Thoughts: Constructive Criticism

[ada_farrow]

In my ever-intensifying quest to become more deeply involved in the Lost fandom and to potentially read upwards of 80% of all "published" Lost fanfiction online, I've come across this problem. Everyone lives for feedback (I'm no exception) and I feel a slight twinge of guilt as a fanfic author whenever I read something and don't leave a review. But

Comments

[eponine119]

I have trouble articulating what I liked about things I've read, too. I think the best way to get around this is to use examples, like "my favorite line was..." or "I thought your characterization wavered when..." or "I'm not sure X would do this, based on what he did in Y episode." My best tip for giving criticism is to start with something positive, then move on to what needs improvement. If you can't think of anything good to say, then move on without reviewing.

Also realize that appreciation of constructive criticism sometimes feels like a lost art. A lot of people seem to only want to hear praise, no matter what they've done, and have no interest in improvement. I think this also makes people afraid to offer criticism at all, which makes me sad, because as a writer I always find it useful to hear what didn't work in a story.

[ada_farrow]

Same goes for me. I always think I see problems with my work, but when others don't seem to care, neither do I. Makes for sloppy writing.

[foxxcub]

Dude, you're trying to read EVERYTHING? Wow, good luck with that.

See, what you just said *points to your entry* is exactly how I feel. I don't hardly leave bad feedback ever, because how would I feel if someone left it for me? But at the same time, I'd like to know if I need to change something, fix a typo, etc., although that's what good betas are for, and a lot of writers simply don't use/have them. And what's even worse is that when I try to leave constructive criticism for a fic I hated, I still say, "oh, but I liked it," WHEN I DIDN'T :/ And that's just playing head games with writers. I shouldn't do that, so that's why I refrain from leaving fb on fics I think are mediocre or don't like. Like so much of the stuff at ff.net is baaaaad. These people don't know how to write, basically. I'm not too bad on leaving good fb, although sometimes I probably come off sounding like a rabid, slobering fangirl *ahem see 'Kate Doesn't Cuss' fb*, but it's like writing film reviews. Writing about the ones you love is a lot easier than writing

[ada_farrow]

Yeah, I guess that's true. But I never cushion the blow with a token phrase, haha. I'm a scathing reviewer!!!!!!! ...or not.
I don't know what's up with ff.net...back in my anime days I was an ff.net hounddog. Not that a lot of stuff was good, just had larger fandoms so there was a higher amount of quality stuff if not percentage.
BTW, I can never remember/forget to ask, are you into Jossverse?
SupahOTBTW, I own a season of X-files, but I forget which. Do you know when this show comes on reruns these days? I saw it latenight on [TNT? Sci-fi?] recently.

[foxxcub]

Do you know when this show comes on reruns these days? I saw it latenight on [TNT? Sci-fi?] recently.

It used to come on TNT at, like, 11pm, but I don't think it comes on anymore. Which season do you have? XF was my first fandom obsession, and it's interesting for me to see how internet fandomness has changed over the five/six years since I was heavily into it. I think XF (the channel) is running re-runs, but I don't know when. The only seasons worth owning are 1 thru 6; after that, serious shark jumpage.

[cmere]

I've had the same problem, but I also feel like I don't want to give concrit because I don't know if the author is going to take it badly. I can clearly remember the first time I got concrit as a review and it definitely made my heart twinge a bit, but, yknow, I got over it and realized that what they said was very true and helpful. However, I'm not so sure that everyone is able to take concrit without seeing it as a flame, so if I read a crappy fic by someone that I don't know I most likely will not review it at all. If it's by someone that I do know, I feel a lot more comfortable suggesting things for improvement.

Anyway, I'm babbling. About the fics that are like fermented pig slop, I think that honestly, concrit isn't going to help them that much - they're just not very good writers, and probably don't want concrit anyway. *cringes a bit and looks around shiftily* As foxxcub said, silence is golden? Er. I'm a bitch. *hides*

[ficangel]

It honestly depends. The fic writers who are the most willing to take concrit are, I think, the ones who are already invested in using betas, in obsessively reading the essays with common writing mistakes, and are less likely to be committing those mistakes in the first place. With the fics that are really just that terrible, then I agree with cmere1 above: the vast majority of these ficcers on ff.net are teeny-bops who really don't want to improve, they're just acting out fantasies and having fun. Great for them, but it's not really the segment of fandom that I think you're referring to here.

With a mediocre writer or even a writer with gross mechanical problems who somehow still has some spark telling me that they're feeling the story on some level (I know, that's terribly vague, but it's so instinctive that I'm not sure I can be more specific) I tend to go anonymouse in order to leave a detailed concrit. It just seems safer that way.