Tag: conversations

@ltleflrt replied to your post:
@unforth-ninawaters replied to your post I…

I’m always thrilled to see rec lists that don’t list the Popular Fics. I mean there’s a difference between a list that’s “Fandom Classics Everyone Should Read” and “Hey, I just read these and think y’all should check them out!” and I try to do the latter just because I think newer fics need to be brought out from under the shadow of the fandom classics.

Absolutely agreed.
I do think it’s tricky sometimes, though, because I am a terrible judge of popularity and I never know how many kudos or hits a thing is before everyone and their mother (it seems) has read it. And, of course I don’t want to rec things that everyone has already read.

@jupiterjames replied to your post

I think it’s perfectly fine to say, “I wasn’t crazy about abc because I prefer xyz, but it all balanced out because of [other stuff you loved]” is perfectly fine to do. There’s no perfect fic, ever, and I’ve got plenty of comments on mine that were “I loved this stuff, but really would have liked more/less of this other stuff” and those reviews don’t bother me at all. Mostly because I feel EXACTLY the same way about plenty of fics I’ve read. 🙂

That’s true. I don’t really have a problem with comments that say “I liked x but I think y, too” especially when I get that it’s personal preference. 

I feel much better about this after throwing it out there. 

@unforth-ninawaters replied to your post

Phrase it as, “rec list of my faves, my taste is a little different from mainstream.” I’ve found as long as I focus on preference instead of quality people are usually cool with it. Like I feel comfortable saying publicly, “I personally didn’t enjoy the works of x and y popular author.” I mean, taste is what makes a horse race, right? But for a rec list you don’t even have to do that, just say, “rec list of my favorites!” And leave it at that.

That’s a good idea. And you’re right, it is all about personal taste. 

@dr-dean

replied to your

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@unforth-ninawaters replied to your post I…

I would LOVE to see your fic rec list! I have put out 2 so far (both for abo) and I’ve only gotten positive feedback from them so far.

Well thank you!
I’ve put out a few before, long ago when I didn’t know all the rules about tagging authors and stuff but now that I do know there will be much better rec etiquette on my part. I’ve read some pretty good fics recently and I was planning on sharing some of them. I think it’s fun, not only because it get more attention to good work, but also because it reveals a bit of the personality of the rec list creator, too.
Also, was it you who rec’d Gray Matter by PaperAnn because I read that recently and loved every second. So, if it was you, thank you for brining it to my attention. 🙂

@samanddeaninpanties replied to your post

I think you worry too much about keeping everyone happy. It’s an impossible standard.

I mean, I’m more worried about driving people away from fic or inviting my own criticism because my fic damn sure ain’t perfect either. (I barely edit it. I have so little patience for that sometimes.) But, I like to think that I can handle critque or thinly veiled non-constructive criticism at this point. 

But yeah, you’re right. I do worry about making everyone happy. Sometimes I wish I could just be a dick and/or not give a shit but that never works out well for anyone. One of these days I’ll learn that I can’t make everyone happy all the time. Hopefully. 

@unforth-ninawaters replied to your post

I mean…maybe just go for it an be honest? I used to do reviews like that…

No one ever said anything but I stopped cause I worried I’d hurt someone’s feelings.

Yeah I was gonna add to what I wrote…im Also incredibly picky if I waited for a perfect fix I’d never rec anything. I have like 4 perfect fics in all of fandom.

I think, “I loved this because xyz but wish there’d been more Sam” is a perfectly reasonable critique especially since it’s obviously a personal preference and not a condemnation of the author.

That’s very true. I’d never rec or read anything if I held out for the “perfect” fic. I mean, I don’t think there are even published novels I like that don’t have a flaw or two. 

But that phrasing is good. I think that’s a good way of voicing my concern but not condemning anyone. It tells people what they need to know and how I feel without getting too critical, so it’s good. 

On a slightly tangential note, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how to appraoch a rec list of fics that I personally feel are better than the things that constantly get rec’d. Like, I don’t want to sound like I know so much better or whatever but there are fics that are way better than the few that seem held up as fandom standard. But I also don’t want to make those authors feel bad or encure the wrath of their fans. IDK, it’s tricky. I just know there are a few people I’ve spoken with who might be interested in some destiel fics but read the stuff that’s popular and wind up totally not getting why those fics are popular. (I don’t really get it either. I suspect timing has a lot to do with it though.) It’s like this delecate balance between not wanting to offend or discourage authors and wanting to ensure fans know about good fic. 

@baronsamediswife replied to your post

OMG yes!! I actually run a rec blog and it is the hardest part about wrting a good rec. I usually come down on the side of not reccing a fic that I can’t stand 100% behind when my caveats would go against the Law of No Concrit.

That sounds super hard to manage, honestly. 

Like, I really don’t think Concrit works in public becuase rather than pulling an author aside and offering advice it’s just out there for everyone to see and I think it’s kinda rude and it feels terrible, especially for young and/or inexperienced writers. I’d rather celebrate accomplishments than make someone feel bad. 

I’ve rec-ed things before that I didn’t 100% like for wahever reason, maybe because I liked the premise or the dialogue or whatever but I also like to think I know my followers and a least a part of the audience. I know what doesn’t work for me will work for someone else, and something I love might be hated by others. Maybe it’s because there are so many fics that get ignored but I like to rec thing people may not have seen if there’s something good in them. I’m way more forgiving in fan fic than I am in reading original fic, anyway. 

But it also bugs me that there are people I know might be interested but there’s enough (or too little) of one thing that might drive them away. It’s frustrating. 

@samanddeaninpanties replied to your post

Yeahhhhhh I’d say don’t mention the flaws in rec lists. Those can be so demoralizing. Save that for in private chat with people who show an interest in reading it or maybe make a separate post about what you don’t like about it?

See, I feel bad for even posting about it and potentially driving people off. Like, granted, the people who won’t like it are probably beter served knowing they won’t like a thing and not to spend their time reading but I don’t want it to drive other people off or hurt anyone’s feelings. And I know there are people who will like it and I think the content is important so… 

Maybe I will leave a note or something about contacting me for details or something… 

formidablepassion:

rosemoonweaver:

Do you ever read a fic that you really enjoyed and it has A Thing That’s Important to You in it so you want to rec it BUT it’s also got a few things you *really* dislike? Like if you split the difference it’s still pretty good but those flaws bug you to the point that you almost want to mention them – but you have a general policy against mentioning flaws in rec lists?

Needless to say I’m conflicted.

Yes. I just read an ABO that was decent, I rather enjoyed the concept. It was Wincestiel and I really enjoyed the world the author built. The flaw? 

The spelled Cas, Cass.

I wanted to nope out, but I was pretty deep in before it even came up. Thankfully it only came up a few times in the whole thing. 

This is probably not close to what you are talking about. But spelling Cas that way will always be considered a flaw in my book. I would never mention this to an author of course because it is a preference, not a technical flaw, but I do understand. 

lol. You underestimate just how picky I can be. Spelling Cas, Cass is enough for me to completely ignore a fic altogether. 

What I’m talking about is actually a preference. It’s a lack of Sam in a destiel fic, which there are times I can excuse but this time there was pretty much no reason to exclude him and it really bugged me. He was mentioned once in 60k words. Which super bugs because I know there are things in the fic friends of mine would like but a lack of Sam will most likely turn them off.