Fanfiction, karma and YOU
Jan. 23rd, 2007 10:06 amThe way I see it, the online world of writing operates on a rather basic system of karma. At its most simplistic level, it looks a little like this:
posting fanfic for others to read = exceptionally good karma
leaving a review = good karma
reading but not reviewing = bad karma
Like I said: simple but karmic.
Before I was sucked into the shiny, shiny world of LiveJournal, I spent a great deal of time at FictionPress. It was at FP that I first met some amazing people and was also introduced to this most basic rule of online writing: if you want people to read your stories, then you must first read theirs. And leave a review. A meaningful review. Too often, I (along with many others) was the recipient of a review somewhat along these lines:
Great story! Plz R&R!
In FP.com-speak, this meant:
Hi! I didn’t read your story but I’m just leaving a token review so that you’ll feel obliged to come and read one of my stories in return!
Suffice to say, I never left a review like that myself, mostly because I’ve always believed in that whole “doing unto others” concept. Therefore, if I wanted to receive helpful and meaningful reviews, then I had to give some first. It seemed quite logical and straightforward to me.
When I started reading fanfic, I applied a similar principle to the whole process. Since any fanfic I’ve ever written is either a) now under a friends lock, b) hidden away on my computer, or, c) hidden away in my indecipherable hand-writing in my notebook, the only way I can acculumate positive karma is by leaving reviews for the fic I read. I consider it payment, really. Somebody has gone to all the effort of writing a story and posting it for me to read; how hard it is to thank them for doing so by leaving a reivew?
Answer: not hard at all. Seriously. Taking a couple of minutes out of your life to write down a simple review really isn’t that much of a trial.
I just so happened to be reading some fic today and was about to leave a comment when the following part of another person’s comment caught my eye:
its honestly very rare that i get the urge to comment on fanfics i read
And I just thought: how bloody rude. How inconsiderate to receive enjoyment from reading fics people have worked hard on without even telling them so. What makes this person so damn great that they can’t take two minutes out of their life to say something as simple as, “Great story - I enjoyed it”?
I have to get over extreme attacks of internet shyness to leave reviews sometimes. Often, it takes me an age of dithering to write a review because I’m anguishing over my wording or desperately wanting not to come across as an idiot. But I do it eventually.
But I’d be interested to know what you all think. Do you review? Or do you read and move on? And what motivates you to do either?
posting fanfic for others to read = exceptionally good karma
leaving a review = good karma
reading but not reviewing = bad karma
Like I said: simple but karmic.
Before I was sucked into the shiny, shiny world of LiveJournal, I spent a great deal of time at FictionPress. It was at FP that I first met some amazing people and was also introduced to this most basic rule of online writing: if you want people to read your stories, then you must first read theirs. And leave a review. A meaningful review. Too often, I (along with many others) was the recipient of a review somewhat along these lines:
Great story! Plz R&R!
In FP.com-speak, this meant:
Hi! I didn’t read your story but I’m just leaving a token review so that you’ll feel obliged to come and read one of my stories in return!
Suffice to say, I never left a review like that myself, mostly because I’ve always believed in that whole “doing unto others” concept. Therefore, if I wanted to receive helpful and meaningful reviews, then I had to give some first. It seemed quite logical and straightforward to me.
When I started reading fanfic, I applied a similar principle to the whole process. Since any fanfic I’ve ever written is either a) now under a friends lock, b) hidden away on my computer, or, c) hidden away in my indecipherable hand-writing in my notebook, the only way I can acculumate positive karma is by leaving reviews for the fic I read. I consider it payment, really. Somebody has gone to all the effort of writing a story and posting it for me to read; how hard it is to thank them for doing so by leaving a reivew?
Answer: not hard at all. Seriously. Taking a couple of minutes out of your life to write down a simple review really isn’t that much of a trial.
I just so happened to be reading some fic today and was about to leave a comment when the following part of another person’s comment caught my eye:
its honestly very rare that i get the urge to comment on fanfics i read
And I just thought: how bloody rude. How inconsiderate to receive enjoyment from reading fics people have worked hard on without even telling them so. What makes this person so damn great that they can’t take two minutes out of their life to say something as simple as, “Great story - I enjoyed it”?
I have to get over extreme attacks of internet shyness to leave reviews sometimes. Often, it takes me an age of dithering to write a review because I’m anguishing over my wording or desperately wanting not to come across as an idiot. But I do it eventually.
But I’d be interested to know what you all think. Do you review? Or do you read and move on? And what motivates you to do either?
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