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

[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.