Here’s a letter from me to the rest of Dokuga.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, everyone!

I’ve been keeping an eye on this thread, and I admire your drive to write and read and your collective generosity about reads and reviews. But now I feel like expressing something that not many people know, that perhaps many feel, but don’t admit to.

Shall I take a more controversial - and dare I say it, selfish - stand?

I review everything I read. Everything. If I can't review it right then and there, I review it later. I think that if an author worked hard to write a few thousand words for my pleasure and entertainment, I can afford to write them about 3, or 10, or 50, or anything, to let them know I appreciate it. No..not just appreciate it, but also what I thought of their story. How else is the author supposed to know what they're doing right or wrong? What their writing is arousing in people?

And as a writer who has recently emerged from a huge inferiority complex – believe me when I say that reviews can make or break someone’s writing.

How do I know it? Simple. You see – every time I updated, my read count would go up by anything from 1000 to 1500. I assumed that that meant at least a few hundred people were reading my story. And each day, I would eagerly log on to see what these people thought of my writing, of my story, and if I was very lucky, I would find perhaps one review.

And then I would think, though I tried my best not to, “So…about 200-300 people read my story…possibly more. And not a SINGLE one of them thought anything of my writing? Not a single one of them laughed or cried or got angry or liked it or loved it?”

And that graduated to thinking, “Maybe that’s right. Maybe they didn’t feel a thing. Maybe they just don’t care…I’m probably not being able to give them any ideas or emotions. Maybe I’m just a lousy writer.”

And then, “Oh god, can’t someone even flame me to let me know if it’s that bad? Or is it so boring and unremarkable that they can’t be bothered to even do that?”

And finally, “You know what, this is such a waste. I’m sure no one even cares. And I’m not getting any pleasure from this…I’m not being able to know even a little of my readers’ reactions. If I’m the only one whose reactions matter anymore, then I can just imagine the story in my head. That’s what I do with most of my plunnies anyway and it keeps me plenty happy.”

And I almost quit writing.

I say almost, because I confessed to zandrellia about the way I felt – my complete lack of confidence, my increasing jealousy of other writers who were getting reviews, my building disinterest in my own story – and she took me into hand. In fact, she called the heavy guns – Wiccan. It took the two them quite a few lectures and days of being supportive and hearing me and my fear and discontent, but they got me writing again. Writing for myself, first and foremost. I will be eternally grateful to them for giving me back my soul.

I’m okay now, mostly. I write for myself and because sometimes seeing things in my headspace is just not enough. But – at heart, I am still writing for others – for my readers, because I want to show them whole new worlds, give them people to love and get their emotions invested. Give them something that can brighten their day and make them look forward to the next.

So even now, though I tell myself bravely, “It’s for ME!” I still log onto the site with eagerness to see what people are saying – and if all I meet is silence, it still hurts.

I'm not begging for reviews, and I don't believe in holding a story hostage if I didn't get reviews. That wouldn't be honest. That would be extortion. Perhaps it's unnatural of me to be saying all this. Perhaps I'm a needy anomaly among other, more generous and self-confident authors.

But I would like to express myself honestly. As I say on my profile – “I write because I want to give people worlds to live in.” And I want that world to be filled with chatter and emotions. Silence means that you don’t care, that my world’s not good enough and not worth improving. Silence breaks my heart.


Love,
naq

Karma for Naq! Very well said, my dear.

I gives the Naq karma too!!!

I love the honesty and openness that Naq has shared with us all. She's right, perhaps she's said a few things that others might not have for fear of being seen as "needy." That's not how *I* see it, though, and I'm sure that's not how a lot of our authors see it.

I am as guilty as the next person of rushing on to the next story. I have different reasons, in that I'm usually reading everything that gets posted to watch for compliance with our rules, but I am still tarred with that brush. After all, even with sifting through everything on the front page on a daily basis, how much more time would it take to jot a couple words here and there?

Well, owing to my long-windedness, and my almost OCD desire to make every review I leave meaningful, it would take me a while. Srsly. Probably half as much time as it takes me to read all the goodness that is bestowed upon our site on a daily basis. I'm not trying to excuse my oversight, or my shortcomings, but to explain to the authors that I've not reviewed.

I love you all. I have nothing but the utmost admiration for anyone who puts themselves out there for others to read their brainchildren and judge them. I cannot begin to express my appreciation for the hard work that some of our authors put into crafting stories that DO, as Naq says, take us to other worlds. I see them... I love most of them... and I despair that I can never fully articulate my appreciation for them.

I try, in those moments that I have to spare, to get that point across to the authors that I do manage to review. I hope that my one or two infrequent reviews help brighten their day. I hope that my thanks helps them understand that they've made an impression, and that I'm very appreciative. I hope that they understand WHY I do it so infrequently and don't judge me harshly for it.

I hope... but this thread has made it possible for me to once again express my thoughts to ALL the authors on this site. I will still TRY to review your story. I will still fail, most likely. But I will TRY. I think that's probably the most we can expect from anyone, don't you?

~~Wiccan~~

I'm just lazy, and I only tend to review if I really enjoyed the ficlet. Plus I don't read as widely as I used too, so I tend to stick with authors I like and whose work I have read before like Forthright, or Tallymark. Plus for their works I've likely reveiwed ages ago on FFNet so I don't bother doing so on Dokuga, even if I do reread here, or read their newer works.

Plus generally a bazillion people have already said how much they 'love' the ficlet so my addition of fangirly pompom-waving seems a bit pointless since what I think has already been said by every one else anyway.

I can understand for less obvious ficlets, newer ones that aren't read so often, clicked on or reveiwed. The lack of interest can be frustrating. I thought the same too when I first started writing fanfic after ages. I posted the first stuff here on Dokuga, and I got very few reviews, although that did improve over time. Now I'm just surprised that people read my stuff, since I'm like, 'But it's not that good!' but I do appreciate their feedback, and reviews none the less. I read each and every one, and get oodles of warm fuzzies.

Those people that do review like you do Naq are seriously made of awesome-sauce XD. It makes people like me very happy. I know I am lazy, but fangirling over 'OMG I got a review' is still a huge upside of writing. It's very positive, and motivating for me to continue writing.

Thanks Naq XD, and to awesome-sauce Dokugans that review!

~ Pyre

I had a question recently via pm on FFNet that somewhat coincides with this. Someone asked what constitutes a 'good' review, that is, a review that authors like to see. I'm pasting out of sheer laziness. It might be (is) redundant in light of Naq's very honest message, but I figured I'd throw it out there.

Original Message: I've been reading many stories in but rarely gives review. Mostly because I can't think of anything other than these shallow 'thanks for posting', 'looking forward for next chapter', 'great chapter' etc. By reviewing like that I feel like I don't give enough appreciation to the author.

So, I have been meaning to ask, "What constitutes a good review?"

The kind that pleases author like you
The kind that conveys my appreciation as reader to you.


The response: I will admit, most of us are magpies, collecting our reviews and hoarding them for days when we just want to take a baseball bat to our computers. Part of it is that people take the time to review and let us know that they enjoyed, and even those that didn't, so long as they give a coherent 'why' as opposed to a tantrum via the internet. Sometimes it's enough to know we made someone smile, or surprised or shocked them enough to make them say 'Hey, this did this' or to hear a simple thank you.

Most of us aren't so sensitive we get fire eyed if a suggestion pops up. Opinions differ, mostly because there's a fine line between suggestions/input and outright being told how to write a story, one people do cross on occasion. Ultimately we write to share with the readers, and while a story comes from our own mind, we like hearing input. Is it too slow, too hurried, or are the characters flat, the dialogue stale? No one's writing is perfect, and having feedback on how to work something out is always a plus (in my humble opinion). Often input is treasured far more than shallow 'I loved this' comments because it shows that the piece was read and considered beyond the initial reading, and because you as a reader want to see the story -and- the writer grow.

That being said, I'll admit it. We -do- like the shallow 'I love this' reviews as well, although they may not stick with us like thought out reviews do. Writers can be narcissistic creatures like any other artist. We have egos, and like anyone else, we do love to have them stroked from time to time.

I’ve written and re-written this post so forgive me if it’s nonsense – writing has proven to be rather difficult for me as of late. Bear with me, please.

That aside, I suppose the best place to start is simply with the honest truth:

It’s no secret in this community that I do not require, request, or expect reviews in any way. In fact, I rather dislike reviews. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate them or that I don’t enjoy them, I do. I also enjoy sitting around lazily all day, eating chocolate cake, and consuming copious amounts of caffeinated beverages. The fact is, however, that not all things that make us happy are good for us.

As with exerting control and trying to exercise regularly, stepping back and not eating too much chocolate cake, and maintaining a balance on how many caffeinated beverages I drink – I’ve quit reviews. Not cold turkey, mind you, but that is generally impossible. Was it easy? No. Nothing worthwhile in life ever is.

Now, in light of Naq’s eloquent response, some might say that my viewpoint is contradictory. (Well, that’s just how Naq and I roll, but I digress.) In reality, I’m not disagreeing that positive reviews and constructive criticism can be wonderful tools for morale boosting and educating a writer on what they are doing well. However, after a certain point a writer has to let go of the trappings of fanfiction and release their addictive need to have feedback in a rather constant stream. Published writers do not get this kind of feedback. When they do get feedback it is often harsh, thorough, and infrequent.

That aside, I also learned something rather ironic… when I let go of my desire for reviews I found that something amazing occurred: I got more of them. Not just more, but quality ones. Once I was able to let go of my need for feedback and my insatiable hunger for instant gratification – it was actually easier to obtain.

I think the reason for that is because I was able to give more of myself and truly expand my writing when I let go of my wish for reviews. By freeing myself of this burden, (and I do see it as one) I grew in such amazing ways as a writer. Like Naq and her courage from writing for herself, instead of her audience, she is beginning this journey that I started nearly seven years ago. For some of you who’ve been following my writing all these years, you can probably attest to the fact that around when I started writing Family Honor my writing changed dramatically. This story was my first where I no longer cared about reviews and wanted to really just challenge myself and share what I found with others – if they liked it or not.

A good review can be a wonderful thing, it can stick with us for years and we can go back to it during times when things become difficult – sure. Bad reviews or no reviews can bring us down and make us feel worthless – true.

Then I remember one of my favorite quotes that I live by:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Dear readers, you don’t have my permission to make me feel inferior about my writing. (Good reviews can make you feel just as bad as mean ones - don't believe me? You haven't suffered from the burden of "my next great work" or "the work following my greatest accomplishment" yet.) Want to say something nice? Go ahead. Want to say something mean? Fine. Want to say nothing? Be my guest.

I’ll treat it all the same.

I write for me. You have my permission to enjoy it, hate it, or ignore it – it won’t stop me from doing what I love.

As for why I am a review failure? Well, that has to do hand in hand with not only my viewpoint on reviews but also my extremely judgmental nature. I have to work hard to keep reviews from getting too harsh and I realize that many writers either are ill prepared for such reviews or simply do not want them - so I avoid giving reviews for this reason.

I can see both zandrellia and Naq's point of view, but me personally I'm not new to writing, but Dokuga is the first place I've ever posted my work for others to see. None of my friends or family even get to read it, and I guess that's why I love Dokuga so much, even if there is judgement and criticisms I tell myself the person doesn't know the "Real" me and it doesn't matter, but sometimes mean reviews or the lack of reviews does make me reconsider my writing. I remember the very first time I posted a story I got so many flames i just took it down and stopped writing for a long time. So if and when I review I keep it short because I don't really fell like I have much room to speak about someone else's work. Every time I post a new chapter or story I immediately log off and wait like 3 days before checking back in. There is always a part of me that's afraid people will hate it, and I'm actively working to get pass it.

But I have a question for you guys? A really good friend of mine wants to read one of my story, she has been asking for awhile, but I afraid that she might see me differently or something. My question is has anyone had this problem before, and how did you handle it?

MidNigh wrote:
But I have a question for you guys? A really good friend of mine wants to read one of my story, she has been asking for awhile, but I afraid that she might see me differently or something. My question is has anyone had this problem before, and how did you handle it?

I don't know if this helps but I'll try. I have only had one experience like this and it turned out very well. It was back when I began writing fanfiction and I wasn't very good(hindsight). I was nervous about sharing it, and really didn't want to. But I'm glad I did. I wouldn't even have put my first story online if it weren't for my friend's encouragement. We also became closer friends. I do understand your concern, I realise there is a chance of it not ending as you'd like. I just thought I'd share.

Anyway I think the answer to your question will be found in yourself. If you are too uncomfortable to share them with your friend then you may resent doing so no matter the outcome. The question you need to ask is, 'Is my fear of change/rejection stronger than my desire to share something my enjoyed making with my friend?' or 'What is it that I really want?' That way you will be more able to be content with your choice whether you get a favourable outcome or not. After all you have to be able to continue living with yourself all your life, you don't want to regret something.

If you decide not to share it with your friend you can explain to her your reasoning, or tell her you're not ready to, or you can say where you are posting your work and challenge her to find it.
(That last one can be a little... for lack of a better word, mean, but it's probably what I'd do now.)

I myself have a different reason for not sharing my pen-name and work with people I know. It's because I want to become good enough that they pick up on my work on their own.


Anyway I hope this helped. If what I wrote was confusing let me know and I'll try to fix it.

I sometimes read Dokuga on my Nook, which doesn't allow reviewing. However, when I am read on my computer, I ALWAYS review a story that I've enjoyed. I leave an encouraging review because (selfishly) I want an author to continue a story I like. I tend not to leave a review for a story I haven't enjoyed, though. Instead, I just choose not to read it further. Maybe that's unhelpful of me, but crafting a review that's providing constructive feedback without sounding negative is a skill not everyone possesses. I would never want to discourage an author from writing - after all, I am only one person, and who's to say my opinion should matter? And I have peeked at the reviews for stories I thought were terrible, and there will be some reviewers saying "wonderful story" and "love the way you portray your characters" and I'll be thinking "did they read the same story I did?"

However, at the risk of saying something that might be unpopular, I think the authors should honestly ask themselves: am I looking for reviews, or am I looking for praise?? Because those are two different things. I feel the same way Zandrellia does - I produce work for myself, not for others. By the time I am finished, it has served its purpose to me. If others gain something from it, the more the better, but it's not a part of my creative process. When the Impressionists first began exhibiting their work, there were riots because people hated them so much. And yet they persevered - despite the lack of public adulation - because the art within them needed to come out. And thank goodness they did - can you imagine a world without van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt, and Monet?

And here's something I ran across this morning, from Andy Warhol: , "Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everybody else decide whether it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they're deciding, make even more art."

MidNigh wrote:
But I have a question for you guys? A really good friend of mine wants to read one of my story, she has been asking for awhile, but I afraid that she might see me differently or something. My question is has anyone had this problem before, and how did you handle it?

I went through this, too. I began writing fanfictions about 6 years ago and I often think of that as when I started writing as it was the first time I felt a real purpose with my writing, but in truth, I'd been taking stabs at writing original fiction since I was about 14. The distinction is that when I was taking stabs, it was directionless, I have these ideas I thought were so big and great, but when I tried to craft them into a story, I'd realize that there was no substance to it, it was that initial idea, but I didn't have a good grasp of finer, smaller points- like those scenes that we, as the writer, feel don't do much, but are necessary because they establish some connection, or tie up a loose end, or even something bigger, like how to make the characters feel like living, breathing people.

As the years passed, I kept stabbing . . . and my work was improving, sure, helped along by reading the works of different authors, understanding what was or wasn't my taste, my style, what things I felt were taboo or weren't as far as those things go, but I was still lacking . . . something. It was feedback, genuine, honest critiquing of my work. I was terrified of showing my work to anyone that knew me, though. I, too, was afraid that they'd read it and see me differently (especially anything with 'mature content' . . . oi, lol). Then, one day, seemingly by chance, I stumbled over fanfictions. I started reading them and realized how stunning some of these works were, how unlike its stereotype the world of fanfiction truly is (okay, there are some fanfic folks out there that make the rest of us want to crawl under a rock when anyone finds out we're into fanfiction, but let's not get into that).

I realized, quite suddenly, that this was a venue in which I could put out into the world my style of writing, my idea of what made for a good story without anyone knowing it was 'me'. And, that without my knowing of who 'they' were, there was more likelihood of receiving genuine critiques; not something someone that cares for you might say to protect your feelings, not something that makes you worry that you've suddenly destroyed a friend's image of you. Granted, this was also before I was aware of flames, but we all know that flames are not genuine reviews, and we'll leave it at that, since I will not start a rant. After about 2 years writing fanfictions, I'd built up my confidence. I'd gotten comfortable with sharing my writing, and I tried my hand at original fiction again and found that I, while nervous about it, sure, was no longer terrified of sharing my work withthose that knew me. They'd either enjoy it, or not- if they did, awesome, if they didn't, I could always ask why and if it turned out to be something constructive, I could work on that, but if it was anything else, then we'd just have to agree to disagree. I'm happy to say that the friends I've shared my original works with have greatly enjoyed them, something I wouldn't know had I still be frightened to share.

If writing is part of you, it can be really intimidating to share it (it tends to be the people who don't care so much that go post any old dribble and go 'look what I did' like it's the greatest thing ever, lol). But sharing it can also be a great experience. It might change the way they look at you, sure . . . but it could be in an amazing way. The most nerve-wracking thing was when I let my husband read my work. He's into Action-Adventure stuff, Navy SEALs stories, action-packed novels about the Mandolarians & Clone Troopers of Star Wars. What do I write? Paranormal romance & urban fantasy. So I'm sure you can imagine that I was waiting on pins and needles, expecting him to tell me how he tried, but it wasn't his cup of tea, or that it was 'too girly' for him to get through. But that didn't happen . . . if anything, he got mad at me 'cause the story was still in it's early-ish, 'in-progress' stages and he was demanding to know what happens next, lol. I showed him this side of myself, this aspect that he hadn't really known was there- I mean, sure, he knew I enjoyed writing, but he'd not experienced any of that aspect. Turned out he was really proud of me (not like he wasn't before, but this was different) and wanted more than ever to do everything in his power to encourage me. It made him realize that it wasn't just a hobby, but part of who I am.

I know I have a tendency to ramble . . . like a lot, but my point is this- it can be scary to share your work with those close to you, but it can also be very rewarding. The scary part is what makes it so hard to do, but things worth doing are almost never easy.

Opal-Dreams wrote:

If you decide not to share it with your friend you can explain to her your reasoning, or tell her you're not ready to, or you can say where you are posting your work and challenge her to find it.
(That last one can be a little... for lack of a better word, mean, but it's probably what I'd do now.)



I have really thought about doing it that way lol, and I think its the route I'm going to take, just to make it a little less nerve wrecking on my end. Thanks Opal- Dreams, and Freya for responding to my question, you both have given me a lot to think about.

henandchicks wrote:
However, at the risk of saying something that might be unpopular, I think the authors should honestly ask themselves: am I looking for reviews, or am I looking for praise?? Because those are two different things.


This is something that I never really thought about.....

I love praise (who doesn't) but I also like well thought out reviews, and helpful criticism.I think the really the only way to learn and grow as a writer is to be able to take criticism, and not get offend.

for everyone who is pondering what makes a good/thoughtful review -I did post earlier in this thread some tips.

www.dokuga.com/forum/35-fanfiction/76409-why-do-we-not-review?limit=25#76448

and I want to emphasize (because i put it in that post as well) that sharing your thought process as you read story, can be hugely helpful as writers suss out their plot and writing techniques. You should feel free to share your ponderings, your confusions, your excitement, your suspicions about where the author it taking the story (who the bad guy is. if the guy gets the girl. etc) Sometimes, just in rambling about your thoughts about the story, you give the author something to think about, or help them see if they are directing the viewers through the story as they intend to. I hope some of you will check it out and find it useful.

A lot of people are saying that they are writing for themselves, and I do agree, but I also think that I am writing for others at the same time. If not one single person read my story, I would never put it on the internet, and I would probably stop writing it as well. I feel that I have to have someone read what I write. Even if they don't review. It could be my mom, my friends, my dog, a random person on the web, someone that has read all of my stories, or even someone from an alternate universe. And those reviews that I get once in a while make my world, I'm not even going to lie. I live and feed off of them like some vampiric leech (oops, that sounded kind of redundant). They support me and give me hints and what I did wrong, what I did right. I am extremely grateful to anyone who has ever reviewed a story of mine, and that's just another reason I always try and review what I read when it is possible. I am sure many other writers are out there craving as I do.

I do believe with what naq is saying is right. to tell you the truth i am going to put myself down here. i am bad with writing reviews. and for that i apologize. it is the reviews that keep us going. i write because i feel that i am giving people a reason to help people realize that they are never to old to use their imagination whether they are 5 years old or 90. to me the best thing that could happen to a new writer and even more so experienced writers are the reviews. if you dont write reviews it makes the person who wrote the story feel it wasnt good enough. it does hurt the writers feelings and they give up. it does make them not want to write anymore. again i apologize for not reviewing as often as i should. i will do my best to start reviewing as often as i can.

I’ve read majority of what you all have to say so far, and I find myself agreeing on certain things. For one, I positively detest generic reviews, which is why when I do leave one, I always try to put variation on my words and reasons why I left that review.

Another thing is the reason itself. Drabbles are a major road-block for me in this. Longer chapters make it easier for me to leave a review; drabbles? Not so much. When I like a drabble update, I try to say how much I appreciate the occurrence of said update. It becomes much more difficult if there’s a succession of updates within minutes, or even hours of each other. After all, I think I’d sound stupid and redundant if I keep saying “That was great!” without providing solid reasons why it was so great. There’s also the constant: “Yes the fluff update was nice and pleasant but that was about it for this chapter” thing that lurks around my mind.

Like I said before, I NEED a reason for things. I want to smack my head if someone reviews one of my stories with a “that was great plz update more!” type of thing (punctuation and grammar mistakes included).To keep praising the work and author(ess) is not bad in itself, but I believe in the philosophy that recognition given too often loses its potency and sincerity each time, hence why I sometimes don’t review.

Still, I know that while there are people that read my work don’t leave a review, I can’t get angry at them. I just simply go into a phase of self-doubt, thinking, “Does my writing epically fail that much?” To me, a review is a measure of your skill: the more you have means more people take notice of your writing because you’re good. You entertain well enough that people come back and encourage you to continue. And knowing people appreciate your works and efforts is a pretty good feeling ^-^. So if someone has earned my delight, I darn well tell them so!

So yes, I can be stingy at times with my review output, but I do have my own principles to follow too.

I've been secretly following this thread for a while. I'm somewhat shy and cowardly about posting myself (kind of weird for a writer, huh?). But this time, I decided to add my two cents into the conversation.

I think everyone that's posted here has a great point. I'm so happy to see that I'm not the only one that gets discouraged by a lack of reviews. In my years of writing, I'm happy to say that I've only gotten ONE bad review.

On an earlier story that I was working on, it seemed like I hit the jackpot. People were messaging me left and right about how much they loved my story. I was so excited that I was pouring out chapters two or three times a week. Then came the bombshell.

It wasn't just a "I hatez your storie" or a "Your writing suks". It was a well-phrased, lengthy flame. Most of it was just a personal difference of opinion. Nothing in the review mentioned my actual writing skill. The person merely had a problem with an event that I allowed to happen in my universe and decided to take the time to write a lengthy hate speech.

Still, I was shocked. In fact, I was so shocked that I stopped the story mid-way and buried writing altogether. All I could think was, "is this person still reading? Will he write another flame if I post again? How many other people think like he does?"

I only found the courage to try again years later under a completely different pen name. It was like I was still afraid that that person would be there, ready to flame me again.

Only recently did I realize that I had left hundreds of readers hanging. All of those people still waited for me to update. I felt horrible for allowing one person to tear me apart so much. So, here I am, trying again. I still don't have the courage to post under my original pen name. I'm afraid that my readers will hate me for leaving them behind and will boycott my work. How cowardly is that?

If I could, I would continue the other story, but so much time has passed that I can't remember when I was going with it. Not to mention, my writing style has changed drastically over the years. Trying to post a continuation now will look weird and won't fit in with the atmosphere of the original work. So what should I do? Should I continue to cower behind another pen name? Or should I have some faith in myself and post under my original identity?

Thanks to everyone who has posted in this forum. You've given me a lot of perspective on the situation!

I'll keep this short -

I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm glad you've gotten past it and realised that the anticipation of many people is more important than the derision of one.

That said, I'll tell you a little secret -I've been flamed several times, and while it upset me once or twice, I found all of them ridiculously funny. Each. One. No matter how well or ill-written, a flame that doesn't stop to grasp the whole picture and goes on a rant about something tangential just doesn't deserve to be taken seriously.

I'd say, PLEASE do start posting your story again, and d it under your old, original name! Show the flamer that nothing takes you down. Show your READERS that their support picked you up when you'd fallen. I can guarantee that many of them will still be looking for that story - and seeing it back up, under your old name, will be a very happy surprise for ALL of them! In fact, who knows...I might be one of them! In fact, I would like to know the name of your story and your old name, because right now I'm hoping that you're one of the authors I loved and have been waiting for an update from, for years...please send me a private message on the site?

Best of luck in your second round in the ring!

I agree with Naq. Please don’t let one bad apple stop you from pursuing something that you love. I know it’s hard putting your work out there and it hurts when someone says something negative about it, but it sounds like all the positive reviews far outweigh the one bad one.

It constantly amazes me when I’m reading reviews and see a flame that someone left, and they leave a review at the end of a story but the whole flame is about something that happened many chapters before. Maybe they didn’t agree with that one event, but apparently they liked the story enough to finish it. That’s the way I try to interpret it.

Try to have faith in your readers. One of my very favorite authors just updated a story after several years hiatus and I was thrilled, so thrilled that I not only left a lengthy review but I also sent a pretty lengthy pm about how happy I was they were back. I’m sure that your readers will be the same. Like Naq. said yours might be one of the stories that I have followed and have been longing for an update for years.

Thank you very much for saying these things guys

You've really given me courage to be true to myself, much like Kagome in the current story I'm working on.

I really regret having abandoned my writing all those years ago. But, I'm fixing that now. I've got plenty of inspiration (too much I think, because I just keep popping out chapters somehow) and I'm ready to set off on my next adventure.

*Bows* Cookies for everyone!

I don't review half because the stories I usually read have the author saying from the get go that they're writing for themselves and don't care if they get a review or not(I'm that way myself if I could actually stay inspired to finish/not lose interest in one story for once in my life). The other half is because it's a bit of pressure for me. I read for pleasure and feeling obligated to review takes the fun out of it. There are hundreds of people who read fanfiction who don't mind review so I always felt that should be enough. What difference will mine make?

But I also understand that there are aspiring writers, whether it's for a career or not, who do want feedback so if I was asked personally, I would get out of my comfort zone and review the best that I can.

A secret wrote:
I don't review half because the stories I usually read have the author saying from the get go that they're writing for themselves and don't care if they get a review or not(I'm that way myself if I could actually stay inspired to finish/not lose interest in one story for once in my life). The other half is because it's a bit of pressure for me. I read for pleasure and feeling obligated to review takes the fun out of it. There are hundreds of people who read fanfiction who don't mind review so I always felt that should be enough. What difference will mine make?

But I also understand that there are aspiring writers, whether it's for a career or not, who do want feedback so if I was asked personally, I would get out of my comfort zone and review the best that I can.

I used to be really similar in my reading and lack of reviewing habits. In fact until I read this thread (and actually started writing, seeing for myself how few people actually review) I had only ever reviewed two stories, both of which were so amazingly good that they I figured they honestly probably could have cared less about my feedback.

But then I started reading the posts here, and saw how it really affects writers, and I experienced how even someone just letting me know they are looking forward to reading the next chapter I come up with can renew that initial excitement you get posting a story.

My story that I'm writing has been up for five days and already has almost 700 reads, and only two reviews; it seems to me that that might be the norm.


So I've challenged myself to start reviewing more in fact I've reviewed everything I have read since I first saw this topic. I'm finding that even if I am not sure what to say in my review, or if it's not some beautifully eloquent, well written review, if I can just say "I like your story, such and such part is good, here is something you might see if you can work towards improvement on, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you come up with" then not only have I probably made the author happy to have a review to read, but I've offered them a chance to improve their writing. Even if the story is already complete, letting the author know that you read and enjoyed their hard work is easy, and probably still just as exciting for them as for an aspiring writer.

Further more, even if an author says they don't care whether they get reviews or not, sending them a review telling them that the plot they are writing on is interesting or that you are really enjoying their writing, you could even just tell them about how you reacted to the chapter, it's bound to make them smile.

In the real world when we aren't spending all our time here, or on other fanfiction sites, we do all sorts of things we consider to be common courtesy, maybe it's holding the door for someone, or helping a neighbor carry in their groceries, offering a guest a drink, but there all kinds of things we do for others in our lives, so why don't we do it here?
Isn't it the same idea to be kind and courteous to someone, who has worked so hard to bring a story to life for us all, if you write them a quick note in a review saying you're grateful for their efforts? Even if, say, you didn't find the story to be something you enjoyed, maybe it was not a topic you were interested or just for whatever reason you didn't like it, you could still compliment them on getting their stuff together and actually writing a story, or being brave enough to put it out there where who knows who all might see it.

Writing a review isn't hard, writing a story is. So maybe the Dokuga community needs to start looking at writing reviews as a common courtesy. Or if that doesn't inspire you to review when you're reading, look at this as a challenge; write a review for every story you read, or if its a story in progress, for that last update. Speak up, find something nice to say, and show the writers here on Dokuga that you appreciate them, because if all of the writers in this community decided that they wanted more than we are currently giving them... well they hold the stories, which means they have the power to take them away too.

I do not review because I would rather authors spend their time writing the stories! When I remember to I send the authors a single message saying how much I enjoy their work and that is it. I figure once you have heard from a reader then you have them hooked.

Lover of Blue wrote:
I do not review because I would rather authors spend their time writing the stories! When I remember to I send the authors a single message saying how much I enjoy their work and that is it. I figure once you have heard from a reader then you have them hooked.

I sort of understand where you're coming from but being a writer myself, I have to say its rather discouraging when you find your self working so hard on a story and see little- if any- feedback. I often find my self wondering "do people even like my story" and more often than not I don't feel like writing because of this.
A simple "keep up the good work" is enough to get me into my writing again. I just hope more readers understand where we are coming from as writers and leave a few words for any story that happens to catch their attention.