Countdown to Small Gifts 6/7: Feedback, comments, and support

[smallgiftsmods.livejournal.com]

Tell us a bit about the social aspects of creating and reading/viewing fanworks, as you've experienced it. What's the most meaningful comment you've ever received? Or given? Do you leave comments every time, even on older fanworks or archives? Do you work with a beta? How does the beta system--or the process of receiving comments and feedback--change the way you create or interact with fandom? Do you create with an audience in mind? Does the particular community around a pairing or a fandom change the way you interact with it?

Yesterday's tiny three-sentence (and three-image) stories: ART: *thwuk* by dustmouth, FICLETS: Not Quite by gryffindorj, Fireplace Surprise by shutupeccles, Snow Play by mutuisanimis, Mum by magnetic_pole, and Went Down Laughing by rhye


Check out previous Countdown posts:
1/7: Introductions--Come tell us a bit about yourself!
2/7: Sentimental Favorites
3/7: Head Canon
4/7: Sites for Fanworks

Comments

[pavlablack.livejournal.com]

Second only to the wonderful stories and art I found in R/S fandom, the social aspect is what drew me to it. Even though I only lurked at first, I found myself not only reading the stories and looking at the art, but also wanting to see what others said about them. And it was clear from the back-and-forth in some of the comments, what a special experience that is. It's a bond not often experienced between readers and writers, and I wanted to be part of that. Now I wish I'd joined years ago! But I'm especially glad to be part of this fest—I the idea of creating specifically for someone and having them create something especially for me is so cool.

The best comments I've received are the ones where the commenter is a bit inarticulate because they're still reeling from emotion—that to me is the best compliment, to know you affected someone on such a deep level. Comments that reference specific things the reader liked are always appreciated, but just getting comments in general is nice. It's always disheartening when your work is posted and you only get a couple of comments. I think this tends to happen near the end of a fest—the work posted first almost always gets a high number of comments, and then things drop off after a while. I've been guilty about this myself because I got behind in one fest and never finished commenting on the works. In the last two fests I've participated in, I've tried to give good comments on every piece because I know how disappointing it is to not know whether your work resonated with people or not.

[themessrs.livejournal.com]

Very true about the resonance of comments. I'm also guilty of lacking where comments are concerned for the Games, but I was really sick so I guess that's an excuse. Though reading the comments I did get was so heart-warming.

Particularly if you're experiencing a touch of writer's block or you aren't sure where your muse is taking you, getting in-depth comments is like someone giving you a hint about where to go. It's been super helpful for me in the past, definitely.