Post by Bridget MacClelland on Oct 10, 2005 7:13:24 GMT -8
Hey, guys. I've been thinking... it would be really cool if, rather than just saying "good post" or "bad post" in regards to the IC stories some people are posting, we could have more constructive criticism.
For instance: on the "Mettle" thread, Ben put up a whole post devoted to passages he particularly liked and why, etc. I'd love to see more "but I didn't like this and here's why," too.
The reason I ask this is that I don't post stories to these boards just for kicks... I take the time to write and post in an effort to improve my craft. I'm sure plenty of others do the same. Sure, maybe some people don't see writing as their "craft"... but they could come to with practice. Ideas are the hard part; the writing bit only gets good after multiple revisions.
You may think you have nothing to offer in the way of criticism... but really, everyone does. Just go "I like the way I get to see into your character's head" or "This was a great sentence, gave me chills," or "Good post, dude, but way too much introspection. I want more action!" Anything helps, really.
You may also think some of us (Ben, I'm looking at you) write such great posts they can't be improved on. Not true! All writing can get better. Published fiction goes through dozens of revisions before it sees print. Every single story I've posted looks, in hindsight, like derivative crap that I should've edited three more times... though I'm a harsh critic of my own work.
Just a thought, for those who might like to help/be helped. If you don't want comments of this type, please make that clear, because I'm going to start offering more detailed opinions... if nothing else, because I find that figuring out what I like in others' writing improves mine.
Think of it as similar to noms: we want some detail (though not too much) to know why the roleplay was awesome, so we can continue to have awesome roleplay. (Though I'd love it if someone came up to me and went "I don't like X about your character/roleplay and here's why." In a polite, constructive manner, of course.)
Be nice, be polite, be gentle, and... umm... yeah. That's all. Have fun.
For instance: on the "Mettle" thread, Ben put up a whole post devoted to passages he particularly liked and why, etc. I'd love to see more "but I didn't like this and here's why," too.
The reason I ask this is that I don't post stories to these boards just for kicks... I take the time to write and post in an effort to improve my craft. I'm sure plenty of others do the same. Sure, maybe some people don't see writing as their "craft"... but they could come to with practice. Ideas are the hard part; the writing bit only gets good after multiple revisions.
You may think you have nothing to offer in the way of criticism... but really, everyone does. Just go "I like the way I get to see into your character's head" or "This was a great sentence, gave me chills," or "Good post, dude, but way too much introspection. I want more action!" Anything helps, really.
You may also think some of us (Ben, I'm looking at you) write such great posts they can't be improved on. Not true! All writing can get better. Published fiction goes through dozens of revisions before it sees print. Every single story I've posted looks, in hindsight, like derivative crap that I should've edited three more times... though I'm a harsh critic of my own work.
Just a thought, for those who might like to help/be helped. If you don't want comments of this type, please make that clear, because I'm going to start offering more detailed opinions... if nothing else, because I find that figuring out what I like in others' writing improves mine.
Think of it as similar to noms: we want some detail (though not too much) to know why the roleplay was awesome, so we can continue to have awesome roleplay. (Though I'd love it if someone came up to me and went "I don't like X about your character/roleplay and here's why." In a polite, constructive manner, of course.)
Be nice, be polite, be gentle, and... umm... yeah. That's all. Have fun.