A Rare Bit of Meta
Jul. 21st, 2006 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sub_dividedI don't post much meta because unless it's a reprise of an old discussion or a reaction to someone else's meta it requires way too much original thought. XD But I realized something semi-interesting in a comment to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rabbitprint on (yes, still talking about it) that anonymous writer meme:
I think the reason I had so much trouble identifying your writing is that I go into your stories knowing that I am not going to comment on them. Although it isn't anything I do on purpose, or something I was thinking about when I decided I was going to comment more often, the truth is that I read fic differently when I know I'm going to comment on it. I pay more attention to detail (so I can pick out lines to praise), I try to guess the effect the author was going for (so I can be on-topic in my praise), and above all I make sure I understand what I'm reading (so I don't look stupid).
On the other hand if I know I'm not going to comment, I read through fic, enjoy it, but probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about its technical construction (although I might think about other aspects, like the plot if it's multichapter or characterization if it’s a vignette). In the end, I'm less likely to remember it. I think that part of the reason Tari, over on her own anonymous meme, has been doing so well is that she makes a point of always commenting to ficposts with something at least semi-substantial. (She also blogs about every book she reads -- and actually, I have started doing this too, because it's the best way to remember them.)
***
Feel free to slap me down for saying something obvious. It IS obvious. Just last month I got a comment from a homeschooling mother who found my journal looking for blogposts on The Sparrow, about how she uses this method to teach her children. Working through literature so that you can write about it aids understanding and memory.
What might not be obvious is that you don't have to write detailed fic analyses (and in fact most authors would prefer that you don't) for the heightened-memory effect to kick in. Even picking out a favorite line can do it. Even saying you liked the way the author threw in funny lines during the separation scene so that it didn't get too mopey can do it. As long as it's a comment more substantial than Nice!!! I think most people, to a greater or lesser extent, will experience this effect.
I guess what I'm saying is that the next time one of those essays on "Feedback, Why Writers Don't Deserve It" goes around, maybe someone could mention this extremely beneficial side-effect for the feedbacker. XD Although naturally if you are reading fic to pass the time, for momentary enjoyment, and don't care whether you remember it in the morning, none of this applies.
rabbitprint on (yes, still talking about it) that anonymous writer meme:I think the reason I had so much trouble identifying your writing is that I go into your stories knowing that I am not going to comment on them. Although it isn't anything I do on purpose, or something I was thinking about when I decided I was going to comment more often, the truth is that I read fic differently when I know I'm going to comment on it. I pay more attention to detail (so I can pick out lines to praise), I try to guess the effect the author was going for (so I can be on-topic in my praise), and above all I make sure I understand what I'm reading (so I don't look stupid).
On the other hand if I know I'm not going to comment, I read through fic, enjoy it, but probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about its technical construction (although I might think about other aspects, like the plot if it's multichapter or characterization if it’s a vignette). In the end, I'm less likely to remember it. I think that part of the reason Tari, over on her own anonymous meme, has been doing so well is that she makes a point of always commenting to ficposts with something at least semi-substantial. (She also blogs about every book she reads -- and actually, I have started doing this too, because it's the best way to remember them.)
***
Feel free to slap me down for saying something obvious. It IS obvious. Just last month I got a comment from a homeschooling mother who found my journal looking for blogposts on The Sparrow, about how she uses this method to teach her children. Working through literature so that you can write about it aids understanding and memory.
What might not be obvious is that you don't have to write detailed fic analyses (and in fact most authors would prefer that you don't) for the heightened-memory effect to kick in. Even picking out a favorite line can do it. Even saying you liked the way the author threw in funny lines during the separation scene so that it didn't get too mopey can do it. As long as it's a comment more substantial than Nice!!! I think most people, to a greater or lesser extent, will experience this effect.
I guess what I'm saying is that the next time one of those essays on "Feedback, Why Writers Don't Deserve It" goes around, maybe someone could mention this extremely beneficial side-effect for the feedbacker. XD Although naturally if you are reading fic to pass the time, for momentary enjoyment, and don't care whether you remember it in the morning, none of this applies.