piece we were writing about. That wiser and more-educated people had already read it and said it was good, so we needed to focus on developing our ability to pick out what made it good so that we could become those wise and more-educated people. But with fic and fandom in general, we are that judgemental audience. So it's a little different situation.
Plus too, we're writing to the author, who is probably aware of their own themes and motifs. (Sometimes. I generally pick up on what I'm writing after I've gotten a good chunk at least planned out.) So the comments are written to an entirely different audiece than English papers are.
And...I've completely lost my train of thought. Hey, I still have history homework to do...
Back on topic: what do you prefer to get or leave? Comments that just point out what was liked, or comments that go in and dig apart characterization, symbols, motifs, themes, and so on? Another way of saying it, do you want your fic interpreted or just responded to?
I ramble a lot.