so-caffeinated:

so-caffeinated:

It takes, at least, an hour to write a thousand words. And that’s when the words flow easily and it doesn’t include editing time. At least that’s my experience. 

It’s hard. It takes time and focus and so much dedication that it’s mind-boggling. Fic writers plot while they drive to work, when they pick their kids up at school, when they take a shower, when they try to fall asleep. Basically? We plot all the time. Scenes play over and over and over in our heads until it’s like watching it on tv (this is, admittedly, awesome but also at times problematic). Lines pop into our heads at the weirdest times and we make notes on scratch papers and napkins and on our phones so we don’t forget them. We eat, breathe, and sleep our stories.

Some writers write on their lunch breaks at work instead of eating. Some stay up half the night and show up exhausted to work the next morning. Some spend weekend mornings writing at a coffee shop instead of hanging out with their family or friends. Whenever they write the fanfic you read, they do it for free and it costs them time, energy and (for those of us who camp out in coffee shops for hours on end) sometimes money.

So here it is. 

If you have constructive criticism? Great. Be mindful of how you give it. Ask if the author is open to it first. Be specific. Be focused. And balance it with good points. If you are instead inclined to leave a note explaining that you won’t be reading because you don’t care for a plot element, hit the back key instead. The writer owes you nothing and comments like these are rude, self-entitled and egocentric as fuck. That fanfic you just spent fifteen minutes reading and the author spent 8 hours writing? It’s a gift. If you don’t like it? Politely back away and go elsewhere. 

You are free to dislike anything you like, even if its a canon plot element. You are also free to express that dislike. However – and here’s the kicker – that doesn’t mean you should. 

I’d like to think that some day I won’t feel the need to reblog this. It’s probably not true. And it’s definitely not true today.