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May. 23rd, 2005 09:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aidenfireI review a lot. Basically, one can be safe assuming that if I read something and liked it, (something on LJ, or FA, or some other place where reviewing is easy), I reviewed it. And, as most of the things I read are on recs or from great authors (here's looking at you, flist! <3<3), I like most of them. However, I don't write a lot, or spectacularly, so I'm not sure how writers respond to people like me--people I've termed serial reviewers. After a certain point, do reviews from the same person start to lose your interest? If a person has reviewed your work five times? or ten? Do you think that the person is simply reviewing to review, or does each individual review make you happy? Also, if you had a long, chaptered, novel-length, would reviews on each chapter irritate you, or would they make you think the reader really enjoyed the fic? What if you were friends with the reader? Would that make you value their reviews more or less?
[Poll #499474]
[Poll #499474]
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Date: 2005-05-24 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 02:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 10:16 pm (UTC)What if someone is reviewing frequently with just "Wow, that was great!" or "Ooooh, I liked this!" or "____ was really cool in this peice"? Would that change your opinion?
Thank you for your input! *g*
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Date: 2005-05-24 10:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 11:09 am (UTC)Also, in terms of leaving reviews, I often feel more qualified to leave concrit if I've read and reviewed the author's previous work, including earlier chapters of long fics. This ensures that they (hopefully) at least recognise my name, and take the concrit in the spirit that it's intended - i.e. to help improve their writing.
Here via
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Date: 2005-05-24 10:26 pm (UTC)Your second point is very valid. I hadn't thought of that, but yes, I too feel more comfortable leaving crit when I'm not just randomly popping in and telling someone that I have no kind of relationship with at all that I had issues with their fic. The closer I am to someone, the more I feel that A) they understand that I would never try to be cruel or insulting, no matter how terrible the fic; B) they realize that from previous reviews I genuinely like their writing; and C) I can predict how they will react a little, and phrase my advice accordingly, so they don't take offence.
Thank you for your thoughts!
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Date: 2005-05-24 01:03 pm (UTC)Like you, I also review much more than I write. But since I've written a few things, I've learned how important reviews are to me, which in turn inspires me to review more. Particularly on longer fics--I like having feedback on each section, because that makes me feel like continuing the story is worth it. I like to know that people are keeping up with me.
It wasn't an option, but I'd have checked "Only do con/crit for friends." I usually leave a positive review if I enjoyed a story enough to finish it. But if it's a friend, I'll read a bit more critically and offer them advice, usually privately.
But in general, every review (except a flame) is good because they let me know that someone read what I worked so hard on. A detailed review that isolates favorite bits is very appreciated. I know some people who get weirded out by serial reviewing, feeling like they're being stalked, but I don't see it that way. I just want to know that someone appreciated my work.
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Date: 2005-05-24 10:30 pm (UTC)And on con crit for friends, yes. I should have made that an option, because I'm sure you're not alone. As I said to the person who commented above you, I hadn't thought of that, but yes, I too feel more comfortable leaving crit when I'm not just randomly popping in and telling someone that I have no kind of relationship with at all that I had issues with their fic. The closer I am to someone, the more I feel that A) they understand that I would never try to be cruel or insulting, no matter how terrible the fic; B) they realize that from previous reviews I genuinely like their writing; and C) I can predict how they will react a little, and phrase my advice accordingly, so they don't take offence.
Thank you for sharing your ideas! *g*
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Date: 2005-05-24 10:45 pm (UTC)I'm pretty new to the fandom on LJ, so that's why you haven't seen me yet! 'Hello,' back to you!
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Date: 2005-05-24 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 10:31 pm (UTC)I hadn't thought of it that way--that's a good point. Thanks for sharing! *g*
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Date: 2005-05-25 01:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-25 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-25 02:41 am (UTC)I use the same criteria I always use: if I have something to say about what I just read, I leave a review. If I read a novel-length fic and I have nothing to say about any of the parts and nothing to say at the end, I usually don't review. If I read a drabble that sparks something in me, I write a long-ass review. I don't think of it as "Oh, should I review each chapter?" It's more "Wow, this section really made me think about X or I loved Y's characterization or Z/Q is the hottest porn to ever porn!" Although, if it's a WIP that I'm hopelessly addicted to, I'm more likely to review, just cos I want more!
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Date: 2005-05-25 02:56 pm (UTC)Thank you for sharing!
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Date: 2005-05-25 02:54 am (UTC)I also tend to feel that if the review isn't really about my fic, but rather about the character or genre, then I don't really need to have it. For instance, "Awwwwww. I love H/D." Or "I don't really like angst." - those ones kind of leave me going, "well, good. Me neither", or "Me, too! That's why I write it!"
I don't mind at all if people only want to review once at the end of a long fic. I love it when they review for every chapter, or every few chapters, but it's just fine if they don't.
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Date: 2005-05-25 03:01 pm (UTC)With your "the chapter was great" reviewer, does that irritate you at all, or does each "the chapter was great" still make you do the I-got-a-review! squee?
And yes, I totally know how you feel about the character/genre reviews. I would rather have reviews that said things like "Wow, H/D is great! I love how you made Harry ____ in this fic" than just the first phrase.
So, for your long fics, say you had a fic that you finished several years ago, and someone started reading it. Would a short review at the end of each chapter--maybe just a "OMG! So good!" or an "Awwww, poor character X" or "I really want to stab evil!character right now" or something like that--still be cool with you?
Thanks for sharing your insights!
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Date: 2005-05-25 05:25 pm (UTC)With that person in particular, it's sort of like, "oh, s/he reviewed again... which is nice... aaaaand it's the same thing. Right."
Interesting question on the last point! It does always feel a bit odd to get reviews on individual chapters after the entire fic is done, mostly because I'm so accustomed to people reading as I write, as it were. I know that other authors who write long, multi-chaptered fics only post once the entire thing is done, but to me, feedback is almost a part of the creative process. I wouldn't say that I change the plot or anything, but I might enhance certain elements that people seemed or avoid other choices I was considering. I have oh, five really long fics by now, I guess, and only with the most recent did I know pretty much the entire plot, minus some of the details, before I wrote it. But I would still say that the feedback was important.
I guess I still like to know what people are thinking as they go. I have a couple of RL friends who read my stuff, and every now and then they'll tell me what they're reading, and my first question is almost always "Oh really? What part are you at? What do you think so far?" I suppose I would ask the same thing about another book that I'd read and not written, too, so maybe it has more to do with that.
And, once again, I'm rambling. :) Scusatemi.
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Date: 2005-05-25 07:29 pm (UTC)But for reviewers that are really short or somewhat pointless, what do really say, except a flat-sounding "thanks"?
Kind of off topic, but not really, but--anyway. Hah. My personal goal in reviewing is not to force the author to have nothing to say but "thanks". I'm sure that it's well-intended, and sincerely meant, but it seems to me, kind of like you said, a little flat, a little boring, a little pointless. If I feel I'm leaving an uninteresting review, I ask myself, "If I were the author, would I be able to think of something to say other than just 'thanks!'?
And feedback as part of the creative process, absolutely. That makes perfect sense. Although I've never written a chaptered fic, just a few oneshots and drabbles here and there, it seems totally reasonable that if one got a bunch of reviews about X factor in a chapter feeling a bit off, I would change that in the next chapter.
On the last point, though I'm coming from a slightly different perspective, I do a similar thing. I love knowing precisely what points of my writings (non-fic things like essays or musings or narratives, or my oneshots and drabbles) make people laugh, make them sad, make them think. Something like "This line (quote) was really lovely!" means so much more to me than a paragraph of "OMG, that was so great! I can't wait to read more of you stuff! etc. etc"
You seem like a cool person...I'm friending, if you don't mind. :)
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Date: 2005-05-25 09:29 pm (UTC)And yes, exactly, about leaving reviews you think will actually be remotely meaningful! And as a reviewer, I hate it when I leave a ginormous paragraph of really specific feedback and then the author comes back with a "thanks". I love talking fic/canon/random other fandom stuff, and I love discussing other people's or my own fics. I could probably discuss some fics until the cows come home, probably longer than the authors even want to! If someone leaves me a longer review, then it's higher likely that, if at all possibly, I'll respond back with just as long a response. And as a reviewer, I love it when I get responses like that.
Perhaps it's all part of the reading process; that if you establish some sort of personal connection with the author, it adds to your experience? And vice-versa, if you know who's reading. Where do you archive? My stuff is all at skyehawke (the ever-crashing, yes) and thesilversnitch.net, and all of my H/D stuff is at thehexfiles.net. I'd say that about 75-80% of my stuff is H/D, with a sprinkling of H/SS, one H/LM, and one H/R. (The sequel to that one, naturally, reverts to H/D.) :)
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Date: 2005-05-26 12:53 am (UTC)But yeah, I think I've seen you about before. I checked your user info, and we have several friends in common, so, it's likely. And I do comment over at
And yes, I totally agree about long reviews=long responses. I hate it when I leave a really long, detailed review, and I get the same response from a writer as someone who left a "great fic!" review, especially since I DON'T often write really long ass reviews. And, as you said, I love carrying on dialouges about fics, or different aspects of fandom, or anything at all, really. I feel a bit miffed when I really think about something, and then just get a short "Thanks" response.
Again, yes, with the personal connection. I think that if you know who's writing, you 1) feel more comfortable pointing out things that they could have done better, but also 2) notice things that they don't usually do, and encourage them, etc. Also, the other way around is good too. If some random person that I don't really know tells me to change something, I don't really know them--I don't know if I should trust their ideas about literature. If it's someone I'm close to, though, I know them, and I know THEIR writing, and I know if I like their style, and should therefore take their advice.
Where do I archive my stuff. Hahah. Well, a bit of it is in my memories (here and here, but honestly, most of my writing is archived in My Documents. I'm insecure liek whoa about my writing and, yeah, I haven't uploaded a lot of it.
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Date: 2005-05-26 04:43 am (UTC)I'm not even going to tell you how miffed I get with what I privately call the "brush-off" responses to my reviews. :) I think we're in total agreement here.
And I just like to know what people are thinking, period. Like, was that as profound as I thought it was? Did anyone else think that? Or was it just gratuitous fluff? In which case, I shall love it anyway, but feel a little bit bruised about not having pulled off my deep moment. :)
I read a bit of your stuff, thanks for pointing me to it - I really liked September 27th and the first poem in particular. :) Are you interested in archiving anywhere else at all? Skyehawke is a really decent place, I've found, and there are tons of really good writers there. Let me know if you're interested. :)
if you saw the deleted, I'm reposting to fix formating. Whoops!
Date: 2005-05-27 03:19 am (UTC)Hahah, yeah. Do you remember the Great LJ Blackout? Hah. The woe and angst has never been seen before outside of Bright Eyes concerts. *G*
With the brush-off response, yeah. That really makes me mad, because, as I mentioned earlier, I love carrying on conversations with people, and if I make the effort to really think about their writing, I think I deserve a bit more than a one or two word response. And yet, it's not really something I feel comfortable calling the author on--it would feel weird to say "Hey, I left you a great review, and you didn't leave me an adequate response. Whassup witchyoo, h0?" (with or without the fake ghetto-ness, hah)
And I just like to know what people are thinking, period. Yes. That's exactly how I feel. I want to feel vindicated, I suppose. I want the affirmation that things I liked or thought were really coll are things other people liked too. Although, I could be the only person feeling that way, and that wouldn't stop me from feeling it, or saying it--especially online, I don't really have a problem with stepping out from the crowd--it's nice to know that I'm not the only person who, say, author X's latest fic left a gibbering wreck, or about wet myself laughing while reading _______.
Really? You liked it? I'm so glad to hear that! I think I mentioned earlier, I'm really hard on my own writing and am convinced that it is all teh suck. *happy*
I'd love a skyehawke account! Although, obviously, I don't write a lot, I'd like to secure my username for archiving anything I do write, and the few things I've already written. Is it just for fanfiction, or can I post original things there, too?
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Date: 2005-05-27 04:43 am (UTC)And ohhh, yes, do I remember the blackout! I stay in touch with a few older (as in longer-time, if that makes sense) friends of mine, which probably saved me. Otherwise, I felt so cut off! I was still feeling the angst about skyehawke's big crash then, too - it had just come back up after being down for over a week. I was distraught.
Again, definitely, with wanting to know what other readers thought of the fic you just read, too. I'm afraid I'm a crier, and I remember reading Cinnamon's Beautiful World without knowing it had a sad ending, damn it, and bawling my eyes out at the end. I like knowing I wasn't the only one. Or the only one who had to read Left My Heart twice, because the suspense forced me to read through the ending far too quickly the first time. :)
Skyehawke totally has an original section! :) Tell me exactly how you want your pen name to appear (i.e., with capitals, without, with a space, without, etc. - it's virtually impossible to change after it's been done, so I want to get it right!) and your email & we'll make it go. :) You can email me your info if you'd rather it didn't appear here - silentauror@yahoo.com.
:)
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Date: 2005-05-27 04:52 am (UTC)The blackout...hahah. I think that was the defining moment of who was an LJ nerd, and who wasn't. If you weren't all distraught omg I need LJ then you were an LJ user, but not an LJ addict. Hee. I don't think there was a person on my flist who didn't freak out, which tells you a rather lot about my flist.
Beautiful World. OMG. Destroyed me. I was a wreck for like two days after reading. Wow. And that was actually one of the first long HD fics I read, and I was terrified that they were all going to be like that--not to say it wasn't spectacular, but I didn't think I would be about to take it. What a beautiful fic. Wow. Have you read Oscilliate Wildly? I don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't, but it rather destroyed me too. Our fandom is really lucky--we have some fucking amazing writers.
I don't have a problem with it appearing here!
Penname: aidenfire
Email: aidenfire.blog(at)gmail.com
Thanks so much! <3333
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Date: 2005-05-27 06:07 am (UTC)I couldn't write for two days after Beautiful World, and I usually do a bit of writing, at least, every day! And yes, I've also read Oscillate Wildly - it was incredible, but the very last scene killed me, too. :( And I missed crazy!Draco after we didn't see him anymore. I'm retaining hope that normal-Draco will get more like that... :)
But A Thousand Beautiful Things undoes every string in me every time I read it. I just re-read it about three weeks ago (having had advance warning that the sequel was finally nearly ready for the posting!), and just - whoa. Incredible. So much love, I don't really have words for it. :)
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Date: 2005-05-27 09:44 pm (UTC)Crazy!Draco...how I adored him. I adored that whole fic. It was so, so gorgeous. And the end! The last scene! With his parents, and Sirius, and Crazy!Draco
and me sobbing my eyes out. Wow. That fic took me for such a ride.A Thousand Beautiful Things! I actually just read that for the first time maybe three or four weeks ago, and if I weren't SO backlogged on things I should read, I'd really like to read it again. As it is, I haven't even read the sequel yet--off to do that momentarily!--and I'm really looking forward to it. That fic was just so well-crafted! And Draco was so noble and misunderstood and just. Oh. Really good.
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Date: 2005-05-27 09:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-27 10:14 pm (UTC)*gets hold of self*
I hate it when it crashes! They're having really big problems with their bloody webhosts, apparently, who never answer their emails or give them reasons why their site crashed again. A couple weeks ago, they were told that it was the popular stories listings that was doing it, so the admin folks obligingly took it down, and the site still crashes at least once every twenty-four hours. Sometimes it's only down for fifteen minutes or so, but still. If it weren't such a damned good site, then nobody would be going there any more. *gives hosts the evil eye*
Yes, loved crazy!Draco. And
silent!Draco just... I don't know how to say it, exactly - something about him breaks me. I love it. I adore Draco, period. :) For my last long fic, I finally wrote from Draco's POV, and it was marvellous. So much fun. :)
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Date: 2005-05-28 08:53 pm (UTC)Silent!Draco...yes. He was so--noble, and understanding, but no one knew it, and oh. I have this huge weakness for guys in literature who everyone thinks to be an ass, but in reality have hearts of gold. And secretly, I adore over the top, fandom, leather trousers Draco. Heh. <333
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Date: 2005-05-28 10:14 pm (UTC)I kind of
dream aboutadore fanon-Draco, too. :) How do you like your Harry? I prefer him stubborn, angry, possibly confused, but very passionate.Skyehawke - they keep talking about getting new servers, but I think they worry about having to ask for donations and stuff, if they do. The problem is that it's so widely used that the bandwidth keeps expanding practically exponentially. It's one of the reasons why I think they've suspended new accounts for the time being. I know they meet weekly to talk about it (the three admin people, I mean) - hopefully they'll work something out soon. :)
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Date: 2005-05-29 12:37 am (UTC)Ahh. That explains more than it doesn't about skyehawke. I could never quite fathom why it went down all the time, with as many users as it has, but that makes sense--the very amount of users is its problem. Ah, well, it's up now! Heh.
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Date: 2005-05-29 05:22 am (UTC)*hugs*
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Date: 2005-05-29 12:52 am (UTC).
.
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In the books, when the hobbits return to the shire, everything isn't as perfect and wonderful as it was in the Peter Jackson movies. They still had a mess to clean up there, and I thought that was a lot more realistic. Admittedly, it was nowhere near as difficult as some of the other things they'd done, but it was still one more thing to do when they returned to the place they thought was safe, their haven, and that was was ultimately broke Frodo.
.
.
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Draco is kind of like that for Harry--one more obstacle to deal with beyond Voldemort and the Death Eaters (God, that sounds like a bad band from the seventies or something). Sure, Draco's not REALLY a life threatening obstacle, but he's still an obstacle in the place that is more home to Harry than anything else, the place he wants to feel safe (AKA The Shire). Dealing with that can't have been easy, so I think Draco's mere presence would make Harry into a stronger, more mature, more confident person.
Um. Wow. That was going to be short, really.
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Date: 2005-05-29 01:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-27 04:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-29 06:37 pm (UTC)no subject
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