Fandom Bullshit

[jedibuttercup]

*shaking head* You know, the reviews for backagainharry over at The Pit of Voles-- and the review thread at the Dark Lord Potter Forums (which has at least increased my readership, though I find it baffling that they reviewed it at all given their biases)-- have pretty much transcended annoyance now and reached the realm of an interesting sociological study.

It's fascinating to me how many people judge me as a writer based solely on this one story, less than thirty thousand words out of more than half a million in my complete body of work. And then they make assumptions that the story's going to be "just another canon-humper" based solely on the chapters available to view. Because they want instant gratification, and all this setting-the-scene shit is much too boring for them to tolerate, and makes Harry too "wimpy" for their tastes. Gee, should I apologize for trying to make it realistic?

I greatly appreciate the other sort of reviewer, many of whom read here on LJ, who have bothered to tell me what I'm doing right, and give me the benefit of the doubt as to what I have planned. You keep me going on this. But I don't think I'm going to attempt any more longfic in the Harry Potter universe after I'm done with it. And I'll probably even end BAH at a decent pausing point in the action sometime during the summer or the beginning of second year and leave the universe fallow a good long while. At least in the crossover (and small-fandom) realms, people usually at least assume that I'm intelligent and creative; it's a much more energizing atmosphere to write in.
~

Comments

[lt-kitty.livejournal.com]

Generally speaking, I've noticed that the larger and more popular a fandom - and the larger the fanfic forum - the greater the number of immature and demanding fanbrats who insist you write your fic their way. So I wouldn't be suprised that the reviews outside of your LJ and your personal website are bit whiny.

For the record, I don't read much HP fanfic - I generally avoid book based fanfic, just a personal preference - but the HP fandom is quite possibly the most frightening and wanktastic fandom out there.

[jedibuttercup]

Yeah. I probably should have known better than to dip a toe in; but I had An Idea, and-- well.

I can deal with the idiotic or plain mean-spirited reviews. But I'm finding the ones calling me boring and unoriginal and uninspired and etcetera a little harder to take than I expected. It sucks the energy right out of me, and makes it less fun to write.

I guess I'll chalk this up to a learning experience-- and the unexpected recurrence of an old self-esteem problem regarding my writing abilities.

[jdsmith-gfu.livejournal.com]

Just think of it this way:

What do most critics say about Steven King?
-- They loathe him.

And the dude sells more books than just about anyone else in his field.

Why? Because those who choose to critique are rarely enough actually qualified to do so.

And hell... fiction is supposed to entertain, inspire, and speak the heart of the author.

If people are responding, it's doing its job.

If people are critiquing and resorting to words like "boring and unoriginal and uninspired and etcetera" just means you're doing it /well/... because those words don't come out except from those who are jealous.

Period. A piece that is truly all of those things will also have far more wrong with it that they can point out.

[kerravonsen]

If people are critiquing and resorting to words like "boring and unoriginal and uninspired and etcetera" just means you're doing it /well/... because those words don't come out except from those who are jealous.

Weeeellll... as someone who has been accused of being "jealous" because of negative reviews I've given on my Net-Fic reviews page, I don't buy that argument. Sorry, I just had to speak up in my own defence.

Personally, I would say that the "boring..." etc complaint isn't that they're jealous, it's that they have bad taste.

[jdsmith-gfu.livejournal.com]

But, see... there's a difference between a negative review -- which even I have been known to give on occasion, and the sort of negative reviews she's giving, that I'm referring to here.

Because again, if a poor fic honestly fits under the given descriptors of boring, unimaginative, unoriginal, uninspired, or the like, then there will be other things wrong with it as well.

The point was that if the reviewer can't find anything else to say, they're merely lashing out at the writer -- often due to a feeling of inadequacy.

After all, if a story is merely 'boring', that's not necessarily the story. For instance: I found the Great Gatsby incredibly boring. I didn't enjoy it. It still was a well-written story. If all I can say is that it's boring, to give it a bad review on that lack of merit alone is to attack the piece based on my own inability to connect with it.

My ability. Not the book. The negative is mine.

On the other hand, I can take a look at the works of Robert Jordan, who became well known for forgetting his own plot hooks, leaving massive holes in his narrative. Or Steven King's love affair with the simile. Those can be pointed out as actual criticisms...

Specifically responding to you, I went through several pages of your reviews... and you actually give a 'why'... not just some random 'boring'. So I'd say it doesn't seem to pertain to you. :)

[kerravonsen]

My ability. Not the book. The negative is mine.

Well, I think that's being too negative on yourself!
(a) you still recognised is as a well-written story, even though it bored you
(b) just because something bores you doesn't mean there's something wrong with you!

However, you're right in that there's a difference between saying "I was bored, so this story is crap" and "I was bored, so this isn't the kind of story I enjoy". The first is judgemental, the second is a declaration of what one's taste is.

Specifically responding to you, I went through several pages of your reviews... and you actually give a 'why'... not just some random 'boring'. So I'd say it doesn't seem to pertain to you.

Thanks.