wherein Liz overthinks the emotional cost of various fandom-related activities

[edenfalling]

I finished coding Alonde's chatlog text last night and was going to try posting ch. 2 of "Trollstuck" on AO3 tonight, but I took an overly-long nap when I got home from work, and there were thunderstorms, and the low pressure and humidity are so enervating that I didn't have the spoons to face drawing the necessary cruddy pictures.

Maybe tomorrow.

...

It's funny how emotional/mental energy works. Different activities have different costs, even if those relative costs don't always make a lot of sense outside my head. Like, drawing costs more than writing, which is obvious because it's not something I'm used to or particularly skilled at and it therefore takes more preparation and exposes my not-so-photogenic side, as it were. But answering reviews also costs more than writing, which is not obvious. I think maybe it's the "interacting with other humans" aspect that drains me?

I mean, one thing I did tonight was answer some ff.net reviews that have been sitting in my inbox for up to three weeks. I can and generally do answer the short and/or inane ones fairly promptly, but the ones that are longer and more thoughtful (and also the ones from people I know) make me want to give good responses. I don't always have the spoons for that, so I tend to sit on them and respond in batches later on. And even those reviews demand different levels of investment. I mean, I can witter on about the technical details of writing and world-building and such at the drop of a hat, but talking about themes and moral/philosophical issues is harder. (Which is why I didn't get to all the languishing comments tonight, alas. *sadface*)

I could probably avoid a lot of that stress if I didn't make a point of answering every review I receive, but I like acknowledging people who acknowledge me, just as I like having a job that forces me into constant human interaction. I find social contact worth the cost, on average. Just... sometimes it takes me a while. And then I need to go off and be a hermit for a bit to recharge. *sigh*

Anyway.

Back to prodding at Aradia and the next section of "Trollstuck." :-)

Comments

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I get that completely about reviews. I always respond, eventually. I learn so much from reviewers it's the least I can do. I always get peeved when people I know (virtually that is) don't review, so I do make a point especially of responding to them when they do reviews.

[edenfalling]

...I promise I will finish TQSiT someday, really! At this point, I confess I am mostly wary of its sheer length, because I know it will suck me in and hurtle me along to AW and then whoops, there goes my weekend. *is a coward*

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Oh it's not for everybody. I get that. There a lot of people who refuse to read it because of the length. And then there are the people like my new reviewer of Part 1 today. I do hope she stopped because it was not going to end well. She was quoting Bible passages in reviews and (I think) arguing that since a character believed in God how could he acknowledge evolution?

I continue to avoid putting the big huge disclaimer at the beginning: ASSUMES EVOLUTION IS SCIENTIFIC FACT, UNMARRIED CHARACTERS DID NOT DIE VIRGINS, AND THAT THOSE WHO PREFER THEIR OWN SEX ARE NOT GOING TO HELL.