One of the things that's been instilled in me is the idea that "one does not criticise or con-crit in feedback". So if there's nothing good to say about the story, then nothing is said.
*shakes fist*
I know! Most people have that attitude. I'm actually totally against it. I think friendly concrit or at least *polite asking* should be totally appropriate. If I had issues with a fic, I strongly believe in posting a mixed response. Like first praise the things I did like and then tactfully try to ask about some things I wasn't sure on. Try to find a balance of the nice and maybe slightly unpleasant things I'm saying. And again, I think in the best cases it can lead to the best discussions. I think most people just think a lot about the characters they are writing and only a fraction of what they have laid down in their mind ends up in the story itself. And most love nothing more than to be asked for more details.
I personally love reading other people's characterization discussion. I wish there was a way to engage people to talk about what their take on different characters are and why and in what ways maybe some authors differ. It really is unfortunate that this kind of discussion can be quite tough at times and it's hard to find the balance, to make sure no author gets offended (I understand that that was sometimes a problem on the infamous cutting board thingie). In theory, if it works or worked, I think it could lead to some great stuff.
But it happens often enough that I begin to wonder if I give off the wrong vibe when laying out my thoughts.
:( I wonder about that all the time. For example, I have a tendency to try to phrase everything I say as broadly as possible (because I really think that a lot of ideas or rules can for example be applied to both slash and het, to a variety of pairings or a variety of fandoms). I also try to be really anal about always saying things like "I think", or "maybe" to show that I'm not trying to act like I'm some sort of perfect authority. But at the same time I often fear if that doesn't make me sound very annoying or whether that doesn't actually make my ramblings even harder to read because I'm always trying my best to talk about all potential angles and consider all exceptions and all sides rather than just posting some sort of snappy opiniated piece. But in the end I can only write in a way that is comfortable to me. And in the end, I just wouldn't feel uncomfortable stating my opinions like they are the end of it all and like somebody's opposing opinion can't be valid too.
no subject
*shakes fist*
I know! Most people have that attitude. I'm actually totally against it. I think friendly concrit or at least *polite asking* should be totally appropriate. If I had issues with a fic, I strongly believe in posting a mixed response. Like first praise the things I did like and then tactfully try to ask about some things I wasn't sure on. Try to find a balance of the nice and maybe slightly unpleasant things I'm saying. And again, I think in the best cases it can lead to the best discussions. I think most people just think a lot about the characters they are writing and only a fraction of what they have laid down in their mind ends up in the story itself. And most love nothing more than to be asked for more details.
I personally love reading other people's characterization discussion. I wish there was a way to engage people to talk about what their take on different characters are and why and in what ways maybe some authors differ. It really is unfortunate that this kind of discussion can be quite tough at times and it's hard to find the balance, to make sure no author gets offended (I understand that that was sometimes a problem on the infamous cutting board thingie). In theory, if it works or worked, I think it could lead to some great stuff.
But it happens often enough that I begin to wonder if I give off the wrong vibe when laying out my thoughts.
:( I wonder about that all the time. For example, I have a tendency to try to phrase everything I say as broadly as possible (because I really think that a lot of ideas or rules can for example be applied to both slash and het, to a variety of pairings or a variety of fandoms). I also try to be really anal about always saying things like "I think", or "maybe" to show that I'm not trying to act like I'm some sort of perfect authority. But at the same time I often fear if that doesn't make me sound very annoying or whether that doesn't actually make my ramblings even harder to read because I'm always trying my best to talk about all potential angles and consider all exceptions and all sides rather than just posting some sort of snappy opiniated piece. But in the end I can only write in a way that is comfortable to me. And in the end, I just wouldn't feel uncomfortable stating my opinions like they are the end of it all and like somebody's opposing opinion can't be valid too.
Sigh. Babysteps.