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Are you a giver or taker?
Feb. 23rd, 2011 10:44 amNo, contrary to what people might believe about me, there are other things I can talk about than sex :D I'm talking about feedback.
Feedback of any kind is the only "payment" fanfiction authors ever get, and while we (or most of us at least, I suppose) do not write solely for the purpose of receiving feedback it is nice to hear if and also why the reader enjoyed a fic.
You have to remember, an author puts a lot of effort and time into creating a fic you enjoy. They spend hours and hours planning their story, sitting down and writing it, pondering over the right words to use or wrecking their brain for an appropriate title. They wonder whether they are getting their point across, whether their protagonist portrayal is in character and whether their character's actions make sense. And they depend on you, the reader, to tell them if they reached their goals so they know they're doing right or, if not, can improve their writing.
I might not be the best example here; I have this thing where I simply can't STOP talking and pointing things out. And since I have done that for a few exceptionally great fics when I was extraordinarily bored I kind of made it a habit to write long-ass feedback and quote all the lines that made me smile, touched me, made me cry etc. Because I'd feel it would reflect judgement upon (yes I simply cannot refrain from letting Star Trek quotes slip into my every day speech, haha) an author if I suddenly didn't make the same effort for their story as I have done for others. Well... *shrug* Guess that's my curse now, lol.
I absolutely don't expect everyone to do this, and I don't mean to imply the way I give feedback is the best and greatest and blah ;) BUT... I do have a little 'How To' on giving feedback, of returning some of the enjoyment you had while reading a fic to the author.
( Be a giver, not a taker )
Feedback of any kind is the only "payment" fanfiction authors ever get, and while we (or most of us at least, I suppose) do not write solely for the purpose of receiving feedback it is nice to hear if and also why the reader enjoyed a fic.
You have to remember, an author puts a lot of effort and time into creating a fic you enjoy. They spend hours and hours planning their story, sitting down and writing it, pondering over the right words to use or wrecking their brain for an appropriate title. They wonder whether they are getting their point across, whether their protagonist portrayal is in character and whether their character's actions make sense. And they depend on you, the reader, to tell them if they reached their goals so they know they're doing right or, if not, can improve their writing.
I might not be the best example here; I have this thing where I simply can't STOP talking and pointing things out. And since I have done that for a few exceptionally great fics when I was extraordinarily bored I kind of made it a habit to write long-ass feedback and quote all the lines that made me smile, touched me, made me cry etc. Because I'd feel it would reflect judgement upon (yes I simply cannot refrain from letting Star Trek quotes slip into my every day speech, haha) an author if I suddenly didn't make the same effort for their story as I have done for others. Well... *shrug* Guess that's my curse now, lol.
I absolutely don't expect everyone to do this, and I don't mean to imply the way I give feedback is the best and greatest and blah ;) BUT... I do have a little 'How To' on giving feedback, of returning some of the enjoyment you had while reading a fic to the author.
( Be a giver, not a taker )
