I used to be such a nice person.

[hackthis_archive]

K pointed out that there's an anonymous meme going around where you can tell writers what you *really* think of their writing, which you know, hey, go ahead. Personally, I'm always getting abused anyway whether it's anonymous, or in sekrit (which really not sekrit at all), or to my face, so if you're feeling that need, knock yourself out. I didn't actually think anyone needed a *day* or some shit, but hey, I'll even start.

[Name here] is not a very good writer. Actually, she fucking sucks. Same stories, same characters, same characterization. I mean, damn, what happened to all the mass murder? Can you just get a new story or something? Also, you are so not all that. I don't know why people like your stories. Are you famous for sucking someone's cock or something? I could totally do better. And I spell better than you too. And, I make less typos. So there. Also, where the fuck is my chai latte? You are fucking fired.
-Ari

ETA: I adore you all madly for rushing to my aid, but I think what I just don't get about this exercise is the simple idea of if you don't like something, why the fuck are you reading it? Is someone holding a gun to your head and forcing you to? I highly doubt that, so why go around being needlessly rude and cruel? That's just fucked up.

Comments

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

I highly doubt that, so why go around being needlessly rude and cruel?

Is there a difference, in your estimation, between sheer nastiness and criticism? I'm not even thinking concrit, necessarily, but the kind of "x didn't really work for me, because a, b, and c weren't really established in this story" kind of things. I've read many a story that I enjoyed for the most part, but had certain reservations about, be they character or plot or sensibility. Whether or not I tell the author about those reservations depend on a lot of things. If I don't find anything to like, I won't leave a word of feedback and probably won't finish the story. If I really liked it, I'll try to say why. But as an author, I find those who point out flaws to be very valuable, even if I don't always agree with them. If nothing else, I might have tried to gloss over something because I ddin't want to deal with it - if someone's honest enough to tell me they noticed, it gives me strategies for the next time.

There will always be haters. Learning when to ignore them and when to listen to them teaches me something else, about my own sense of self-worth and my acknowledgement of my failings.

[ethrosdemon.livejournal.com]

I think the lack of concrit is really due to fb being almost exclusively lj based now. People just don't take that time to send email fb where you *can* offer insight that's slightly critical (like, for instance, if someone were to tall me to read over for typoes before posting as an example) or that goes to a more extreme form of criticism (I think you would be a much better writer if you didn't let yourself get so bogged down with this fixation with beer). I used to get email fb like that ALL the time, but people just look like assholes doing it in public in a comment thread. I think that's what's caused this whole trend to anon threads.

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about the public nature of feedback on LJ driving people towards adoration instead of even the slightest criticism. When I post stories, I try to make it clear that I welcome all types of comments (I've yet to be flamed, though! I suspect a bad flame would get a "thank you for sharing" and a quick use of the ban function from me). I even have it in my "read this first" post linked from my profile page. It's disenheartening, if you like to discuss stories as either a reader or an author, to find such pressure not to say *anything* negative about stories in public. I say negative things about shows and movies and books all the time, so I want to extend the same privilege to fanfiction as well.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I think it's truly all about presentation. If you have issues with a story, there's this wonderful thing called the "Back" key, you know, people could stand to use it a lot more. However, if you want to talk the story over with the author and say X didn't work for me, you know, you don't have to just say, OMG!THIS IS THE WORST STORY EVAR!!1111 YOU SUXXORS!!! Everyone isn't going to love everything, and more often than not, they're not even going to like 50%. I get stuff like this often enough (http://hackthis.livejournal.com/333196.html?thread=8591756#t8591756), but you know, that's criticism and completely different from, "You suck! All your stories are shit! I don't know why anybody likes you." There's a line to criticism is which you should be focusing on the story and not the author. It's when people cross over that I get irate.

[ethrosdemon.livejournal.com]

yeah, I think that's the problem. People start hating people and then read their fic to hate on them. It's a whole cycle. And then they get an outlet like this meme, and SHIT. Whatever. People, just hate in email to your friends like us.

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

People, just hate in email to your friends like us.

Truer words ... Hee! I maintain what I like to think of as frosty silence in public when I don't like something. And I think the problem with this meme is that you're not critiquing a particular piece of writing, just the author's entire ouevre, where it's hard to separate writer from what is written AND where it's hard to say "this thing in THIS story didn't work for me" versus saying "I kind of hate your style in general." The latter is not really constructive criticism ;) It's just ... an opinion.