[PUBLIC POST] Positive Feedback!

[ljwrites]

As promised, this week we discuss the flip side of last week's post, positive feedback about your writing. What are some memorable compliments you have received? How was it helpful? When is a compliment less helpful, though still no doubt appreciated? How do you give positive feedback? What effect does positive feedback have on you? Feel free to discuss these or related subjects in the comments.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Iiii don't know how to do positive feedback. I mean. I can say a thing I liked about the story, or happyface or sadface in the comment box as appropriate (like, there's a Star Wars time-travel fic WIP I'm following that in the most recent chapter explained how Finn is trapped in the past, no chance of return or rescue, and I made a sadface about Finn being deprived of Rey and Poe for the rest of ever, and the author—beatrice_otter—seemed to appreciate that comment), but that's...not quite the same thing, I think. Though I appreciate the hell out of any such comments that come my way. (I am bad at expressing this, though.)

Compliments on the order of "I loved this, what happens next?" on a story that's actually complete with no sequels planned, or on a chapter of a WIP one's regularly updating or doesn't plan to update again, are not helpful. That same compliment on a WIP that one hasn't updated recently but plans to is both helpful and not: it's helpful because it's a reminder that people want to see the next installment and thus it's impetus to get the update written.

That's all stuff specific to the writing. Stuff like "you're a good writer" or "you're a good poet" kind of just makes me go, uh, have you seen astolat, have you seen Seanan McGuire, if you have not seen Audre Lorde I might stage an intervention. These are three good writers and two good poets. (idk if astolat's a poet at all.) I am not. (People keep telling me to not do this comparison on account of it will discourage me being the best writer and poet I can be. My brainweasels disagree vehemently with these people.)

When I'm betaing, I end up remarking a lot more on what's wrong with the story than what's right with it. This is probably not best practice. I try to be gentle, and to make it about flaws with the writing not the writer, but that doesn't always work as intended.

Also probably not best practice is my habit of remarking on people's snippets of original fic or fic in fandoms I don't recognize with "I like this" or not remarking at all. But I flat refuse to say "...I am very confused here" on such a snippet because I know perfectly well I am missing all the context that would make it make sense and it will most likely just hurt the author to see me say the snippet's confusing.

[ljwrites]

Yeah, critique definitely seems to be a separate skill from writing. Many writers, from my observations, are more intuitive than theoretical about what works or doesn't work in writing. I think it was Robert Heinlein who was actually afraid to analyze his writing too thoroughly, for fear of the centipede effect where what came automatically would become hindered by conscious thought.

Heh, I'm actually vain enough to enjoy the "You're such a good writer!" reviews. I loved it when someone told me my fanfic was one of the best stories they'd ever read, original or fanfic, even though I know it's due to their inexperience with (or inability to recognize) better works. It's like being told I'm the most beautiful woman on Earth: Not objectively true, but it's true in that moment with that particular person--unless they're deliberately lying for an agenda, which is unlikely in online reviews--and I appreciate the thought.

Being critical is part of a function of a beta and I tend to focus more on the bad than the good, too. I try to mix it up with the good as well as the bad.

[alexseanchai]

like being told I'm the most beautiful woman on Earth: Not objectively true, but it's true in that moment with that particular person

Huh, yeah, hadn't thought of it like that.

[ljwrites]

Yeah, you wouldn't tell someone in that situation, "I mean, have you seen Lupita Nyong'o? Cate Blanchett?" I see such superlatives as an expression of emotion and appreciation, something special shared in that moment between two people.

Incidentally I just asked my husband, a huge fan of Blanchett since we saw Carol, who was more beautiful, her or me, and he immediately chose me. I like it when they have a sense of self-preservation. XD

[alexseanchai]

Nod.

Heh heh heh :D