no MCU moment could ever hold a candle to the scene in the incredibles where Bob is at the computer terminal
and in the background music the horn section is putting their entire pussy into it
as he finds out with dawning horror how many of his old friends Syndrome killed
If anyone’s feeling a little tense at the moment, and can’t quite put their finger on why, here’s a reminder of how last November started and why this might be the case. o_o
Hey, all! Amy here
and feel free to skip this, but I noticed a huge thing going around with
fanfiction writers and fanfiction readers.
Kinda throwing arrows at one another over mistakes and how they should
be addressed.
Okay, first off:
stop. Ew. It’s gross.
Y’all are big boys and girls and y’all can act like it. You don’t need to attack each other at the
knees behind the safety of your screens.
Secondly: there
are points on both sides. People who
write have a right to be proud of their work and can choose not to accept
criticism. On the other hand, people who
read and absorb the work have the right as well to point out mistakes they
noticed if it’s meant to be helpful.
So how can people interact civilly when it comes to
fanfiction and it’s accompanying critiques?
By following a few internet rules, plain and simple. No, I’m not gonna tell you to forgive and
forget or just roll over and let the other person have their way. That’s not what you do IRL and that’s not
what you do online either. Instead, both
persons have a series of rules to follow in order to try and make the most of
their experience.
I start with you because you’re the ones who have poured
your heart and soul into this baby. And I get it, I do. When you spend hours and hours slaving over
your baby, going over the idea thousands of times in your head, trying to get
the idea on paper, and trying to make it look good, then oh heck to the yes
it’s your baby and you’re gonna defend it to the death. I expect that and that’s okay. What’s not okay is when it interferes with
your ability to check in with the situation and see if they actually meant
harm, so here are a few rules I’ve started to use over my years of fanfiction
writing:
Read the entire comment for content. This is a bitter pill to take, especially if
they sound condescending or snarky. I’ve
run into a few of them, and they’re never pleasant to deal with, but some of
them have good ideas. Try to filter out
the junk of the comment and get to the meat of it all. (I’ll get to what to do if there’s no meat
later)
Take a
break from the comment when you get angry.
And chances are that if it’s an unsolicited comment, you’re going to get
angry. This is your baby and you’ve
worked hard on it. If the crtiquer isn’t
at least taking that into account, you may even get furious. Get up and walk away. They do not deserve your wrath.
Decide
for yourself if they have a point.
Most critiquers tend to leave their comments because they’re trying to
help in their own (somewhat obnoxious) way.
If they’ve got a point, thank them, but also try to express if the
critique was delivered well. If it was,
tell them so they can help more people.
If not, tell them so they can work on it. IF THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY POINT AT ALL AND ARE
JUST BEING RUDE, get rid of it. They’re
not worth your time.
Respond
or toss. This is up to you. If they had content that was actually useful,
then they were being helpful like they were trying to be. If they had content and it wasn’t useful,
it’s up to you what to do. If they had
zero content in their critique or it wasn’t relevant at all, skip it. They’re not worth your time.
I actually formed these rules after an encounter with a
critiquer who was completely neutral in tone, blurted my mistakes for the world
to see, and essentially made me feel like the absolute worst writer in the
world. They weren’t harsh, but their
critique did hurt me, especially because I’d still just been starting out.
The first thing that happened was I got angry. I was livid, furious. Like, how dare they? Couldn’t they just sit back and enjoy the
story? I spent a good week or so
avoiding my fanfiction account just because I was so pissed off. I ended up talking to my mom and she asked me
if they had any points. I think she was
going for “if they don’t, then they’re not worth your time”, but they did.
After that, I went back and tried to see it from their point of view.
Didn’t mean I suddenly wasn’t mad at them. I was mad, but I also realized that they, in
their own roundabout and hurtful (to me, who reads inflection into typed words
and winces at every loud noise and criticism) way, were trying to help me.
I worked on it, and I don’t think they ever commented on
my stuff again, but the people who already loved my stuff? The people who said that my stuff was ‘cute’
or ‘genius’? They loved it all the
more! The critiquer may not have stuck
around, but those who did benefited.
(It really took me a long time to stop being angry at
them. Now I just kind of take a lesson
from them. As a fanfiction writer, and
as a critiquer myself.)
I’m saying this as someone who has pretty high standards
for what I read. I look into formatting,
tenses, plot, characterization, spelling, and even comma usage! These little things do actually bug me, and
sometimes enough to the point of wanting to comment, but I’ve been on the other
side of it and remember the frustration and the anger that can come from a
wrongly worded comment, so there are a few rules that I’ve formulated in order
to be the best critiquer I can be and help as many people as possible get as
amazing as they can as a writer!
Note: These rules
are for critiquers who actually do want to help writers get better and improve
the overall quality of internet written works.
If you’re here because of some superiority complex, these rules may be
difficult for you to follow. I, however,
encourage you to do your best and perhaps one day you’ll be a good
critiquer. *^_^*
Find a
way to figure out if the author even wants your critique. One way to do this is to respectfully ask
them. Always open with a positive. Something like “Hey, I liked ___ about your
story, but I noticed something was a bit off.
Can I give you a constructive critique?”
Typically, an author would be happy to know you cared about their
opinion, so this will go either one of two ways. They will either (A) allow the critique and
actually listen to what you have to say or (B) politely decline the offer. This means they have made up their mind and
you are to let it go. The back button is
a wonderful friend at this point.
Follow
the sandwich format. This is a tried
and true method for getting people to actually listen. If you start in with the critique, the author
will feel attacked and immediately get defensive. Instead of wondering if you’ve got any point,
they will find ways to contradict you and argue. Instead, open with something you liked about
the story. There was a reason you read
it all to the end, wasn’t there? Mention
that first (AND BE HONEST! NO ONE LIKES
SOMEONE WHO GIVES OUT FALSE COMPLIMENTS), and then get to the critique, or
‘meat’, of your critique. When that’s
done, exit with a thank-you for being willing to listen to your comments. It takes a lot for a creator to listen to
someone point out the flaws in their baby, even if they’re trying to
learn. Remember that you want this to be
a positive interaction, not a demolition derby.
No
insults or other derogatory comments.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the writer is trying their
best. Insulting them makes them less
willing to hear you out, much less accept your comments and get better.
No
elevating yourself over them. It’s a
no-brainer. You’re not there to school them, you’re there to help them. Helping requires a serving mind, which puts
their needs before your ego.
Do not
hound the author. If they listen but
don’t take your comments, you’re not allowed to harass them. Most likely, they don’t see a point in your
comment and have elected to ignore it.
And that’s fine. The point is
that you managed to bring it to their attention once. Maybe they’ll come back to it later, maybe
not. Either way, once your critique is
given, it’s done. Unless they come to
you asking about it, your job is to pack up and vamoose, or simply to sit back
and enjoy watching the rest of the story unfold.
Make sure
your comments are objective. Like,
if there’s a comma problem, tell them about it.
If there’s verb tenses being messed up, inform them politely. If person A didn’t get with person B, then
you’re not critiquing. That’s a matter
of opinion and doesn’t belong in the critiquing category.
Be
respectful. They’re going on a limb
and listening to you, and it’s the author’s choice whether or not to continue
the correspondence. You don’t have to ‘kiss up to them’ or ‘serve them’, but
you have to make sure you’re not being a jerk and that all your comments are
warranted.
I know there are a lot of rules, but critiquing is hard, especially with how a lot of people
view them. But you, the critiquer, ARE
NOT EVIL. You’re not the bad guy. You’re not messed up. You’re not ‘sticking your nose where it
doesn’t belong’. You’re human and you’re
trying to be helpful. These are just
tips and tricks on how to go about it the right way and maximize your
helpfulness.
The last thing I’ll say is that not everyone will follow
these rules. They will think they’re
stupid or pandering or all-around dumb.
Some people who claim to critique will continue to slander our good name
by acting like holier-than-thou snits.
Some people who write will continue to get outrageously angry for
persons daring to say something went wrong.
Leave the
computer. Or the website, just for a
bit. Enjoy the sunshine, take a walk,
talk with your best friend, eat some ice cream, go play. See if it just blows over. They don’t get to take away your happiness
because they’re angry.
Delete
the hate. When you’re good and
happy, you can delete the hate mail, or maybe grab a friend to laugh at it. But don’t respond to hate with anger. As my good friend Warlord Okeer said, you
shall inflict “the greatest insult an
enemy can suffer. To be ignored.”
If they
chase you down in anger, block them.
This is okay to do. For
fanfiction writers: if they continue to
pester you with their comments after you say ‘no thanks’, block their
tails. For fanfiction critiquers: if they got angry over a critique you gave,
provided that they said okay and provided that you followed the rules of
critiquing, you’re allowed to block them.
You did it right. Don’t even
stress.
And then there are the times where we forget to follow
the rules and insult someone on accident.
It happens. If you realize you’re
in the wrong, it’s just one rule.
Apologize. No, you don’t have to grovel for forgiveness,
but understand that your actions may have hurt someone else and react
accordingly. If they won’t take it, at
least make the promise to yourself to be better in the future.
And that’s it. I
know it seems like a lot to swallow, but it all boils down to making sure your
words are respectful, kind, and true.
After slogging through all my Whump Challenge posts, I thought you all
deserved something nice. So here is the first of a 2-part series on pain.
Enjoy!
Basics:
Pain is an unpleasant physical and
emotional sensation caused by actual or perceived tissue damage. Under normal
circumstances, pain indicates some kind of tissue damage. This damage can be
from an injury, an infection, or a disease like arthritis. Very simply, when
tissue is damaged, cells release certain chemicals. When the concentrations of
these chemicals get high enough, nerve endings send a signal to the brain,
which is interpreted as pain. Painkillers work by either blocking the formation
of the chemicals, blocking how they interact with the nerve endings, or by
blocking the transmission of the nerve impulses to the brain.
Pain Scale (intensity):
In healthcare settings, pain can be measured on a scale of 0-10. On this
scale, 0 means no pain, and 10 means either the worst pain the patient has ever
felt, or the worst pain the patient can imagine. Quantifying this for fiction
purposes isn’t always easy, but think about it like this:
Pain score of 1: “Pain Threshold.” Where pain first
begins to be felt. Barely noticeable and very easily ignored. Character likely
would not express discomfort and may change positions, but not much more.
Pain score of 2: Character may voice discomfort, but
may still not do anything about it.
Pain score of 3: “Pain Tolerance.” Pain becomes
difficult to ignore and character finally begins to seek some form of relief.
Pain score of 4-5: Pain becomes nearly impossible to
ignore completely, pain symptoms of tense muscles and a change in respiratory
pattern develops. Irritability, nausea, and a change in vitals likely.
Pain score of 6-7: Pain is debilitating. Difficulty
concentrating occurs, fine movements like writing are significantly impaired.
Muscles are tense and hands are balled into fists.
Pain score of 8-9: Sleep is impossible, and pain is
completely debilitating. Very difficult to read, think, speak or focus on
anything that isn’t the pain. Change in vitals very pronounced.
Pain score of 10: Unconsciousness immanent. Worst pain
character has ever felt. Incapable of thought, movement, or speech.
Pain is a very subjective, individual
experience. One person’s 2 might be another person’s 6. Notice up there
where it says “pain threshold” and “pain tolerance”? Pain threshold is basically how bad the pain needs to be to be felt
at all. It’s the “1” on the pain scale. Pain
tolerance is where the pain needs to be for the person to want to do
something about it. It’s usually about a “3” on the pain scale.
Pain tolerance is different for
everyone, and changes based on life experience (are they used to dealing
with pain?), fatigue (being tired or chronically sleep-deprived may make pain
feel worse), and emotional situation (being scared or sad may make pain feel
worse). People’s perception of, and need of treatment for, the same pain may
change day-to-day, or as they gather more experience.
Pain on this scale is also self-reported.
People may exaggerate or minimize pain when reporting it depending on life
experience (some people may be used to only getting treatment if they rate
their pain at 10/10, and so routinely exaggerate in order to be taken seriously),
culture (some cultures highly value stoicism, and may under-report pain so as
not to appear weak), or religion (some religious groups view pain as penance,
and so may under-report pain to avoid treatment). This is something to think
about when building a character.
Describing Pain (quality):
Pain, while a universal concept, is
not a universal feeling. Pain quality
is what the patient reports the pain as “feeling like.” Different
manifestations of pain can mean different things (see the list below for
examples). Depending on the location or
the reason for the pain, it can feel different. Here are some ways pain can
be described/experienced (examples of related injury/illness in parentheses):
Any one of these and many others can manifest at any intensity.
Non-Verbal Signs of Pain and Pain Signature (newly added to post):
Writing for a character who doesn’t like to admit to being in pain? Rest assured, you still have something to write about. Non-verbal signs of pain obviously become very difficult to hide as pain increases, but even small amounts of pain may result in non-verbal expression of pain. Non-verbal signs of pain could be great for tipping other characters or audience off to pain.
Non-verbal signs of pain include:
Facial grimacing (especially the little crinkle between the eyebrows)
Increase in respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure
Decrease in blood oxygen saturation (from breath holding)
Guarding of painful area
Decrease in physical activity and energy level
Loss of interest in surroundings
Difficulty keeping attention on task, may miss information
Restlessness
Constant shifting in position
Change in appetite
Repetitive movements, such as crinkling paper, wrapping fabric around hands, rubbing feet against bed
A “pain signature” is a person’s unique but consistent combination of the above signs. Even people who try to hide their pain often display a pain signature, though they may attempt to write it off (decrease in energy can sometimes be compensated for and change in appetite and restlessness can be caused by a lot of different things). If you know your character will be in pain, it might be a good idea to include their pain signature as part of character planning.
Craven, R. F., & Hirnle, C. J. (2009). Fundamentals of nursing: Human health and function. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Lippincott, W. &. (2013). Brunner and suddarth’s textbook of medical -surgical nursing 12th ed. nursing diagnosis, .. Place of publication not identified: Wolters Kluwer Health.
I once received a DM comprised of just that sentence. Nothing else. No constructive criticism or any reason as to why this person clearly agreed with my own view of myself.
For someone who has never told anyone in their real life that they write anything, reading something like this from an anonymous user only solidified in my mind the fact that this person was right.
I’m not a good writer.
After an embarrassing amount of minutes passed, in which I thought about deleting every story I ever posted, I decided to delete the message instead. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean I could delete the feelings it caused or change the fact that I’m not a good writer.
Two weeks went by and I didn’t write anything, let alone post. Then I received a comment on a story I had posted three years prior, one I’d written after a death in our family. The comment read, “Thank you for sharing this heartfelt story. I really needed this. I just lost my mom and this really got me today.”
I stopped thinking about being a good writer after that. I thought instead, “what if I had deleted my stories and that one person three years later hadn’t read it that day?”
Here’s what I realized: no one is a good writer.
Good means to be approved of, but stories aren’t created from approval. They’re built from life experiences, feelings, and emotions Therefore, the impact of anyone’s story isn’t good or bad. It’s a million other things.
Heartfelt.
Sad.
Funny.
Inspiring.
Romantic.
So to all the story writers out there, hold your head up, write what is in your heart, and never doubt that there isn’t at least one person out there that needs to read your story.
So, no.
We’re not good writers, but why would we want to be?
Holy shit did I need to read this today
Never doubt that there isn’t at least one person out there that needs to read your story.
