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Its very hard for someone writing to know how they are doing lately as it seems the only comments are from the *core group* of like 8 people and the rest don't comment at all.
Kudo's mean nothing to a writer really its the feedback a writer craves. Okay its also about attention too, which for most of the tg community who spent most of their lives purposely NOT drawing attention to themselves you have to admit the craving for it in some small way is there.
comment as you wish just pointing out that if you want more stories if there is no comments no stories come forth as it makes the writer feel less than human.
Just my two pence worth.
Comments
I'm a comment junkie
I crave the feedback I get from readers, and if it doesnt come, I think I suck, and dont want to write as much.
Comments are a tough one.
I must admit that I like a few comments but there really is only a core group of people who read my work. It is not strongly TG; usually I take care of that business in a paragraph or two. Of course my point of view is different than some.
Rather soon, I had to decide to write things that pleased me and if people did or did not comment, I would have to be happy with what I got or I should just quit writing.
G
That's how I do it.
And this isn't something I just learned either. I'm a musician, so many of the same things apply for me there. To me, much like my music, this is medicinal. A lot of the things I write about are things I struggle with in the real world every day, so to even share it in a cool group of people like you guys is such an honor. But when it comes to comments, everyone has their own personality, so I don't worry about it much. Besides I'm more worried about being better in my craft, and by doing that I think I can slowly get some of the lurkers to come on over and post a few words!
comments
i would comment more, but their are few stories with the elements i mainly read. i mostly like bimbo transformation, extreme transformation, surgery so on. i guess stuff that i would like happen to me
On the other hand...
Robert Heinlein had five rules for writers, and it's difficult to improve upon them.
Comments can be discouraging as easily as they can be encouraging, and discouragement is the bane of writers. It's difficult enough getting up in the morning (or late at night, when everyone sensible is sound asleep in bed) and sitting down to stare at a blank screen, or paper if one has fallen into a timewarp. Worrying about what a serial audience thinks of a story can unfairly influence one to start 'tweaking' the story before it has a chance to proceed the way *you* think it ought to go. Both 'writing groups' and instant comments thus violate Rule Two: Finish What You Write. It's impossible to form a coherent opinion about a story until one has read it through, because stories have beginnings, middles, ends, an arc of narrative that encompasses all the thinking that went into the idea that kicked that story off.
It's all very well to have a dozen adulatory comments, but not if those comments encourage one to hare off after more of the same. “I particularly liked the juggling scene!” Oh, goodie, let's have more juggling! But wait, wasn't ‘juggling’ supposed to mean something?
Whatever it is, the fragility of life, the intricate web of human relationships, it takes an iron will to resist the well-meaning good wishes of one's fans.
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
huh
who's Robert Heinlein? Sorry never heard of him.
That is one of the saddest things I've heard!
However, you have a wonderful opportunity to read Heinlein for the first time!
Google him and be prepared to be amazed!
Mr. Ram
Stranger in a Strange Land
I'd recommend "Stranger in a Strange Land." It's one of the best Sci-Fi stories I've ever read.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
I would strongly recommend
I would strongly recommend NOT reading Stranger in a Strange Land for your first dose of Heinlein. It's a bit much to take at one go. Not light reading.
I'd recommend something lighter. Either one of his 'young adult' books, such as "Have Space Suit, Will Travel", or one of the smaller stories. Methuselah's Children (the introduction of Lazerus Long), or the "Waldo/Magic Inc" flip book. (Waldo is the story where scientists picked up the term 'waldos' for remote control armatures)
Then there's the larger Lazerus Long books, plus No Time For Love, Friday, Job, Number of the Beast, etc.
As for his 'don't edit'? Read it. What he's saying is that once you've written the story, don't go back and keep ripping it apart just because YOU feel it's not right. Wait until an editor (another person) has read it and can give you feedback. You can definitely overthink things, and turn a good story with some rough spots into a continuous rough spot. That doesn't mean you don't fix a scene while you're in the middle of writing - but once you've concluded it, it's concluded.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
There's a Reason
There is one good reason why you've never heard of Heiniein. It's his rule number 3. Anyone who feels they are so cock sure of what they are writing that once committed to paper, (or computer screen), it needs no refinement or second thought other then a spell check is someone who is either phenomenally brilliant very conceited. IF it's the first, they're on the NYT's best sellers list. If not, they spend their days tell other writers how to write.
Nancy Cole
"You may be what you resolve to be."
T.J. Jackson
I don't know how to take this
This may be an insulting comment or not hard to tell since I do not really read implications.
That was supposed to be a
That was supposed to be a joke right? I'd say as writers go Heinlein was pretty successful.
If I happen to read a story....
If I happen to read a story I always try to comment. The thing is I read fewer and fewer of them these days.
Of course, as a writer all comments no matter how seemingly inane are welcome.
Have delightfully devious day,
I love comments
And, I'll admit, I should do more of them myself, but there's a problem with that.
Commenting, for me, seems to go hand in hand with writing. The more I'm working on my stories, the more involved I am in the community, and the more I'm going to comment on things I read.
With me, it also stacks with the problem that I'm very, VERY picky about what I read. I don't look at the list and say "ooh, another story by what's-her-name, I've GOTTA read that one!" The title, the blurb, and even in most cases the categories and keywords of a story have to catch my eye before I'll read it, and even then, unless I feel I have something worthwhile to contribute to the conversation I won't say anything.
For what it's worth, even "good story!" is something I consider a worthwhile contribution, so the above isn't as uppity as it might at first sound.
In the past three or so months on the site, I think I've actually read... five new stories? Counting serials as a single story, of course. Everything else I've read has been going back and re-reading old favorites, trying to inspire myself, and most of those I've already commented on at one time or another.
Melanie E.
Kudos not comments
Comments from people who have enjoyed my work are wonderful and really encourage me. But I get so easily upset by comments from those who do not, most of which are not constructive. In ten years writing here and on FM, a few people have pointed out I have used a word incorrectly or misspelt it, for which I am grateful, but that is about the limit on feedback which I can use to improve my work.
So do I really want someone publicly criticising my work? No I don't.
I have turned off comment for this reason. People send me PMs, for which I am really grateful - and the good thing about a PM is that it shows up as soon as I log on and I can reply - but their comments are between them and me.
But to me Kudos are wonderful. If you have enjoyed a story, it's a simple click to say thank you.
tels, its "Just my two cents worth"...
this IS America you know. We don't use pence.
-- GRIN --
I rarely use kundos as I prefer to comment. That way I can give the writer feedback, hopefully useful feedback. Not that kudos aren't a bad idea.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. In a way my sister is glad the other bank let her go. For one she has a good job with a bank data processing firm AND if she was still with THAT bank she would have been going by the Sikh temple where that mass murder occured this last Sunday.
John in Wauwatosa
multi posted AGAIN ! Admin please delete
DOH!
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Indeed.
If I ever write anything and submit it here, I will value comments far more than kudos. It takes time and effort to produce a thoughtful and meaningful comment, whether positive or negative.
However, I would probably value a kudo more than an inane one-liner or silly question accompanied by a subject line which is simply the story/blog title copied and pasted. The effort that goes into those isn't worth the small number of bytes they use on the server.
If I read a story and don't comment, it's probably because I simply couldn't think of anything to say that would be worth the author's attention, and therefore didn't want to look silly. I'll also add that commentary is by no means exempt from the "quality over quantity" ideal. ^_^
Comments revisited,washed, rewashed, mended, you get idea
I try to leave positive comments, sending a P.M. about anything that is best left in a p.m. [editorial help]
May Your Light Forever Shine
Comments
I admit that I don't comment publicly as often as others as I normally only leave a comment if I have something of substance to say about the story/chapter. I do PM authors when I have enjoyed their work and wanted to let them know.
If all I wanted to say was a throw away 1 liner like "good story" or "great, can't wait for more" which doesn't really say anything more than giving a kudo does to the story then I just leave a kudo. I'm sure many people would agree that hundreds of pointless comments that are essentially just a kudo in comment form are worth the same as a kudo so you may as well just leave a kudo.
There are stories that I haven't liked but there was nothing wrong with the story itself but it just didn't appeal to me so I just leave those alone as there is no constructive feedback that could be left.
Multipart stories are another thing. I try to avoid reading them until they are complete and will normally only comment on the final part and not all the parts. If I'm reading a part in an unfinished story that compels me to comment then I will but if I'm reading parts from start to finish then I'm more interested in finding out what happens next rather than leave a comment about the anticipation that the current part has left for what happens next.
Older stories give a reason to pause on leaving a comment also. Comments on current stories sometimes generate more comments about the story and speculation on what could be coming next. If you are reading a story that was posted 6 months or a year ago there is less reason to leave a comment that would only be seen by someone else pulling that up later or by the author if they happened to check in their My Stories section to see they had a new comment on their story.
Another point would be the problem tels mentioned about not wanting to draw attention to themselves even if it is attention to their pseudonym. Reading and clicking the kudo button is essentially anonymous to everyone except the admins who would only know if they checked the logs or looked into the matter closely. Compare this with a comment that has the username and exactly when it was made visible to all.
Darkbeholder
Actually, although kudos are
Actually, although kudos are nice, there are three shortcomings with them.
1 - they are completely anonymous. I love knowing who has read and enjoyed my work. I like to be able to thank them.
2 - kudos are hard to track, particularly on an older story. They don't show up in the my stories recap as new kudo, so unless you keep a seperate sheet with your totals, you may not even realize they happen. The buttons track will tell you you got one, but not which story.
3. A comment will often lead others to read a story.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the kudos, but there is definitely no comparing the value of even a good job comment vs. a Kudo.
Hugs,
Kristy