You're right - the brouhaha about criticizing gift fics was in the HP fandom. I'm not exactly sure when it started, but a few years ago the very first comment made on an excellent gift fic was filled with criticisms. Then there was what I can only describe as 'dog piling' because the majority of the next five or six comments also were critical. And this was truly a good fic. And because it was a gift fic and anonymous, the author couldn't even show up to defend her choices. Posts were made about criticizing gift fics and I think a fandom consensus was reached that it shouldn't be done.
In the hd_worldcup, the opposite fandom consensus was reached. Despite the anonymity of the authors, because it was a competition - critiques were considered to be fine. (As long as they were critiques and not flames.)
Many people ask for critiques. Many people like them. Some love them. Personally, the critiques I prefer are from my betas, who can tell me anything about the fic and that's fine because I'm asking them for advice in order to improve my writing.
If someone e-mailed me a thoughtful critique, telling me things that they've noticed I did that detracted from a story or things I neglected to do that were sorely missed - in other words, something that would actually help improve my writing ability, which as you've said should be the point of critiques, then that would be appreciated.
Unfortunately, the criticisms I've received tend to be opinion based (my version of the characters don't fit their version of the characters), a dislike of part of the plot, (it made them sad, etc. so it shouldn't have happened), or agenda based (they hate a character so why did I write that character as likable or why did I write that 'ship when I should really be writing the 'ship the commenter likes.) In other words, what I've received aren't true critiques, like you've said you write. Consequently, unlike a true critique, they won't help me improve my writing. Is it any wonder that I prefer not to receive them?
And if it ever got to the point where people felt entitled to post criticisms of my stories simply because they were posted publicly on my journal, all of my stories would end up being friends locked or extremely tightly filtered. This isn't a writing class for me. This is just me writing.
But, as I said, a lot of people welcome criticisms of their stories. I'm sure those people appreciate all of your critiques, especially as truly thoughtful and insightful comments are fairly rare.
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2008-12-21 06:45 pm (UTC)In the hd_worldcup, the opposite fandom consensus was reached. Despite the anonymity of the authors, because it was a competition - critiques were considered to be fine. (As long as they were critiques and not flames.)
Many people ask for critiques. Many people like them. Some love them. Personally, the critiques I prefer are from my betas, who can tell me anything about the fic and that's fine because I'm asking them for advice in order to improve my writing.
If someone e-mailed me a thoughtful critique, telling me things that they've noticed I did that detracted from a story or things I neglected to do that were sorely missed - in other words, something that would actually help improve my writing ability, which as you've said should be the point of critiques, then that would be appreciated.
Unfortunately, the criticisms I've received tend to be opinion based (my version of the characters don't fit their version of the characters), a dislike of part of the plot, (it made them sad, etc. so it shouldn't have happened), or agenda based (they hate a character so why did I write that character as likable or why did I write that 'ship when I should really be writing the 'ship the commenter likes.) In other words, what I've received aren't true critiques, like you've said you write. Consequently, unlike a true critique, they won't help me improve my writing. Is it any wonder that I prefer not to receive them?
And if it ever got to the point where people felt entitled to post criticisms of my stories simply because they were posted publicly on my journal, all of my stories would end up being friends locked or extremely tightly filtered. This isn't a writing class for me. This is just me writing.
But, as I said, a lot of people welcome criticisms of their stories. I'm sure those people appreciate all of your critiques, especially as truly thoughtful and insightful comments are fairly rare.