[Ellbee]

[Haleth]

Losille wrote

[inglor]

This is something I try to live by: If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I have never left a bad review but I have been really really tempted to once or twice, especially when someone butchers a character.
However if I do read something that has potential or shows promise, I try to say it. And I don't always review something I read, if several people have said what I would then I don't unless the work is REALLY good. I am somewhat of an elitist snob too in that I have no patience for bad writing and I usually stop reading it pretty quick. My time is very precious and there is too much good writing to waste it on bad stuff.

I find myself reading reviews first if the intro interests me, it is pretty easy to tell if the writing is good by the way most people leave reviews, too many "but you might want to" or "if you need a beta" and I avoid the story. I hate getting all worked up for an interesting story only to find Finrod and Celeborn humping in Moria, and Finrod and Celeborn have dark hair, written by someone who has never cracked a grammar book.

So glad grammar isn't a problem here in the forum

Inglor

[JaneDoe]

I don't write many reviews because I take doing so very seriously. Only in the case when a story shows real promise do I even say anything, and only when the writer explicitly asks for constructive reviews will I even leave anything, even if I love the story. When I write reviews, I tend to be very precise about what I like and don't like about the story. I prefer to give the writer tools they can use for further development of the story rather than blanket praise or criticism that gives them nothing to work with. On the flip side, I try not to tell them how to write their story. I only give them my own reactions to their artistic choices. I also like to ask questions about the story for my own clarification as well as to provoke thought on the author's part. I do this for my own works as well. I find that it deepens my understanding and appreciation for my works, and it also gives me something solid to work with when it comes to revisions because I get a clear picture of what needs to stay intact and what can afford to be changed.

As far as curbing people's enthusiasm for writing, I'd hate to sound like an elitist snob, but I could care less about whether or not people want to write. I do not care why people want to write. I only care about the story and the time I spend reading and reacting to it. So, I am very selective about the stories I choose to spend my time on, and if those stories fail to live up to their promise, I feel cheated. If a story takes an interesting premise and ruins it with sloppy writing and sloppy thinking, I'm not going to be happy. If a story takes an intriguing character and renders it dull, I am not going to be pleased. Therefore, rather than voice the extent of my displeasure, I choose not to write anything.

Now, I know that not every fanfic is serious, or that every author that writes fanfic is serious about the work. Sometimes, you just want to have fun with the characters or the setting. Sometimes you're just playing with words and narrative techniques. This is perfectly alright as far as I am concerned. Just be honest. If authors' notes contained a sentence or two about their intentions when writing the story rather than a bunch of stuff irrelevant to the work, it'd be a lot easier to get in the proper mindset to read the story and understand where it's coming from on its own terms. That way, people wouldn't have to worry so much about what kind of feedback to give, if any at all.