(no subject)

Someone on GAFF tonight asked me why I tend to get the really bizarre fangirl responses when I criticize fic. I mean, I've been in drawings, blog-rants, and now a fic. ^_^ I answered him thusly:


"...Tilly isn't my real name, either. It's one I started to use a few years ago when LQ was threatening to come and TAKE ME DOWN!!!!1111 O_o

Which got me thinking about the whole "fangirl response" thing you brought up, because it occurred to me that you are absolutely right. I honestly do get a different response to my crit from fangirls than some other people do. Back when LQ began posting her crap, everyone jumped on her. I was actually one of the nicest people to her then, because I pointed out that no one was calling her a bad person, just a bad writer, but it was still my crit (which was very harsh, I'm happy to say,) that stuck with her. Out of the hundreds of reviews she got, it was All About Tilly, and how she hated Tilly and was going to come and find where Tilly lived and beat the living christ out of her and blah blah. It occurred to me to wonder why that was at the time, but I attributed it to LQ's limited reason. (It was only after then that she became FUN! ;) )

So tonight I was thinking about it, and maybe it has to do with the fact that I say these things *to* people instead of just about them. There's a tendency in fanfic reviewing to tone it down if the author speaks up, because, hey, look! It's a real person with feelings! But my take on that is, "so what?" Real person the author may be, and she might be nice, or sensitive,or mature, or Mother Teresa, but that doesn't change the fact that the story sucks, and therefore, doesn't change what I have to say about it. So when the author shows up, I suppose I can be, "Hi, nice to meet you, you are still a poor writer."

I guess I can sometimes be the Simon of fanfic, huh? :) But that's cool, because I totally dig Simon. He so has the right idea: critiquing isn't about coddling someone. These people have been coddled by their friends and familes all their creative lives, and constantly told how special and talented and motivated and whatever else they were, and they believe it enough to get up there on national TV in front of millions of people and sing their absolute best and then wait for the outpouring of praise. And when Simon comes right out and says, "that was the worst thing I've ever heard," they're crushed. Where has the coddling gotten them? Crying on national TV! And then, it's just too funny. Welcome to reality, sweetheart. You really do suck.

And I'll bet most of them are nice people, too. But to put your work out there and then not expect criticism--even harsh criticism--is naive and arrogant. (Then there is the Fangirl Of Herself, who doesn't even want criticism, and that's even worse, if you ask me. "Oooh, don't judge art, it's pure and therefore cannot suck!" Umm, it can, and yours does.)

Heck, my work is out there, too. I've got loads of stuff posted, and some of it sucks (*coughcough*firstthreepartsoftheHeroSeries*coughcough*) and some of it's decent. I care what people think of it, because if someone tells me it sucks and gives me a reason why, then I have something to think about, to help me next time. I put less stock in positive reviews (even though I appreciate every one of them, because someone took the time to write, and that's very nice,) because it's the internet fer chrissakes. Everyone gets fangirl praise. Maybe it was the handful of really strict and blunt creative writing teachers I had through college, but whatever, in a class like that, you really learn to separate "your writing sucks" from "you suck." My professors could say, "what the HELL were you on when you wrote this crap?!" and then take you to lunch.

I know there's a point in there somewhere. Ah, I remember. I guess I just tend not to tone it down when talking to the author, and maybe that's why I get such a strong reaction. "Hi, you're a bad writer" isn't nice to hear. But I don't like to sit there and cringe and be apologetic when suddenly the author walks into the room, as it were, because that's just hypocritical.

Maaaaybe that's what it is. Because you're right, it does happen a lot.
^_^ "

Just a thought. Juuuust a thought.

(no subject)

Someone on GAFF tonight asked me why I tend to get the really bizarre fangirl responses when I criticize fic. I mean, I've been in drawings, blog-rants, and now a fic. ^_^ I answered him thusly:


"...Tilly isn't my real name, either. It's one I started to use a few years ago when LQ was threatening to come and TAKE ME DOWN!!!!1111 O_o

Which got me thinking about the whole "fangirl response" thing you brought up, because it occurred to me that you are absolutely right. I honestly do get a different response to my crit from fangirls than some other people do. Back when LQ began posting her crap, everyone jumped on her. I was actually one of the nicest people to her then, because I pointed out that no one was calling her a bad person, just a bad writer, but it was still my crit (which was very harsh, I'm happy to say,) that stuck with her. Out of the hundreds of reviews she got, it was All About Tilly, and how she hated Tilly and was going to come and find where Tilly lived and beat the living christ out of her and blah blah. It occurred to me to wonder why that was at the time, but I attributed it to LQ's limited reason. (It was only after then that she became FUN! ;) )

So tonight I was thinking about it, and maybe it has to do with the fact that I say these things *to* people instead of just about them. There's a tendency in fanfic reviewing to tone it down if the author speaks up, because, hey, look! It's a real person with feelings! But my take on that is, "so what?" Real person the author may be, and she might be nice, or sensitive,or mature, or Mother Teresa, but that doesn't change the fact that the story sucks, and therefore, doesn't change what I have to say about it. So when the author shows up, I suppose I can be, "Hi, nice to meet you, you are still a poor writer."

I guess I can sometimes be the Simon of fanfic, huh? :) But that's cool, because I totally dig Simon. He so has the right idea: critiquing isn't about coddling someone. These people have been coddled by their friends and familes all their creative lives, and constantly told how special and talented and motivated and whatever else they were, and they believe it enough to get up there on national TV in front of millions of people and sing their absolute best and then wait for the outpouring of praise. And when Simon comes right out and says, "that was the worst thing I've ever heard," they're crushed. Where has the coddling gotten them? Crying on national TV! And then, it's just too funny. Welcome to reality, sweetheart. You really do suck.

And I'll bet most of them are nice people, too. But to put your work out there and then not expect criticism--even harsh criticism--is naive and arrogant. (Then there is the Fangirl Of Herself, who doesn't even want criticism, and that's even worse, if you ask me. "Oooh, don't judge art, it's pure and therefore cannot suck!" Umm, it can, and yours does.)

Heck, my work is out there, too. I've got loads of stuff posted, and some of it sucks (*coughcough*firstthreepartsoftheHeroSeries*coughcough*) and some of it's decent. I care what people think of it, because if someone tells me it sucks and gives me a reason why, then I have something to think about, to help me next time. I put less stock in positive reviews (even though I appreciate every one of them, because someone took the time to write, and that's very nice,) because it's the internet fer chrissakes. Everyone gets fangirl praise. Maybe it was the handful of really strict and blunt creative writing teachers I had through college, but whatever, in a class like that, you really learn to separate "your writing sucks" from "you suck." My professors could say, "what the HELL were you on when you wrote this crap?!" and then take you to lunch.

I know there's a point in there somewhere. Ah, I remember. I guess I just tend not to tone it down when talking to the author, and maybe that's why I get such a strong reaction. "Hi, you're a bad writer" isn't nice to hear. But I don't like to sit there and cringe and be apologetic when suddenly the author walks into the room, as it were, because that's just hypocritical.

Maaaaybe that's what it is. Because you're right, it does happen a lot.
^_^ "

Just a thought. Juuuust a thought.