The Etiquette of Holiday fics

[geoviki]

Like all the rest of you, I'm delighting in the reams and reams of new stories and art (and this year's art is especially terrific!). There's the granddaddy, merry_smutmas, and then others like harry_holidays, hd_holidays, smutty_claus, lupin_snape.... an embarrassment of riches!

As we are encouraging each other as writers and artists, I'm trying to leave feedback as well. One thing that caught my notice, though, has left me feeling uneasy, and I wondered what your views are: In your opinion, is it uncouth to leave concrit that's negative on a fest fic? (Disclosure: this is not anything that's happened regarding my own fic, just other folk's.)

I don't see the author requesting any, for one thing. Personally, I won't do it, but then I never leave anything less than praise unless I'm asked specifically and privately. If I don't like something, I just pass it by. Which unfortunately is the same response to something I've not yet read, so the writer is never sure if I'm unhappy or just behind (if the writer even cares what I think), but there you go.

But IMHO, these stories are gifts. And I can't see criticising a gift. Am I over-sensitive? What do you authors and artists think?

Comments

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

I think it's perfectly all right to leave mixed comments on gift stories - the "I loved X and Y, though I'm not sure I understood the ending" kind of comments. I don't really see why everything would have to be positive - if the writer wrote the story in two days, she'll obviously know that already and can use it as an excuse. Sure, only the recipient really matters, but the comment function is there so that people can comment, and if your reaction is mostly squee with some un-squee mixed in, I think the comment should reflect that.

I think it's incredibly tacky for the recipient to point out flaws, though.

Here via metafandom

[helens78]

Here's the thing. Exchange fic or not, I see all fanfic as being "gifts" in one way or another. We're not getting paid for this, and if we look hard enough, we're finding stuff that might as well be written for us. On the other hand, a lot of stuff? Is very definitely not written for us. Fandom is like a huge, enormous, office Christmas party in which people sometimes get awesome gifts, sometimes get awful gifts, and sometimes their gift-givers are mysteriously absent. At that point, you have to get into the question of whether it's rude to leave critical feedback at all.

And that depends on what you mean by "leaving" feedback. Are we talking about wandering up to the author, poking them, and saying, "Hey, this and this and this didn't work for me. And Clark Kent? WOULD NOT EAT MARGARINE."? Because no, I wouldn't do that. But if I'm writing reviews in my journal of stuff I've read, I may launch into a five-line rant about Clark eating margarine, because I'm in fandom to talk about my thoughts on characters I love (or... sometimes just watch, as I don't love everyone. But you know what I mean). I want to hear what other people think of Clark eating margarine. Do they agree with me that a Kansas-raised guy who grew up on a dairy farm, is immune to the problems presented by fat and cholestorol, and can soften the butter with a mere look, will have no use for an inferior bagel spread? Or do they think he'll give in to his current girlfriend and suffer with her taste for vegetable-oil-based fake butter?

When it comes to gift fic written specifically for me, I will leave positive comments no matter what I really think of the fic. There is always something to praise, even if it is merely the fact that this person took a request of mine and wrote something for it. When it comes to negative comments, period, I won't leave those on a fic, but I have absolutely no problem writing about them in my own journal. I hope that's a distinction people are willing to make, because suggesting we can't discuss the things that left us cold about certain fics even in our own journals takes niceness way too far. Reviews should not be 100% praise all the time; that takes away part of their utility (think about this for a minute: someone with completely divergent taste from you writes a review and hates a fic. Everything she hates, you've always loved. She hates something you've never heard of. Worth a whirl? Maybe?), as well as putting the kibosh on fans' ability to discuss things with other fans.

Not everything is about the author.

[penknife.livejournal.com]

I don't generally leave unsolicited concrit, but I particularly wouldn't for a gift exchange, where the writer may be struggling with a pairing or scenario she doesn't usually write and has to post her story even if she's not entirely satisfied with it. It's just not the time for it, in my opinion.

[graumoewe.livejournal.com]

I would make a difference here between the recipient of the fic and the other readers. As a recipient I would only say positive things and make sure I find something positive to say even in case it's difficult to spot.

As for the other readers, I think, there is nothing wrong with concrit (concrit, not stupid bad comments) as in normal fics.

To pull the actual-gift-analogy again, if I make, let's say, a candle holder for someone, I want the recipient to really like it and praise it. But if I show it to someone else I want their whole opinion on it, maybe someone has an idea how I can make the next one still better or discusses my choice of tools with me or suggests techniques I didn't know yet.

I realize, many people don't feel like I do, but to me praise-only is not much better than no comments at all, it's more or less empty feedback. I does not lead to interesting discussions.
I only leave concrit when I really care for the fic, when it was so important to me, that I thought more about it than just 'Squee! Great story!'
That's why I find really thought-through concrit the most valuable kind of comment. It shows that someone actually thought about what the author wrote.

[cereta.livejournal.com]

I realize, many people don't feel like I do, but to me praise-only is not much better than no comments at all, it's more or less empty feedback.

You know, no matter how many times I see that sentiment, I will just...never get it. I mean, I literally don't understand why people see what to me is honest appreciation for the enjoyment a story has given someone as meaningless.

Maybe it's just that my reasons for writing and posting fanfic have nothing to do with improving my writing, but for me, feedback that is only praise means I made people happy. I've never felt the need to doubt their sincerity (and am frankly insulted that people seem determined to doubt mine when I leave positive feedback) or other wise second-guess it, and I just honestly don't understand the impulse to do so.

[graumoewe.livejournal.com]

That came over quite bad. I didn't word that well at all. Sorry.
You are right, praise makes people happy and that's a very good thing. I didn't want to question the sincerity of such comments at all.

I guess, I wanted to emphasize the point that discussions about stories (what worked, where were the readers lost, what could be improved, ...) are something very valuable, which we miss out on, if we always have to be afraid to say something that's not 100% praise.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

As someone who feels pretty much the same as graumoewe, it's not that I doubt people are sincere when they praise something, but I have a really hard time believing they like everything they praise wholeheartedly and don't have anything they dislike about it or think could have been done better. Maybe I'm just picky, but it's really foreign to me. So while I'm thrilled to get positive fb, I do always wonder what they left out out of politeness.

[elspethdixon.livejournal.com]

I might point out a tense shift or dropped word or glaring anachronism, or some other nit-picky thing, but only in combination with a comment on something good about said fic. And only (and this is vital) if the fic was written for someone else. If it's giftfic written specifically for me, I praise it and say thank you.

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

[Here from metafandom. [wave]]

As a reader, I wouldn't be critical of a story someone wrote especially for me, especially one given anonymously where I have no clue who the writer is or what they're like and no basis to judge whether they'd welcome concrit. Their intention was good even if the execution wasn't perfect and I can always appreciate that they meant to make me happy without going into details.

As a writer, though, I always welcome detailed feedback, including specific criticism with examples, and frankly that'd be a really wonderful Christmas present to get. I realize I'm a bit odd in that area, though. :P

Angie

[trobadora]

I'm normally very much in favour of concrit, but these are gifts. They should be treated as such, at least while the fest is running.

[rahirah]

Eh...I wouldn't do it. Especially if it were written for me. If the author decides to post it to some general forum later, that's another matter.

[galaxynumber5.livejournal.com]

Hello, I figure this is a post as good as any to drop you a note saying I added you :) I read A Thousand Beautiful Things (and just found out about the sequel, am reading that next) and had to come tell you how wonderful I thought it was. I avoid most of the HP fic and H/D in particular because when not written well it's just, well, bad. But you got the characters spot on, and despite having taken Draco on a different path from the books you really based your take on him and it was delightfully believable. I enjoyed the fic thoroughly and will definitely read it again sometime, which can be hardly said on most fics I read. So I just wanted to say that, and to say hi.

I won't be fretting if you never add me back - so no worries on that. Happy new year!

Andy

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Hi, welcome, and thanks so much!

I think my Draco is definitely a fanon Draco - my ATBT was written before Jo's HBP and before that there wasn't much Draco characterization to go from, really. Glad you liked it.

[galaxynumber5.livejournal.com]

A well written and established fanon Draco is so much better than a poor attempt at canon draco, though :)