Writers can block feedback, and can turn PMs off. Just because you might want to engage with a writer, doesn't mean the writer wants engagement. Many don't.
Right, I meant that feedback function. ;-)
Probably one of my stories.which story you read recently?? i'll talk about it..
I'm not sure that you can block an individual, but you can block all feedback, story by story (and turn it in or off at any time).
It's a nice idea, but yeah.. I would not expect on the whole any reply from any author, because the few that I have actually got some type of reply from, they are very busy people so to get even 3 to 4 sentences is a real treat. I just say if one happens to engage you, jump over the moon! If not, don't be disappointed. I normally just leave a comment because I enjoyed what I read or not and I leave appropriate constructive criticism, and if that gets the author's attention so be it. It's kind of my way of saying hey you didn't just write this and no one cared.. aside from a possible vote of course, so that's my way of telling them it is appreciated.
Some of my stories ha9
Some of my stories have 6 thousand views and quite good reviews, but only 3 comments. As author this is really frustrating. I really would like to hear the readers what they liked and their ideas for follow up stories.
Thankfully the site owners composed a comments policy and a comment FAQ, right underneath the comment box with blue hyperlinking. Now does that mean that more readers will start engaging and leaving meaningful feedback? I don't think so necessarily, because the more I see things from people, they react in very superficial ways in the majority, so you might get something like perhaps great story I liked it. How useful will that be though? I know it won't be very helpful at all, although it will provide affirmation. The historical amounts of comments is typically going to be under 2%, and I just read another thread somewhere in the last couple of days that if want one author stated that he got one comment out of every hundred people that read it, he was thinking he was doing pretty well. Now I hope it changes of course, but I'm not going to hold my breath.. people should be aware enough to realize that if they get to enjoy something, that they should at least say hey I enjoyed it and here's one reason why. Here's to hoping right?
By the way. I published stories on amazon in the past and the feedbacks aren't any better.
My stats, consistently over nearly ten years and 120 something chapters/ stories, is one Vote per hundred Views, and one Comment per thousand.
To be fair, the content in here is free, whereas the content on Amazon is assumed to be purchased. So in my mind somebody paying for the content is normally going to be far more critical.. although you would think that if someone here just thinks about it for a second that they're getting it free, then they should be like okay I'm going to show more consideration. Unfortunately because of the internet giving people some privacy, they think there are no consequences for their words, and there still can be.. but because there's no immediate consequence, they feel emboldened to continue.By the way. I published stories on amazon in the past and the feedbacks aren't any better.
My comments usually center on how the story made me feel. If I liked it, if it turned me on, well written.Instead of whining and complaining that my latest story has received zero comments despite the warm score reception, I like to ask instead:
For those of you that DO leave comments: What motivates you to leave a comment? Do you focus on the technical, the overall experience, the constructive critique?
For those of you who DON'T usually leave comments: First of all no hate your way (please people, maybe we can learn something) - what would help turn that around? Is there any reason (experienced or heresay) that would keep you from commenting? For example, someone once told me that they didn't leave comments so that others wouldn't be able to see what he was reading and judge him for it. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance for your replies (now watch this get no replies -)
One comment per thousand?? Wow, I hope that's not the case with my stories. That's demoralizing.
Actually, it shouldn't be demoralizing as much as you might think, because the sad fact is we have far fewer thinkers that consume content and try to analyze it today then we ever have had in the past. You don't have to look far in let's say American high schools, and if you actually go into some of those classrooms and observe what's going on, there's little to no critical thinking going on anyway.. unless you happen to be in a super rich and well-funded public school, where the parents demand the administration forces the teachers to provide a rigorous curriculum. Unless that is true, You've Really Got very few that are going to move Beyond their own self-interest, because the sad fact is that unless they've gotten past the idea of only the convenience to them.. you probably aren't going to get a comment from those people.
Setting aside LW, which is a community unique to itself, I've always said you get comments if your writing is very good, or very bad, but if you're in the middle of the bell curve, silence.
I can totally unserstand your point. Feedback is important and a motivational factor.
