
Re: Dearth of any good fic
Deac Blue wrote:
I've done what I felt that I could, adding my own fic, trying to review in a comprehensive manner what I could, asking for and thanking for reviews of my work, participating in and trying to begin projects that raise everyone's awareness of characterization, voice and plot. I am far less than perfect, but I've tried.
It’s funny, you indicate a desire to help, but let me break this down in a way you should be able to understand.
complain (verb) to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault: He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.1. "Dearth of any good fic."
2. "Why is there so little good fic on here and IKOLY2 these days?"
3. "The amount of people that review on these sites is extremely low, and those that offer constructive criticism is even lower, so I've put my really active fics on sites where that's not true."
4. "Because in looking at the current nominees for the spring awards, I can't in good conscience vote for any of them."
5. "Then again, perhaps the multiple weeks without any posting has led people to believe that anything they submitted would win."
(This is at best inflammatory to the entrants of the contest. I'd consider it a personal attack were one of those pieces mine.)
6. "All right, first question. What do I consider good? A reasonably tightly written story mechanically, with a plot not completely full of holes, that allows me to suspend disbelief as I am reading it, and that doesn't warp these wonderful characters that we all care about beyond belief. This is not a hard target to reach, but it does require effort."
(Saying that every contest entry is devoid of these qualities qualifies as a complaint. You can’t couch that.)
7. "I didn't think they were good enough to win an award. Since that isn't arguable, and not what my question was about, I didn't support the comment."
excuse (noun) an explanation offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or for release from an obligation, promise, etc.: His excuse for being late was unacceptable.1. "I'm trying to find work and a place to sleep at night."
2. "Should I miss one or more, please understand that I'm writing on a palmtop with little ability to review, and cut me some slack."
3. "As to why I didn't put an entry in, the primary reason was that I wasn't aware of the closing date of the contest, or the contest itself for a long while. Plus I'm working on three separate 20000+(medium, I know) word fics(which, btw are all B/W at their core), while also doing work on an original novel, while also trying to become not homeless. I'm sorry that I missed the date. I will remind you that I've submitted work for the last two contests."
(You had three months. Not being able to find one day in ninety to toss together one-thousand words is just bad.)
4. "As to the "you suck" statement, while that may have been the gist of the statement, it wasn't the base of what I was trying to say."
5. "I didn't review the contest entries because I felt that others should make their decisions before hearing what I had to say."
(Yet you felt it was acceptable to leave a post requesting a fourth option 'none of the above'? Yes, I deleted your post. It offered nothing of value to the thread.)
help (verb) to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist: He planned to help me with my work. Let me help you with those packages. 1. "Constructive criticism. When I read a fic that strikes me in any way, I leave criticism. Lots of it. When I get criticism that is more than general, I thank the reviewer."
2. "If you wish, I don't mind doing it."
I’ll take a global pass.
I’d rather have
no reviews ever again then
one from you.
Period.
If you'd like to hear why, push a fourth time. I'll be happy to detail how altruistic you aren't. That might be the face you wish you could wear, but the one we see is very different.
What’s left...1. "My question was, and remains, what can we do to have writers of quality in this particular 'ship."
Not complaining about one of the few things we’re trying to actively do to increase interest might be a good start.
Val