FiMFiction Public Relations and You: A Short Guide · 6:40am Aug 14th, 2015
Hello, readers. The good Captain here. Now, it's been a long while. We got REALLY lazy and haven't done shit. I'm sure that some readers are saddened by our return, but fret not! I bring with our return a PSA!
Today, I bring with me, submitted for your approval, a tale of tragedy. A tale of mistreated authors and poor souls who wish only to write.
It has come to my attention that some authors often come under fire for their writing, in my opinion, unfairly. These authors react to such criticisms for repetitiveness, inconsistency, overused plots, sexism, internal story problems, and general bad writing, in the natural way that all would when being told that their work isn't 'total amazeballs' worth a favorite or upvote: with anger, rage, and claims of depression.
Now, some may say, 'But Morgan, that's unreasonable! He can't take criticism, he just yells at us and denies that he could be wrong every time, and then uses it for attention!' Well, let me tell you something. Just because someone uses negative or less than glowing reception to act out and then gather attention and sympathy with apologetic posts doesn't mean they're milking the reception for attention and sympathy, even after the fifth or sixth time! Is it their fault that to him/her your suggestions for improvement and advice on handling what they say better isn't very easy for them to handle? Have you considered they just can’t comprehend your criticism? Think about that, dear readers. Think about that.
Is it not said that one should 'Do what they do best?' And if what they do best is write the same thing over and over again with little innovation or noticeable improvement, then so be it, because that's what they're good at! Why don't you ever try helping them get better at that, instead of your perceived notions of 'quality,' and 'skill,' and 'ego problems?'
But now, to the main point. It has been said that these people exploit the negativity to gain attention by crying, like a child throwing a tantrum for a toy or McDonald's, as I mentioned previously. They go into groups and post apologies, and blog about their mistakes and errors asking for all the reader's forgiveness and help. Is it so wrong to go to places guaranteed to have your back and not have dissenting voices for a positive boost? And if people notice this, and they see that you're gaining sympathy, they won't like that and they'll point out problems. But all you need to do is delete their comments or the source of the troubles, the blog or thread or post, and just make another one, apologizing for the conflicts in the previous ones. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to accept nor to have flaws pointed out.
So, in conclusion, my fellow people, don't criticize people for their mistakes or when they want to ignore them and just feel better by gathering more attention. Just put yourself in their oversized, torn up shoes. And I'll leave you with that thought.
~Captain Morgan
Don't be shocked, but I think I know who you're talking about with this sordid tale...
3318742
We're afraid we don't know what you're talking about, dear Fimfic-ite.
Obselania has always been at war with Meeestasia.This blog was written with no specific examples in mind, though we can understand if it may remind you of some unsightly cases (whatever those may be). It's not as if this is an uncommon thing, after all! I mean, why else would we go to the trouble of addressing this unfortunate issue, hmm?
It's a sad state of affairs on Fimfic, these days. Why can't some people just be left in peace?
3318792
Damn -- I was sure I knew. I mean, I was confused when I first started reading the blog entry, but then realization suddenly hit me, like a...
...um, like a...
...like something unexpected from the sky. But I guess I wasn't as sharp as I thought I was...
My name is Wanderer D and I approve of this PSA.
Maximum Sarcasim
Glad to see the #hail hydra tag is still going strong.
3319094 Hell yeah it is. I've tagged literally everything I blog with it.
Heh, as opposed to the "critics," who post negativity specifically to gain attention for themselves, and shout to the world "Look at me, I'm so much more intelligent than this writer! Look how poor they are."
Ebert called these individuals "leeches on the skin of art," people who claim they are critics but truly are not. They simply wish to exploit someone else's success for their own gain, clinging to someone else's work like a parasite and trying to gain a fraction of its fandom's attention for themselves by pointing out "flaws" and calling the public's attention to themselves.
As Ebert and others have pointed out, if those "critics" were actually as good as they claimed, they'd be creating works to the equal or better of the original, rather than just getting attention by tearing down everyone they possibly could.
Leeches on the skin of art. Critique and "critic." Such a difference.
Because, you know, it's not like there's people who are legitimately trying to apologize and make things better.
3319433 What about--and this is purely a hypothetical situation--an author uses another fic or someone else's well trodden ideas, or simply recycles the same ideas over and over? Is that not being a "leech on the skin of art?" Or is that only applicable to the critic who points out, "oh, look, it's a leech?"
I do not agree that a critic has to be able to create great art in order to be able to comment critically on art. This would leave Ruskin, Walter Benjamin, and Samuel Johnson out in the cold. (EDIT: Roger Ebert did not make movies, let alone "great" ones.) And you don't even have to be a great critic to say, "hello--this story makes light of sexual assault. Did you realize that?"
And--also hypothetically--if the critic is a better author than the author he or she is criticizing, does this concept apply? When Stephen King declares that Meyer and James' works are pretty terrible, is he exempt from this rule, or is he, too, a "leech?" It's just something to consider.
3321805 I'd like to think that I think the best of most people. When someone says "thank you" or "I like your writing," I don't assume that they have an ulterior motive. If someone says he's sorry, I usually accept the apology and hope for the same courtesy in return. I have to see this as a recurring pattern, accompanied by aggressive attack, before I think it's a destructive, self-aggrandizing strategy.
It's rare if considered as a proportion of FimFiction writers, but those who engage in this behavior do cause a great deal of trouble.