Nodding and saying, "Oh, yeah" all over the place.
I agree with both starting with a pure compliment about something the fic does well as well as ending the contact with the assurance that it is due to liking the fic and the writer of the fic that you are taking the effort to comment. While one cannot control the reaction of another, most people are more likely to be receptive to the middle part and less likely to wig when there are positive bookends. When I leave concrit, I always strive to include a positive.
Commenting on characterization - probably the area most likely to drive me nutty and the one I'm most reluctant to comment on. In part because it seems more often than not when I've seen others do it they receive the "Well, that's how I see the characters!" or "Well, this is my!verse and it's AU because I didn't like the way they did the character in canon."
The thing is, your rant is so thorough,it answers my own question about commenting on characterization in two ways - 1) Do I know the author well enough to know if the author cares about characterization? (It doesn't matter if I'm thinking, which I am wont to do, that Soandso is a good writer, if only the kept their characters canonically consistent in characterization!, the writer isn't going to become that way unless they want to be that way. 2) If point 1 is true, point to reactions and interactions in canon to make a point.
Take a look at that anon crit meme. I saw authors of every shape and type shutting down, tuning out, and getting defensive at critiques of their works, and I saw just as many saying "Yeah, I know I do that; too bad isn't it, but it's the way I write and I'm not going to change or think about changing" (except not in so many words).
Wordy McWord. I was hopeful the anon con-crit meme it wouldn't become another format where those who are already receiving praise elsewhere received even more praise ( a la - cool kids gushed over), that those leaving crit would do it well and that those receiving it would take it well. Sadly, more often than not, no. There were folks leaving con-crit that was completely useless, "Your Xander is such a Marty-Stu!" without leaving any sort of specific examples in the fic or in canon to show the character is ooc. And while there were some authors who were good about saying, "Could you give me a more specific example." or "Good point." or "I'm working on that in my newest fic." or "I'll keep that in mind, thank you.", there were way too many who said, "Well, that's my vision of that character." or "That's my writing style (and I'm not interested in changing 'cus I like it)!".
no subject
I agree with both starting with a pure compliment about something the fic does well as well as ending the contact with the assurance that it is due to liking the fic and the writer of the fic that you are taking the effort to comment. While one cannot control the reaction of another, most people are more likely to be receptive to the middle part and less likely to wig when there are positive bookends. When I leave concrit, I always strive to include a positive.
Commenting on characterization - probably the area most likely to drive me nutty and the one I'm most reluctant to comment on. In part because it seems more often than not when I've seen others do it they receive the "Well, that's how I see the characters!" or "Well, this is my!verse and it's AU because I didn't like the way they did the character in canon."
The thing is, your rant is so thorough,it answers my own question about commenting on characterization in two ways - 1) Do I know the author well enough to know if the author cares about characterization? (It doesn't matter if I'm thinking, which I am wont to do, that Soandso is a good writer, if only the kept their characters canonically consistent in characterization!, the writer isn't going to become that way unless they want to be that way. 2) If point 1 is true, point to reactions and interactions in canon to make a point.
Take a look at that anon crit meme. I saw authors of every shape and type shutting down, tuning out, and getting defensive at critiques of their works, and I saw just as many saying "Yeah, I know I do that; too bad isn't it, but it's the way I write and I'm not going to change or think about changing" (except not in so many words).
Wordy McWord. I was hopeful the anon con-crit meme it wouldn't become another format where those who are already receiving praise elsewhere received even more praise ( a la - cool kids gushed over), that those leaving crit would do it well and that those receiving it would take it well. Sadly, more often than not, no. There were folks leaving con-crit that was completely useless, "Your Xander is such a Marty-Stu!" without leaving any sort of specific examples in the fic or in canon to show the character is ooc. And while there were some authors who were good about saying, "Could you give me a more specific example." or "Good point." or "I'm working on that in my newest fic." or "I'll keep that in mind, thank you.", there were way too many who said, "Well, that's my vision of that character." or "That's my writing style (and I'm not interested in changing 'cus I like it)!".