1) Posting to gain list recognition.  A cynical view, perhaps, but a

mailing

list remains a social forum and is therefore prone to the same pitfalls as
any group: cliques, grandstanding, and popularity games.  A story written

by

a name with some recognition behind it is far more likely to be read than

a

story by a complete unknown.  Any kind of post-and this one is by no means
exempt-keeps a name active on the list.

This is very true. The majority of us who use the Internet and participate
in any sort of forums such as this are attention whores, whether we'll admit
to it or not. Take me, for example: I came to the net with a desire to meet
people and be known. I got known in short order, both as a writer and as an
outspoken, vitriolic SOB who loves to rip into people at the slightest
provocation. These days I'm known more for my ability to rant and rave than
I am for my writing, because I very seldom produce anymore, but as far as
I'm concerned, that's just as good--if not better. Even deliberately getting
myself tempbanned (hi Gary!) is sometimes worth it just to remind people
that I'm still here and I'm still an asshole. I'm proud of who and what I
am. :)

2) To receive feedback on their own work.  Also cynical, but nevertheless
true.  Some of the most sought after feedback is from other authors, but

why

should they stop writing their own stories to comment on yours?  A little
mutual back rubbing never hurt.

I'm sorry, but this one's never really struck true for me. I'll admit that
it does happen this way sometimes, and I'll admit that I've even had it
happen for me--in fact, a large percentage of my regular prereader pool
sprang up from this sort of exchange--but AFAIC, commenting on someone
else's work doesn't guarantee you'll get commentary in return. Especially if
your commentary wasn't particularly helpful (though if it was quite
memorably critical, you might get "feedback" out of sheer spite--which is
still feedback, of course, but not what most people want.)

3) Practice.  Criticism-good criticism, anyway, that hopes for more than
'that's kewl d00d, rite more nOw'-is a skill just like any other, and
improves with practice.  Criticism and close reading is also an excellent
way to improve creative writing skills.  True, studying the story of an
illicit love affair between a young boy and his bisexual magical cat might
not be as beneficial a target as say, Dostoevski or Alice Munro, or Orson
Scott Card or Guy Gavriel Kay. . . but fanfiction is also a lot less
daunting to approach (and often a lot more fun to read).

*nod* More people need to learn to read critically, especially if they plan
to write themselves. A lot of people, alas, don't carry the skill of
critical reading over to proofreading their own works. Shame, that...

4) To help.  Hard to believe, but there are actually some bizarrely
altruistic people out there who provide criticism for no other reason than
to help others improve their writing.  Watch out for these ones, there's
something not quite right about them.

Heh.

5) Love of the original.  Fanfiction is by nature based on the work of
another, often beloved, author.  Some of the pre-existing fanbase object

to

unusual uses of their favourite characters-for example, Usagi/Serena as
leather-clad nymphomaniac-as well as simply outrageous and bizarre
interpretations: Ranma as a redhead, for example.  Crossing certain lines,
especially in an otherwise well-written story, often generates feedback.

Indeed; see also my recent rant about evil Senshi fics. ^^;;

6) Procrastination.  Have assignments you should be correcting?  How about
an overdue lab report, or a couple thousand lines of code due tomorrow?
Whatever it is, you don't want to do it, but just _reading_ fanfiction
leaves you feeling guilty. . . writing feedback is _kind_ of like work,
right?

*snrk* Too true, too true...

1) Laziness.  Don't think I can be bothered to say more 'bout this one.

"I, uh...well, I was *gonna* write your feedback, but I got to chatting with
so-and-so, and then I got the sudden overwhelming urge to play Worms:
Armageddon for seventeen hours..."

2) Too long.  It's easier to give feedback to a short work, since it takes
less time to read, the story is easier to hold in your mind, and the idea

of

doing a full critique is less daunting.

*nod* The reason most spamfics get as much attention as they do is because
people can read them and reply to them on their coffee breaks.

3) Too bad.  If a story is ridled with easily-avoided error and innecesary
grammar mistokes, or the formatting is simple too difficult to read, why
bother to make the effort?  Sure, shooting fish in a barrel might be easy,
but it rapidly becomes boring (or so I assume).  Or maybe the story just
sucks.

Actually, I'm far more likely to critique a bad story than I am a good
story. Though admittedly, in my case, it's because I feel the need to tear
into authors who insult the English language by poking a cactus up its--err,
nevermind. But yeah, I tend to feel that bad stories are more deserving of
quick, brutal, jaws-of-the-shark C&C to shock a bad writer into realising
just how messed up their story is, so they can either learn how to do better
next time, or realise they suck and give up.

I *did* say I pride myself on being an asshole. ^_^

5) Don't like it.  If Doreamon fanfiction isn't your thing, you not likely
to read it, let alone critique it.  Sometimes name power alone can

overcome

this-I'm not likely to read Wedding Peach stories, for example, but if
Vincent Seifert wrote one I'd probably give it a try-but otherwise I

suspect

a lot of Hamtaro stories go straight to the garbage bin.

*nod* It takes a HUGE overcoming factor for me to dive into a fic based on a
series I dislike. For example, BGC fics...if asked to preread one by a close
friend with whom I trade fic C&C and notes and ideas on a regular basis, I'm
going to firmly back down, because I just plain hate BGC. (This has actually
happened, and recently to boot.)

6) Don't like him/her.  Maybe the author drove over your cat.  Maybe he or
she only writes nasty stories, or firmly believes in truly strange
interpretations, like Kunou and Nabiki actually liking each other.
Sometimes fame slips into infamy, or an author indulges in an on-list

hissy

fit.  Either way, a reader who detests the writer isn't very likely to
provide constructive criticism ('go chew your arm off so I can beat you

over

the head with it' falling under the banner of non-constructive

criticism').

I tend to killfile anyone who falls in that realm for me, personally. Then I
don't usually even have to know they wrote something. (Well, barring on-list
replies to it, anyway.)

7) Nothing to say.  "It's hard for me to offer truly helpful comments,
though," Elin B., also wrote, though the feedback that followed was quite
helpful indeed.  Feedback doesn't have to be a full deconstruction to be
worthwhile, though of course it's not unusual to feel that a simple
single-sentence praise (or insult) is probably of little value to the

author

(though it is, it is).

This one is my primary reason for not giving feedback on every fic I read.
There's really no point in the old standby of "I really liked it, looking
forward to more!" most of the time. Of course, it's nice to let them know
you DID like it, but you're only going to tell them that once, if at all. If
I find that's all I have to say about a fic, I don't bother commenting on
it.

10) No change.  After repeatedly pointing to an author an obvious mistake
that doesn't get corrected in subsequent drafts, it might seem pointless

to

continue sending feedback.  Of course, what constitutes an 'obvious

mistake'

is open to interpretation.

I've had a few people swear off C&Cing my stuff because I "ignore" their
comments. Usually, this is simply because I disagree with what they
suggested, and feel they either don't really understand what's going on with
regards to something, or have suggested something that negates what I plan
to do, or just plain offered a correction that I knew to be incorrect
itself. Getting C&C doesn't necessarily mean you USE the C&C...and some C&C
is wiser to ignore than to apply.

The FFML has often provided insightful and interesting feedback, but as
this decreases the temptation to simple move to another forum-such as
fanfiction.net-will increase.  The average quality of commentary is
certainly lower, but at least a reader isn't afraid to tell authors just

how

kewl of a D00d they are.

It's a reflective decline, in my opinion, but that's an entirely different
kettle of barracudas which I'm not inclined to open right now.

In closing, I'd like to say that Shakespeare was NOT one of the greatest
writers of all time, Diet Dr. Pepper tastes less like regular Dr. Pepper
than Wal-Mart's store brand version does, God smokes cannibis, I am severely
drunk at the moment, and ending a reply to an essay with a drunken ramble is
probably a good way to be branded as the new village idiot.

But I have new socks, so I don't care.

Goodnight, everybody!

--------------------------------------
The Eternal Lost Lurker
www.lurkerdrome.com



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