Insta-rec

[jelazakazone]

Drop what you are doing and go read the 150ish words that nympha_alba wrote at my bequest.  I asked people to go forth and write dragonspeak!kink and she did so brilliantly!  :D

Also, I wanted to ask people about leaving comments.  I am wrangling this issue in my own mind.  Before I started writing, I think I was pretty haphazard about leaving comments.  Now

Comments

[jelazakazone]

ghrelin requested no comments. I think she meant on the first part. I have not had time to read it since she wrote it in the middle of the night and I've had a whirlwind of a day.

You are quite a chatterbox (says the pot to the kettle). I'm not surprised you leave plenty of comments.

Are there times you don't leave comments?

[gwylliondream]

I leave a comment on everything I read.

It's how I keep track of whether I've read something or not.

It's really as simple as that!

[jelazakazone]

LOL:) Good point! When I just went back and did those rec's, I had to see if I had left a comment on the merlin_holidays post (I had) because I knew I had read it.

Do you bookmark or memory stories that you particularly like? I didn't even ask that question, but now I'm thinking about that too:)

[gwylliondream]

In very special circumstances, I add things to LJ Memories, but usually only when I am deeply affected by something. I also have a large collection of favorite fics in Word and on my Kindle.

[jelazakazone]

*nods head* Ah. That makes sense.

Also, e-readers are looking more and more attractive. DH and I tend to be very late adopters when it comes to technology.

[dorkathus]

Leaving comments on anything at all is hard for me in general. If someone has asked a direct question (like this!) it's easier because I have a direct answer to write (woo!), but even then it doesn't always happen. It takes a lot of energy for me to do what is essentially initiating a dialogue with someone, putting myself out there. That makes me feel bad if someone has written an emotional post, or written an amazing fic, but there are limits to what I can do and I try to let friends know that it doesn't mean I'm not reading, or caring.

I've been making an effort to comment on fics. If I were to try and narrow down something that makes me do it, I'd say that it mostly happens when a fic has connected with me on some level, and/or I've found something in it that really resonates with how I view the characters in the canon, when someone's hit the nail on the head.

Having seen the person around and knowing that they seem friendly does seem to make it a little easier to do.

[jelazakazone]

It's too bad there isn't a "like" or "kudos" button on LJ. It seems like sometimes and for some people, that would be really helpful.

I'm incapable of keeping my mouth shut. I understand that other people are the opposite (dh is like you; if he doesn't have anything to say, he doesn't say anything.)

I think that connection makes a huge difference. It seems like reading something that someone wrote and you think "they've really hit the nail on the head" is very connecting.

I should do a post about pairings/characters, but I feel like I've done that post already. I might do something about writing styles, but I kind of feel like I did that already too.

[dorkathus]

I abuse the heck out of both Kudos and Like. They were made for people like me. I did see someone who had made a JPG of their Like graphic and used it in an LJ comment. I should really steal that idea if it wouldn't weird people out terribly XD

I do have a bit of a tendancy to babble like an idiot once I get started, that and over-share. It's getting started that's the problem. Like you say, if I don't feel I have anything to say (beyond "I liked this!") I tend not to say anything. It's hard to get over that bump.

Who says you can't redo them? Updates are always good. Opinions change, as does our ability to express what we meant. Write what you need to, want to.

[jelazakazone]

LOL. I think it's a brilliant idea, to use a "like" graphic:)

I think "I liked this" is just fine feedback. (Also, I seem to have this effect on people where they don't normally talk to people but seem to have lots to say to me. It was really annoying when I was working in a cafe and people would tell me their horrible life stories. It's great here where people talk to me about Merlin:)).

I will ponder this. Not sure I have anything new to say on the topic.

[aome]

The only time I don't leave comments is if I didn't really care for something. Otherwise, I always leave comments, even a brief "I loved X - well done!" I do sometimes leave concrit for a fic I feel is good but could use a little tweaking (ie they need a beta-reader) but always phrase it as "You may want to consider X - it'll make your story even more awesome" or similar. But I know how much feedback means to me, and I try to repay that for others.

(Side note: I saw my first episode of Merlin on TV today - and I have to admit, it didn't do anything for me. (Aside from Arthur - yum.) But at least now I can say I've seen it. :-) )

[jelazakazone]

I have yet to leave concrit for someone who didn't ask, but otherwise, my commenting strategy is the same as yours.

:( Nothing? Would you keep watching for Arthur? You could skip to ep 4 and watch from there to see what you think. Also, S1 is fairly different from what it grows into, especially by s4.

I was just saying that I didn't even notice Bradley James (Arthur) until this season. I basically watched 39 eps without noticing him at all. And I watched them numerous times. He's amazing in S4. but you can't watch S4 without having watched the previous eps.

Anyhow, sorry to hear it didn't do much for you. On further thought, you could even skip all of S1 and just go straight to S2. A lot of Merlin fans love Sherlock, which I know you like (I don't love Sherlock because I feel like I'm missing too many of the jokes.)

[aome]

Oh, it wasn't the pilot ep - it was just MY first ep of Merlin. I have a feeling it was much more recent; Morgana (or is it Morgaeus? - the one with dark hair) had attempted to kill Merlin and had not succeeded, the King was trapped by an enchantment which Merlin broke, and the castle was under siege - Arthur and co. were fighting skeletons until Merlin broke something. You recognize that one?

[jelazakazone]

That's from the end of S3. Like, the very last ep of S3. No wonder you didn't like it.

Try the first ep from S1. I think you'll like the series overall. I didn't particularly like the last eps of S3:(

[jelazakazone]

*facepalm* I never read the main fic. I guess I sort of knew it existed, but I never looked for it.

They are clearly AU. It was actually some of the first fic of yours I read (I think the Balinor/Hunith one was the first). I loved your writing, if not what you were writing.

I almost never read long fics. I managed to read Meat Feast because it was broken up. I think the longest fic I've read aside from that is not much more than 12K. I have ADD on the computer:)

I don't think I answered your question. Did I?

[jelazakazone]

Once again the siren song of e-books calls. Honestly, chapters might help. I am not sure. At the moment, I'm hardly reading anything because I'm writing and helping beta and all my other time is taken up away from the computer/LJ.

We really need someone to invent more time! Has someone done that as podfic, by any chance? I need to start listening to podfic.