I didn't think I was particularly sensitive to epithets...

[ratcreature]

...but this historical m/m romance novel I'm reading (Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton) is driving me crazy. Between both of them referring to themselves and each other sometimes by first, sometimes by last name, and also by hair color, body size, age and occasionally nationality in a dizzying, randomized cycle, there are entirely too many things to refer to just two people.

It's really frustrating, because the sex scenes are decent otherwise, the paranormal plot so far is interesting, and the characters likeable, but this makes it nearly unreadable.

Comments

[ratcreature]

I think it's fair for an author to say they aren't interested in concrit especially things that aren't easily fixed after posting like pacing (rather than fixing a typo or such).

I'm not especially into random internet audience offering me drawing tips I didn't ask for (unlike when posting wip trying to figure out a problem and asking), especially not when I might feel a bit down on myself already.

And the feedback etiquette for the "default" modus of engaging is quite different in different fandom corners. So it's helpful to be upfront. Otoh when an author is too particular or seems very easily offended they risk people just not saying anything beyond a kudo or a generic "I liked this" because just posting thoughts you had might seem risky, even if you don't mean it as something they ought to fix.

I think it's a bit of a shame that fandom currently has few reader centric spaces, that don't center around the author or are addressed to them. I enjoyed the mailing lists way back that were for fanfic talk among readers.

[mllesatine]

Oh I agree. If I see that an author doesn't want concrit I wouldn't dream of writing any but this author did not state upfront that they don't want it. Maybe it had already been discussed in the comments at some point but I'm not in the habit of reading those.

[ratcreature]

Could also have been on their profile somewhere as a blanket statement but I rarely look at those on AO3. But various transformative works policies wrt podfic also seem to end up there. Or in the middle of a long list of Tumblr style tags. Communicating feedback preferences is about as standardized as the preferences themselves i.e. not very.

[sealie]

Just to clarify, I think if a writer chooses to have a beta or not that is their business. I was perplexed at the ‘tone’ of tagging ‘no beta; we die like men!’ I am puzzled that stories are posted with no editing, weird grammar, no spell check and sometimes no formatting. It is a choice, and I believe that a writer can make and choose to post their stories in that manner. I get that fanfic is fun and doesn’t have to be betaed. Nor should a writer be subject to unwanted criticism (and notably in fandom it is rarely constructive or objective).

I will, however, press the back button on a fic that has egregious mistakes and has little or no formatting.

[ratcreature]

I certainly use "no beta" tags/notes as a data point when deciding whether to check something out too, along with the summary, author's note, tags etc.

It's just my guess that the tone of these notes intentionally highlighting the lack of a beta (rather than for example just not mentioning it either way) might be a reaction to having been scolded for not using betas in the past (whether personally or as a feeling of a general fandom mood that translated into feeling scolded) and pushing back against that. It's my impression that there's always a bit of a seesaw in what take on fanwriting is the most vocal in a fandom corner (a bit depending on BNFs and cliques popularity at a time).

[sealie]

As one who has also be scolded/patronised/insulted for not having a beta, I do know where you're coming from. Not having a beta doesn't mean that a story is inherently bad. I guess to a certain extent it speaks of joy, enthusiasm, rush to post and share and/or I'm doing this for fun it; shouldn't be a chore.

Fandom does chose its corners. It is nice, for example, to see Mary Sue themes being deconstructed and being seen as a positive, at the moment. I wonder where the seesaw will take it. Because you’re right there are a lot of seesaws.