geoviki | The Etiquette of Holiday fics

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, I'm of the opinion that concrit should be acceptable as long as it is, indeed, constructive. I've seen some comments that made me wince because they just seemed overly critical, and there was no implication that the reader found anything to like. I can't understand leaving any feedback if that's the case.

I have to admit, it never even occurred to me to not offer any kind of concrit when commenting, because to me that's an inherent part of feedback. But thinking about them as gifts does put a different spin on that original perception. I guess mileage varies.

*nods*

Even the mods of

yuletide, who in their real fannish lives are totally in support of open critique on any published fanfic, frown on negative criticism for the yuletide stories in the same way one might tell a child not to tell their aunt/uncle that the hand-knitted reindeer sweater they gave as a gift was stupid and ugly.

i dunno beth, isn't calling something "stupid and ugly" poor form in virtually all social situations? i am not sure i would classify that in the same leagus as concrit but i wasn't sure you meant to do that either.

i don't get the comparision to x'mas gifts, honestly. i mean, outside of the obvious timing and name of the ficathon, isn't it just being assigned a prompt from (in most cases) a stranger (i.e. not someone you may be friends with online)? is it just the "holiday spirit" extends to these specific ficathons or would all ficathon "gift" fics be excluded? should that cover any fic posted as "for so and so" too, at any other time of the year and/or not part of a ficathon? if the emphasis is on the fact that it's a gift, then shouldn't those fics forever be considered uncritiquable? (-makes up word-)

just trying to wrap my head around this :)

Personally, I think of all anonymous exchanges in this way.

A challenge that's made up of prompts, assigned or chosen, is one thing. However, exchange fests are not just about the writer; they're also about the recipient. I have little problem with off-comm critiques (pro or con) even though I wouldn't personally write negative critiques even in my journal while the fest was going on), but after the fest? Off the site? When the writer re-posts the story to her/his own journal? That doesn't feel rude in the same way to me.

And when people say no concrit in their author notes, I wouldn't send them any...ever. However, that kind of note wouldn't stop me from writing a review in my own journal if I felt like it.

yeah, see, i don't see it that away (obviously) :)

i think if a writer said this fic is only for so and so and others shouldn't read it, then the traditional notions of gifter and giftee apply. otoh, when the number of compliments/reactions/squee from others is somehow meant to enhance the "value" of the gift, i think of it as just another fic posted for public consumption under the guise of a ficathon.

i am not sure why a recipient would be affected by concrit? surely there are a 1001 ways to fulfill a request and a specific piece of concrit is presumably aimed at that particular story. if it were a gift for me, i would like to read what others' reactions were. -shrugs-

if the problem is that the concrit is not posted on one's own lj, then presumably that's a mod's "space" issue? but in my head, if the mod wanted to disable concrit then he/she should not invite public feedback either, atleast the way the logic follows for me. they are making it a public forum and the rules of regular "posted in public" apply.

interesting.

To address only the "why would the recipient be affected by concrit" issue: in the comments that sparked this latest round of posts, there were a lot of instances of "why would you write character X as a bottom? That's totally stupid!" and the like, which...okay, the author only did it because the recipient asked for it.

If you were at a work gift exchange or a family gift exchange and somebody received...let's say a novelty t-shirt that you'd never wear in a million years, and the recipient said "Oh my God! Thank you! I never thought anybody would take my hint that I wanted this!"...would you say loudly "Damn, you have hideous taste and the person who bought it for you was just enabling you?" I doubt it. You might say that later to your friends, but probably not in that setting.

Or..you might. :)

yeah, i don't think those comments count as "concrit" do they? more like "omgspurofthemomentilostcontrolofmybrain" comments :)

yeah, that analogy to fic exchanges still doesn't work for me. i don't buy the fandom as a giant family nor do i think of the fic as "meant for only one person" in a way that the gift is. i mean, in your scenario, if the t-shirt was given to one person and then circulated for everyone to wear? when it was my turn to wear it, i would totally say "this looks hideous ON ME for such and such reasons but the colour and the wording are so clever". that's the closest i can draw that analogy :)

That's why I included a group at work, not just family, because no...I don't think everyone in fandom is my sister or brother. :)

But if people were passing the shirt around and saying if anyone *wanted* to wear the shirt, they could, well...I'd do just like I do (these days) when joints are being passed around: I just pass it on and turn to more interesting things.

LOL. fandom as a pot exchange. that's a good one.

omg. if my workplace was ~~that crazy~~ like fandom i would p'bably quit :D

Criticism of a gift on a gift comm is going to have to also be criticism of the good taste of the receiver, unless she is willing to stand up and criticize her gift as well.

And somebody who was willing to do that . . . just, no.

Criticism of a gift on a gift comm is going to have to also be criticism of the good taste of the receiver

Are you talking about criticism of something the receiver requested? If so, yeah, that would be really poor form.

All I know is that I haven't left what I would call negative feedback--just made a couple of points, one concerning a slight canon deviation and the other about pacing. So I don't feel like I personally did anything wildly inappropriate. But I have re-thought my approach towards FB on these types of exchanges, not just because of this post, but also because the negative comments I've seen at the gift exchange I've been visiting have really turned me off.

I haven't left what I would call negative feedback--just made a couple of points, one concerning a slight canon deviation and the other about pacing

Since when is fanfiction ever even remotely concerned with canon?

For the most part, fan fiction is taking canon characters and playing with them in situations that make the author (or, in ficfests, the recipient) happy. It's akin to small children playing with Barbie dolls or G.I. Joes... canon only vaguely applies, and then only when the author decides they want it to.

Sorry if I sound bitter here, but the entire idea of "canon" makes me snarf my coffee this morning, especially when inundated with H/D, Snarry, Snupin, and all the other decidedly non-canon smut and romance fic.

Fair enough, and truthfully, canon deviation doesn't usually bother me. It's just in this case, it gave a specific example from movie canon, which was a huge change from what was in the book (PoA), and that's just a personal pet peeve of mine. Since I've never given FB on a gift exchange comm before this year, I had no idea that the comments section was the wrong place to voice that peeve. Mea culpa.

The Etiquette of Holiday fics

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