shainarichmond: Can you make your work available only for certain people to review, like, your fans? I'm just so tired of getting reviews from people who haven't read any of my other chapters. I'm pretty good at ignoring what I think I need to ignore but it's still annoying. See my prior profile status updates for my whole diatribe about it.
It seems like I saw that option here on FS before but I can't find it now.

I'm going to have to start posting in the reviewer forums... I have this one reviewer who has reviewed my work twice now. It's obvious she hates my characters and my entire story, and the fact that I have a 'mature' story posted at all. I guess I should feel happy that I've done my job because I've elicited such a response.
    redrider6612: You can block Standard Members (the free membership people) but otherwise, no. -
    shelley kaye: put a note at the top saying that it's part of a book and if youhaven't read any of the other chapters you probably ain't gonna get it (or something to that effect ;)
    -


shainarichmond: I'm drunk enough to say this - someone recently reviewed my work. Someone who only really writes poetry. She gave me 4 stars based on the fact that she thought my plot was going to go another direction. WTF? NO!!! These freakin' sites drive me nuts. Give stars based on writing. Even though FS is a bit fluffy "yay! You can type!" Still - don't give me 4 f'ing stars because you didn't like my plot, poetry writer... did i mention I like Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka?
    --Turtle.: I understand not wanting to get a demotion of stars for content... like, this is a work about puppies... and I hate puppies. But plot is a big part of the writing, it's probably more important than spelling and grammar, and harder to get a handle on. More important to get a feel by bouncing it off others.
    If the plot leaves the reader feeling jipped, or confused, it's something to look at, and I don't think people should be afraid to mark a piece down if the plot has issues.
    I don't know the full story, though, so I'm not saying which is which in your situation.

    Just, careful on sending mixed messages. Do you want honest feedback, or 5 stars. -
    shainarichmond: I want honest feedback. The review to which I was referring was from someone who gave me 4 stars, which is fine, but they offered no suggestions to improve. It was just "when he did that, I thought something else was going to happen." What made you think that? You haven't read any of my other chapters. And you probably will not read any subsequent chapters to find out how that particular event added to the novel. It was obvious from the tone of the review that the person just wanted the bonus points for being one of the first reviewers. There was no constructive criticism to be had. Today something similar happened, and it was for a story that I've made money on and gotten tons of good reviews for when it was published as an eBook. I just have it posted here for fun because I unpublished it (hubby did not approve me writing in that genre, regardless of the money) and I wanted to see the reaction I would get, good or bad (also, I am rebellious and I had to give the story life someplace where hubby would not find it). Someone today gave me two stars and wrote one of the dumbest comments I have ever read. It was so stupid it made me laugh.

    I don't put too much stock into my reviews here on FS. I really like this website though. I am really just here for the fellowship, and occasionally the reviews give me some very helpful insight,especially from people who have been reading from chapter one.

    Also, I think it's important to be encouraging to other writers because nothing is worse than someone breaking a writer's spirit when they're just starting out. The way to improve your writing is to just keep writing. And if you're on a website where everyone constantly tells you how much you suck, you may not be encouraged to continue. In addition, you'll lose your voice if you heed all of their opinions. A couple months ago I joined a website where everyone was brutally honest. They tore my work up. I mean, really tore it right apart. But I happily took their advice and tried to re-write that one chapter I posted, only to find it wasn't even mine anymore. It was unrecognizable and it no longer contained my voice. As a reader, I didn't enjoy the way it read or how the plot changed. Then I realized they had picked apart some important things I'd received compliments on from readers. I had that same piece posted on Smashwords because I think it's important to get opinions from readers, not just writers. Writers can have a 'blind leading the blind' mentality, which is why when I started writing I waited months before posting on FS or anywhere else. I took that advice from a successful published writer who said to go to the readers first because they're the ones who really matter. Publishing free eBooks on Smashwords is a great way to do that.

    I'm always very careful when pointing out issues with someone's plot. I think you're doing an injustice to yourself and to the writer by making calls about plot if you don't read the whole book all the way through. That's just my opinion. I've had people tell me they didn't like certain things or didn't understand them in one chapter, but then they read on and found out exactly what I was going for. Whether in movies or books, or anywhere in between, I find it hard to criticize a plot for being weak or letting me down until the very end. I always assume the writer has a clear direction and I will assume nothing less until the credits roll.

    Take "Lost" for example. The ending was so bad it made me wish I hadn't wasted so much time on it. I watched intently all that time (except for season 2 which didn't really hold my attention), thinking there would be a payoff. I was wrong.

    In closing, my biggest fear is that I will pull a "Lost" on people. If I do that, then I truly encourage everyone to tell me and give me as many 1 star reviews as possible.
    -
    another jim: Some really interesting insights and observations in your post (above), shainarichmond! Thanks for sharing. -
    --Turtle.: I agree with you that a review should be more than an empty blasting of a work, and that it's good to put a mixture of encouragement, what was good, along with what didn't work, and then why, into a review.

    You also make a good point about the cautions of abandoning one's own voice and trying to please everyone, thus losing a bit of self. Part of the learning process is balancing absorbing information and applying it, for what is right for them. Not blindly changing things but using a critique as a way of gaining a perspective they wouldn't have otherwise had.

    And I didn't necessarily think your frustration came from solid feedback, more of a frustration with empty feedback.

    My intent when I added my two cents (which I get all anxious about doing, really) was only to initially remind that plot is important, and that people who put effort into reviewing may not want to risk reviewing if it appears like it's easy to offend the writer. (cause they might not see the full story when they see the frustration)

    As someone who tries to give detailed reviews, I get scared away when people say, give me an honest reaction, right next to, don't give me 4 stars for my plot, right next to, I don't really put much stock into reviews.

    There's always going to be the occasional odd, wow, this is not a serious reviewer. And you can spot them by checking out the rest of their comments. You'll likely notice a trend. -
    shainarichmond: I think we had a good discussion here. I hope I got my point across. It's an issue that's had me pretty riled up lately, to say the least.

    This is why I like FanStory! :) -
    --Turtle.: You should check out the reviewing forum on occasion, a good place where these kinds of discussions get bantered. -
    shainarichmond: I really should. I haven't been on the forums here at all. Thanks! -
    Rose Hearth: Sorry I came to the discussion late. I've only been here a short time and have received many reviews, most of which gave me 'constructive' criticism. I was able to tweak some of my poems (yes, I'm one of those ungodly poem writers!) for easier flow, etc. without changing the content. I gave one author a four star rating and pointed out my reasoning. She retaliated, and I do mean retaliated, by reviewing one of my poems. Not only did she blast it, she offered me 'a little rewrite' in which she totally changed the poem. Although my gut reaction is to go to her portfolio, tear apart her every word, and give her one-star ratings on everything, I decided it's just best to pity her for never having experienced life through her own eyes. Keep up the good work. I love your stuff! Tell hubby not to worry about anyone he knows reading your stuff. If they do,,,who should he be more embarrassed of? (That was meant as humor and in no way should be construed as any type of marital advice whatsoever!) -


shainarichmond: Oh - and furthermore - it's annoying to NO END to post on websites where one chapter is critiqued at a time. I mean, how can you only read one chapter and give a worthwhile opinion?


shainarichmond: If anybody who's read all or most of my novel "Safe With Me" has an opinion about my latest chapter "The Only Girl" please don't be afraid to hold back. I'm not sure if that's how I want the story to go. It was fun to write at the time but that doesn't necessarily make for an interesting read.

Does anybody experience their plot changing as they write? I'm still working toward the same ending I started with at the beginning but I might take a different direction in getting there.


shainarichmond: I haven't posted in a while because my story changed direction a little bit... should I delete chapters and re-do them??
    redrider6612: Just edit the chapters that are posted, don't delete. It is against site rules to post something more than once, even if it it majorly edited. -
    Sarah_Goldwell: Always keep your originals though. They're good to look back on and compare x -


shainarichmond: Uploaded a new chapter with 9 views so far and NO reviews. Is it really that bad? Might have to delete that one...


shainarichmond: Hello everyone! If you like erotica, please look at my novel "Safe With Me." If you don't like erotica, well, I'm sorry. And by the way, I'm a born-again Christian. Yes, I am.


shainarichmond: Feliz Navidad!!


shainarichmond: I'm still trying to figure out this website. I swear, I'm a VERY computer / web literate person but I'm extremely overwhelmed... ack!! Forgive me if I commit a faux pas right away... please.