Review or not to review?

[lex ludite]

No argument from this reviewer either. The site is what it is, nothing more, nothing less. Jinn is to be complimented for all his hard work and efforts in keeping this circus on the straight and narrow, most of the time.

[Faibhar]

Not so! lex ludite of the "strong doubts"(about writiers receiving Reviews).

It is always perceived as something of a blessing that readers take the time to post their reactions to a particular piece. Their words, be they of a positive or negative vein, help in many ways.

Reviewers always get, and deserve, a posted "Thank You" reply from at least this author. Should they choose to glance at the f/u is not the issue; their initial response is.

As has been mentioned before, there is a set of Reviewers who are "regular" (and please, no sniggering here about my s/n providing sufficient
fiber to keep them "regular").
New Reviewers tend to be pleasant surprises.

[GaryWilcox]

Speaking of your own writing, Faibhar...

Since coming back to the forum, I have probably read The Target at least seven times. I can't get enough of Erika's little misadventures... I only wish there had been more.

[woodsman'sgame]

I think I'll start writing reviews after reading this thread a little more.
It seems it helps most authors. I'll start soon. I'm going to make myself a rubric so that my ratings are consistent and fair. (at least according to my rubric)

[e.e. norcod]

On the contrary woodsman'sgame. Your last story was excellent and you should write another before you fritter away your efforts reviewing.

[Faibhar]

read The Target

Really, RubbrSpatula (and btw welcome back!) thank you for the fine words and I am glad that you enjoyed the piece.

You are not the first to favorably comment on that particular one, however, and if only I could bottle up whatever the appeal of The Target is, well, hey! With such knowledge I could go into tobacco marketing.

Thank you anyway.

[slave ruthie]

wow - the Target is good! i wish i could write things with that pace, Faibhar!

love & respect

ruthie[Phil]

XXXXXX

[Faibhar]

slave ruthie, thank you for your most generous comments. Were emoticons not allowed in this state of smiley faces and Have a Good Day-isms, I would insert a blushing one to further reflect my reaction to your flaterring post.

[Phoenix]

Hi guys. I don't write to the forums very often but I've been following this thread for a while now. I'm an author on this website and I've got a few stories up. Some have received great reviews, others less so. I'm not so worried when people comment on the content, writing style, structure, etc. That's what helps me to better my work. What I find upsetting is when people give a low rating and only because they simply didn't like a very small insignificant aspect of the story, and most of the time it's something that isn't even to do with the story.

One review in particular stands out and I was given a poor rating because the story codes didn't match the story 'exactly.' I found that very unfair. There wasn't a single word about the story, content or anything else. This person had a problem with the code and they were going to give me a low grade because they couldn't get over a single mistake.

The story took about a week to write. You write a draft of the story, re-read. You re-write parts of it. Delete and re-write major sections of it. Re-read. You spell-check it and do your best with the grammar. Re-read. When you're finally convinced it's the best you can do, you upload it to the webmaster and hope for the best.

Fair enough there are some stories out there that appear to have been thrown together in a fit. I find it annoying when I spend quite a bit of time on a fantasy, fan's request, etc ... only to have it rated low because of something that isn't really part of the story. I myself like to think I'm getting better and are willing to try new ideas, new styles and ways of communicating with readers. But I'm a lot tougher than most authors out there. I've spoken to a couple of other authors who have been given really bad reviews. Some have quit because they feel humiliated and feel they've been given a hard time for their work. Others I've managed to convince to write again.

Personally I feel that only other authors should really be able to review stories. They'd then know how much time and effort people really put into their work.

Thanks for letting me rant on. I really needed to get this off my chest.

Firebird

[Moggy]

Valid points. However I read your story and was also disappointed with the code discrepancy. If a writer wants good reviews, then taking care over its content and editing is important, and you've done that.

The next step is to get the codes right so the appropriate people read it and enjoy it. You have my sympathy but if the codes are wrong, the 'code crocodiles' will bite!

[Xue Lan]

Personally I feel that only other authors should really be able to review stories. They'd then know how much time and effort people really put into their work.

That is like saying only painters should be able to visit art galleries.
I am not a writer, but I like to read. I have a right to post a review here, just like I can buy a book at a bookstore or buy a CD. That is one way I can say whether I like the story.
As a reader here, I should tell the author why I like or not like the story, not blame the story codes - you're right there.

[Faibhar]

The analogy of "only painters..."etc. used by Xue Lan to disagree with the post from Phoenix rings true.

It is in the eye of the receptive audience, i.e., the readers here, to judge if he/she enjoys the story, and then deciding to write a Review or not.

Restricting Reviews to just other authors truly is elitist, and misses the entire point of writing for the consumption of all and any.

[Escritor]

I'm with Xue Lan here. As a writer, I write for myself, other writers or the readers?

I think the answer is that a write partly for myself but mostly for readers to enjoy what I have in my mind. Since I write for readers, it's logical that they should be able to comment on my stories and review them.

As I said in an earlier post on this same thread, I really value and look forward for reviews on my stories.

Regards

[Moggy]

I agree with the above few comments. The problem is that fewer than 1 in every 1000 readers bother to review a story. I continue to be amazed by this remarkable statistic. What an ungrateful bunch these 99.9% are!!!

Is the writing on this site really so bad? Or does the average BDSM reader lack the basic manners of passing a compliment to a writer once in a while?

[e.e. norcod]

Reading is easy, writing is hard. Those of us who write a lot as part of our daily grind enjoy writing non-fiction fantasy on the side. When you review articles professionally and teach students, reviewing fantasy is easy and fun. I suspect that it is not so for most people. It is intimidating and uncomfortable. Of those that do write reviews, without training and experience they tend to focus on the trivial and the rote of grammar and spelling. It is only with time that you learn to regard other writers, some as students to be fostered, others as collegues to be enjoyed, and lastly a few as exemplars to be learned from. I'd say about 0.1% is about right.

[Faibhar]

Moggy's last two questions must be posed and any answer not necessarily expected.

With the first question - that of the writing quality posted here - the answer affirming writing prowess has been repeated many times in both this Forum and in Reviews. Plus, it does not follow that bad writing engenders paltry Reviews (just think of all of the bad words written about some distatseful, poorly conceived/written piece).

As to the latter of the two questions posed, better judgment, gratefulness for previous Reviews, and hope of any future Reviews from this poster does prevail i.e., it just doesn't make good sense to bite the hand that feeds you...

[Xue Lan]

Moggy says

What an ungrateful bunch these 99.9% are!!!

Two things, then I will keep quiet.
First, Moggy, you ever heard of ancient Chinese practice called Death from a Thousand Cuts? You get a thousand people writing reviews, I am very sure you're not going to get a thousand happy smiley faces.

Second, Moggy, you think we who do not write reviews are ungrateful? Tell you what, how many hits do you think this site, never mind your stories, will get if only reviewers come here? Maybe twenty, ya? On a good day.
You write a story and keep it for yourself, okay fine. You publish it, here or in bookstore, then you expect good reviews and bad reviews and lots and lots of no comments.

Okay, maybe three things.
You think readers are ungrateful now? Keep telling us how mean and nasty we are. You see ungrateful then!
Pah!

[Moggy]

Awww! Did I touch a sore point? Well that's too bad!

Xue Lan: Tell you what, how many hits do you think this site, never mind your stories, will get if only reviewers come here? Maybe twenty, ya? On a good day.

You have totally missed the point. After Jinn of course, it is writers and reviewers that are the lifeblood of this site. The anonymous masses of visitors wouldn't have anything to read otherwise. How many writers would post here if nobody gave any reviews or feedback? Far, far less. Maybe Fox can explain it to you as I can't be bothered.

[Phoenix]

Hi guys, I think even if readers couldn't put in reviews to stories would not affect the traffic to the website. These stories communicate to our very fantasies. Isn't it nice to sometimes read a story that is on the same wavelength as your own personal thoughts and dreams? ... It helps to know that there are other people out there who share these fantasies. I commend authors who write stories. They're putting their time and effort into work for other people to enjoy.

Unfortunately, we have a rating system which can kick the guts out of your confidence within a single glance. Personally I don't like the rating system of 1 to 10. It's too easily abused. People should be able to review and comment, but not grade a story. A number of times over the past two years I've given up writing all together. Sometimes it's because of bad reviews, sometimes I simply cannot be bothered. But I find after a few weeks I miss the thrill of putting my thoughts and fantasies down on paper.

Like a lot of authors I find myself being stretched in many different directions trying to please fans, stay on the good side of bad reviewers and keep up with my own personal goals. It's easy to say, "Just write what you like." but I also like pleasing people with my work.

Fair enough that the stories codes I've chosen for my stories maybe inadequate. A couple of my stories deserve every single code while others simply have one code wrong out of six or seven. But is that any reason to bad review a story and even have a go at the author for all their hard work?! I think not.

[Curtis]

At the time I registered at this site, authors were begging to have their work reviewed, asking "Where Have All the Reviewers Gone?". At that time it was mentioned that there was a site who reversed your idea and only let authors post stories if they were reviewers. For every two stories reviewed, you could post one, or some such thing. That idea was shot down in favor of an appeal to lurkers to begin reviewing, which I did, but it may be time to revisit it.

[Faibhar]

Certainly all are encouraged to write down their thoughts and then post them. Somehow, posting and reviewing got connected and that would seem like mixing apples and oranges. One needn't have to do one in order to do the other...To restrict reviewing to only those others who do make the move to post their story(ies) would seem to severly limit the scope of feedback.

As each writer has his or her own point of view, that may tend to unduly influence their reaction to another's work. With so-called lurkers they have no such limitation and view each piece they choose strictly on their own merits. If these readers then choose to post a Review, then so much the better.

[e.e. norcod]

I have been so inspired by all this talk of writing that I am motivated to finish off a new piece of fiction set in the Personal Assistant Magazine universe. I have about an hour's worth of work-work to finish and then a couple of hours of charitable work to do and then I will put Paula to her punishment.

No more reviewing, more fiction.

[Dari]

I have to say that I am just as lazy as a reader as I am as a writer, meaning that I do have short bursts of creatigity that drive me to the keyboard, and then for a whole year I do next to nothing. So I shouldn't whine about people not reading my stories first off.

I'm also a lazy reviewer, if ever I write an email to the author, not post the feedback to the story - maybe I should just change that. But I know from myself, I read a story, and it might even be good, and I do even want to review it ... but then something comes in between, and I forget about it, somehow.

I know from the many times a week that I check my inbox that I'd rather have more feedback for my own stories, but I guess I do understand every reader who just doesn't write one, sad but true

[woodsman'sgame]

Works that are actually published in hardcopy are reviewed by critics who are usually qualified to give an opinion. The author's only feedback from his readers are the occasional fan mail and the number of copies sold.

The review system here helps us improve our writing and strokes or bruises our egos, but it is not the reality of publishing. I am grateful for the reviews I get, but I expect nothing other than the hits I receive to let me know if it was what the reader wanted or not.

But the number of hits here are not an indicator of the quality of the story. I have noticed that certain types of stories get more hits than others. After having read them, I realize that the readers are looking for certain content more than they are looking for good writing. On one particular occasion, I noticed that a mediocre story containing more violent acts got a lot more hits than another much better written story with much milder content.

Keeping this observation in mind, the reviews become more important. Those authors who write well but do not produce the harder content need to know that they are appreciated by those
who read a variety of material.

[GaryWilcox]

Reviews are fan reviews... but they're also peer reviews.

It won't break my heart if my first story submission gets a lousy rating. I hope the criticism is direct and honest, but nothing more. If I want an ego stroke, I'll look in the mirror and do the Stuart Smally routine. When I look at reviews, it will be to see where I can improve.

Negative and nasty comments will be ignored, so if it gives someone a thrill to make 'em, that's okay. The peer group I'm writing for doesn't really do that, anyways...

[Faibhar]

Frankenisms aside, it's nice to believe, as Gary Wilcox posted:

The peer group I'm writing for doesn't really do that, anyways...

Unfortunately, sometimes caustic Reviews, even here, cannot be avoided but, as GW also wrote, that sort of thing is the nature of the beast/comes with the terriortory, etc., and is to be taken in stride.

[woodsman'sgame]

OK I NEED TO ANNOUNCE THIS

For some reason neither my reviews nor my responses to the reviews of my story will post. I've tried and tried. Jinn and I are currently working on this problem. So, for all those who have reviewed my stories, I would like to thank you right now for your comments and the time you took to review. I appreciate any comments and suggestions.

THANK YOU REVIEWERS

[vanillaslave]

*steps gingerly into thread*

pssst the last time this member of the great unwashed lurking readers checked, she could not review stories as she is not a paying member. she tried. has this changed?

*backs away from thread slowly*

*tiptoes back in to add...i just checked again and now i am able to review..perhaps i just needed to join this forum...*

this is roseanne rosanna dana saying "oh. um. nevermind."

[BDSM_Tourguide]

Game: I got your review to my story, so unless your reviewing thingie broke after that, it's working.

vanillaslave: You have to be a registered member of the site, not a paying member. The review system has to have a user name to cue off of when you post.

[Faibhar]

vanillaslave: You have to be a registered member of the site,

BDSM_Touguide's advice is sound though one could also add that it does help to be able to read. Not to fear, however, there are quite a few avenues for visual learners, e.g. vanillaslave, to pursue should they so desire.