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have been thinking about fanfic reviews lately. i don't read communities like ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fanficrants or ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ffrantrants regularly, but i do check them out from time to time and last month there were a lot of posts regarding reader feedback - what counts as common courtesy, whether or not people ought to comment on fics they add to favorites, if generic "I enjoyed this!" comments count as actual reviews, etc, etc.
I don't write a lot of fanfic reviews. My current signed review count at ff.net stands at 39; I know I've reviewed a few fics when not signed in, and there are a few fics that I've commented on through LJ or some other non-ff.net site. Still, even counting those, I don't think I've written more than 50 comments/reviews for other people's fic since i got involved in fandom, and that was back in...2001 or thereabouts. A pretty poor read-to-review ratio, to be sure.
There are a few reasons for this. The simplest explanation is that (POTENTIAL TMI ALERT) I have mental disorders - hyperlexia and high-functioning autism - that, among other things, make it difficult to a) compose my thoughts in a timely manner, and b) contact someone I don't know without becoming highly agitated - even if that contact is limited to merely leaving a bland comment that, in all likelihood, won't be answered with much more than an equally bland 'thank you.' I have gotten much better at dealing with these issues in recent years, but they still exist, and often I just can't bring myself to deal with them when it comes to fanfic - which is a form of escapism for me, as it is for many people.
Another reason I don't leave reviews that often is the difference between the reviews I'd like to leave and the reviews I actually have the time to write.
Most people, I think, have a sort of 'ideal review' they'd like to receive - a review that is not just praise or a desire to see more, but also points out the parts of the fic that worked, and what did not, how various scenes made the reader react, and, if applicable, a gentle pointing out of various errors. I try, as much as possible, to leave this kind of review - if someone's fic has left a strong impression on me, I think the author deserves a thoughtful, articulate review.
Unfortunately, leaving reviews like this take a great deal of time and effort. It requires a reader to really look at what they've read and consider the actual construction of said reading, in order to identify how and why they have reacted in the way they have. It requires a reader to think hard about how to express him/herself, so that his/her review is as understandable as possible. This is time-consuming and can be difficult for anyone. So, instead of leaving the review I'd like to (which would take time I don't always have, and effort I don't always want to exert) I end up leaving nothing at all.
Also, the 'ideal review' as defined above is, well, my idea of the perfect review. It is not the ideal review for every fic writer. (Although, I would think many fic writers do want that kind of review.) People write fic for all sorts of reasons, and not everyone is writing fic with the intent or desire to become a 'better writer,' per se - they may be writing simply because they see it as a fun way to participate in fandom, and treat fic writing more like a...fan communication vehicle - or maybe they are writing original work and are receiving much more sophisticated critique from others, and are not interested in critique on writing that they do for personal pleasure. In these cases - and I've seen both them, though they aren't especially common - leaving an in-depth review would not be welcome. Perhaps the author's reaction shouldn't influence whether or not I should leave a review, but it does. If I suspect an author isn't interested in certain kinds of reviews or reader observations, then I won't leave one.
Still, I do think I should try to leave some sort of comment on fics more often. Even if it's just a "Thanks for writing, I really enjoyed this," and not the in-depth critique many fic authors claim to hunger for...these 'yay!' comments can't be unwelcome by the vast majority of writers.
So. I guess I should get to leaving happy comments everywhere~
(slightly related - am I the only one who actually prefers a favorite, with no accompanying comment, to a generic 'thanks!' comment on ff.net? i have seen this rant pop up multiple times and it baffles me still.)
fanficrants or ffrantrants regularly, but i do check them out from time to time and last month there were a lot of posts regarding reader feedback - what counts as common courtesy, whether or not people ought to comment on fics they add to favorites, if generic "I enjoyed this!" comments count as actual reviews, etc, etc.I don't write a lot of fanfic reviews. My current signed review count at ff.net stands at 39; I know I've reviewed a few fics when not signed in, and there are a few fics that I've commented on through LJ or some other non-ff.net site. Still, even counting those, I don't think I've written more than 50 comments/reviews for other people's fic since i got involved in fandom, and that was back in...2001 or thereabouts. A pretty poor read-to-review ratio, to be sure.
There are a few reasons for this. The simplest explanation is that (POTENTIAL TMI ALERT) I have mental disorders - hyperlexia and high-functioning autism - that, among other things, make it difficult to a) compose my thoughts in a timely manner, and b) contact someone I don't know without becoming highly agitated - even if that contact is limited to merely leaving a bland comment that, in all likelihood, won't be answered with much more than an equally bland 'thank you.' I have gotten much better at dealing with these issues in recent years, but they still exist, and often I just can't bring myself to deal with them when it comes to fanfic - which is a form of escapism for me, as it is for many people.
Another reason I don't leave reviews that often is the difference between the reviews I'd like to leave and the reviews I actually have the time to write.
Most people, I think, have a sort of 'ideal review' they'd like to receive - a review that is not just praise or a desire to see more, but also points out the parts of the fic that worked, and what did not, how various scenes made the reader react, and, if applicable, a gentle pointing out of various errors. I try, as much as possible, to leave this kind of review - if someone's fic has left a strong impression on me, I think the author deserves a thoughtful, articulate review.
Unfortunately, leaving reviews like this take a great deal of time and effort. It requires a reader to really look at what they've read and consider the actual construction of said reading, in order to identify how and why they have reacted in the way they have. It requires a reader to think hard about how to express him/herself, so that his/her review is as understandable as possible. This is time-consuming and can be difficult for anyone. So, instead of leaving the review I'd like to (which would take time I don't always have, and effort I don't always want to exert) I end up leaving nothing at all.
Also, the 'ideal review' as defined above is, well, my idea of the perfect review. It is not the ideal review for every fic writer. (Although, I would think many fic writers do want that kind of review.) People write fic for all sorts of reasons, and not everyone is writing fic with the intent or desire to become a 'better writer,' per se - they may be writing simply because they see it as a fun way to participate in fandom, and treat fic writing more like a...fan communication vehicle - or maybe they are writing original work and are receiving much more sophisticated critique from others, and are not interested in critique on writing that they do for personal pleasure. In these cases - and I've seen both them, though they aren't especially common - leaving an in-depth review would not be welcome. Perhaps the author's reaction shouldn't influence whether or not I should leave a review, but it does. If I suspect an author isn't interested in certain kinds of reviews or reader observations, then I won't leave one.
Still, I do think I should try to leave some sort of comment on fics more often. Even if it's just a "Thanks for writing, I really enjoyed this," and not the in-depth critique many fic authors claim to hunger for...these 'yay!' comments can't be unwelcome by the vast majority of writers.
So. I guess I should get to leaving happy comments everywhere~
(slightly related - am I the only one who actually prefers a favorite, with no accompanying comment, to a generic 'thanks!' comment on ff.net? i have seen this rant pop up multiple times and it baffles me still.)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-12-01 11:06 pm (UTC)From:I personally like any kind of review (unless you know, it's a flame or something) and favourites. I agree with the favourite and no comment over the generic comment though. I mean, if somebody favourites something, then you kind of know they like it, even if there's no comment, or else they wouldn't have added it to their favourites.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-03 09:51 pm (UTC)From:Yeah, it's pretty much impossible to read anything but 'hey, somebody liked this!' when a story gets faved. Comments, though, especially short ones, can sometimes be really weird and i can't always tell what a person is trying to say. i don't mind those kinds of comments much, but if i could choose between 'weird cryptic comment or favorite, no comment,' i'd go with the silent favorite every time.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-01 11:21 pm (UTC)From:I'm a terrible reviewer, mostly because of an overwhelming shyness and self-consciousness—I want to leave that perfect review, too, but it's so easy to put off when you're a shy perfectionist type, until finally you end up not doing it at all.
I think if you have that mentality, it's a lot harder to get all huffy if someone favorites one of your fics instead of leaving a comment, and a lot easier to just be grateful that they liked your work. It's a far greater endorsement to have someone place your fic on a visible list of favorites (with the potential for others to click over) than for them to toss out a quick one-word review. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for both, but the favorites are always a big deal.
The ranters at
no subject
Date: 2009-12-03 10:02 pm (UTC)From:exactly! personally, when it comes to finding fic on FF.net these days, i use people's favorites list way, way more than looking through fic reviews. Especially since in the vast majority of cases, the more reviews a fic has, the worse it is.
...the next time the review rant rolls around, i should mention this. i'm like, 99% certain people crying for reviews are doing it because they think it gets them more readers, and don't consider the fact that they may just turn readers away. :p
no subject
Date: 2009-12-02 06:22 am (UTC)From:I don't aim for the perfect review, just one that gives proof that I read your story, I like/dislike it, etc, but favorites really can be accomplished with a click. I guess that makes it sound like I like reviews more, but then 98% of all reviews sorta comes from a can. But then there's the idea that you want to reward someone for writing a great story. Writing a review takes no where near the time as an actual story, it's more like a thank you than anything.
For multi-chapter stories I tend to leave reviews if I think the story's going somewhere---I think it's better than a mere favorite. I guess you can say that it's better to leave comments on the progression of the story? I don't often leave reviews in one-shots, I think it's because I feel the author thinks it's complete, so they must be happy enough with what they have right? *hides*
In case I've went off on a tangent again, the bottom line is, I'd like both, but reviews are only better if they do more the favorite button.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-03 11:31 pm (UTC)From:reviews are only better if they do more the favorite button.
YES. i wish the 'omg, I want REVIEWS with mah favorites, raaaaawr!' crowd thought like this - there's really no difference between 'i liked your fic, thanks!' and getting a favorite. so why demand both?