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skauble
1st November 2009, 01:55
Hey, fellow Chlexers! Welcome to:


Review A Story Month!

Reviews are down lately. People are still reading the stories, but many aren’t leaving feedback to let the authors know how much they enjoyed it. And, let’s face it; if the writer’s don’t know that people are actually enjoying their work, then why are they going to keep producing stories for our wondrous ship?

I’ll fess up – I’m far guiltier of this than most people. I read and run way too often. So I understand where the readers are. And so we thought that maybe what would help was something that we could all participate in; a goal that we could shoot for.

Which is why we’re declaring November – Review A story Month.

Now, it’s important to note that reviews don’t always have to be long and involved messages. A simple “Great story. I loved it!” can mean the world to a writer because, believe me, even if reviews are short, there is a world of difference between getting three responses and getting eleven responses, no matter how short they are.

“But,” you tell us, “I never know what to say!!!

And you bring up a great point. Which is why we have devised, for those of you who feel that you need a little help to get started, the 60 second review.

The 60 Second Review

Step One: If you thought the story was good, or great, or that you loved it, say so.

Ex: Great story!

Ex: Good work!

Step Two: Pick out one moment you enjoyed in the story.

Ex: I loved when Chloe glued that squirrel to Lex’s head.

Ex: I thought it was wonderful when Lex glued that squirrel to Lana’s head.

OR

Pick out one feeling that the story made you feel.

Ex: This story really made me laugh.

Ex: I thought that this story was so sweet.

Step Tree: Encourage them to post again.

Ex: Please post more soon!

Ex: I can’t wait for the next chapter

And there you have it – a 60 second review. In only one minute’s time you have made an author’s day.

Join in!

So, I’m asking the Chlex community to please join us here at NS in Review a Story month. Let’s give back to the writers who give so much joy to us.

lexie
1st November 2009, 02:30
As I told you on the NS blog, I must be famous around here for harping on this very same matter, so I welcome this idea and hope lurkers will put it into action.:D

westwingwolf
1st November 2009, 03:19
I remember the first time I delurked. I was so scared I'd say something stupid in my review, but then it turned out the author really liked what I had to say.

And trust me every time I post something new, I am constantly looking for a review. And each time I get one I do a little dance that looks something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn1ZOoSfO_A.

Some come on and make those authors dance because after they are done with that, they'll write another piece.

Julie
1st November 2009, 14:28
I remember the first time I delurked. I was so scared I'd say something stupid in my review, but then it turned out the author really liked what I had to say.

I guess that goes for all of us when we are replying to a thread/post who's author we hardly know. I'm the same on other forums/LJs, I triple check for any spelling errors etc.

But in the end, no one will think less of you if you have a small error. On the contrary, people will just be happy because some one replied to their thread/post, and it can make a day so much different for an author of a thread :D

So, make a difference everyone! As said earlier, it doesn't have to be much, a simply 'That was awesome', 'I loved it' is enough! :)

And, isn't November Thanksgiving month? How about, this year, you also give thanks to these wonderful people who contribute so much of their time to our forums! :)

MelBee1985
1st November 2009, 18:25
Great idea!

I have to say, the number of reviews for Dark Path have decreased and it's less encouraging to write a new chapter fast. :)

I haven't read a fic in a while, but if I do have time this month, trust me I'll leave a review!! :D

Booksketeer
2nd November 2009, 23:13
Ex: I loved when Chloe glued that squirrel to Lex’s head.

Ex: I thought it was wonderful when Lex glued that squirrel to Lana’s head.


Oooooh, the plot bunnies, the plot bunnies!

Ahm, excuse me. I have to agree with www, I still get a little nervous when I review, because I don't want to sound repetitious. But I over came! And do it anyways. And yes, I know I have yet to get around to catching up on the latest chapters of your awesome stories, lexie! And I will! I promise! I even have a little wooden round "TUIT" coin so I don't have that excuse anymore. And I feel guilty when I miss multiple chapters of a story, then only write one review. I'm sorry MelBee! But I also left one for you on FF so I don't feel so guilty about yours. lol.

Julie
2nd November 2009, 23:27
Oooooh, the plot bunnies, the plot bunnies!

Ahm, excuse me. I have to agree with www, I still get a little nervous when I review, because I don't want to sound repetitious. But I over came! And do it anyways. And yes, I know I have yet to get around to catching up on the latest chapters of your awesome stories, lexie! And I will! I promise! I even have a little wooden round "TUIT" coin so I don't have that excuse anymore. And I feel guilty when I miss multiple chapters of a story, then only write one review. I'm sorry MelBee! But I also left one for you on FF so I don't feel so guilty about yours. lol.

You bring up a concern I think many might have - about being repetitious. All in all, I think it means a lot more to the authors to have a reply, than not to have one at all. So even if you've already said 'it was great' or 'thanks' or something before in the same thread, or even in another thread, it doesn't matter.

What matters is that the contributors see that there are people following and liking their work!

lexie
2nd November 2009, 23:40
And yes, I know I have yet to get around to catching up on the latest chapters of your awesome stories, lexie! And I will! I promise! I even have a little wooden round "TUIT" coin so I don't have that excuse anymore.

I always trust you´ll comment in due time. :grin3: You are definitely not amongst those that I call "chain readers"- and believe me there are a lot of people that read the whole bulk of an author´s work without pause and don´t even bother rating a story or pasting an emoticon.

I´m waiting patiently for you (:starwars::bang: ) :rofl:. Joking aside;no need to worry.

skauble
3rd November 2009, 00:29
Oooooh, the plot bunnies, the plot bunnies!

For the love of all that's holy, please tell me that those aren't NC17 bunnies.



Ahm, excuse me. I have to agree with www, I still get a little nervous when I review, because I don't want to sound repetitious. But I over came! And do it anyways. And yes, I know I have yet to get around to catching up on the latest chapters of your awesome stories, lexie! And I will! I promise! I even have a little wooden round "TUIT" coin so I don't have that excuse anymore. And I feel guilty when I miss multiple chapters of a story, then only write one review. I'm sorry MelBee! But I also left one for you on FF so I don't feel so guilty about yours. lol.

I second Jules. While long and extensive reviews are a wonderful gift for a writer, I think that it's equally important to see numbers.

I know that there are some people who say, "You should write for the love of writing". I have two problems with that sentiment.

1) Some people who write fanfic aren't looking to be a professional author. Sometimes they don't necessarily love writing. Some people write fanfic because they want to contribute to a community that they love.

2) Because people are contributing to a community, there is a very legitimate need to see that it's doing so - that people enjoy it.


There's nothing wrong in wanting to know that people appreciate the efforts we make in life. And so being able to see that 20 people enjoyed a story, even if they just said "That was absolutely wonderful and I loved it!" can make a world of difference, simply because there's concrete proof the the work is being well received.

In fact, I would suggest to people that if you're putting off a review because you don't have time to lay out everything you want to say, leave a sentence or two saying that you loved it and then go back later and add additional thoughts. That way, at least the author knows.

~Sarah~

kitten
3rd November 2009, 00:38
Well! Now I'm NOT going to write my sexy one-shot in which Chloe glues a squirrel to Lex's head!

I thought this month was about encouraging writers! *SOB*

westwingwolf
3rd November 2009, 00:42
Well! Now I'm NOT going to write my sexy one-shot in which Chloe glues a squirrel to Lex's head!

I thought this month was about encouraging writers! *SOB*

I think skauble was referring to a sexy one-shot in which Lex glued a squirrel to Lana's head. Go on and write your story, I want to read it, and I'll review.

BTW, if anyone wants to write a story in which Lex sticks a squirrel on Lana's head, I recommend he use a nailgun.

daria_103
3rd November 2009, 01:02
This is a really interesting post. It's nice to hear from authors that any kind of responses no matter how short are welcomed because I'm definitely one of those people that struggles with what to say when reviewing then half the time talk myself out of it because I feel I have nothing useful to say and feel a bit stupid posting something really short. I have to admit that I find it a little extra scary in communities like this where there are so many long standing members that know each others work well, it can be scary to go in and just post "I loved it" right after a long review that offers lots of encouragement and constructive criticism (something which I want to do but I'm really awful at,I'm just so grateful that people are writing fic/pairings I want to read that faults don't stand out a huge amount to me).

There's also another question I've always wanted to ask, it's kind of stupid but since there are authors here to ask I'll embarrass myself :). This, and another community I read fic in, are well established so there are some authors that have come and gone. I've read some great fics on both of these boards that go back to the early 2000's, I'm never really sure if I should post feedback for these fics, is it still useful? I know an author not posting new fics or messages on a board doesn't necessarily mean that they won't still pop by to see if anyone is still reading their fic, at the same time I know some people leave a fandom and never look back, I'm just curious to know from an authors point of view and just from others on this board what others do in this situation?

MelBee1985
3rd November 2009, 01:10
This is a really interesting post. It's nice to hear from authors that any kind of responses no matter how short are welcomed because I'm definitely one of those people that struggles with what to say when reviewing then half the time talk myself out of it because I feel I have nothing useful to say and feel a bit stupid posting something really short. I have to admit that I find it a little extra scary in communities like this where there are so many long standing members that know each others work well, it can be scary to go in and just post "I loved it" right after a long review that offers lots of encouragement and constructive criticism (something which I want to do but I'm really awful at,I'm just so grateful that people are writing fic/pairings I want to read that faults don't stand out a huge amount to me).

There's also another question I've always wanted to ask, it's kind of stupid but since there are authors here to ask I'll embarrass myself :). This, and another community I read fic in, are well established so there are some authors that have come and gone. I've read some great fics on both of these boards that go back to the early 2000's, I'm never really sure if I should post feedback for these fics, is it still useful? I know an author not posting new fics or messages on a board doesn't necessarily mean that they won't still pop by to see if anyone is still reading their fic, at the same time I know some people leave a fandom and never look back, I'm just curious to know from an authors point of view and just from others on this board what others do in this situation?

:) I think you should leave comments even for old stories, because, in part, it brings them up in the recent threads that have been commented and can makes other people want to read it too. Perhaps the author is still around, perhaps not, I say: never be afraid to say something as small as 'loved it'. it can have be meaningful to authors.

I usually leave feedback when I read a fic, but I don't leave long feedback. So what? At least, they get that I loved it and perhaps I mentionned that i'm anxious to see what goes next.

People, don't be afraid, we, authors, do not bite ;) We would rather have 20 'Loved it', than 2 longer feedback. Two long comments are great and I love it when I get that kind of review (though sadly my fic hasn't caught somethingeasy's attention and I LOVE her reviews!), but it's also nice to see that many people have read and loved your fic.

I can see though that perhaps some people are shy to leave comments in the NC17 section, because, it's 'mature' and contains sex. Well, I used to be one of those (we all have our moments of shyness right?), but here, we do not judge and most active members read those anyway ;) So nothing to fear around.

This was my 2 cents :grin3:

ChloeLovesLex
3rd November 2009, 01:28
Great post, Skauble. Loved it. ;)


See, kinda like that. Skauble now knows that not only was her post great, but that I loved it. Easy peasy.

I'm reading a long oldie right now so I will be posting feedback for it when I am done. Then I plan to catch up on Lexie's fic next and leaving feedback for it. I haven't even started "The Dark Path" yet, but it's on my list so I'll post feedback as I go along for that.

....AND I think my muse is toying with the idea of pulling ALL of my fics out of the graveyard in the next coming weeks (bless her) and I'll be leaving feedback to myself for those because I'm thinking most people have forgotten what was happening by now. :P

daria_103
3rd November 2009, 21:51
Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'll be able to half my obsess about what to write in reviews time after this thread :)

I'm also going to try make a much bigger effort to post reviews for the older fics that I love and any fics that I follow now that a few of my questions have been answered and I'm a little less nervous so thanks MelBee1985 :)

ChloeLovesLex I'd love to see all your fics come out of the graveyard, especially Heeding The Call, it's such a beautiful story.

Kit Merlot
8th November 2009, 23:33
I'm also going to try make a much bigger effort to post reviews for the older fics that I love and any fics that I follow now that a few of my questions have been answered and I'm a little less nervous so thanks MelBee1985 :)
.

Also, Julie asked me to do a Fanfiction Spotlight (http://forums.naughty-seduction.net/forumdisplay.php?f=119) each month to help dig up the great older fics from years past, so please check these out as well:D

lexie
9th November 2009, 00:18
I'm reading a long oldie right now so I will be posting feedback for it when I am done. Then I plan to catch up on Lexie's fic next and leaving feedback for it. I haven't even started "The Dark Path" yet, but it's on my list so I'll post feedback as I go along for that.

I´m looking forward to your input- God knows my multi-chaptered story muse needs some serious kicking. I still have more Back from the Dead to post (don´t fear :D), but I simply want her to hasten.

Mel and Jade´s story is coming along very nicely and it´s a very entertaining read.



....AND I think my muse is toying with the idea of pulling ALL of my fics out of the graveyard in the next coming weeks (bless her) and I'll be leaving feedback to myself for those because I'm thinking most people have forgotten what was happening by now. :P

That´s awesome news, Adele. You´re joking about our forgetting what the stories you were posting are about, right? I agree with Linda about Heeding the Call and you know I´ve been begging you and Mary to give us a long-needed update.I´m biting my nails wondering how things will end up. And, then, there´s Pas the Deux and jealous, possessive Lex. Come back and update!:rules:

I agree with Mel that giving feedback shouldn´t be limited to new fics and that commenting on an old fic- even if we aren´t sure the writer´s still an active member- helps resurrect awesome works that would otherwise languish. I´m also in favour of re-reviewing a fic after sometime if you happen to revisit it. It´s like watching several times a film you have enjoyed. Every time you find new layers to it.;)