Names: The Petulant Prodigy & Racey

Purpose: To write an awesome fic (or two) together.

The following is a repost of I Dare You 2 Be Me's blog from over on Tumblr. I couldn't agree with him more. I think this needs to be posted everywhere!!!

How to Review a Fanfic.

Before I started receiving reviews/comments to my fics with any form of regularity, I didn’t realize how certain things I said in my flailings over other people’s fics came across.

Did you know that YOUR REVIEWS can sometimes be the CAUSE of a fanfic writer’s loss of interest in their own fic? Did you know that sometimes it is the reviewers who cause writer’s blocks?

1. Things like “OMG, UPDATE SOON!!!!” which are usually meant as compliments are actually really frustrating for a lot of fic writers, especially because of the sheer volume of similar comments a writer might get. It is overwhelming and oftentimes has the exact opposite effect on the writer than what the reviewer probably had intentioned. All the fanfic writers I talk to find it absolutely maddening to get this kind of review after they JUST updated their fic. If you really, really feel you must bring up the subject of the writer updating their fic again soon, you could say something like “I’ll be on the edge of my seat until the next update”, even then, though, it can be cumbersome for writers —especially those who often feel guilty about not having the time to update their fics on a regular basis.

2. If you leave something like “OMG, I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW!”, you run the risk of hitting the writer on the wrong day and actually offending or upsetting them. Personally, I usually laugh manically when I get reviews like this, but I think any rational human can understand that telling someone that you hate them or calling them mean names is totally rude even if you don’t mean it. This is the internet, anything you put out there can be interpreted in many different ways… and guess what! A lot of these people are sweet, sensitive little cuties who get their hearts hurt quite easily. They might get their feelings hurt or they might feel bad for upsetting you with their story. Even those of us who are kind of masochistic and ridiculous can feel kind of icky after receiving a number of reviews all with the same sort of ‘angry’ tone. If you wanna be silly and leave the ‘hate’ reviews, you could take a little extra time to say extra stuff like “Okay, not really… but wow, you really left this fic on a cliffhanger and the drama of it is just soooo emotional!” and go on to explain all the stuff you liked about the chapter.

3. While I would NEVER complain about receiving comments like “I loved this!” on my fics, the way to really make a writer swoon is to pick out parts of what you just read and explain why you loved them. It takes two seconds and probably 0.06 braincells to say “I loved this!” and while it is a super positive thing and so so awesome to receive, it doesn’t leave the same sort of impression on the writer as something like “I really enjoyed your ‘kurt-voice’, I find your mixture of AU and canon personality traits makes him really believable as the Kurt from Glee while allowing him to fit so perfectly into this alternative universe. Also, I thought the line, ‘…..’ was absolutely hilarious. I laughed right out loud.”

We writers really wanna hear from you, really really. Your quick comments and general key-smashing always, always make our day. Seriously. Like, as a fanfic writer, the only ‘payment’ we get for our efforts is your response. It is so nice to get story ‘follows’ and ‘favorites’ and even better to get comments… but, the reviews that you put some extra thought into, are so much more fun to receive. Seriously, you will leave an amazing impression on the writer and you may also even give their muse a kick start for the next chapter! If you only have time or coherency for “kjsgkajga! I love it!”, though, the writer will definitely appreciate receiving that, too.

4. Let’s talk about back-handed compliments. You know they suck to receive, so why are you leaving them to writers? It is easy to just put the very first thing that came to your mind down into the ‘review’ or ‘comment’ box after reading the fic and then sending it off into the internet… but we all need to take a moment to remember that an actual person is receiving this. You say, “I was avoiding reading this for a long time because I didn’t think I would like it but I finally read it and I’m really loving it.” What you probably meant was, “This story surprised me and I really love it.” What the writer takes away from your comment is more like, “The subject you chose to write about is creepy/wrong/stupid but I decided to give you a chance anyway because I am amazing like that and you should feel privileged that I did.” So yeah, can we please just not? If you like the fic, perhaps give the writer a bone and leave them a nice comment instead of a yucky one.

5. Vague comments where you really need to hear the tone of voice to understand the meaning are not fun to receive. This is something that I accidentally do a lot and people probably hate me for. Unless you are close with someone, leaving something like “OMFG!” as the only response is kind of confusing. AND, most of us are insecure souls when it comes to our fics and art and all those sorts of creative outlet type things, so mostly likely, the writer is gonna initially think the worst. On that subject are the confusing comments. Comments where you aren’t sure if they are compliments or not are really not nice to receive. I mean, seriously, if I’m going to get criticized, I’d like to KNOW I’m being criticized, thank you very much… same goes for compliments.

6. Keep in mind that, unless the author says otherwise, once a fic is posted on their livejournal or on fanfiction.net or some other spot on the internet as ready to read…. it is being posted as a FINISHED PRODUCT available for your viewing pleasure. You are not being asked to BETA for them!!!!! If there’s a typo or mistake that you feel needs to be pointed out, it can be done in a nice and respectful manner. You do not need to tear them apart for their story, though. You do not need to criticize their choices in storytelling or go full-out editor on them. if they don’t ask for CC, don’t give CC. And if you DO give CC, please keep in mind that the extra C stands for CONSTRUCTIVE.

So, yeah, I know there’s plenty more to say… but generally, I think the best way to leave a review is to remember that whatever you are saying is going to the writer and it will have some sort of affect on the writer of this fic that you like so much. Comments and Reviews are fantastic… FANTASTIC. While the best advice a fanfic writer can receive is to “write for yourself, not for reviews”, the fact of the matter is that everyone loves positive feedback. Everyone likes to know they are being heard and appreciated..

If you really love a story and want to see it continue, the very best way to help ensure that is to leave encouraging notes to the writer. A quick “I love this!” is always appreciated and a fantastic follow-through on that favorite or watch list you just added the story to… Longer, more-thought-out reviews are even better. We writers really DO want to hear from you!! Just please think about how you are coming across before clicking that ‘submit’ button.

I am notorious for clicking submit or send on my comments before my brain even catches up to what I wrote and I’m trying to get better at that. Honestly, though, I didn’t even REALIZE that some of the things I was saying were NEGATIVE when I was trying to COMPLIMENT writers… not until I started receiving reviews on my own stories.

So in order for you guys to get an idea of just how stupid we are together, we decided to go with some Q&A. I guess I'll get things started. I, meaning Racey AKA the bold print.

Question: What's our profile picture stand for?

TPP's Answer: Ah, tha's an easy one, Racey-chan *smirk* 'Cuz I'm 'tha Gin 'ta yer Grimmjow. Now how 'bout we go back 'ta Hueco Mundo and I'll show 'ya how 'ta use a REAL cero? *wink*

Racey's Answer: Pfft! I think I like the extendable sword better... *mile wide grin*

Question: How old were you when you were first exposed to yaoi?

TPP's Answer: 16. Pathetic, ne?

Racey's Answer: Um...I'm gonna say 23? LoL, but technically my cousin exposed to me his version of yaoi at the tender age of eight. *sighs wistfully*

Question: What are your vices?

TPP's Answer: Ne, babe, what'sa vice?

Racey: Hmm. Bad shit we do, ya know? Like threesomes and stuff...

TPP: I'm trying to stop smoking and I drink. I don't really have a definition for my sexuality, but I guess ya can call it bein' gender blind (associated with pansexuality). Dunno if I could have a threesome: I'm a lil' possessive.

Racey: LoL, I smoke, I drank, I'm supposed ta stop, but I can't. I'm a dog, I love hoes, and I'm addicted ta money, cars and clothes. Yep, that pretty much covers my side of the naughty grid. Oh that and sex of course :)

Question: What do you think is your greatest strength? Your greatest weakness?

Racey: My greatest strength is probably my ability to be strong in any situation. Considering the bullshit I've gone through, it's amazing I'm still sane and still standing, ya know? My greatest weakness...aside from my kid, of course. I'd have to say my temper. It's terrible and I'll admit to that. I can't help it when people piss me off.

TPP:
Greatest strength? Prob'ly my sense of humor. It makes me stupid, which makes people underestimate me. I think I'm addicted 'ta provin' people wrong. Greatest weakness? Probably my knack for "playing" with people. I get bored really easily and like to push people by either embarrassin' em or makin' em uncomfortable. It's kinda sick, I guess. Plenty of people call me "psycho" and either stay away from me or enjoy my pranks. But once you're my good friend, I'm loyal 'ta the end and I'd never manipulate ya.

Question: If you couldn't write Bleach yaoi, what other anime/manga would you choose to write?

TPP: I've always wanted 'ta try an Avatar The Last Airbender fic. I love the Zuko/Sokka dynamic. They're so great together in the show I feel like it would be a real challenge. They scream bromance, haha.

Racey: That's a tough one. I love One Piece; the Zoro/Sanji pairing definitely appeals to me, but I'd have to say I'd go with my first love, Hajime no Ippo, an anime most people are unaware of. Fucking Sendo and Makunouchi are my second Grimm/Ichi. Plus, it's a boxing anime/manga. There's no way you could go wrong...

So, do you readers have any questions ya wanna ask us? Don't be shy! We won't bite...hard... :)