yuletide_coal | Afterburn

OP Yeah, I just don't know! I got no details or letter from this recip, so it's possible I wrote something they hated! They did select characters, and I wrote those characters, and lacking any details/preferences I stuck as close to the tone of canon as possible. It was beta-ed by someone familiar with the canon and got the thumbs up...

I don't know I tried to please you recip even though you gave me nothing to go on and I'm sorry if you hated it but I would even be happy with a 'thanks for writing for me' comment at this point because at least I'd KNOW and I could move on with my life instead of stalking your AO3 account and ranting on _coal.

Personally, I'd send them a quick PM or email saying, "I'm not sure you noticed you got a gift in Yuletide [link]. I enjoyed writing it/exploring these characters/exploring this idea*. I hope you enjoy reading it!"

*Saying something positive about the writing experience gives them a hook to reply to if they are anxious and helps the tone.

I have done this in two past exchanges when the recip didn't comment. One time, I never heard back from them. Another time, I got a comment a week later that did not refer to my PM. So I cannot speak to the success rate. However, speaking up in this way helped me get 'closure' because it helped eliminate the chance that they hadn't read it, or due to some brain fart had thought they already commented or something.

DA

I have done this in two exchanges, much smaller ones than Yuletide, and both times the recips were a bit embarrassed. One had defaulted and guilt kept her from commenting. The other is just one of those people who always has an excuse for not commenting but is active online during that time, and probably didn't expect to get called on it. I waited at least a few months to contact each of them. They both ended up commenting enthusiastically.

While it felt kind of satisfying to get a response and know the stories weren't the problem, I discovered that any nice thing they say after I've prompted them to comment means absolutely nothing to me. I have no doubt they both did like the stories, but since I had to ask them to respond, I feel like it's false, even if it isn't. KWIM?

This is the first year in 7 Yuletides that I've had a recip who didn't comment, who posted her own fiction on Christmas, and has been active online every day since. Not even a kudos or a "thanks for writing." No acknowledgement whatsoever. If I have to say something to her to get her to even acknowledge the story, it's truly not worth it to me. Other people enjoyed it and said so, and that will have to be enough. I guess I'll console myself with the fact that her shitty little 1k story got a single short comment aside from the recip's short comment, while the story I wrote, which was much longer and better written, got several comments, kudos and bookmarks. Eat that. Ha. ;)

It might not bother someone else to poke and remind their recip, and it's probably worth doing if you've never done it to see if it makes you feel better. Maybe it won't feel as false as it does to me. I'd rather have the slightly bad feeling against her than seem as if I'm begging for her approval, which I really don't fucking need. *shrug*

You guys are so embarrassingly thirsty for comments. I actually feel sorry for you.

nayrt, but dude, these guys wrote stories to the specific request of another person who didn't bother saying "thank you." That's not "embarrassingly thirsty for comments," that's expecting one's recipient to not be a dick.

+1

Afterburn

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