Snowflake Challenge: Day 2

[pensnest]

Yesterday's Snowflake Challenge was to ask for three things I want. It comes timely, as jae has a post about the lack of fannish conversation (I paraphrase *incredibly*, so take a look), which reminds me that I want people to talk to one another on DW (or LJ) instead of talking past one another on Tumblr.

I also want feedback. There should be more feedback, I feel, since it's the way we fans 'pay' each other for the effort of creating wonderful things. I am trying to resolve to leave an actual comment whenever I read a fic that I enjoy, rather than clicking the kudos button and moving on. Kudos are nice, but comments are better, and thoughtful comments are golden. I think I've got into selfish ways, just clicking and quite often bookmarking, but not actually leaving worthwhile comments, and I can do better. Who's with me?

Anyone wanting to commit to the feedback thing has a couple of days to send feedback to the Make The Yuletide Gay challenge while stories are still anonymous—which is always the most fun, I think. Have a go! Last year I got eight comments for each story (I wrote two), same as the year before, but there's a way to go this year.


Today's Challenge is about the creative process, and I'm not sure I can do anything about that at the moment. Have to let it brew a while.

Comments

[turps]

That's an excellent post from jae.

I readily admit, I love getting comments. I understand that kudos are easier for a lot of people, but getting an actual comment is something special.

Which is what I'm doing now, reading through the bandom holiday exchange stories and commenting. But, I also have MTYG tabbed. My plan is to move onto them next, hopefully before reveal.

[pensnest]

Hmmmm. I've read the MTYG stories (obviously), point me to the bandom exchange?

[turps]

Those are here.

Not many to read, but the ones I have read have been good.

[sperrywink]

I think I am in the minority that I actually like kudos because they are easier for *me*. I don't have to think of a *response* to someone's comment that is thoughtful and sincere. I feel just as appreciated with kudos as I do with comments.

Still, when my mental health allows, I do try to feedback on what I read because I know not everyone is like me. But there is always room for improvement, so good idea today!

[pensnest]

I know what you mean - but I think it's fine to just say Thanks! or Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it and not to be brilliant in response. Still, everyone has their own way - and good for you for being just as pleased with kudos. :-)

[nomelon]

Kudos is kind of a double-edged sword. It's always nice to get, but I know some people will just click instead of taking the time to comment. I have a system (which I am well aware has its flaws) of giving kudos to fics I enjoyed well enough, and leave comments on fics I really enjoyed, and bookmarking fics I want to rec later in my journal. And yet I'll use kudos to filter fics to find good ones to read! Even though I've seen some people saying that they click kudos just if they get to the end of a fic, or even if something isn't great, they'll still click it like a little pat on the back. There is no perfect system!

[pensnest]

Your system is a lot like mine, except that I very rarely get round to the reccing part. If I can't think of anything more than "I liked it" I'll leave kudos, and if I *adore* something I'll comment, but there is space between which I need to be less lazy about.

[rikes]

(Wrote this comment for jae's post but it no longer really fits, so I'm pasting it here.)

socializing happens in multiple streams, and to really befriend people, you often have to go do text chat with them or send a lot of private messages, not just follow the public things they post in the shared space.

Agreed! I follow several people on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and maybe even FB to feel like I'm actually in contact with them. I don't necessarily post to all those sites myself as I find having so many platforms frustrating, but have accounts to follow others and leave comments.

For Tumblr specifically, I post a lot of stuff for my sister that we can then talk about when we see each other.

And frankly, I have always hated writing (for school, journals, anything) so platforms with less/shorter text content suit me (as a content creator) just fine. But I do love reading other people's long posts and commenting on them!

[pensnest]

It seems like a difference in style. Following people in other places is not something I do very much of, although there are quite a few people I subscribe to on DW because they're interesting to read, but I don't really interact with them. Hmm.

I suspect that Camp has rather affected the way I do my DW/LJ interaction—when you've met people, interaction becomes a bit different. I think?

Still think Tumblr is a terrible place for fic, though!

[rikes]

I do wish we could go back to just one platform. Except for AO3, that can stay. Best website in the history of the internet, not even kidding.

And yes, it's completely different when you've actually met the people!

[pensnest]

Yeah, AO3 is a thing of beauty. Much better for archiving fic than journals, in which most of us fail to keep things orderly. Then the journal is great for everything else!

[meridian_rose]

I agree completely! I still try to post fic to my journal too but sometimes it just goes on AO3 and I make a journal post linking to it, because that's where the readers are. But AO3, Tumblr, etc, are not the place for original works, personal photos, real life ramblings, etc, which work so well with the various filtering options on DW and LJ.

[pensnest]

Exactly. And it's so nice to get to know one another as people as well as 'fellow fans' of one thing or another. Besides which, of course, the necessity for telling one another about what's good to read on AO3 or elsewhere.

[solariana.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes! Feedback is how we pay our fandom writers and artists. I have never been good at leaving meaningful FB which is the most wonderful thing to receive, but I try. Sometimes it's just a simple "I liked it". And I do try to leave kudos for the stories I finish, but I agree, while kudos are quite nice, good FB is more meaningful. And since there is no kudos button on LJ, it's at least nice to get a comment that someone read it. I've always tended to say, I will continue to write and post whether I receive FB or not, but seeing that people enjoy your work is certainly more inspiring that posting and hearing nothing.

[pensnest]

I started off as a fanfic reader by sending feedback to the author of the first story I ever read in a zine! And thus acquired a long-term penfriend who shared so many of my preferences, it was great. There's so much fic around now that it's easy to be lazy about the feedback, and I have got into bad habits!

But I so cherish the good FB, I really need to pay it forward. And yes, it's easily the most inspiring thing that happens to us as fic writers.

[solariana.livejournal.com]

I've heard of fandom zines before, but never knew about them before I ran into PopSlash online. People actually used to put slash fic into a magazine? Interesting.

I mostly had subscriptions to horse magazines which did print poems or short stories sometimes, but nothing as fun as slash. And I used to get Rolling Stone for years, but don't remember any fan stories printed in that. Ditto on the Beatles magazine I used to get.

I was always a HUGE Beatles fans, but didn't even know about fan conventions until maybe 89 or 90. I think the first convention I ever heard about was for Breyers horses (which I collected). I never went because it was always states away and I just had no idea what the point was in driving states away to look at plastic horses. Yeah, I know some people make costumes for the horses, but still. It seems a little much to me. (Although I still am a fan of Breyers and have been known to pick a new one up every now and then.)

[pensnest]

My introduction to zines was for Star Trek: TNG, my First Fandom. I don't know if there were ever popslash zines... there were certainly slash zines, although actually I wasn't particularly a slasher until I discovered popslash.

Conventions can be terrific fun, but aren't always. My last Trek con more or less finished the fandom for me—I did meet half a dozen fellow ficcers, but mostly it was really dead and dull. And you have to expect there to be *something* you want to do while you're there!