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

[becky-h.livejournal.com]

what about authors who don't repost?

To me this indicates a high likelyhood of the author's lack of desire to take ownership of the fic and claim it as something that is their's and have it presented for public consumption and consideration.

I do not repost fic exchange fics. Why? Because I don't write them for the public, or myself - I write them for the person I was assigned. The public reads in fic comms are irrelevant, and frankly since it was written for a single person it doesn't really matter what everyone else thinks of the fic - it's flatly none of their business.

When I write in general I write with the awareness of pleasing a broader audience and their input into the fic. When I'm writing for an exchange I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks should be there, except the person I wrote it for. That's the difference. In a fic exchange there's only one opinion that matters-

The recepient's.

[best-of-five.livejournal.com]

that begs the question - why post it at all? you could just email the recipient the fic and you and the recipient can be happy.

i agree that a reviewer cannot dictate that their opinion matters but by the same token, if i have a reaction to a publicly posted fic, then i have a right to post it. the author (and all others) are completely welcome to scroll past it and not give a damn.

[becky-h.livejournal.com]

that begs the question - why post it at all? you could just email the recipient the fic and you and the recipient can be happy.


Because email to the recipent is not anonymous while the moderator posting the fic to a public community is. That's what makes it an anonymous gift.

And you're right. You've got the right to say anything you like on line. But having a right doesn't make it right.

I can tell someone that their ass looks big in those jeans when they didn't ask for my opinion, too, but that would be a petty, mean, and rude thing to do. So I don't.

[best-of-five.livejournal.com]

yeah, it's not the time or place to define concrit but we probably disagree fundamentally on that definition.

telling someone that their ass looks big in those jeans doesn't really qualify as concrit.

i've already addressed the anonymity thing below, so i'll let it be.

right and wrong are subjective, is the last thing i'll say to you before i'll end this discussion on who gets to decide what's right or wrong online.

[best-of-five.livejournal.com]

ohh and i forgot to mention - i was reluctant to repost it to my lj because it felt redundant to me after reveals were done. but that was my experience and your high likelihood will still hold.

and i also meant, before you claim that the posting is to maintain anonymity, in my example, the mod can email it on your behalf. and i suppose by your stance you would take umbrage to mods requesting plenty of feedback for the anon authors? interesting, 'cos anon exchanges seem to want to garner higher than average feedback levels and the "buzz" factor is a critical element of these exchanges, from what i've seen.