This is pretty much an annual discussion, but I'm curious all over again. Give me your opinions!
Without wanting to be a big wanker, I'm going to go ahead and say that this line of thought was prompted by a story I read on an exchange which I thought had an absolutely brilliant premise and was poorly executed. It disappointed me. I loved the plot idea and I loved some things about where the author went with it, but I was wholly disappointed by how it was actually done. The plot points worked better than the characters' motivations, too. The people and their decisions did not make sense to me. It was weak, and no matter how cool a setting is, if the people don't work for me, nothing does. So I wondered about leaving a comment, and if I did, what I should say.
On the one hand, the fic wasn't written for me (I have posted about how intensely I did love the one that was!!) and I almost figure my opinion is irrelevant. On the same hand, it's the holidays and regardless of how well it came off, someone spent a lot of time and hard work on a story for someone, and is it really my place to come raining all over their parade? One the other hand, it was still posted in public, not emailed directly to the recipient, and obviously getting comments from readers other than the recipient is also a big part of an exchange like this. So I ask you: what do you do? Comment as excessively as you wish!
Poll #1500914
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 196
Without wanting to be a big wanker, I'm going to go ahead and say that this line of thought was prompted by a story I read on an exchange which I thought had an absolutely brilliant premise and was poorly executed. It disappointed me. I loved the plot idea and I loved some things about where the author went with it, but I was wholly disappointed by how it was actually done. The plot points worked better than the characters' motivations, too. The people and their decisions did not make sense to me. It was weak, and no matter how cool a setting is, if the people don't work for me, nothing does. So I wondered about leaving a comment, and if I did, what I should say.
On the one hand, the fic wasn't written for me (I have posted about how intensely I did love the one that was!!) and I almost figure my opinion is irrelevant. On the same hand, it's the holidays and regardless of how well it came off, someone spent a lot of time and hard work on a story for someone, and is it really my place to come raining all over their parade? One the other hand, it was still posted in public, not emailed directly to the recipient, and obviously getting comments from readers other than the recipient is also a big part of an exchange like this. So I ask you: what do you do? Comment as excessively as you wish!
Poll #1500914
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 196
When you discover you've just read a fic in an exchange that you didn't particularly like, you:
View Answers
Say nothing; it's tacky to leave concrit (or flames) for someone else's gift
123 (62.8%)
Leave concrit but be gentle 43 (21.9%)
Say nothing but review the fic negatively elsewhere 14 (7.1%)
Flame away, baby 0 (0.0%)
Something else (I will comment) 16 (8.2%)
If you decide to leave concrit, you leave it on the following bases:
View Answers
Something in the story did not fit the author's request or deliberately ignored a squick/non-preference 36 (35.0%)
You did not agree with the characterizations 35 (34.0%)
Bad spelling/punctuation/grammar 61 (59.2%)
Bad writing in general/poor plot/etc. 33 (32.0%)
Something else (I will comment) 18 (17.5%)
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