Sickened Cynic Soaring Sadly
This rant isn't rhetorical. I'm making it public because I would really like some answers. Even if someone doesn't have an LJ account, feel free to post anonymously or something. Please. Also, if you missed the text cut, skip if rants annoy your socks off.
So, I just went into the One Piece fanfiction archives and looked at the reviews of a fic that ( Read more... )
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Sadly, there are a very large number of mediocre writers who do not mind reading the same and really have no desire to improve. Thus, if it holds true that people enjoy reading the same sort of things they write themselves, there will be more people reading and enjoying less than thoroughly edited stories that use plot devices and characters similar to those in their own stories.
Publishing is a business; they're in it to make money, so they're usually looking for something with mass appeal. Nobody ever said the masses as whole had good taste!
I think the group of people really serious about writing, improving their writing, and providing constructive commentary is truly just a lot smaller and less vocal.
The good news in this, though, is that the more serious writers really are more likely to stick around longer, and they frequently continue to develop their abilities.
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I really like what you said about about the serious writers sticking around longer. They may go through longer stages of writer's block, but they do bounce back! :D (Which is the best part about reading awesome Internet stories. :P) If only, though, the people who know how to write would be more open to give more concrit. I know I need some. x)
And, if you don't mind, maybe you can answer another question: Why do you think it is that the people who know how to write seem to review less than the people that are, um, the people I was ranting about?
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1) I am lazy. I'll admit it. I am. It's easier to just either not say anything or drop a quick line saying, "Hey, nice job!" Full on critiquing is serious business, and I just don't wanna do it most of the time. I read for recreation! *whine, moan, complain* That having been said, I do beta read on occasion, and I do try to take that very seriously.
2) I don't like to feel like I'm being mean. I like the Thumper philosophy--"If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all." I try to include something positive with every negative thing I have to say, and sometimes it's hard to find enough good. I also start to feel like I might be nit-picky, and I hate that ( ... )
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Also, you have to remember that not everyone's gonna be the best at writing. I'll openly admit I used to be one of those preteen fangirls (okay, maybe not so much of a fangirl) who wrote crap and left equally crappy reviews all over the place like the plague. The general population's taste is gonna vary widely from pure shit to pure diamonds, and in the end, it's all just a matter of personal opinion. Such as in your case.
'Tis the wonder of the internet. :T Not everyone's gonna be agreeable. I find it easiest to ignore those type of writers no matter how difficult it may be.
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When I first joined, I was reading practically every fic happily unless there were frequent grammar/spelling errors.
Hmm... You know what, I think that the One Piece archives just got clogged with fangirls once it reached the top of the 'most volumes of manga sold ever' list. You know, "Hey, like, what should I read today? I already read every bit of available shojo, sooooo..." -Google-
Maybe that's it.
AND I SO CALLED LAW X KID!
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Anyone can get their ideas and work to readers.
Anyone can write a book and sell it and create their brand.
A self-published author can actually get financial success.
I mean, it broke my heart when I read 'anyone can write a book and sell it'. I was just thinking of all these fanfiction and forums 'authors', and thinking about what the reading world has in for it.Self-publishing is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you can publish stuff that mainstream publishers won't publish, adding diversity to the market, and if you do well enough, you'll be picked up by a mainstream publisher. On the other hand, you can publish stuff that mainstream publishers won't publish because what you've written is fucking terrible and a waste of space in the span of literature, but you'll get picked up by a mainstream publisher if you do well enough ( ... )
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The summary of your LuffyxOC story seems real interesting. x3 And, when you said "Implies at the end that the two will meet again", that seems like a rather canon idea. (Hasn't Luffy said the crew would meet whoever again at the end of basically every arc?) Either way, it has a theme, and isn't purely 'self-fulfilling crap'. Including a theme is going above and beyond for pretty much any free time writing, I think! xD
Thanks for the advice on my OC; "Write by how the character comes to you" is a nice thing to read (when it's not coming from someone who says something is a "loud of cow pie"). :)
And, the necessary evil of writing crap. That's a good point, too! But, seriously. You might want to get some of your problems about Chistopher Paolini resolved. Or, is it just the publishing of all his books that ticks you off? I read Eragon ( ... )
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Oh, and those ideas you thought were awesome? I can guarantee you they were ideas stolen by a) The Lord of the Rings, b) Star Wars, and c) The Legend of Earthsea. Hence why he is involved in the badfic idea. All he writes is bad fanfiction where he is the "hero." And you have not felt pain until you read Brisingr. But the reason why it annoys me so much is that it's just a bad, bad, BAD fantasy ripoff and yet he's famous for it. That and his parents published it through their publishing company, which I consider cheating. Well, not really cheating, but having your ego inflated for doing crap work.
Anywho, I hope the advice helps. It works for me (I think) anyhow.
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