Comments | gracerene: Questions about Recs

gracerene

Questions about Recs

Nov 11, 2014 10:00

In honor of Rectober having wrapped up (SO MUCH FUN! all the kudos to birdsofshore for being awesome!), I thought I would ask ya'll a few questions about recs.

Obviously reccing is a big part of what I do on here, and I read a ton of fic with a variety of pairings and in multiple different fandoms. But I was wondering how other people went about recs. My " ( Read more... )

personal: question, fandom

Comments 36

huldrejenta November 11 2014, 19:12:51 UTC

1. I agree with what you say here - and I have to confess to not always being very good at the "why I like it" part when I rec myself. I always write something, but not always a lot, I'm afraid. Definitely something I can improve! When I rec on crack_broom, I usually add some more thoughts about why I like it then when I rec on my own journal ( ... )

gracerene November 11 2014, 19:29:35 UTC

Excellent :D

Yeah, it can be hard coming up with the "why" part, I feel like I am just throwing out the same kinds of phrases, and it just doesn't capture the brilliance of the fic I'm reccing!

vulcan_rhapsody November 11 2014, 19:25:31 UTC

If I had a fic I liked, but I was hesitant to rec because of XYZ reason, do you think its better to leave a warning about said problematic issues, or just not rec it at all. This has happened a few times, and I've sort of waffled back and forth.

This is really an interesting and difficult problem! I’ve encountered my fair share of these fics. Recently I’ve read about 60k of a 110k story that was brilliant and then stuff happened that I found deeply, deeply problematic. Strangely enough, the events didn’t even seem to bother anyone else. I was really tempted to write a rec of that fic and to explain why I found certain elements so problematic I stopped reading. But ultimately I decided against it ( ... )

gracerene November 11 2014, 20:10:25 UTC

A fellow reccer! :D

LOL, that situation you mentioned is literally what happened to me (only it was about 300k into a 450k fic...) And it's a fairly popular well-liked fic, and I sort of wanted to ask people, Why? Not in a mean way, but in a "I can't get past these issues, am I just seeing things weirdly" kind of way. But I didn't want to come off as super rude.

But that's the thing, the very fact that I am reccing it mean that I enjoyed the fic, more than enjoyed it really, since I don't rec everything I read by a long shot. So even if there is a little thing I'm mentioning, it's still a rec.

So far most of the authors commenting on here seem to be okay with mentioning little issues, but it's definitely a fine line I feel. Because I definitely don't want to make an author feel terrible, but I also don't want to blindside a reader who decided to read something based on my rec.

Thanks for your thoughts! (LOVE your rec lists BTW, the way you do them is basically exactly what I love)

vulcan_rhapsody November 11 2014, 22:52:25 UTC

Wow, after 300k? That’s really inconvenient. When I stop reading a fic after having already read a lot of it, it’s usually a problem of the relationship dynamics, consent issues or something of that sort. It isn't pleasant to stop reading something you’re already invested in. :( It’s never a problem of the writing style, though. (In that case, I stop after the first paragraphs).

Thanks for your thoughts! (LOVE your rec lists BTW, the way you do them is basically exactly what I love)

Then it's a mutual admiration society, to quote Gilmore Girls! :-)

gracerene November 12 2014, 02:55:25 UTC

Right?!? There were a few minor problematic issues throughout, but I had gotten so far that I just ignored them, but it finally got to a scene where it just didn't matter how far I got, I needed to stop. And that's it exactly, if I make it that far, it's never a problem of style or talent.

Awww, thanks, hon! <3

lauren3210 November 11 2014, 19:33:36 UTC

Oooh okay, let me put my two pence in ( ... )

gracerene November 11 2014, 20:33:24 UTC

Yay, thoughts!

1. Yup, pretty much my thoughts :D

2. I definitely prefer the "why". I'll usually still work my way through a list if I am desperate, but the why is my favorite.

3. LOL, this is basically exactly what I do too!

4. No, it doesn't make you sound terrible! I agree that the actual writing style is definitely important. But that's why I don't need an excerpt, because if I've decided to click through based on rating/summary etc, I'll figure out within the first few para if I like the style as well.

Yeah, I totally wouldn't rec a fic I couldn't even finish, but when there are some issues, I think I am leaning towards mentioning it. Obviously in polite way, though. :)

And thanks, hon! LOL, I basically do my recs the way I wish all rec lists would, so I'm pretty partial to mine. ;)

Haha, I'm pretty sure I did that with a recent Cherik rec, didn't I. I'm glad you find that helpful!

lauren3210 November 11 2014, 20:51:35 UTC

hah, you did, the royal au one! And i um'ed and ah'ed about it for ages but ultimately decided not to bother, lol!

gracerene November 11 2014, 20:56:25 UTC

LOL, yeah, honestly I probably wouldn't have read it if I had known, since it wasn't the most wrapped up of endings, it had definitely ended like there was supposed to be a sequel... :D

nia_kantorka November 11 2014, 19:46:25 UTC

1. Titel, author, link to work, summary are mandatory.
But I like to know about length, pairing(s), tags/warnings either.

2. Of course I like to read why someone recced a fic, but as I found a lot of things on my own on AO3, I'm used to listening to my gut feeling about fics.

The personal view from the reccer is the icing on the cake, and, if I know the person (and trust their recs), I'm more likely going to give fics a chance I might have not, based on summary and excerpt alone.

I have to admit that double and triple recs on my flist do the trick as well.

3. I love rec lists and bookmarks on AO3 and everything about recs. I can browse for hours over/through other peoples recs. And I'm hoarding fics and books. It's terrible a challenge to try to read IT ALL. :D ( ... )

gracerene November 11 2014, 20:16:13 UTC

LOL, I know you like recs! :D

Yeah, I feel once you get a feel for the kind of things a reccer likes (and if you like the same things) then it becomes less necessary to have the "Why" part, because there is that trust there.

OO, yeah, I didn't even think about what it would be like coming into this fandom after being elsewhere, where people tend to be a bit more critical. I definitely tend to not be at all critical/candid in comments, because that doesn't seem to be the place for concrit, but even when author's specifically ask for it, I feel so hesitant giving any.

capitu November 11 2014, 20:09:09 UTC

Now I want to answer this myself. :D

I don't often include an excerpt, maybe a small quote once in a while, but I rather like the reader discover their favourite bit. :)

Sometimes I make a comment about an issue, but generally I let the readers discover for themselves, too. Sometimes what bothers me doesn't bother someone else, and if they see it on the rec it's all they can think of. I don't know, I don't often do it, but once in a while I do. ^^

Seriously. I want to answer everything! LOL

gracerene November 11 2014, 20:26:15 UTC

LOL, answer away! I love hearing your opinion, especially as this is about recs, and you are kind of a reccing fiend. ;)

That is a good point, and one of the reasons I sometimes feel hesitant about bringing up an issue. If I say that I really enjoyed a fic, but at times Harry felt a bit OOC, I worry, that the reader will focus only on that bit, and then not give it a read. But, at the same time, I know some readers have a low OOC tolerance, and so my putting that disclaimer in there, could save them the annoyance of clicking through. Tough call, man!

You are another person that does recs with all the kinds of info I like! <3