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Post by st.elmo-lover on Jul 9, 2007 22:07:54 GMT -5
Wow. Now you've got me wondering if I'm one of those really bad authors that doesn't know it because everyone always praises me. Wow....that makes me think.
I do agree though. It makes me angry when I look at my first story and how bad it was because a lot of people were telling me it was good.
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latch22
Up To No Good
Anybody got a pitchfork?
Posts: 206
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Post by latch22 on Jul 9, 2007 22:09:42 GMT -5
You know, I just don't think that they can tell. Or the things that they actually are iffy about they decide just not to mention, maybe because they don't want to cause waves, maybe because they don't know how to say it, or maybe because they find it trivial over all. That's what drives me crazy, though: I don't mind a bad story half as much as I mind undeserved positive reviews for a bad story. You can't grow as a writer, then. It's pretty pointless.
Maybe they just don't mind the difference. They're more tolerant...
If these, uh, sunshine blowers--great name, actually, mars--were to ever look back on their reviews a few years later, then I think that they would probably cringe. I know some already do. I have to believe that everyone learns and grows enough to at least see something for what it is eventually, even if they didn't at first. Please, don't crush my hope.
Cheers!
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Post by queenjaneapprxmtly on Jul 9, 2007 22:10:40 GMT -5
That is a great name for them.
I see that all of the time, and it's rather sickening. It's like, half the people over there do not recognize good writing from bad writing. Some of them just leave the same type of review on bad stories that they do on good stories.
As for the original authors, I don't think they can tell. Obviously, or they wouldn't keep on writing it. Even when they get nasty reviews -- like from that Flame Rising person, for example; I have to admit, he/she does go a bit overboard, they're very rude -- they just keep writing the story as if nothing was ever wrong.
It's frustrating, really. Sometimes I just wish people could delete the really terrible eyesore stories ... but then ninety percent of the fandom would be gone. Lol. :)
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Post by Tensleep on Jul 9, 2007 22:15:49 GMT -5
Sunshine blowers...hehe, awesome name!
I was asked to review a story once. It was the one moment I let myself be a sunshine blower. I made it three chapters and just finally said they were on their own and it was a horribly plagiarized, over done, poorly written story. Man, the author must have thought I had a complete 180 mood-swing or something.
But I get what you mean. A lot of the writers are so built up on their comments from other teenyficcers that they really think they're doing just fine. My constructive criticism wasn't accepted once and I was accused of "smashing dwn rsing strs." This author went on to say I was threatened by them and their amazing talent. I just kind of shook my head and went "Yeah, the next S.E Hinton, Tom Clancy or Steven King right there...."
I seriously hope I was not like that once upon a time. If I was, then I'd hope someone was kind enough to kick me in the butt and tell me to get my head out of my - and yes, here comes a swear word - ass.
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Post by fairlane on Jul 9, 2007 22:27:48 GMT -5
Good questions...
I've seen some make the point - usually in response to an actual constructive review - "buts it's only fanfiction, who cares if it's not perfect!" so in that case, they know there's problems but don't care. You can't do much against a mindset like that.
Or maybe, they don't know how to be constructive. It's easy to say "I love it" but harder to say, "this is good, this could be improved by... Dally is out of character because..."
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Post by queenjaneapprxmtly on Jul 9, 2007 23:15:27 GMT -5
If they're only writing it for themselves, then why even bother posting it at all? I don't get that ... o.O
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Post by fosterchild on Jul 9, 2007 23:19:46 GMT -5
mars, when they read a really good story their heads explode!  LOL |
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Post by fairlane on Jul 10, 2007 3:02:53 GMT -5
"smashing down rising stars" thats great lol. I don't know why some writers find it so offensive that someone has actually taken the time to read their story and offer an honest opinion and constructive advice. Isn't that what the site is all about?
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Post by zevie on Jul 10, 2007 22:46:14 GMT -5
I used to do that, lol. It was a LONG TIME AGO, when there were maybe two pages of fics and most of it was at least decent. I think the logic behind doing it (for me) was just to say something encouraging about every fic. I didn't gush though, unless it deserved it. I swear! ... Anyway. It makes you feel good to be nice, lol, so, I think the sunshine people are just the counterpart to the irrational flammers. Instead of making yourself feel better about your writing by crushing decent writing, you make yourself feel better by being gracious to bad writing (and then feeling superior about it). I don't think it's bad to try and be encouraging, but I agree that the sunshine guys are probably just bad reviewers. They just go about it the wrong way, I think. Excess praise always irks me too, lol - especially undeserved. It makes things worse for everything, especially the writer.
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Post by BlindedxxFalcon on Jul 12, 2007 21:32:17 GMT -5
Sunshine Blowers...lol.
Most sunshine blowers, as you put it are bad writers themselves. I am, fortunatly, not a sunshine blower.
Sunshine blowers, in my option, are on so rarely they only read the bad writing, without meaning to, I guess. Maybe they're not meaning to be sunshine blowers. Maybe it IS one of the best fics they read because they haven't read many.
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Post by Nittanylizard on Jul 13, 2007 7:38:16 GMT -5
Maybe they're not meaning to be sunshine blowers. Maybe it IS one of the best fics they read because they haven't read many. That's a really good point. And great name, mars, haha. Maybe they tend to be more forgiving if they know that their own writing skills (grammar, spelling) aren't too good, so if they can relate to the premise of the story in some way, everything's good. Knowing that it's "just a fanfic" probably puts it in a different light, so they don't get picky. If these same people picked up a novel that was written in netspeak with poor spelling, worse grammar, and oddball formatting, they'd probably be thinking, "What the...?" because they would expect a published author to know what they're doing. Oh, and another possibility - if the aren't confident about their own writing, and are posting stories, they might not feel justified in giving suggestions to somebody else. Or, they might just not even realize that certain things are considered mistakes. I have to say, a year ago there were things I did in my writing that I now realize were not good writing practices. Naturally, I didn't pick up on those things in anybody else's writing, either, and when somebody would come along who could be a more critical reviewer, they would sometimes accuse everybody before them who liked the story of being gushing rather than truthful. Used to p*** me off, because the insinuation (or actual accusation, a couple of times) was that I was ignoring errors to be gratious to a writer so I would get good reviews for my own stories. So I figure maybe this is what happens at all levels - less experienced readers/writers like a certain premise, but rather than looking past the cliches and errors, they simply aren't aware of them. I sometimes read through the stories with a lot of those reviews, just trying to pinpoint what it was that drew the readers in. Kind of like movies that get horrible reviews, but do great in theatres. Because if I can pick out what the readers are enjoying, I can improve my YA plot ideas as the mechanics of my writing improve. |
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Post by zevie on Jul 13, 2007 11:53:06 GMT -5
You know, I hate to sound like an MS supporter, but, honestly... if there are people out there that love it that much, like, really, than maybe they might just have a kinda place. Whoa, that was hard to get out. How many useless words slowed down that sentence?
Liz, what you said about the movies that do badly in reviews and great in theatres really got me thinking (for a change). It's not like I'm suddenly a full on MS supporter - at this stage, it'd be really boring to go and read something like that, lol. I was un-sleeping last night (thank you, jet lag) and MS stories started to look like McDonald's french fries (the Taint, lol... Coupland has infiltrated my subconscious). You know, when you first start eating that kinda crap it's the best food in the world. But, most of the time, for anyone who's had the really *good* kinda fry, the Mickey D's kinda make you sick. (Except for that one day, every four years or so, when life goes down the crapper and you pass a golden arches and think "well, fudge it" and get the fries and then you feel sick for days, but for those three minutes it's not bad.) I've gone off topic. Time for lunch.
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Post by fairlane on Jul 13, 2007 21:40:27 GMT -5
Maybe all the reader of these stories want to read is the actual romance bits, so anything in the way of character development, sub plots or backstory, is seen as unnecesary and boring. In that case they are going to enjoy a story that just jumps straight into the featured romance and focuses solely on that. And somehow overlook or don't mind all the other problems.
...but I don't know what there is to enjoy about a romance between two flat character.
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latch22
Up To No Good
Anybody got a pitchfork?
Posts: 206
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Post by latch22 on Jul 13, 2007 22:45:58 GMT -5
Maybe these sunshine blowers can better relate to a ubiquitous, easily replaceable character. It's easier to place themselves in their desired role and snag the greaser of their choice as opposed to following along with a unique character that they can't see themselves in. Mary-Sue is just a mannequin onto which they can project their own fantasies, because the stories have no real substance to set them apart... I think that I mixed a few metaphors there. Oh, well.
I hope I made a point somewhere...
Cheers!
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Post by zevie on Jul 13, 2007 22:52:56 GMT -5
Sounds like porn. Can I say that here? Oh, well. Porn.
I stick by my french fry theory... but, essentially, I agree, lol. A filter would really solve the problem - if you want them, turn it off, if you don't, turn it on.
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LOL
