And... again

[potentiality_26]

I really don't want to just make a string of posts ranting about people on AO3, but hey, it's my journal and it makes me feel better so I'm gonna do it anyway.  I am putting it under a cut, though, because I'm oversensitive and talking myself into a corner and seriously no one should read this.



I really don't know what do with this comment I just got.

It's very polite; the commenter talks about the things they liked in the story and then says as an aside that x didn't really work for them- and like, I get that that is the generally accepted positive way of giving feedback.  I get that as far as critical comments to go it's the best kind to get and that this person in no way said it to be mean, but... I just don't know what to do with it.  Obviously their objection is not my objection or I wouldn't have written it like I did.  Sure, I understand where they're coming from.  It's a question of interpretation, fine- but as nice as they were about it, I just don't get what this person thought they were achieving.  Am I meant to see the light because of their remarks and rewrite the whole thing?  Because other than that I just don't know what they mentioned it for.  To me, concrit isn't concrit unless it's something that you think the writer can and will change.  If it's a fundamental part of the story, I don't see what good mentioning that it didn't work for you personally could possibly do.  I would never tell a writer something like that, and I've disagreed with parts of plenty of fics, believe me.  

But like, I get that there's another school of thought.  I know that there are people out there who have no problem with someone saying they didn't agree with something in their story and are down for a debate.  I'm just not one of those people.  I take criticism pretty badly, which is why I don't ask for it.  And I get that putting yourself out there leaves you open to this kind of thing, and whenever it happens I always question why I bother and it becomes a whole thing.  I really wish it didn't, I really wish I had a thicker skin, because obviously this reviewer wasn't rubbing their hands together thinking, "Maybe this author will decide to never write fanfiction again."

I'm probably not going to never write fanfiction again, obviously, but I'm still not in a very good place right at this moment- and again, I have no idea what to say.  Having an odd number of comments is going to bug the hell out of me, so I have to say something, I'm just not sure what.

Should I just thank them and leave it at that?  Should I say that I see where they're coming from but that I don't really agree?  That seems like the best reply but they have to know that already.  It's 18,000 words.  You'd think they know I thought about it.

I'm just too frustrated to come up with a proper reply, because again they were nice for the most part and I don't want to take their head off.

But right now, I really do.


*sigh*

I just don't know.
  

Comments

[daria234.livejournal.com]

That's annoying. I usually just say thanks and ignore it, but it seems like this bothers you a lot, so if you'd feel better you could say something like "Thanks. I'm done with this story, and I'm happy with it, so I'm not looking to make any changes to the story, but I'm happy you liked it for the most part." ?? IDK

[potentiality-26.livejournal.com]

It does bother me, but I'm still deciding if it's worth drawing attention to. Something like this might work though, so thank you for the advice :)

I think I'll sleep on it and see how I feel tomorrow.

[frozen_delight]

*hugs*

I'm sorry to hear that this comment bothers you so much. Quite recently I also had a comment which was nice and polite, but essentially what I gained from it was that my reader actually wanted me to write a different fic entirely - and it seems like in your case it was quite similar, because the commenter objected to something so fundamental. If I were you, I'd just thank them and leave it at that.

[potentiality-26.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that! I don't understand why anyone would leave a comment like that. In my case, I think it was more that they wanted the story to focus more on something else. The way they phrased it made it sound like a small change, but it actually would have impacted how the story unfolded in a big way so... yeah.

That's what I intend to do, but I needed a moment to boggle about it.

*hugs*

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've had those - I even had one with 'this is well written, but I'm afraid I can't accept this pairing, sorry' which just made me go oookay... why did you read it? I just said thank you for the writing comment and ignored the rest *g*

I would probably be like, "Well, it's fair enough that you didn't like X, but I'm glad you liked the rest of it, thanks!". Which is not apologising for it or changing your opinion, just acknowledging theirs. Of course, that may be far too polite for your mood...

I do agree that it's the sort of comment I would (hopefully) never leave, because what is the person meant to DO about it, but I guess some people just need/want to put their two cents in.

[potentiality-26.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's definitely a case of "Er... why did you read it then?" It's like there some people go out of their way to read stuff that they don't like.

I took some time away from the issue and I definitely feel better now, so I think I will say something to that effect.

It's the kind of point of that I wouldn't object to in a writer's workshop or something, because then I'd either go back and rework it or say, "Hey, I like it how it is, but I'll keep in mind that some people wouldn't agree." But fanfiction isn't a writer's workshop. It's something people do for fun and it doesn't have to be a learning experience.

[fredbassett]

Some people really are a pain in the arse!

I'm not surprised you;re upset. It's a pointless and annoying comment.

I think the suggestions above are good ones. *hugs*

[potentiality-26.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just don't get some people.

*hugs*

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I'D want to take their head off. Why are you reading a pairing that you think doesn't work?! The feedback on the rest of it is nice enough, but I'm not going to stop pairing up people I think work, because you disagree. I don't want to HEAR how/why you disagree, because I'm not stupid enough to read something I'm not keen on. Makes no sense. UGH.

But that's what I'd say. Shit like this makes me mad. Most 'concrit' out there nowadays is just stupid nitpicking and asshattery. My mother taught me - if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your trap shut. Good advice. Especially for Internet Land.

*HUGS*

[potentiality-26.livejournal.com]

It's the best advice for Internet Land! When you come across something that you don't agree with, you feel the need to share your Opinion. I get that. But it really isn't difficult to take a moment and then not do that.

I just don't get some people.

*hugs*