I am such a perfectionist about my writing that I can't fathom posting a fic that I haven't carefully proofread. If something slips past me, I'd like it pointed out immediately if not sooner so that I can fix it. As far as I'm concerned, grammar and spelling errors really suck the fun out of reading a fic. I want my reader to be fully immersed in and enjoy the world I've spent so much time creating (or in the case of fanfic, expanding on
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I think you see each fic as a seven course meal at a 5 star Michelin rated restaurant in Paris. Some people will never be able to create that. Ever. Not with all the writing classes and all the concrit in the world. My fics are a lot more like a meal where you are in and out within an hour. Should I not take pride in the fact that someone went away satisfied even if it wasn't the greatest meal they were ever served?
I mean I think it's great to have high standards for yourself and to be choosy what you read but to suggest that other authors basically ought to be ashamed of themselves for not being dressed for a night on the town or attending the Oscars when all they want is a bowl of ice cream and Netflix is rather pretentious.
I once got blasted because I suggested to someone that their fic might be easier to read if there was a space between each paragraph. That's not precisely high standards.
I would not call my fics a seven-course meal at a fancy restaurant. Hell, mine don't even qualify as a McD's cheeseburger. But I do aspire to be better each time. I want to write, but I also want to write well. I don't find complacency to be an admirable trait in any situation. Not giving a damn is the thing to be ashamed of, in my own personal opinion. I do this because I enjoy it, and because I enjoy it, I care about it
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I turned off anon commenting everywhere a long time ago, and it cut out the worst of it. I think it's hard because fandom etiquette has changed and so have fandom priorities, if that makes sense? It used to be that creators were prioritized; they spent their free time carefully (or not so carefully) crafting something, then gave it to you for free and should be politely thanked. You would get the occasional troll and interesting crit, but depending on how you had things set up, fandom wasn't generally anon. Now I think consumers are prioritized; they have lots to read/consume and they don't have to consume your stuff. Thanking the author may be an interaction they don't want to have. And being linked to your name on some platforms isn't as common or as expected, so there are more trolls. I think as a creator that means you can get the perception that there are a lot of trolls and not much thanks. I don't know, though. I do know that on some platforms I would get more trolly jerk comments than on others. And I know in some communities
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Yes, I do feel that if you want to leave a negative comment then you can own it too. And some do! I've received a fair share of negative comments where the users were logged in, and as much as I loathe negative comments somehow I can respect them more and weirdly I don't take them to heart as much as anon hate.
I'd say with Ao3 people definitely give way more kudos than comments. I know I do, sometimes even when I didn't like the fic in particular.
I think tumblr has a lot of aggressive communication going on, maybe helped by the ask box?
Yeah, I also don't mind critique from people I know-I trust them enough to know it's not meant negatively.
Fandom has also changed in that way that is has become more mainstream. But not more mainstream in "being accepted" but in "more people feel entitled to shit on it and have an opinion"... maybe/hopefully that will change too!
I think there are different levels of unpleasantness and they affect different people, well, differently. Like for instance, trolls I can discount--people who don't leave a name and say something stupid for the sake of attention? Lol, ignore. Flames? Intense, prolonged or very personal nastiness? Harder to take. Worst of all, a BNF or someone with followers who wants to point and laugh? For me, that's the hardest to take (I was bullied quite a bit in school.) So for me there are generally different degrees. But yes, it does sound as if your anon hate is weirdly personal, and I can definitely see why it would unsettle you. Why are they continuing to read if they genuinely don't like the way you write? It's obsessive and pathetic. They must be really jealous or something.
I leave kudos, but I always comment if I liked something. Comment culture is dying and I'm not keen to make it any worse.
Yes, I think that ask box is the devil. That coupled with the relative age of the people on tumblr is a recipe for nastiness.
Blimey, I used to get huuuuuuge amounts of hate earlier in fandom time. I don't agree that culture is getting worse. It's always had that nasty side.
And hee, I used to have some serious personal trolls following me round. Didn't bother me. If all you can do to make yourself feel better about your life is shit on other people - and I don't mean concrit, but personal abuse - then you're a sad git.
I don't really remember your pairings but wasn't it Lucius/Hermione and/or Snape/Hermione? Sorry, but it's been a while since I've read HP!
I do remember reading your fics and liking them, and I (obviously wrongly) assumed het is always a more middle-ground type of fanfic where people are peaceful.
I'm really sorry for that troll experience :(( That is pretty awful, but it's good to know it didn't bother you! You're made of steel ;))
It's like all corners of fandom, there's always someone who wants to share their opinion. Were more likely not to shrug and go oh it's bestiality chan, ykinmk and more likely to go ewwwwwwwwwwww
I think it depends on the fandom. Hockey RPF is infinitely worse than any fandom I've ever been in. I've seen girls doxxed over writing an unpopular pairing. I think in newer fandoms where fandom mores no longer hold, things can get really hairy. (Oh lord, I just mistyped that as 'harry.' Too many HP memories, apparently!)
Well.. I never get any comments, good or bad, on my art so I can't speak to my own experience. What I have noticed in commenting on others' fic that there is a rise in people who just comment to express how much the story doesn't agree with what they want. Whether it 'I didn't like the ending, it wasn't happy' or 'omg why do you write this pairing it is crap' or 'despite the atrocious characterisation and terrible idea, there were some nice scenes' or 'well this was just out of character and I think you should give up' or 'the grammar is dreadful and so are you', etc. Hell, I've even replied to some of them to say they need to get their head out of their arses and go read something else and quit annoying the author (someone I usually know). It is like there are a bunch of people out there who feel so entitled that anything which disagrees with their view of a character/fandom should not exist. Trust me, some of the 'well, I don't understand why you wrote Loki that way and it is terrible so die' comments are just repulsive. This is in
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Hell, I've even replied to some of them to say they need to get their head out of their arses and go read something else and quit annoying the author (someone I usually know).
You're the fave of every author I'm sure! I'm always immensely grateful when people come to my aid! I feel always insecure about what I write, and yes, it's probably crap not because I don't care about it but because my talents are very limited-but having someone to defend you and sticking up for you is pretty much the greatest that can happen in fandom!
I have old Harry Potter fics on AO3 but all I ever get is "Kudos!" I wish I'd get a comment now and again. I've never gotten anything snarky, but when I first discovered The Internet and Fan Fiction, at about the same time, I made some beta-type suggestions on a gift exchange (not a gift to me, just a public exchange) and the person who received them was highly offended. I needed someone else to tell me that gifts are final editions and that you don't make suggestions on them, it's not polite - you just appreciate them. So clearly I didn't understand the social context at that point.
I find it helps me when I read a comment that I think is harsh somewhere to remember that the internet is full of 14 year old girls who just hatched. Fan fiction especially.
I did the same thing you did-I left unwanted beta suggestions and also learned how unwelcome that was.
Most of the negative comments on LJ were people who didn't like the plot of my fics or where they were going-I like unhappy endings I guess. And some don't.
The recent comments were different in tone though and I just took note of that-more disturbing maybe but I also realise that fandom isn't any longer that little corner on LJ. It's kind of mainstream now and far more anonymous.
On the same note, I also see a lot of authors who beg and demand comments on their fics but don't reply to comments at all.
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I mean I think it's great to have high standards for yourself and to be choosy what you read but to suggest that other authors basically ought to be ashamed of themselves for not being dressed for a night on the town or attending the Oscars when all they want is a bowl of ice cream and Netflix is rather pretentious.
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I would not call my fics a seven-course meal at a fancy restaurant. Hell, mine don't even qualify as a McD's cheeseburger. But I do aspire to be better each time. I want to write, but I also want to write well. I don't find complacency to be an admirable trait in any situation. Not giving a damn is the thing to be ashamed of, in my own personal opinion. I do this because I enjoy it, and because I enjoy it, I care about it ( ... )
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I'd say with Ao3 people definitely give way more kudos than comments. I know I do, sometimes even when I didn't like the fic in particular.
I think tumblr has a lot of aggressive communication going on, maybe helped by the ask box?
Yeah, I also don't mind critique from people I know-I trust them enough to know it's not meant negatively.
Fandom has also changed in that way that is has become more mainstream. But not more mainstream in "being accepted" but in "more people feel entitled to shit on it and have an opinion"... maybe/hopefully that will change too!
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I leave kudos, but I always comment if I liked something. Comment culture is dying and I'm not keen to make it any worse.
Yes, I think that ask box is the devil. That coupled with the relative age of the people on tumblr is a recipe for nastiness.
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And hee, I used to have some serious personal trolls following me round. Didn't bother me. If all you can do to make yourself feel better about your life is shit on other people - and I don't mean concrit, but personal abuse - then you're a sad git.
I used to point and laugh.
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I do remember reading your fics and liking them, and I (obviously wrongly) assumed het is always a more middle-ground type of fanfic where people are peaceful.
I'm really sorry for that troll experience :(( That is pretty awful, but it's good to know it didn't bother you! You're made of steel ;))
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It's like all corners of fandom, there's always someone who wants to share their opinion. Were more likely not to shrug and go oh it's bestiality chan, ykinmk and more likely to go ewwwwwwwwwwww
But the wank about comma usage ran hot
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You're the fave of every author I'm sure! I'm always immensely grateful when people come to my aid! I feel always insecure about what I write, and yes, it's probably crap not because I don't care about it but because my talents are very limited-but having someone to defend you and sticking up for you is pretty much the greatest that can happen in fandom!
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I find it helps me when I read a comment that I think is harsh somewhere to remember that the internet is full of 14 year old girls who just hatched. Fan fiction especially.
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I did the same thing you did-I left unwanted beta suggestions and also learned how unwelcome that was.
Most of the negative comments on LJ were people who didn't like the plot of my fics or where they were going-I like unhappy endings I guess. And some don't.
The recent comments were different in tone though and I just took note of that-more disturbing maybe but I also realise that fandom isn't any longer that little corner on LJ. It's kind of mainstream now and far more anonymous.
On the same note, I also see a lot of authors who beg and demand comments on their fics but don't reply to comments at all.
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