One Goal Reached...

[curiouswombat]

I have reached my review goal at the Middle Earth Fanfic Awards. It wasn't as high as some people's, and I will exceed it before reviewing season ends - but I am proud to be -





In other news - S2C is likely to be a rare sight on LJ for a little while - actually he is likely to be a rare sight anywhere but at work, in bed, or glued to the screen of his computer. This is because he has started playing his new game; LOTR War in the North. It looks wonderful.

Comments

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

A really interesting concept. I wonder how/if it would work in other fandoms...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I am sure it would. The original idea came from older fandom awards in the first place - although I'm not sure which - and it must have been a long time ago as the MEFAs have been around for the past 7 or 8 years.

It means that people can't just go and vote by clicking on the names of their friends without reading - it is difficult to write more than a line in praise of something you haven't read; which would only earn one point. And you can't get away with just writing 'Great' five hundred times as all the reviews have to be published before they count - and any sign of one like that would be spotted straight away.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a wonderful thing for the authors as well. Specifics in feedback are always an encouraging thing.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The reviews are always interesting - I thought you might be interested to have a look at the reviews I got for Pure Morning (http://archive.mefawards.org/story_info.php?story=286&year=2010) last year as an example. This is the only thing I have ever written which has a slash relationship in it.

It won its class - and the person who nominated it (the writer of the first review) said she hoped I wouldn't mind if she used them if she ever needed an example of 'how to write a positive review of something you admire but wouldn't usually read...'

I was very pleased that one of the reviewers hadn't understood the warning at the beginning - as she said if she'd realised there was any slash in it she wouldn't have read it - but she then went on to write a ten point review!

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Those are wonderful reviews! And obviously for a wonderful story. I almost think I may have read it? Could this be one of those short ones that I dipped into?

So, it's the story that wins the award, based on the number and type of reviews? Somehow I had the idea that the award went to the person who left the most comprehensive and frequent reviews. Or do both the story and the most prolific reviewers get awards?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Yes - it is one of the shorts that you have read - I know because you left a nice comment.

The stories in the MEFAs win by having the biggest points score in their class - there is a programme on the site that automatically gives each review a score, based solely on the number of letters in the review, so if you don't like something you don't review it, as even a scathing review would earn points!

But reviewers set themselves a goal for how many reviews they plan to write - and if they reach that goal they get classed as a 'commended reviewer' - as without the reviewers the system wouldn't work.

It seemed very complicated when I got my first nomination in 2009 - but it is really an amazingly fair way of doing them, and certainly encourages me to read 'outside my comfort zone'; so writers tend to get new readers, too.

It takes a lot of organisation though - which is why, I think, they are now almost the only awards in the Tolkien fandom. Almost everyone willing to get involved with awards gets involved there...

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

*nods* I've got it. Yes, it does sound like it takes a lot of organization and work - and the ability to set up that sort of system? Too bad. I like the idea a lot. :)