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Somewhat related to the taste discussion. People say they get annoyed at fics/authors that are recced widely and otherwise admired, but turn out to be mediocre. This is an attitude that is widespread but mysterious to me. After some thought/discussion I came to the conclusion that it is because I have little to no trust in other people's recs. I assume that most people not of my immediate social circle will like primarily things that I consider bad, mediocre, or boring (i.e. "good" but not to my taste), an assumption that is borne out completely in practice. Furthermore, I assume everything is bad until proven otherwise. Thirdly, when it comes to fic I often enjoy the mediocre immensely, without the illusion that it could ever make the Booker shortlist. So I'm rarely unpleasantly surprised, and on occasion pleasantly. XD
(There are very few people, in fandom or out, whose recs I follow without reservation - or even with a reasonable degree of reservation; I will not list them. XD My personal taste is simply too arbitrary, mysterious even to me, and then with fic you have to take into account the vagaries of such things are pairing preference. This is in truth a different point, but I don't think it's possible to change people's character and pairing preferences through argumentation, whether in the form of blog essay or fanfiction. That's because what they're "preferring" is a set of dynamics and traits, that for the purposes of a particular fandom/fanon have such-and-such names attached. Most people know they have types, albeit fuzzy-edged types, and look for them subconsciously. It's easier to distort characters to suit type than it is to change type preference. When you see people say things like, "your fic is so good it's convinced me to accept and like [X], if only for the duration of the story," what they mean is, "you've presented a version of [X] that is essentially not the same [X], the two merely sharing a name; this one falls into a type I find acceptable, the other does not.")
Also, I must confess mechanics do not form a large part of my decision to read or not read a fic. That is to say, spelling mistakes or bad grammar alone don't actually deter me. The fact that they do in practice has more to do with the fact that they're usually a sign of a larger inability to properly organize thoughts on the written page. However, usually does not equal always.
(There are very few people, in fandom or out, whose recs I follow without reservation - or even with a reasonable degree of reservation; I will not list them. XD My personal taste is simply too arbitrary, mysterious even to me, and then with fic you have to take into account the vagaries of such things are pairing preference. This is in truth a different point, but I don't think it's possible to change people's character and pairing preferences through argumentation, whether in the form of blog essay or fanfiction. That's because what they're "preferring" is a set of dynamics and traits, that for the purposes of a particular fandom/fanon have such-and-such names attached. Most people know they have types, albeit fuzzy-edged types, and look for them subconsciously. It's easier to distort characters to suit type than it is to change type preference. When you see people say things like, "your fic is so good it's convinced me to accept and like [X], if only for the duration of the story," what they mean is, "you've presented a version of [X] that is essentially not the same [X], the two merely sharing a name; this one falls into a type I find acceptable, the other does not.")
Also, I must confess mechanics do not form a large part of my decision to read or not read a fic. That is to say, spelling mistakes or bad grammar alone don't actually deter me. The fact that they do in practice has more to do with the fact that they're usually a sign of a larger inability to properly organize thoughts on the written page. However, usually does not equal always.
