(I really should be getting to bed, but ... Ngh. Can't - stop. Okay, just one more then. :) )
I'm not that good at critiquing either, and even commenting in general I find hard. Usually I end up either squeeing incoherently, which is fun but not very useful; or I try to explain what I like (or dislike), which is useful but tends to come across as unnaturally clinical. I still have to find a balance between the two (so, should you notice that symptom; it's definitely me, not you).
Writing Londo vs G'Kar - strangely, I find it easier to crawl into Londo's head than into G'Kar's. Londo's motivation I can see and understand (if not always sympathize with), but with G'Kar I never quite know the deeper reasons for what he does. Incidentally, the latter I could also say about Lennier; much of what goes on inside him is a mystery to me.
By the way, what I've been meaning to ask you (in that other thread, but I might as well do it here): you already mentioned you hated Lennier dying in the Telepath War - and I agree, that was a lousy way of depriving us of closure. But what did you think about his action that started it all: his running away (though he did turn back, eventually) instead of saving John? Was it plausible to you, given the way his character had developed over the last seasons? (I'm asking it as an open question - I'll tell you my opinion later :) )
Polishing phrases is something I do endlessly. Not being a native speaker certainly has something to do with it, being a perfectionist also. So no, certainly not a natural - thanks, though. :) I have had moments where I could write two or three paragraphs fluently, without having to pause or look for words, and where I was actually happy with the result - but they're an exception rather than the rule. Also due to the endless polishing, I finished my b5_love fic contribution weeks ago, just to be on the safe side. (though I still have to hear back from my beta - she's a huge Vir fan, so I'm starting to wonder if she hates it and is just thinking about a way to tell me. *gulp*) Are you mostly a last-minute writer, or more the opposite? About short pieces: for myself, I always find it harder to tell a good story in a compact way, so yes, they can definitely be harder than longer stories.
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Date: 2009-09-07 09:33 pm (UTC)I'm not that good at critiquing either, and even commenting in general I find hard. Usually I end up either squeeing incoherently, which is fun but not very useful; or I try to explain what I like (or dislike), which is useful but tends to come across as unnaturally clinical. I still have to find a balance between the two (so, should you notice that symptom; it's definitely me, not you).
Writing Londo vs G'Kar - strangely, I find it easier to crawl into Londo's head than into G'Kar's. Londo's motivation I can see and understand (if not always sympathize with), but with G'Kar I never quite know the deeper reasons for what he does. Incidentally, the latter I could also say about Lennier; much of what goes on inside him is a mystery to me.
By the way, what I've been meaning to ask you (in that other thread, but I might as well do it here): you already mentioned you hated Lennier dying in the Telepath War - and I agree, that was a lousy way of depriving us of closure. But what did you think about his action that started it all: his running away (though he did turn back, eventually) instead of saving John? Was it plausible to you, given the way his character had developed over the last seasons? (I'm asking it as an open question - I'll tell you my opinion later :) )
Polishing phrases is something I do endlessly. Not being a native speaker certainly has something to do with it, being a perfectionist also. So no, certainly not a natural - thanks, though. :) I have had moments where I could write two or three paragraphs fluently, without having to pause or look for words, and where I was actually happy with the result - but they're an exception rather than the rule. Also due to the endless polishing, I finished my b5_love fic contribution weeks ago, just to be on the safe side. (though I still have to hear back from my beta - she's a huge Vir fan, so I'm starting to wonder if she hates it and is just thinking about a way to tell me. *gulp*) Are you mostly a last-minute writer, or more the opposite? About short pieces: for myself, I always find it harder to tell a good story in a compact way, so yes, they can definitely be harder than longer stories.