Hello, you are a whiner

[cleolinda]

Okay, I have a completely random, wank thought-provoking question to ask, in terms of random feedback. You know, the kind of feedback that you get after something's finished, not when you're actually still in revision mode. Actually, let me back up and ask a preliminary question: those of y'all who write, am I totally crazy for thinking there's a

Comments

[tropes]

I feel the same, pretty much. If you like it, I like to know what you liked. If you didn't like it for specific reasons... well, I don't really want to know, but those specific reasons MIGHT be helpful. Maybe. Sorta.

Mostly, though, I do prefer if people keep criticism once something is posted to their damn selves. So, I'm with you.

[cleolinda]

Yeah, I think specific criticism wouldn't have even bothered me, because I could either think to myself, "Yeah, I kind of felt that way too, and chose to post it anyway," or "I'll remember that for next time."

[tropes]

Exactly. But someone saying, "That was weird" or "It wasn't for me" is just so unhelpful.

fuck the haters, but don't forget that there are haters.

[discogravy]

I would mark it down for the "next time" column: someone might criticize something you wrote years ago, and you're not gonna go back and mess with it again, but you might be able to take the criticism (if it's valid...there are just some people you will never satisfy, and really, that's just...ok) and apply it to what you're doing now.

[reynardine]

Some people feel the need to criticize regardless of whether it might be helpful or not. Personally, I agree with you. Don't tell me about it. The piece is finished and I've moved on. Reporting to others whether one thinks a work is good or not is an entirely different thing, to my mind.

[scornedsaint]

So: 1) Am I crazy for thinking of it this way? 2) Am I being really unreasonable for thinking that leaving, in essence, "This sucks" as feedback is kind of unnecessary when a piece is finished and done?

No, you're not crazy. There comes a point where if you've worked on something for so long, there aren't any major changes you can make to "fix" it. In fact, you'll probably just make it worse.

Free audio of Neil Gaiman reading his Cthulhu/Sherlock mashup "A Study in Emerald."

Oh man, I read that and was so confused. I had to go back and reread it a couple of times (and check up on Wikipedia) to fully understand it.

[silk_noir]

1) You are not crazy for thinking this way.

2) "This sucks" or other items of that ilk is never about you or your work. It's about the person saying those things.

[last_archangel]

"A Study In Emerald" is probably one of my least favorite Neil Gaiman shorts, oddly enough. And I love Sherlock Holmes. But I found it seriously disappointing.

[cleolinda]

Heeeee, your icon.