Poor Prose Writers, You Still Here?
A Rambling Essay or Something Like That100 total reviews
Comment from Michaelk
"your haiku was in perfect syllable count. I loved the imagery. It was very moving in a moving way as it moved me. :)))))."
There you go Mikey, wish granted. :)
Excellent 'essay or something like that'. Well written as usual. I also have begun to get swamped by writings I would like to review but don't have time (not if I want to do any of my own writing).
I absolutely agree there is a problem, the tough part is coming up with a solution.
Not to drive a wedge between prose and poetry, but this site is skewed toward favoring shorter works. Whether that is intentional, I don't know. Most likely it is just as you say, people go for the quick, easy buck. (Hell, I've done it at times)
Here's my ideas.
Have the site administrators say, 'Okay, poetry can only offer so many points and so many member dollars'?
Or give automatic bonus dollars for works over 2000 words?
I don't know if those ideas would work or not.
Great essay, it really got me thinking.
  |
"your haiku was in perfect syllable count. I loved the imagery. It was very moving in a moving way as it moved me. :)))))."
There you go Mikey, wish granted. :)
Excellent 'essay or something like that'. Well written as usual. I also have begun to get swamped by writings I would like to review but don't have time (not if I want to do any of my own writing).
I absolutely agree there is a problem, the tough part is coming up with a solution.
Not to drive a wedge between prose and poetry, but this site is skewed toward favoring shorter works. Whether that is intentional, I don't know. Most likely it is just as you say, people go for the quick, easy buck. (Hell, I've done it at times)
Here's my ideas.
Have the site administrators say, 'Okay, poetry can only offer so many points and so many member dollars'?
Or give automatic bonus dollars for works over 2000 words?
I don't know if those ideas would work or not.
Great essay, it really got me thinking.
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from nelliesellie
I love the story. I have the same problem. I have a feel for reading prose. It is shorter that a book but longer that a two sentence poem. I read your books because I am a fan. I read one chapter at a time. You leave cliff hangers. I am eager to get the next chapter. I go back and read the works prior to me being a fan. Bear work good books too. He had a lot of fans too. Great work.
 |
I love the story. I have the same problem. I have a feel for reading prose. It is shorter that a book but longer that a two sentence poem. I read your books because I am a fan. I read one chapter at a time. You leave cliff hangers. I am eager to get the next chapter. I go back and read the works prior to me being a fan. Bear work good books too. He had a lot of fans too. Great work.
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from Writingfundimension
This is very timely for me, Michael. I recently posted a poem as a break from my novel and couldn't believe how quickly the reviews came in for the poem. The situation is one that I'd love to see addressed, but sadly probably will not be. It is human nature to do what is the quickest and best for us. So, all we can do is lavishly thank and praise our loyal fans who follow our prose writing. I know that I try to as I really do appreciate them. Great essay/rant/ramble. :) Bev
|
This is very timely for me, Michael. I recently posted a poem as a break from my novel and couldn't believe how quickly the reviews came in for the poem. The situation is one that I'd love to see addressed, but sadly probably will not be. It is human nature to do what is the quickest and best for us. So, all we can do is lavishly thank and praise our loyal fans who follow our prose writing. I know that I try to as I really do appreciate them. Great essay/rant/ramble. :) Bev
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from Herkjv1611
This commentary revealed the disparities between writing prose and poetry.Receiving the same incentives of short poem in haiku or prose in several stanzas. I suffered too in looking into the inconsistences of my written work,I was horrified on the first critiquing on my essay.Sentence structure,verb usage etc. were to be improved as suggested.I suspended writing since then.Another writer yelled at me in writing his comment to my written review for him.Since then,I stopped writing at fan story.Just few days, I tried and thanks indeed.I'm revived by reading your commentary. I like this piece.I learn a lot.
|
This commentary revealed the disparities between writing prose and poetry.Receiving the same incentives of short poem in haiku or prose in several stanzas. I suffered too in looking into the inconsistences of my written work,I was horrified on the first critiquing on my essay.Sentence structure,verb usage etc. were to be improved as suggested.I suspended writing since then.Another writer yelled at me in writing his comment to my written review for him.Since then,I stopped writing at fan story.Just few days, I tried and thanks indeed.I'm revived by reading your commentary. I like this piece.I learn a lot.
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from bob cullen
This is one of the best essays I've read on fanstory.
The most obvious remedy would be to double the value of prose revues of conversely halve the value of poetic reviews. Alternatively a pay scale could be introduced according to the word count of the post. Why should forty words attract the same reward as a two thousand word post. The essay or novel excerpt takes many hours to present whereas a four line poem can be created in minutes.
Michael your comments are spot on and I salute your courage in making them.
I guess though its a little like the equal pay argument for men's and women's tennis. Men play five sets and women three.
|
This is one of the best essays I've read on fanstory.
The most obvious remedy would be to double the value of prose revues of conversely halve the value of poetic reviews. Alternatively a pay scale could be introduced according to the word count of the post. Why should forty words attract the same reward as a two thousand word post. The essay or novel excerpt takes many hours to present whereas a four line poem can be created in minutes.
Michael your comments are spot on and I salute your courage in making them.
I guess though its a little like the equal pay argument for men's and women's tennis. Men play five sets and women three.
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from Cajungirl
Michaelcahill, it is something I have been thinking about lately. On several of my prose I received fake reviews saying stuff like I enjoyed the poem and good luck in contest, when it wasn't a contest entry.
Perhaps is base certificates for prose would pay 15 cents more than poetry and 9.95 certificates for prose would pay 15 points and 72 cents for prose it would be most helpful for reviewers. Many reviewers look at money as the driving force. I read to learn how to write.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I enjoyed your Haiku. (LOL)
|
Michaelcahill, it is something I have been thinking about lately. On several of my prose I received fake reviews saying stuff like I enjoyed the poem and good luck in contest, when it wasn't a contest entry.
Perhaps is base certificates for prose would pay 15 cents more than poetry and 9.95 certificates for prose would pay 15 points and 72 cents for prose it would be most helpful for reviewers. Many reviewers look at money as the driving force. I read to learn how to write.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I enjoyed your Haiku. (LOL)
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from Patrick G Cox
Hi Michaelcahill,
How to solve this little problem? I suspect it is one we are not the first to try, and I suspect Tom has also been 'exercised' by it. As a 'prose' writer and 'novellist' I have come to accept that scoring 25 or more 'reviews' is either not going to happen for me, or I'm going to have to hit a lot of poems in order to make upo enough 'member money' to do it.
Two things here I think. First, the system actually does reward the short poem writers/reviewers and it penalises those who write and read prose. It's the time factor I think. Typically my 'chapters' run to around 2500 words, way too long for many here. Second; short of actually somehow 'loading' prose contributions, perhaps by applying some sort of 'booster' to the reward for reviewing, it is difficult to see how it could be made worthwhile to read a 2000+ word chapter as opposed to hitting twelve Haikus for twelve times the reward.
As you say, writing prose is a lengthy process, but the same could be said of poetry. Personally, I don't start to post new chapters of a book until I have finished writing it, and I post on the second or third revision. Short stories and articles get a similar treatment - and like you, I often get a lot of 'reads' (actually just the number of people who have opened it, decided it is tl;dr and moved on) and about 20% of those turn into reviews. One of the problems is definitely genre - some folk here will only read 'fantasy' or 'romance' and nothing else. I right scifi and historical, so ...
I think life gets easier if you just accept this, and enjoy the reviews you get. It's frustrating, but even one helpful review is worth the money I think.
Patrick
|
Hi Michaelcahill,
How to solve this little problem? I suspect it is one we are not the first to try, and I suspect Tom has also been 'exercised' by it. As a 'prose' writer and 'novellist' I have come to accept that scoring 25 or more 'reviews' is either not going to happen for me, or I'm going to have to hit a lot of poems in order to make upo enough 'member money' to do it.
Two things here I think. First, the system actually does reward the short poem writers/reviewers and it penalises those who write and read prose. It's the time factor I think. Typically my 'chapters' run to around 2500 words, way too long for many here. Second; short of actually somehow 'loading' prose contributions, perhaps by applying some sort of 'booster' to the reward for reviewing, it is difficult to see how it could be made worthwhile to read a 2000+ word chapter as opposed to hitting twelve Haikus for twelve times the reward.
As you say, writing prose is a lengthy process, but the same could be said of poetry. Personally, I don't start to post new chapters of a book until I have finished writing it, and I post on the second or third revision. Short stories and articles get a similar treatment - and like you, I often get a lot of 'reads' (actually just the number of people who have opened it, decided it is tl;dr and moved on) and about 20% of those turn into reviews. One of the problems is definitely genre - some folk here will only read 'fantasy' or 'romance' and nothing else. I right scifi and historical, so ...
I think life gets easier if you just accept this, and enjoy the reviews you get. It's frustrating, but even one helpful review is worth the money I think.
Patrick
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from Dean Kuch
Mikey, I could not agree with you more.
I once told a reviewer that for me, it was much easier to write a poem than a short story or a chapter to a novel. They addressed me as if I was insane, which I probably am, but that's beside the point. I personally still feel that way.
My last short story, The Gyspsy's Timepiece, which was written for nor84's (Norma) Midnight Death contest did fairly well, but I had to promote it to 1.24 in funny money before it received the first review.
I don't know if there is a solution. If you attach special certificates to be awarded for reading prose, poets will surely moan and complain. And in reality, it really wouldn't be fair.
Like you, I write a lot of both prose and poetry. I also read and review a great deal of both. As I write both, it only helps me to learn my craft better by reading a lot of each, so that's how I approach it when reading prose. I love to read, and I'm only helping myself.
|
Mikey, I could not agree with you more.
I once told a reviewer that for me, it was much easier to write a poem than a short story or a chapter to a novel. They addressed me as if I was insane, which I probably am, but that's beside the point. I personally still feel that way.
My last short story, The Gyspsy's Timepiece, which was written for nor84's (Norma) Midnight Death contest did fairly well, but I had to promote it to 1.24 in funny money before it received the first review.
I don't know if there is a solution. If you attach special certificates to be awarded for reading prose, poets will surely moan and complain. And in reality, it really wouldn't be fair.
Like you, I write a lot of both prose and poetry. I also read and review a great deal of both. As I write both, it only helps me to learn my craft better by reading a lot of each, so that's how I approach it when reading prose. I love to read, and I'm only helping myself.
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from Barb Hensongispsaca
This gets a 6 because I read it and agree with all of it. I try to read one prose with all the poetry I read. and most poetry is too short to review without writing the poem down for the extra line so I don't get the "back" message. But I read this and I loved it.
|
This gets a 6 because I read it and agree with all of it. I try to read one prose with all the poetry I read. and most poetry is too short to review without writing the poem down for the extra line so I don't get the "back" message. But I read this and I loved it.
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
Comment from Tina McKala
I liked this essay and I like your final question.
It's a well known problem of this site. And I don't think it will ever change. There are other sites out there that are focused on inline, indepth reviews of long stories or novels. I am a member of one such site, when I came there after two years of being active here, it blew my mind away. Fanstory is good for creating a broad fan base, I met a few wonderful people here and I stay here only so I can read them. But in times when I need a review for every paragraph I write and I need somebody to tell me 'wait, this does not make any sense.' or 'consider this and that to improve the character development/story arc' or 'this line was perfect, I laughed out loud' this site is not able to provide me with this feedback. I'm sure Tom knows about other sites for writers, I'm sure he knows how reviews work there (in depth, without stars, without a popularity contest), but this site is not for that kind of writing. This is a popularity contest site - keep that in mind - you accept the rules or you leave.
Yes, fanstory can teach you a lot, make you meet a lot of wonderful peope who help a lot, but in some point (depending on what you want from writing) fanstory stops being enough.
so to answer your question - yes, there is many possibilities to improve the imbalance between reviewing prose and poetry, it is actually very easy to support long indepth reviews of long (3000 and more words) stories and chapters. (but I believe Tom knows this and he doesn't want this site to work that way - my apologies to him if I am being mistaken)
|
I liked this essay and I like your final question.
It's a well known problem of this site. And I don't think it will ever change. There are other sites out there that are focused on inline, indepth reviews of long stories or novels. I am a member of one such site, when I came there after two years of being active here, it blew my mind away. Fanstory is good for creating a broad fan base, I met a few wonderful people here and I stay here only so I can read them. But in times when I need a review for every paragraph I write and I need somebody to tell me 'wait, this does not make any sense.' or 'consider this and that to improve the character development/story arc' or 'this line was perfect, I laughed out loud' this site is not able to provide me with this feedback. I'm sure Tom knows about other sites for writers, I'm sure he knows how reviews work there (in depth, without stars, without a popularity contest), but this site is not for that kind of writing. This is a popularity contest site - keep that in mind - you accept the rules or you leave.
Yes, fanstory can teach you a lot, make you meet a lot of wonderful peope who help a lot, but in some point (depending on what you want from writing) fanstory stops being enough.
so to answer your question - yes, there is many possibilities to improve the imbalance between reviewing prose and poetry, it is actually very easy to support long indepth reviews of long (3000 and more words) stories and chapters. (but I believe Tom knows this and he doesn't want this site to work that way - my apologies to him if I am being mistaken)
Comment Written 24-Jul-2014
