I'm most certainly a fool

[wiseheart]

Got a very bad review on FF.Net for "Out of Legends" - which happens, I see other good stories get even worse. So, why do I let such things get to me so much?

Two reasons. Firstly, because I put a great deal of work, research and love into my stories, and it simply hurts. I can't help it. Secondly, because while I do have some excellently positive reviews for the story, compared to the over twenty thousand hits, very few people actually take the time to give feedback.

Why is it that people find it so hard to say something positive but can't withstand the urge to smite an author down when the story doesn't go the way they expect it to do?

Comments

[cirdan-havens.livejournal.com]

They assume we must know it's good or we wouldn't post it. -_- Or don't gush because they don't know us anyway. It's a thankless life of a fanfic writer. *sigh* *shakes head*

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

You know what irritates me most? The fact that stories written out of boredom with no effort and niveau at all are rarely attacked like that. There seems to be a certain sort of reader that just doesn't have the patience for subtlety and world-building, and that needs to say bad things about stories that contain these things.

I mean, why start to read a really long story if someone doesn't have the patience for details? Anything beyond a hundred thousand words *ought* to contain a great deal of description and background building - or is it just verbose crap, IMO.

Still, if I read something I don't like, I won't start insulting the author. There's such thing as the BAck button, right?

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

IMHO, the raving over drivel reflects the lack of critical thinking skills on the part of the readers.

I speculate that the readiness to pounce on anything that isn't exactly what the reader wants reflects immaturity, coupled with the instant-gratification consumer culture (I want what I want exactly the way I want it) and reinforced by the Web, where every odd whim or fancy can be indulged. Add to that the tendency toward bad manners that Net anonymity seems to bring out in some folks, and we have inexcusable nastiness. I'm sorry you were the target. As you say, why don't they just hit the Back button... [hugs]

[mistry89.livejournal.com]

I don't understand it either, and I'm sorry that someone has so much frustration with their own life that they took it out on you (and probably other drivers on their roads, and the lady at the supermarket, and the children crossing the street ...).
We all make assumptions that if we have no complaints, we say nothing, I suppose. And in the age of "squeaky wheel gets the grease" it is the naysayers and bad-mouthers that stick in the memory.
Cheers!

[artemis10002000]

*hug* I don't really know how to comfort you, either. It's easy saying "don't let it affect you", but it's harder to do it. I read a book "Affentheater" about psychology of primates. There it said that all primates have the need to share their bad mood. If the lead monkey wants to annoy someone, he bites and chases from his branch the second-highest monkey - just for fun, he doesn't really wants to sit there. So the second-highest monkey is angry and bites the third-highest monkey. And so on and so on... Only the poor lowest-ranking monkey doesn't get to chase anyone away and so he's sad and his stress level raises. According to the psychologist, this is supposed to help us understand people being mean. It's truly not us, it's them.

So, what I mean to say with this *grins* Your reviewer was probably getting in touch with his monkey heritage. Or in human terms, he/she is a bitter person who only takes joy in making other people feel bad because they're too cowardly to vent their anger on people in real life.

And since I'm in doubt whether this makes you feel better, here is my rhade icon to cheer you up a little bit :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yay! Rhade! It certainly does make me feel better. *ogles Niet hottness happily*

I'm looking forward to the day when you'll have enough time to read the last two chapters and I can discuss future possibilities with you. Some of the FF.Net reviewers (the positive ones) have made interesting suggestions that we might want to consider.

I very much feel like the lowest-ranking monkey most of the time. I guess it comes from not being aggressive enough or having had a certain degree of Kinderstube where I was taught to behave in a civilized manner.

[artemis10002000]

I'm glad I could make you feel better *smile*

Yeah, I promised myself I'll read these last two chapters as soon as possible. I thought I could do it over the Easter weekend, but I didn't have the time. Well, I probably could have found a bit of time, but only when I was in a hurry or very tired and I want to enjoy these chapters, not read them in a rush.

[crowdaughter.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear! I've read that review. Why, he did not even say why he found the story crappy or boring, or what it was that did not work for him. Not exactly helpful. I'm sorry you had to put up with such a crappy comment, and I thought your reply short and to the point.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I didn't want to start a flame war on my own review board. I guess he simply hoped for a different story and was disappointed not to get what he envisioned. Why he couldn't simply hit the Back button is beyond me, but I guess one needs a certain degree of maturity to leave without kicking the host in the belly first.

[crowdaughter.livejournal.com]

but I guess one needs a certain degree of maturity to leave without kicking the host in the belly first.

Well, there are occasions when I do that, too - tell the author exactly that, and why, I have been greatly disappointed by their fic. But those occasions mostly touch either on issues of characterization, canon issues, or occasions when I feel the author has broken the contract with me, the reader by failing to deliver what he or she promised tio deliver. For example, if a story starts out as drama and suddenly turns into a blatant Sue, or if the author says nothing of an AU, and suddenly the story becomes blatantly AU, and when you ask about that you get: "Oh, this is a no-ring-AU, I thought you would get that by yourself" (in which case you can see spout me froth at the mouth.) ;)

Or if it turns out to be a death fic without any previous warning. Or the other way round: the author promises slash, or a certain pairing, but the pairing (or the slash) never occurs.

But in these cases, I tell the author in question why exactly I felt was wrong, and why I felt disapp0ointed. And most of the times it has something to do with a specific plot point of the author. If the fic just does not is my cup of tea, I am most likely to leave quietly, without saying "this was crap and I was bored to tears, just so ya now!!!101!" Weird.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, I for my part never left a negative review in my life. If the story disappoints me, or I find something in it I dislike, I simply leave. My time is too precious for me to waste it for such things. If I like the story a great deal but find a factual error in it, I usually write the author privately, so that they can correct it if they want, but that's all.