Subject: Re: Value of C&C (was Re: [FFML] Another message...)
From: Andy Skuse
Date: 8/23/1998, 8:02 PM
To: FFML

Jeanne Hedge wrote:

At 10:54 AM 8/23/98 PDT, The Critic wrote:

Well, you have been doing better recently...but it would perhaps
help some of the skepticism if you gave examples by name of fan fiction
you've read, enjoyed, and would recommend for study.

Unfortunately, all the fics posted to the list recently have been
forgettable, and some were downright bad. I used to take the effort to
read and C&C almost every non-spam Ranma fic, but after seeing that this
practice could lead to a ban, I'll only C&C those fics that have a
chance at being better than bad.


Why would providing C+C to a non-spamfic lead to a ban?  That's what
you're *supposed* to do around here....

Yep, that's what people *used* to do some time ago, but it seems that
practice has fallen out of favour for privately emailed C&C which has lead
to the concept of "pre-readers", something that never existed before, and
something that just rubs me wrong every time I see the word mentioned. This
list was founded on the idea that everyone here is a pre-reader, to help
each other with their writing, and to enjoy each other's fanfics. There
were no other expectations. Reducing spam is always a good thing, but we've
turned away from the once very productive method of posting C&C to the list.

How was it productive? When someone posted C&C to an author privately, that
helped the author. That's a given. But when someone posted their comments
about a story to the list, other members were likely to either debate the
commentor's views or add some of their own. This in turn lead to more of
what any aspiring author would be looking for: constructive criticism.

What about being marked out if your story wasn't received well? Welcome to
writing :) You become a writer by getting over those hurdles, building
confidence and experience along the way, and if you stick with it, you will
also advance your skills as a writer.

It's a craft. Something yo can do better at for the rest of your life.
Don't let a few words of criticism stop you. Those are hurdles, not walls.
learn how to jump them and carry on.


Let's get back to the basics folks: Publicly posted AND discussed C&C
almost always leads to more C&C, which in turn almost always helps the
author more, and the reader gets a better story as a result. That's all
there is to it. This list has acquired so many extraneous "attributes" like
"pre-readers" and author MLs that IMHO we have forgotten why we are all
here.

To read and write, and get better at one or both.

And enjoy the stories.

Simple eh?


Andy Skuse


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