Yeah, I get very uncomfortable when I see harsh reviews on stories, because most people don't really know who the author is. (Now, I say this only having read the reviews, not the story itself, which may be snotty in and of itself.)
Remember, ffdn is for people as young as 13. *13.* Seriously, do 13-year-olds venturing into writing for the first time need to be told they're hacks? Gentle corrections, perhaps sandwiched in between praises of what the writer does right would be much better. (Just like a lie is more convincing between two truths, a criticism is more palatable between two praises.)
I have two 14-year-old daughters who write. One is a brilliant writer who writes well beyond her years. The other is, well, a 14-year-old girl who likes to write stories about her favorite couple on her favorite TV show. When she first told me she was writing fic, I got all excited and told her she should get an ffdn account and post her stories. She said, no, she's just writing for herself. She doesn't even want me to read them (and yeah, I know most kids don't want their moms to read their stuff, but I write fics about cartoons and she knows it, so it's not like she's going to get judgment from me about the whole fanfic thing.
But anyway, I let it drop when she said she didn't want to share, and the more I think about it, the more I kinda hope she doesn't post on ffdn, because she is not a skilled writer, her spelling and grammar is atrocious, and I can just see her getting slammed with ugly reviews. And who needs that, really? She's not doing this to become a great writer. She doesn't want to hone her skills, like her sister does. And you know what? That's OK. She can write her stories for her own fun and she doesn't ever have to be really good at it if that's not her bag.
But it's so easy to imagine in fandom that writers are all adults and put adult expectations on their work. I guess if you put something out there, you have to expect criticism, but I still just think it's wrong to be nasty about it.
no subject
Yeah, I get very uncomfortable when I see harsh reviews on stories, because most people don't really know who the author is. (Now, I say this only having read the reviews, not the story itself, which may be snotty in and of itself.)
Remember, ffdn is for people as young as 13. *13.* Seriously, do 13-year-olds venturing into writing for the first time need to be told they're hacks? Gentle corrections, perhaps sandwiched in between praises of what the writer does right would be much better. (Just like a lie is more convincing between two truths, a criticism is more palatable between two praises.)
I have two 14-year-old daughters who write. One is a brilliant writer who writes well beyond her years. The other is, well, a 14-year-old girl who likes to write stories about her favorite couple on her favorite TV show. When she first told me she was writing fic, I got all excited and told her she should get an ffdn account and post her stories. She said, no, she's just writing for herself. She doesn't even want me to read them (and yeah, I know most kids don't want their moms to read their stuff, but I write fics about cartoons and she knows it, so it's not like she's going to get judgment from me about the whole fanfic thing.
But anyway, I let it drop when she said she didn't want to share, and the more I think about it, the more I kinda hope she doesn't post on ffdn, because she is not a skilled writer, her spelling and grammar is atrocious, and I can just see her getting slammed with ugly reviews. And who needs that, really? She's not doing this to become a great writer. She doesn't want to hone her skills, like her sister does. And you know what? That's OK. She can write her stories for her own fun and she doesn't ever have to be really good at it if that's not her bag.
But it's so easy to imagine in fandom that writers are all adults and put adult expectations on their work. I guess if you put something out there, you have to expect criticism, but I still just think it's wrong to be nasty about it.