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metafandom Thoughts
Oct. 28th, 2007 03:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lady_windermereI was over at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
metafandom today, just to find out what is going on. It was largely depressing, and it seems fandom has had an ugly week. Not the Buffy!Verse as such, but it has effected people in the verse. I do not want to stir up the shark invested waters. If you want to know what is going on, I suggest you go over to that community, where others have made posts about the subject far better than I can.
While I was there, I did find an interesting post concerning feedback, and why do fanfic writers and artists post what they have created by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sidewalk_doctor (who is not on my friends list), entitled "moar fandom meta, bitches", the link is here.
I was quite interested in the post. Yes, I adore feedback, I admit it. I will always respond to it, because it has made me happy.....but am I therefore an attention whore?
I would never complain if I don't get feedback, in fact I have often posted knowing full well I would be lucky to get a comment to the story. It is an unusual pairing, or deals with a subject that most people don't want to read. It doesn't stop me from posting. I post so that I might have an archive for the work. If someone else enjoys it, and lets me know, wonderful, and gives me a glow, Would I run away crying because I didn't get the feedback I thought the work deserved. No!
The majority of people in all fandoms are lurkers, so even if you have a flist of several hundreds, you would be very lucky to get even 30 comments.....and even then, quite a few could be someone having a chat with you in comments.
Others have an OTP, and will not read anything that is outside that. I will not force you to read, if you do not force me to write. If my muse wants to try other pairings, or other genres then I will. If you don't want to read, that is great. I got the story off my chest.
So I really don't think I am writing for the feedback. I have no intention of becoming an author, and sending my work off to be published. Writing fanfic is a hobby, and if I only want to write a couple of 100 word drabbles for a while, then that is what I will do. So no pressure on me to write, no pressure on anyone to read, or leave comments.
Guess that was all I wanted to add to the original post.
metafandom today, just to find out what is going on. It was largely depressing, and it seems fandom has had an ugly week. Not the Buffy!Verse as such, but it has effected people in the verse. I do not want to stir up the shark invested waters. If you want to know what is going on, I suggest you go over to that community, where others have made posts about the subject far better than I can.While I was there, I did find an interesting post concerning feedback, and why do fanfic writers and artists post what they have created by
sidewalk_doctor (who is not on my friends list), entitled "moar fandom meta, bitches", the link is here.I was quite interested in the post. Yes, I adore feedback, I admit it. I will always respond to it, because it has made me happy.....but am I therefore an attention whore?
I would never complain if I don't get feedback, in fact I have often posted knowing full well I would be lucky to get a comment to the story. It is an unusual pairing, or deals with a subject that most people don't want to read. It doesn't stop me from posting. I post so that I might have an archive for the work. If someone else enjoys it, and lets me know, wonderful, and gives me a glow, Would I run away crying because I didn't get the feedback I thought the work deserved. No!
The majority of people in all fandoms are lurkers, so even if you have a flist of several hundreds, you would be very lucky to get even 30 comments.....and even then, quite a few could be someone having a chat with you in comments.
Others have an OTP, and will not read anything that is outside that. I will not force you to read, if you do not force me to write. If my muse wants to try other pairings, or other genres then I will. If you don't want to read, that is great. I got the story off my chest.
So I really don't think I am writing for the feedback. I have no intention of becoming an author, and sending my work off to be published. Writing fanfic is a hobby, and if I only want to write a couple of 100 word drabbles for a while, then that is what I will do. So no pressure on me to write, no pressure on anyone to read, or leave comments.
Guess that was all I wanted to add to the original post.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 04:49 pm (UTC)I write some popular pairings, i write some not so popular ones. Some fics I've never really had feedback on, some of the time I'm lucky to get 2 or 3 people send me stuff back. Doesn't stop the writing or posting. My nano project's very dark gen, I'm not anticipating much readage happening even if it gets as far as posting but I'm still going to write it. Why: Because it's fun, because the bunnies keep biting at me and because I love writing.
Guess that's a long winded reply or saying I agree with you ><
To be honest the only authors i would say would be 'attention whoring' would be those that, in all fairness seems mainly on fanfic.net, saying 'I'm not writing anymore til my review count hits *** or spam other peoples fic wiith reviews only stating 'here, read mine!'.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 04:56 pm (UTC)I don't really hang out at fanfic.net, so, thankfully have missed a lot of that. It would be a total turn off for me.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:00 pm (UTC)I don't really read there anymore, which is sad since some of the really good authors I've seen posting to comms and some on my flist post there. I just see the rants about people demanding reviews and threatening to delete on unfinish on the fanfic rants site.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:07 pm (UTC)That is what turns people off reading fanfic, if they are being blackmailed into leaving comments. I would find it in "Very Bad Form".
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 06:09 pm (UTC)*Sighs* I gues it's their choice but to me, nothing turns me off faster. I quit reading a 25 chapter story purely because the author did that (okay that wasn't the only reason it did go a bit stagnant too but the demanding just added to that), and they had tons of reviews for each chapter. It might be seen as cutting off my nose by stopping reading/reviewing but I don't review everything I read. If there's nothing i can say, I don't want to just send >< as a review to bump the score.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 06:15 pm (UTC)Leaving feedback does take time, and a little thought as well. It would be nice if the authors took a little time to respond.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 06:23 pm (UTC)It would be nice, I must admit i get unsure about leaving fb nowadays. Once i got harrassed over IM about the FB I'd left and then seeing all the review rants on the rants site I just get put off. And the review rants I'm meaning are ones where people throw tantrums after getting just one line of feedback or getting only positive and no concrit.
Oh no i agree, always better if they do respond. I've met some fun peeps on lj through reviewing fanfic, gets a repoire going at times, then you might find out you have pairings in common, get recced to sites, rping...and you end up reading more because you know of more, people and comms. I do think the journal system's the best for that though, I keep finding some of my archives so hard to access, they go up and down ><
Thing is it's a circle thing which is why i think FB usually comes from flist memeers or those on the comms, a reader doesn't have to respond and a writer doesn't have to write but fandom would be a boring place without them. LOL, sorry I'm so rambly i have a stomach bug and i like debating and chatting when in pain.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 06:33 pm (UTC)Oh go ahead and chat, I really do not mind. Having a quiet Sunday, and lots of time to give. Hope you feel better soon.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 06:39 pm (UTC)I do wish lj could archive, like a compilation of links to fics in different fandoms or if they are big long series, links to d/l files which the authors have all given permission for.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 06:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 06:57 pm (UTC)I wish i'd used the tags system when i first started my ournal-or memories--it took me ages to create a fic index for my stuff. I do like it when there are tags or memories in place though, makes for easier access of scoping out the other fics with that pairing.
I'm just lazy, I hate having to c/p really long fics to my pda and worry I'll spoil myself at some point but i do a lot of reading at work for sad emo reasons and i love having something i love to read there. The longer the better.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 08:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 08:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:26 pm (UTC)Yes, true. True. But I think those are really teenagers that aren't sure of themeselves or what they're writing. I used to do that like...3 years ago. In the start because I was really insecure about my writing and if anyone liked it. Now...I don't care much if I get 10 or 0 reviews. I know what I like to write so I don't care if anyone else likes it. It's just a plus if anyone does. :) But yeah, I have been "attention whore" but not because of the attention itself but because I needed affirmantion that it was "okay."
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:58 pm (UTC)I still don't agree with threatening to delete stories for not getting 'enough' reviews though and the ones that tended to get ranted about that i have seen have clocked up well over double or triple figures and they are still demanding more. Which does seem a bit less wanting to know and a bit more ' crave me'. And sadly in one of the fandoms i used to read in a lot, one particular attention wanting author was in her thirties and not a new writer so she didn't have that reasoning. She just used to throw hissy fits and have regular threatenings if she got less then a dozen reviews. Another ussed to do what, and i poach a phrase here, I'd consider very bad form and harrass people over messanger of forums to review, which wouldn't have been so bad except if you didn't and you had before she went all pissy at you.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 08:16 pm (UTC)Right now what I said I think is really immature but I was young...(15 years old) and mostly I just wanted to know if everyone understood my english since I'm not a native speaker. Now I'm much more secure and I know that I'm pretty good at it. :)
If you're in your thirties though...I don't understand it. I am 18 now..and I think what I did when I was 15 was immature so if you're 30-something. I don't get it and I would get pissy.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 08:25 pm (UTC)I wouldn't really consider that threatening so much as coaxing to be honest, so it wouldn't really come under the attention whoring thing. Most people use the feedback is loved, craved thing anyways to encourage people to review. Because feedback is love and everyone likes to receive it even if it's not why you write. You post to share and it's always nice when someone likes the sharing and says so. And it's damned scary putting your first fics out there too.
Yeah, she was...interesting to say the least. Completely put me away from the fandom.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:00 pm (UTC)Others have an OTP, and will not read anything that is outside that. I will not force you to read, if you do not force me to write. If my muse wants to try other pairings, or other genres then I will. If you don't want to read, that is great. I got the story off my chest.
Yes, so true.
I don't think there is anything wrong with enjoying getting comments or with writing and knowing you probably won't get many. It's best to be in love with what you do. That's the only reason to do something and the only reason to share it.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:10 pm (UTC)XX
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:08 pm (UTC)Now that I'm loving other things, like QaF or Torchwood or CSI, I admit I only read Spangel in the Buffyverse.
And about feedback.. I love leaving them, I love to chat with the Author. But lately I'm doing it less... don't know why actually. Maybe the thesis is eating up the part of my brain that was dedicated to feedback! *sighs*
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:13 pm (UTC)*hugs*, still we can talk about RL. I hope the Spangel muse comes back, even if the smut one seems to have run away and forgot the route to my door lately.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:33 pm (UTC)I must admit to getting annoyed with people that beg for comments or won’t continue to write unless they get so much feedback.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 05:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 08:09 pm (UTC)The other problem is that, online especially, silence is difficult to interpret. It could be due to many things -- getting lost in the shuffle, lack of visibility, lack of interest, active dislike, other things not coming to mind at the moment! Small wonder that people don't know what to make of it.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 08:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 10:04 pm (UTC)FF.net has all the best examples of all that is bad about fandoms but does seem to be the place where many of us started.
Another one to put in the WTF? basket is that some people have been told not to respond to their LJ feedback because it bumps up the feedback count. Sometimes it seems that people think it is a competition and the most feedback wins.
I do intend to be a published author but not with anything a post on LJ, Fandom is my hobby/obsession and I write to fill in all the missing stuff from the show that I wanted to see.
I like the people I have met on LJ and the normal good feeling of community there is here so I think I will avoid metafandom.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-28 10:13 pm (UTC)I was at a loose end this morning and went over to have a look. Metafandom can it seems become wankerfandom I suspect.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-29 06:56 am (UTC)I haven't read the post that you linked to but I have something to say to your comment about responding to fb. You have to write for yourself. There will always be people that loved your fic and others that will not like it. And as far as the responding to feedback bit, I see it as a sign of respect. If someone takes the time to read your fic and then takes more time to give you fb, I feel like the writer should at least acknowledge a thank you to them out of respect.
Just my opinion.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-29 05:42 pm (UTC)Totally agree with you.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-29 09:38 pm (UTC)And I would still write, but I wouldn't post. I'd archive them all on my computer and leave them there.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-29 09:45 pm (UTC)I admit that I do feel closer to the people on my flist that respond to my posts. I feel I know a little something about them. While lurkers, while I really do not mind, I cannot feel a connection to. Then to each their own.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-29 09:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-29 09:55 pm (UTC)I am not writing so much now. My interest in the comics has overcome that. I only really go into fanfic after my fandom was finished on TV. So althought I will read writers who still give me my fix, for myself, my urge to write, apart from a few drabbles, has gone.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-30 01:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-30 02:52 pm (UTC)here from metafandom
Date: 2007-10-30 08:33 am (UTC)Time to write my own thoughts on this subject methinks.
Re: here from metafandom
Date: 2007-10-30 02:47 pm (UTC)Will pop over at some point to read your post.
Re: here from metafandom
Date: 2007-10-30 05:49 pm (UTC)Re: here from metafandom
Date: 2007-10-30 10:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-30 09:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-30 02:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-31 09:17 pm (UTC)I also love to respond to feedback. And the truth is, that people who respond to their feedback are probably going to get more than those who don't.
Personally, I feel it is only polite to answer reviews and comments. I always feel terrible if I find a comment that I somehow missed at the time, and failed to answer.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-31 09:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-01 01:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-01 01:09 am (UTC)