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What's the Point in Leaving Reviews...

Discussion in 'Fanfic Discussion' started by Blaise, Jul 11, 2011.

  1. Rym

    Rym Auror

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    The best part is the excuse "If you wanted realistic, don't read fiction."

    Really?
     
  2. JordanL

    JordanL Third Year

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    Those kinds of reviews (the ones you were leaving) are exactly the kind I like to receive on my stories...
     
  3. Rakkety Tam

    Rakkety Tam High Inquisitor

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    I try to leave some sort of review. Sometimes it isn't very long or critical because I don't really have anything of note to say, but I just feel weird reading a story I like and not writing something even if it is just a simple I liked this.

    On the other hand, I have left massive reviews to stories (iirc the longest was in the neighborhood of 8,000 words and had to be continued several times just to submit it). These long reviews are for stories covering multiple chapters where I think the author has potential to write a great story but lacks someone to tell them something other than OMG UPDATE NAO!!!!

    I've had nice responses to all of the reviews that I have left. This is especially true for the really long reviews. I think this is mostly because I don't engage in flaming, and I always try to make it clear that I'm leaving the review because I like the story even if some of the things I say in the review aren't nice. If I don't like a story, I don't leave a review. I don't see the point.
     
  4. Anarchy

    Anarchy Half-Blood Prince DLP Supporter

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    I like giving reviews, and almost always I take the time to give the multi-paragraph treatment. I say what I like about a story, and what I don't like, and why I don't like. Of course, I do give suggestions as well, but I don't want to pretend like I want to write the story myself. Usually its mostly what I don't like, since it much easier to review the stuff that irks me, than the stuff that makes me go into deep introspective thought. I don't sugarcoat anything either, regardless of who it is. And I expect the same treatment in return. If someone tells my my story sucks (which happens a lot) I will go out of my way to explain my thought process behind why I wrote some things the way I did, and if a person can respect that, then they can have whatever opinion they want.
     
  5. 13thadaption

    13thadaption Groundskeeper DLP Supporter

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    I rarely review Harry Potter stories on ff.net anymore. I used to more often, but I eventually got the feeling I was shouting into the abyss. I never leave reviews saying "love it, write moar", and I never write critical reviews without trying to be constructive. If a story is unsalvageable, I don't bother. If a story has so many reviews that I don't think I can actually say anything new, I don't bother. If my problem with a story is simply a matter of taste, I tend not to bother. It's that last one that stops me most often. As much as it sucks when a story I've enjoyed takes a turn I don't like, it's usually just a matter of taste. And why should an author write to my preferences rather than their own? It's hard to work out what to say that's actually helpful. It's easier here on DLP, where dialogue's form more naturally.

    I do review more often in small fandoms. Just to let authors know someone is reading. And I also try to review oneshots, again because a lot of people don't, but also because a oneshot is a good chance to access a writer's style as a whole, rather than being focused on individual elements, like what's going on in a chapter.
     
  6. Snarf

    Snarf Squanchin' Party Bro! ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    The best authors in the fanfiction community frequent this site without a doubt, and what amuses me the most is that I have never seen an update by any one of them be universally accepted. Someone always has a problem with a device, or action taken by one of the characters, be they supporting or primary, and questions our authors about their reasons for doing whatever.

    Do said authors get defensive? Sometimes. Do they consider these issues? Yes, and then they revise. That's the difference between FFN and DLP.

    I don't even try to leave critical reviews anymore on FFN because the only ones who will accept them ask far too much of my time in response (beta'ing a bad story is torture). DLP, on the other hand, shreds and rebuilds updates to chapters every day for the best fanfiction authors I know. The only reason I review anymore is to watch these amazing stories blow the water out of the hundreds of mediocre writers on FFN with far too big of egos.
     
  7. Republic

    Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    Regarding the OP question, I suppose I can divide the replies I have received to my revies on two groups.
    First, the eternally grateful group, which can be divided in itself in about two-three subgroups. 1) The "omg you r rite lol, I was drunk and stuff". 2) The reply which thanks me and says they will take my review into very serious consideration, since they rarely get any of those, and 3) The "can you beta my work" reply.
    On the other hand, we have the group of people who can't take criticism. On this group, too, I have had varying experiences, ranging from people who tried (and failed) to defend their work using flawed logic, to people who wished my and my family would die of aids(no joke).
    Sadly, the same goes for the reviews I myself receive. They are either of the "omg awesum story!11!" type, or the hate type. Both retardedly phrased.

    I suppose FFnet isn't really the best place for serious reviewing of stories.
     
  8. Blaise

    Blaise Golden Patronus

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    It's definitely not.

    Like I said in the OP, I posed this question after leaving a review for something that I'd read recently, and dealing with fallout from the author. Since then, the author has blocked me (preventing me access to the PMs we exchanged - did not know that could happen), and one of her betas and a long-time fan also saw fit to send me a PM regarding my review, with both either directly or indirectly asking that I present some of my own work to serve as a baseline for whether or not my critique was valid.

    If you can imagine how you'd respond to that, then you know how I felt about that "request."

    As a head's up, if there's a sudden upswing in slash writers posting on the boards, well...that's most likely my fault. They had asked for what I would consider "decent writing," and I instinctively told them to check Dark Lord Potter - as opposed to pointing them to the C2 instead.

    So. Y'know. My bad.

    Don't ban me.
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2011
  9. T3t

    T3t Purple Beast of DLP ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    Don't worry, Blaise, we'll all have a lot of fun trolling the idiots if they try to storm our fortress.
     
  10. Rakkety Tam

    Rakkety Tam High Inquisitor

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    Why do I have a feeling that this is going to create even more fail in the HP&BWL thread?
     
  11. Jormungandr

    Jormungandr Prisoner

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    Thou hath commited a great sin, Blaise. /CrappyOldEnglish.
     
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