Quick PSA type kinda thing · 2:04pm Oct 24th, 2012
Okay, I’ve had a few people ask me to read their stories and provide feedback, so I have to write this now as a major, major warning.
I really, really hate doing that, and more importantly, you do not want me to do it.
Let me level with you guys a little. No author likes their own work. We are our harshest critics, and I am even more brutal than most. It’s the only way I can improve. But, that also means that in order to really help someone else, I have to hurt them. I have to tear their story apart piece by piece and be at least 70% as brutal to them as I am to myself.
I do not want to do that to you guys. I love you guys. A few months ago I took a leap of faith and posted my craptacular writing and people liked it. Weeks later, I had fans. Fans! I cannot tell you how awesome that feels. It’s just damned amazing. So when one comes to me and asks me to read their work and critique it, I’m torn in two. On the one hand, it’s in my nature to be rather kind and helpful to others. It’s how I was raised. But in order to do actually be helpful, I have to be a tremendous jerk to you and tear your work apart.
I really, really do not want to do that. I love my fans. Without them, this wouldn’t be remotely as fun.
To give you an idea, let me share with you some of the things that go through my head when I go back and read just the first area of chapter one of Rites.
Oh god, you aren’t. Please tell me you aren’t doing yet another alicorn Twilight story you unoriginal jackass. You know for a fact that better writers than you have done this topic to death and now you just had to heap on your trite, unfocused, unplanned and sloppy storytelling on the world using one of the most common cliches on all of fimfiction. Why don’t you toss in a mary sue brony while you’re at it and have him wake up in the Everfree.
And look at this first area. This is third-person LIMITED PERSPECTIVE. Do you know what that means you slop-gobbler? That means when you start inside one character’s head, you don’t switch until there is a scene change. And look at this. Caps lock? What are you, eleven? I’ve got news for you, thoughts are put in italics and they don’t get quotes. Honestly, how do you put your pants on in the morning? All by yourself? It's a miracle!
See this stuff? That’s what I think to myself.
And it hurts to get even the slightest of criticism sometimes. New writers often have especially have thin skins and even the most calm, constructive feedback can really sting. I know because I’ve been there, and in many ways I’m still there.
In addition, my muse affects my reading as much as my writing. What I read depends entirely on my mood. There are a few select stories that I pounce on right away no matter what, but for the most part story updates sit in my fav queue and read later list waiting for my muse to think “that’ll be fun to read right now”. Forcing myself to read something outside of my muse’s demands is a slow and painful thing that will only cost me dearly in effectiveness for critiquing.
Plus, I am not a writer who reads all genres. I’m not. I know a lot of people say you should but I read for fun. If it isn’t fun I’m not having a good time. If I’m not having a good time I’ll go play BF3 instead. For example, I cannot read grimdark. Can’t stand it. I tried to read the grimdark alternate ending to Not My Destiny and I ran and hid under the Super-Mega-Ultra-Happy alternative ending after about line seven.
Now, all this doesn’t mean it’s impossible that I will leave comments. There is one particular type of situation where I will feel compelled to, and that is if I see a story with an idea that has true potential to be great and it’s not quite living up to it. When that happens, there is a teeny, tiny chance I will feel compelled enough to step in. Outside of that, it’s extremely rare for me to do such things because, again, I love you guys. It would pain me greatly to have to deliver hurt to one of you.
Messing with expectations, leaving hints and watching everyone guess about what’s going to happen next, etc, that’s the kind of torture I put on my fans. That’s good torture. Tearing at your heart and soul by ripping apart someone’s writing? While it can be helpful for them in the long run, it tears out my own soul when I have to deliver such news to a fan.
That’s not to say I’m not going to help in some fashion. In this blog post I want to give you guys some resources you can use to better your writing independent of me.
First, check out this book.
Seriously. It’s a little bit of an investment but I promise that ~$27 is absolutely worth it. If you read it and take it’s advice to heart and use said advice effectively you will be instantly ahead of, dare I say it, probably 85%+ of the stories on this website, if not more.
Next up, check out some of the groups here on FimFiction, particularly Author Support and the Proofreader’s group.
http://www.fimfiction.net/index.php?view=group&group=244
http://www.fimfiction.net/index.php?view=group&group=27
They’re both great sources of help. Use them.
Two magazines you may wish to check out are The Writer and The Writer’s Digest.
Lastly, for those of you in high school or college, check if your school has a creative writing class or club you can join. They’ll help too. For those who are not in high school or college, try looking for non-school-based writing clubs or continuing adult education classes at your local high school or community college. They’ll help too.
To those few whom I've said I might get around to it at some point, I might still, but again, that's a really difficult thing for me.
Thanks again, guys! You are all awesome!
-Cv
P.S.
In regards to art requests from my wife, right now she is crazy busy and what little art time she has is taken up by stuff in the Rites queue. Also, in the last post some folks asked for an Armored Twilight picture, and yes, one will eventually come, but that's fairly far down on the queue right now. There are higher priority things at work, but that will eventually happen.
... okay, I lied a bit. That wasn't quick.
444813 Didn't take me any more than a minute or two to read.
And now this story is on the 2nd place in Alicorn Twilight group.
I would even say that on the 1st because Sharing the Night is dead.
444850
Wait, WHAT?
*checks*
Huh...
[In order to accurately convey what CvBrony's mind is going through, we turn to an Old Spice commercial whose imagery is rather accurate for the situation.]
Fair enough CV, i hate it when my friends ask me to read and comment on their stories
444856
I'm surprised that you're surprised. Most alicorn Twilight stories just have her wake up as one. Yours is a long process, and there is back story for it. I can only think of 1 other story that makes it a process, and yours is far better, and more complete.
As for the CAPS LOCK SSaE writes in colors. From a strictly writing perspective that has to be worse, yet it doesn't matter because it helps to get the point across. Basically if it helps the reader understand the situation or the character's feelings better it doesn't matter how "unprofessional" it is.
Best wishes.
Andre
i've seen a couple of writers say that the "endless praise" comments are completely useless, and normally i agree (compared to actual critique at least), but when i see how you "treat" your own work i start getting doubts
feels like it's purpose is actually to counteract the writers own self-bashing...dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Octavia_O_O.png
444987
That is... actually rather accurate. Spot-on, really. I simply don't agree with the idea that the "endless praise" comments are useless. They are not useless. They are special. Truly, truly special. That's another person out there saying "I've seen your art, and it moved me. It's important to me. I appreciate your efforts and talents."
And that, I think, should mean the world to an artist.
Quite honestly, the only thing better than getting that praise from a fan is getting that praise from my wife, as she's the one I started writing this story for.
444940
When I first set out with Rites, I specifically didn't want to go the "wake up an alicorn" route. For one, it's not as fun a story if she doesn't have some limits in an adventure. For another, it's not very satisfying. I want her to earn alicornhood. For one more thing, I wanted a reason for her to attain it, and I wanted it to be something other than getting transformed by becoming a princess. For yet one more thing, lots of stories have already gone that route. I definitely wouldn't stand out doing that.
444993
you know what is confusing; one writer telling his fans that the endless praise comments are useless and another one saying that they are important
still, ill remember that.
445002
Not everyone is lucky enough to have fans. To me, that's something really special. I'm not going to forget that fact.
Don't you mean until there is a scene change?
But in all seriousness, it's nice to see someone post about this, especially about how harsh writers are to their own works.
Also, you may think it's unoriginal, but your story is the first and only alicorn Twilight fic I've read, so all the tropes you use are new to me.
I've only written one fic(which got like no attention. I think that's a good thing...) but in my opinion that attitude(both of them) are good things. Against yourself, it ensures that readers don't get crap. Like, real, Sturgeon's Law 90% crap. If you take too much pride in your work you don't realize mistakes and come out with garbage like Living the Dream.
As for criticizing others? Well, I would feel insulted if someone just blindly praised my work. It is the only worse thing than blindly flaming a work with no real criticism or going ad hominim on the author's flank. If I ever ask you to comment on my work, I'll expect to be dipped in a pool of acid sharks
I now feel justified in saying how
awesome
Rites of Ascension is. Someone's got to counteract your self-bashing.
Really, it's good!
I do appreciate the fact that you care about quality, though. It shows. Have a 'stache.
Oh look, my mouse is smarter than I am. Good job, mouse.