At 04:13 PM 6/18/99 GMT, Gary Kleppe wrote
Here's a couple of questions for you, Berk:
1) How much C&C do you provide to others?
Actually, if you write well enough, you may not have to. There are people
who make better storytellers than commentators. There are many roads to
provoking comments and criticism.
If David Johnston or Ronny Hedin or Vince Seifert or any of the other
frequent C&Cers on the list were to make a complaint like this, I'd go
and immediately read whatever the fic was that didn't get enough
response and give them the most useful C&C I could, because these people
have been doing the same for others. I haven't seen many or any C&C
posts from you on the list, Berk. Maybe I missed them, or maybe you send
them privately, which is fine; but if you aren't doing C&C at all, then
where do you get off demanding it from others?
The amount of C&C you put out on the list has very little to do how much you
will receive in turn. You cannot "earn" comments and criticism, nor can you
demand it. I can put out twenty times more C&C than fanfiction and I still
would have no valid reason to expect C&C in return. In fact, it's an
arrogant presumption to think that simply because one will review the works
of another that they somehow deserve a readership. You "earn" your C&C by
putting out material that piques your audience's interest and inspires them
to do what they can to improve your work.
The right to complain about not receiving C&C is earned by doing it
yourself. If you're not helping to solve the problem, please don't
complain when it comes around and affects you.
The reasons writing workshops sometimes requires authors also provide review
is to increase the overall amount of commentary and to ensure that as many
authors as possible get as much feedback as possible. The Fanfiction
Mailing List is not a workshop, although it can be a source of C&C. A
number of authors--occasionally I number amongst them--put up completed
material because this forum permits us to directly reach a large audience.
I'm tired of people who think they have a right to C&C but no
responsibility to provide it to others. (And this isn't just directed at
you, Berk.)
In this forum, they'd be as correct as those who feel that C&C is
an earned privilege that requires an author to contribute as well.
-The Reverend Prez
* * *
+-----------------+-<The Badass Reverend of Funk Prez>---+
| Presley H. | Political Science / Computer Science |
| Cannady II | and Electrical Engineering Undergrad |
|<revprez@mit.edu>| at the Mass. Institute of Technology |
+-----------------+-<Anime Manga Development Group>------+
+ Author of Liars and Dreamers, a Robotech fanfic +
+-------<http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/1731/index.html>-+
| MIDN 4/c A-2-2 SQD, MIT-Harvard-Tufts NROTC Battalion |
|_|"The art of war is of vital importance to the state"|_|