Inquiry

[kriadydragon]

I can't remember if I've asked this before, and I apologize if I had, but have you ever felt bad for not reading a story? For example, someone you know and whose stories you pretty much always read writes something that you really have no desire to read, yet you feel like you should read it because it's a story by that person and it feels wrong not to support something they wrote. Or something.

I always feel bad for skipping a story that everyone else is gobbling right up, especially if the reason I'm skipping the story is over what some might consider to be a minor issue, or if it's a story I'm just not in the mood to read. It sucks not to get reviews but sucks more, I think, when you have someone who's been reviewing the majority of your stories suddenly stop.

On the other hand, I completely get why this happens. Tastes change, moods change, tolerances change. Back when I first started reading fanfic my list of preferences were pretty small. Just give me gen H/C and I was happy. But obviously that didn't last, and there's so much I can't tolerate or just don't want to read. But I'll look at reviews and see people putting up with what I can't or don't want to and feel bad that I'm not making an exception, or that I'm letting what to others is a trivial thing bother me.

But as a writer I definitely don't expect people to read every story I write. And though, yes, deep down there are times I wish people would make an exception, I don't expect them to, because what's trivial to some isn't trivial to everyone, and even the smallest, most seemingly unimportant thing can taint an entire story for a person, making it incredibly difficult to enjoy no matter how well written that story is.

Comments

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

There have been a few fics I refuse to read by authors I love, but I've made my preferences quite clear on topics I won't read. So, I feel they already know why I haven't read their fic. I have no regrets there.

Don't feel bad Chica. You've made your preferences very clear and no one expects you to read something you don't like.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and I have to remind myself that everyone has preferences and things they just can't read no matter how small. But when it's a story by someone whose stories I normally read it's tough, because I hate to put anyone through that doubt you get when you don't have as many reviewing. It always leaves you wondering if it's because there's something wrong with the story when it may just be a matter of personal preference.

ETA: Or because they're just not in the mood for that particular kind of fic. That's something I always feel bad about, especially if it's something that should be right up my alley (on the other hand, I'll usually end up reading it eventually).

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

I get that all the time, because some of the writers I love also write slash or OT3. And while I have a certain tolerance for it, I have zero interest in reading how Peter and Neal get it on. But even with the mostly gen writers, yes, sometimes I come upon one of their stories that doesn't hold my interest at all. And usually it's not that it's badly written, it just the plot or the subject matter or maybe even a particular setting or scene. And I gotta admit, when I don't like something, I rarely look at the reviews others left for it.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

If I'm unsure about a story I'll usually look at the reviews first to get an idea of what the story contains. It's not how much the story is praised - because we all know that doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things - but I'll look for any complaints about spelling or grammar or anything that'll let me know if the story contains something I don't like (for example "I can't believe Neal slept with her!" or "Neal's daughter is so cute!").

[leoraine.livejournal.com]

I think it's pretty usual that people don't read all the stories from a writer.I mean, I love Stephen King as n author, but I can read only some of his books. The other either don't held my interest or I couldn't even make myself read. I still think King is a great writer though. The same goes with fanfic.

I won't even get into what if your author writes not only gen but also other pairings you aren't fond of. Or if for a change he/she wants to try their hand on something new. Happens every time. I also for some reason don't like to read future!fics so if the summary doesn't make me curious, I simply skip over it. It's not like every reader reviews all the time anyway, so I doubt the author will raise an eyebrow over it:-)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

It's usually not reading/reviewing a story over the small things that I dither over. For example, there have been stories that were wonderfully written - and I mean wonderfully - but I stopped reading or didn't enjoy them because the author had Neal smoke, or because Peter was the one whumped instead of Neal. And then I feel bad for not being supportive of such a well written and well thought out piece, especially since they're such a dime a dozen.

I guess because it seems like I'm being petty, which I'm not. Neal smoking, for example, may not seem like a big deal to some but to me it is, because it's something I just don't see Neal doing (And, yes, I know we see him smoking in the premiere, and later smoking a cigar, but a later episode has Neal stepping out "for a smoke" in order to talk to Peter, telling Peter "he had to take up smoking" though we know he's just being facetious. I see Neal as someone who likes to stay healthy, and who probably has the skills to pretend to smoke and make it look real). It's jarring to me and makes the rest of the story difficult to read. Peter whump is a matter of taste and just not something I'm into. I don't mind if he's whumped along with Neal, but Peter whump alone is a let down when it's Neal whump I prefer.

[sholio]

As a writer, it doesn't bother me at all if someone doesn't read all of my stories. I write in a variety of fandoms, and I like to explore different types of fic (various pairings, different sorts of things like AUs that aren't everyone's cup of tea), so I figure that people will read the ones they like and won't read the ones that aren't their sort of thing, and that's perfectly okay. :)

As a reader ... hmm ... I do sometimes feel as if I should read & comment on a story if it's by a friend of mine, or by someone who regularly comments on my fic. Or, I suppose it's more like a neurotic sort of worrying that they'll notice I didn't comment and think I don't love them anymore. But I also feel that way about personal posts, not just fic.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I'm such a consistent writer most of the time that I've gotten used to seeing certain names when it comes to who reviews. So when a regular reader stops reviewing - and I mean reviews nothing else I write from here on in - I eventually notice and, yeah, I can't help wondering, especially when you know that person is around and still reading. It's not something I actively worry about, or actively look for, but I've had it happen and as much as I didn't want to worry about it it's hard not to (mostly because I'm wondering if I'd offended them in some way. I'm so friggin' self conscious). And it's something I'll worry about putting other people through, especially other consistent writers.

But, yeah, if your stories vary then it's to be expected that your reviewers vary. If I wrote a McKay centric whump piece with barely to no Sheppard involvement, then I would expect the more hard-core Shep fans not to be interested.

[tari-roo.livejournal.com]

tricky tricky dilemma indeed, one I struggle with myself as I am very pernickety about what I read. Hmmm.... alas, I have no response or advice other than, I understand the dilemma :)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Heh, that's all I really want to know is if others find themselves facing this problem ;)

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

Clicks are so rare in my world that as a writer, I'm generally pretty thrilled if anyone reads anything, forget everything, I write. I don’t think even my dearesr friend has opted to read all my fanfic.

As a reader, I can't think of anyone, in fanfic or original published novels, of whom I've chosen to read everything they've written. Seeing that something is by someone like you or Reen, or someone like Tolkien or CS Forester, is more a guide than a definite – tells me that it’s a summary I should read to see if it’s a story I should read. If there’s a question mark and it’s not by a fav author, I’m more likely to just skip it and forget it; if it’s by a fav author, I’m moe likely to give it the benefit of the doubt. At the least, I’ll read reviews and discussion, and sometimes give it a peek later when I’m out of things to read, but even if I don’t peek later, I’ve noticed and thought about the story because it’s by a good author. So it might get recommended to someone else, even though I didn’t read it myself.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Seeing that something is by someone like you or Reen, or someone like Tolkien or CS Forester, is more a guide than a definite – tells me that it’s a summary I should read to see if it’s a story I should read.

Yeah, that's me these days. I used to be one of those readers who would try and support everyone if their story was decent enough (as in no giving me headaches with bad grammar and spelling). But over time I just couldn't take it any more.

I'll read summaries to get to know a story before reading it. Problem is, some reviews can be as bad as the stories, especially if the reviewer likes bad-mouthing certain characters.

[mmneely932.livejournal.com]

Usually if I see that one of my favorite authors has a new work I'll start to read it, even if it doesn't sound like something I'll enjoy. That doesn't mean I'll finish it.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

True. It's a guarantee that I will read stories by a favorite author. It's when I end up not enjoying the story and unable to review because of it that the guilt issues come in. I hate not leaving kudos on a story by someone whose stories I like. At the same time, neither can I leave kudos on something I didn't enjoy.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

It happens - I can't count how often I stopped reading a story because it went into a direction which doesn't agree with me. And sometimes I don't read them in the first place, because the theme is simply not my piece of cake - that's why I hate it when someone out of the blue says "hey, I write in this fandom too, will you read my story?" Just because two people write in the same fandom it doesn't mean that they have the same taste.

There are some writers I read more or less everything from, but they are the exception, not the rule.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

that's why I hate it when someone out of the blue says "hey, I write in this fandom too, will you read my story?" Just because two people write in the same fandom it doesn't mean that they have the same taste.

I've never had that happen, yet, but I dread the day it does. I hate it when I'm put in a position where I don't know how to respond (that is, if it's someone I have to respond to either because A: I know them or B: they keep asking me to read their fic and won't leave me alone).