Friday, May 14, 2010

Ramble from UK

How nice. Someone else volunteered to yak at y'all tonight.

A guest ramble!

The other night I felt a little down as checked in on Uber Etc. and found that Ze didn't feel like sharing one of her entertaining rambles with us - I always look forward to those! Then I thought maybe I ought to write a ramble and let you ladies have a "ramble rest" at least for one night.

So here you go - I thought that I could give the old topic of "lurking" in the universe of online fiction another go. I've been reading online fiction for awhile now. In the beginning I never really considered sending a note of thanks or a comment to the writer of the fic's that I read. I kept thinking that they had properly heard it all before - especially the praise naturally following a well written and entertaining fic. After a bit of rambling on this site I changed my mind and took a sort of first step by sending reviews of some of my favourite fic's to The Fan Fiction Review site. Somehow I feel that this way I don't really push my self on someone like I would do if I were to send an email - yeah I know I'm properly just a bit introvert.

By now I've posted 42 reviews on The Fan Fiction Review. I might have caught some sort of review bug! I don't look for a cure though as I find the reviewing quite enjoyable. If you would like to try your hand at reviewing the online fiction your read, you could send your words to fanficrev@gmail.com.

After a number of reviews I stumbled on a new fic of one of my favourite writers and after posting a positive review I thought, well maybe I ought to let the writer know I really did enjoy her work - so I send her an email with word of praise and a bit of constructive critique - and I got a nice reply! I've sent a handful of mails of praise all relating to new fiction and have had nice responses to my mails. None of the writers seems to have taken offence by the comments or constructive critique that I include in the reviews and mails - lucky me.

Will I keep up the reviewing? Well at least for a while - even though I do feel less and less inclined to spend my time reading and writing after the spring has come around. Will I mail writers of the fic's that I read? Perhaps now and then when I feel I have something positive to say and can balance the praise with constructive critique.

So all in all getting past the lurking phase of my time in the online fiction universe has been a positive experience.

From what I read on The Athenaeum Forum I get the feeling that not all writers have a positive relation with their readers. Some seem to feel that the "public" are too demanding - asking for updates of ongoing stories, a sequel, a specific storyline etc. and some seems to have problems with plagiarism or other kinds of illegal use of their work. As I'm definitely not a fiction writer, but only a happy reader, I don't think I'll get in trouble with the copyright laws, but I do hope that the writers that stop by The Fan Fiction Review site can take both the praise and the negative comments that are posted - other wise it's easy enough not to look in on the site!

I am a bit surprised though by the suggestion on The Athenaeum Forum that the demands of the "public" can get to be such a nuisance for a writer that he or she will stop writing and posting! I am a strong believer in positive thinking so I suggest that maybe the pushy demands of the readers are merely not too well formulated comments or suggestions in hasty written mails perhaps even in a second language. So if you're a writer and you receive something that you consider a nasty mail, press delete as fast as possible , and go on with your writing and posting - you properly have heap of readers "out there" who are still just lurking happily around waiting for your next fic.

Sorry - this got a bit long winded.

UK


I wouldn't call this ramble long-winded. I would call it thorough and an entertaining introduction to the Fanfic Review site. Any takers for reviewing fanfic? Could be fun....

Tamara

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