On 9/23/97 10:26 PM, Gary Kleppe at KLEPPE@execpc.com wrote:

On Tue, 23 Sep 1997 23:14:23 -0400, Douglas Helm <dhelm@log.on.ca>
wrote:

After having been MSTed I'm leary to continue posting this to the list.
Typically being MSTed signifies that a fic isn't very good and I think can
have somewhat negatives effects on readership, as it will be taken as
worthless pile of nonsense. I'll see what my co-author thinks.

NO!!

Some people do indeed write MSTings of fics they consider bad, in order
to make fun of them. Megane 6.7 is (usually) an example.

Others, like myself (though I haven't done one in a long while), write
MSTings of GOOD fics, as a way to call attention to them, and as a way
to make C&C more interesting.

As one of the larger repositories for this kind of C&C, and a writer of a 
fair amount of it myself... well, honestly, this is one of the biggest 
reasons why I *don't* like calling them MST's. I admit, I'm a softie; 
I've only reviewed fics I generally enjoyed, and would have a hard time 
reviewing one I hated (would have trouble even finishing it, for one 
thing ^_^). I simply don't like venom, and write mine in a spirit of fun. 
Most of the reviews I've collected on my page are in the same spirit; I 
can think of only one or two exceptions off the top of my head, out of 
110+ reviews. 

As far as what the original authors think... I've generally had positive 
reactions from most of the authors I've reviewed; can't speak for other 
peoples' reviews, but a couple of authors I know have been happy with the 
ones they got as well. I'm not sure it's right, either, to say that a 
'fun' commentary review decreases readership; at least a couple of times, 
I've noticed 'fic requests increase for a story right after it's 
reviewed, and in fact I've had people write me asking where to find a 
'fic I've reviewed. I'd be interested in hearing from authors who've been 
reviewed, and what happened to their readership afterwards.



Travis Butler
(The Professor, formerly of Myth and Magick!, Lawrence, KS;
 tbutler@tfs.net, now from the Wandering Powerbook;
 <http://www.tfs.net/personal/tbutler/>;
 Mac page <http://www.tfs.net/business/tbutler/>)

...Wait a minute! Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.