Motivation and Feedback - Authors, Choose Best Answers

[Mawgrim]

I like to get feedback but I understand why some readers don’t add comments. It might be because they've read the story long after it has been completed and it seems a bit pointless to comment when the discussion is no longer ongoing. Or if it's a popular story and they're reading chapters as they are being published, maybe it seems that everyone else has already made relevant comments and they can’t think of anything original to say.

I don’t think you can (or should) force people to leave comments. It would be good for them to get a reminder to leave a review or recommendation at the end of a completed story.

[astone2292]

3 hours ago, Mawgrim said:

I like to get feedback but I understand why some readers don’t add comments. It might be because they've read the story long after it has been completed and it seems a bit pointless to comment when the discussion is no longer ongoing. Or if it's a popular story and they're reading chapters as they are being published, maybe it seems that everyone else has already made relevant comments and they can’t think of anything original to say.

I understand the feeling of commenting on a story that's been completed or if it's the first chapter of a long and ongoing story. I would suggest leaving a comment about how the chapter made you feel, even if others have bellowed the same emotions. One more person expressing their opinion is going to add to my fuel for writing, even if the point has been made by others. 

[Myr]

Since we have been running the site 18.5 years, we have lost authors due to age and illness.  We still have their stories posted and the comments and feedback and still important there.  Though, the author is no longer with us to appreciate it, the fans of the author and new readers will be attracted by the comments. All of our best content at the time we starting using the story archive system in late 2010, was put into the system all at once.  Those stories never got the level of commentary that they deserved. That's the reason a lot of the old classics on the site don't have a ton of comments or reviews.  WE flooded the system when it first launched and when that happens, people keep reading to the last posted chapter and then comment if they are going to.  Thus some fantastic stories have very low comments and new folks coming to the site never end up noticing them (a true shame).   (For the folks that complain about our chapter posting limit, part of the reason is to help drive feedback)

 

[Carlos Hazday]

20 hours ago, Myr said:

This we already have.  Though it could be more 'in your face'.   I love using @Carlos Hazday in my examples...

LMAO

You trying to pull me in? Fine, I'll break my vow of silence.

How often do readers write to an author when reading non-episodic works? We are trying to cajole our readers into doing something unnatural. Using the same story in your example, Turtle Trouble was one chapter and under 3k words, an easy, quick read. Yet, at the end, we ask readers to react and comment on the chapter, and to react, recommend, and review the story as a whole. I think all that may take longer than reading the actual work.

I like comments and reactions but try not to fixate on them. I have no idea how many 'likes' I get or lose in a day (I do when I 'win' the day.) I'd rather spend my time writing, reading, or editing for a select few. Most of the time, there are binge readers working their way through my series/universe. The ones I know of are those who choose to react. In the recent past, one reader's left me over 150 chapter reactions while another one's given me some of the best comments I've ever received (his familiarity with the location and political content led to great insights.)

Yes, feedback's wonderful, but I think the way to increase it is to post a quality product. Let's ask ourselves why some authors receive dozens of reactions within a few hours of posting a chapter, and others can barely scrape a handful over longer time periods. I suspect subject matter and quality of writing are primordial in generating reactions. My subject matter's not typical, lots of politics and very little romance. It seems the more controversial the subject, the more reactions I get. Write about guns, pro or con, and my readers express their opinion on the matter.

Regardless of subject, quality writing can draw readers in and get them to react. I came to GA as a reader, when I started writing, it was atrocious. But I persevered, listened to more established authors, and my work has improved. Of course, what I consider atrocious others find acceptable. So, instead of worrying about likes and comments, I think we should concentrate on providing quality.

I'm with @CassieQ, I'd rather have a negative comment than none. And with me, readers don't even have to be gentle. If you think my work sucks, tell me out right. If you tell me why it does, that's a bonus.

The check mark reaction doesn't bother me, the angry face does. And that's only because I can't tell what the reader dislikes. My writing? The subject matter? Something a character did? Sometimes it isn't clear.

Have I rambled sufficiently?

 

[Myr]

5 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

Have I rambled sufficiently?

More! More! More!

7 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

Yes, feedback's wonderful, but I think the way to increase it is to post a quality product. Let's ask ourselves why some authors receive dozens of reactions within a few hours of posting a chapter, and others can barely scrape a handful over longer time periods. I suspect subject matter and quality of writing are primordial in generating reactions. My subject matter's not typical, lots of politics and very little romance. It seems the more controversial the subject, the more reactions I get.

Yes, I agree.  There are a ton of factors that go into the why you do or don't get comments/reactions.  In some cases, the author does such a good job drawing you into their world, that the reader doesn't want to stop for anything, let alone taking time to write a comment. 

And yes, controversial subjects drive response... see entire existence of social media.

Sex also sells, if we're being honest. 

Different genres even have different expectations.  I was doing some research into mystery writing recently and I didn't realize how specific some of those can be with reader expectations and how readers react to stuff.  Look up "Cozy Mystery" if you want to see a weirdly specific genre with very specific tropes...

 

[Arch Hunter]

From my social media experience, the best way to get many comments is to make a typo in your post.

2 minutes ago, Myr said:

In some cases, the author does such a good job drawing you into their world, that the reader doesn't want to stop for anything, let alone taking time to write a comment.

That would be a strong point against making cliffhangers. 

I don't care if I get 5 or 50 reactions to a chapter but I think it would bother me if I got 0. The act of writing is amazing by itself but it's not a full experience without seeing the stories stir the readers' hearts and minds. I'm also very grateful for some negative comments I got because they a) helped me improve my writing and b) helped me understand who my stories are NOT for. 

I like the idea of having badges and "achievements" for readers because this can actually motivate many to leave that goddamn like. As to writers' badges... I'm not sure. It would definitely further promote authors aiming for quantity (not that it's inherently bad to do so) and make me feel like I'm supposed to check some boxes rather than focus on a creative process. As fun and rewarding as it is, interacting with readers can be distracting enough.

[Myr]

32 minutes ago, Arch Hunter said:

From my social media experience, the best way to get many comments is to make a typo in your post.

LOL.  There is a LOT of truth in that. 

34 minutes ago, Arch Hunter said:

aiming for quantity (not that it's inherently bad to do so) and make me feel like I'm supposed to check some boxes rather than focus on a creative process.

There is a constant balance on this sort of thing: Quality vs Quantity and the funny little snark, quantity is a quality of its own. 

Where the balance comes in is the favorite trap of "One person's junk is another person's treasure".  We try to make sure that quality of what is posted meets a certain threshold.  And with points, there are ways to reward the quality side.  For example, getting 1 point for a review, but an additional point for every time someone else clicked "yes" it was helpful.  I'm going to try to reward achievements that way where possible.  Where quality gets measured by other people reacting to it.

48 minutes ago, Arch Hunter said:

make me feel like I'm supposed to check some boxes rather than focus on a creative process.

This can depend totally on perspective.  Say you're missing a hypothetical "Mystery Writer" badge and you view that as a challenge to try a new genre, versus checking a box.

[CassieQ]

7 hours ago, Mawgrim said:

I like to get feedback but I understand why some readers don’t add comments. It might be because they've read the story long after it has been completed and it seems a bit pointless to comment when the discussion is no longer ongoing. Or if it's a popular story and they're reading chapters as they are being published, maybe it seems that everyone else has already made relevant comments and they can’t think of anything original to say.

I don't want to be harsh, but those reasons sound like a cop-out to me.  Just because a story is complete doesn't mean that the author wouldn't appreciate fresh feedback that can still be applied to future works.  And I don't think there is such a thing as a irrelevant comment.  I don't care if a comment is ground-breakingly original, sometimes it's just nice to see my work is appreciated.    Even a simple "Hey, I'm really enjoying this" is better than an empty space.  Just my two cents.  

[Myr]

1 hour ago, CassieQ said:

I don't want to be harsh, but those reasons sound like a cop-out to me.  Just because a story is complete doesn't mean that the author wouldn't appreciate fresh feedback that can still be applied to future works.

It can be an excuse to some extent, but there is a very real case from the reader side, especially with those not familiar with the site, that leaving a comment on and old story would never get read.  The same futility we authors feel about not getting the feedback.  For example, @GhostRyder15 has passed away .  Leaving a comment on his story now won't be seen by the author (discounting the possibility that the afterlife has a kick ass internet available).  It's easy for the 'why bother' feeling to kick in.  Though, as I mentioned previously, posting a comment is for others too, not just the author.

What I just though of while typing this reply is that human's have a very odd psychological quirk.  The name slips my mind at the moment, but we often won't do something first.  The example used in psychology is the entire crowd standing there while someone is murdered in front of them, while screaming for help.  Every member of the crowd when asked why they didn't do anything ALL answer with "I thought someone else was going to."  (By the way, if you are even in an emergency situation where people are standing there with their thumbs in their ass instead of helping, shake them out of it by personalizing it.  "You, sir, with the Hat!  I need you to call the police right now! Call and ambulance."  Studies show that people overcome the autopilot and react when you personalize it)

The side effect of this can been seen on blogs and on posts.  Using the 💗 reaction first gives others social permission to use it as well.  Making that first post gives others the social permission to post their thoughts too.  Humans are herd creatures and we have a tendency to alternate between being the shepherd or the sheep...  Leap in, make that first 💗 or first post or better yet, do both! 

Don't run on autopilot thinking "someone else will give this great author the feedback they need and speak for me"

[CassieQ]

@Myr, it sounds like you are describing the bystander effect. 

[Myr]

21 minutes ago, CassieQ said:

@Myr, it sounds like you are describing the bystander effect. 

That's it!  Thanks!

[W_L]

My two cents on all of this:

I would love to hear what readers think and I try to respond to their thoughts. It would be nice to reply more to comments and fan emails, it inspires me to write even more.

While I do not use this practice, authors could make our stories serial to be released upon a certain amount of comments or likes, kind of similar to how youtubers push for a set amount of likes before posting another video on their channels. It's a common practice now to keep people interested and retain a dedicated fanbase, but it does pose some serious questions on whether we are creating works of free expression or a commercial product. That question is still hotly debated among creators. 

A term to consider for all the comments and likes from the world of social media, "Social currency" is what likes and comments for creative works amounts to nowadays. It's an interesting concept in our modern world to equate to readers' interest and influence on what works or stories authors create via likes and comments. We're not technically paid materially to write stories, but we are inspired by readers to continue and improve through such mediums. By influencing us, it is a sort of currency for how people value what we do.

Just a few thoughts on comments and readership from an old author, who is active in other areas.

[RJAdept]

2 hours ago, Myr said:

It can be an excuse to some extent, but there is a very real case from the reader side, especially with those not familiar with the site, that leaving a comment on and old story would never get read.  The same futility we authors feel about not getting the feedback.  ....

Don't run on autopilot thinking "someone else will give this great author the feedback they need and speak for me"

I'd also like to point out that having a reader genuinely moved to respond is what makes the response useful. If we leaned to a system where every reader had to make a response, what would result are a lot of watery and insincere reactions. Sometimes a chapter is just moving the characters around and there is nothing to feel particularly polarized about; having readers forced to say 'like/dislike' on such content would quickly end up with us getting the feedback that they liked it just so they could check the box and move on.

I would much rather receive ten hate responses where they were moved to explain their concern than a hundred meaningless or context-less likes. I think the complaint about posting to a deceased author/story is valid but, in the context of the site, what do we want to use such feedback for? Users (authors and readers) are motivated by the sense that they are making a difference or contributing. If you make the role that such feedback plays make sense to the reader and the community, I suspect we will see a rise in useful feedback.

[BigBen]

As a reader listening in on this conversation, I'm fascinated by the authors' side of things.  One thought I have is to be careful what you ask for, because you might get it.  It's hard to know, as a reader, what kind of feedback an author wants, apart from cheerleading.  I once antagonized an author by expressing the sentiment that a character's anger at an event was quite appropriate, whereas the author felt the character should have been more forgiving.  Another author blocked me after I offered a comment that I thought was inoffensive but wasn't as an enthusiastic a response as he wanted.  I don't believe any author here wants the kind of feedback from readers that is more properly the domain of a text editor, and I've seen proofreading-type comments be soundly rejected by authors.

Nevertheless, I'm quite happy to provide only cheerleading, but that does mean that I'm going to remain silent unless I can be honestly enthusiastic.  I would never be intentionally offensive to an author in a comment (or even in private, for that matter), but apparently I can easily provide offense unintentionally.  Perhaps I should just stay out of the comments altogether!

Also, given how hard it is to reduce a response to an icon, perhaps having a simple thumbs up or down as the choices would encourage more reactions.  I also find it confusing to be asked to review a story before I've begun reading it, and I tend to forget to go back to review it once I've finished.  Though I don't always feel competent to review a given story even when I do remember, lol!

[RJAdept]

2 minutes ago, BigBen said:

As a reader listening in on this conversation, I'm fascinated by the authors' side of things.  One thought I have is to be careful what you ask for, because you might get it.  It's hard to know, as a reader, what kind of feedback an author wants, apart from cheerleading.  I once antagonized an author by expressing the sentiment that a character's anger at an event was quite appropriate, whereas the author felt the character should have been more forgiving.  Another author blocked me after I offered a comment that I thought was inoffensive but wasn't as an enthusiastic a response as he wanted.  I don't believe any author here wants the kind of feedback from readers that is more properly the domain of a text editor, and I've seen proofreading-type comments be soundly rejected by authors.

Nevertheless, I'm quite happy to provide only cheerleading, but that does mean that I'm going to remain silent unless I can be honestly enthusiastic.  I would never be intentionally offensive to an author in a comment (or even in private, for that matter), but apparently I can easily provide offense unintentionally.  Perhaps I should just stay out of the comments altogether!

Also, given how hard it is to reduce a response to an icon, perhaps having a simple thumbs up or down as the choices would encourage more reactions.  I also find it confusing to be asked to review a story before I've begun reading it, and I tend to forget to go back to review it once I've finished.  Though I don't always feel competent to review a given story even when I do remember, lol!

I certainly cannot speak for anyone else; however, I would even welcome questioning of events or character traits - It likely won't change my story but it does inform me about how the characters are being received. It isn't always easy to know how to cheer lead a reader making negative comments but that doesn't mean it isn't appreciated just the same. I do agree that typographic concerns are only compelling when a surprise so...once or twice.

[Mrsgnomie]

I'm a new author. Considering I have no background in writing whatsoever, I've been lucky to get what I consider good feedback/engagement on my stories. I'm not a writer by nature. I wrote my first story because it was something I wanted to read at the time. It was terrible. I can't even re-read it without causing myself some serious emotional distress because of the overwhelming embarrassment. But people liked it. The only reason I wrote a second story was because of those people. If the day comes that the engagement disappears, I would stop posting. That doesn't mean I would stop writing, but my incentive to post stories, which are way more personal than I ever anticipated, would disappear. 

I also look at story recommendations. I find those valuable and wish more readers took the time to do them. I don't care which reaction readers use, as long as they react. The 'read it' always makes me laugh. I've had readers use it as a slap in the face, at least it feels that way. But you know what? They left a reaction, and that's more than a lot of other readers do. 

I don't know where I fall on the quality vs. quantity. I'm never going to release multiple chapters a day because I fear the engagement would drop (though there are authors that prove this otherwise). I will never reach some of the writer's goals regarding quantity. I'm okay with that. I'm not sure I will ever produce what's needed to earn author badges. It is what it is. I'm here for the readers.

GA has done a great job. It's my favorite site to post. I do okay here. I don't have a lot to add because I'm not nearly as active as other authors. I know I don't utilize GA the way I could.

[Ron]

I have never written to Julie Czerneda (I have read nearly everything she has had published) though I did adopt the style of writing she used for her Night's Edge series in my last work for the GA anthology series. Does my not writing and letting her know that I very much enjoy her books necessarily mean negligence on my behalf? I would argue it does not. Even if you discount that I paid for each of those novels -- the sales of which provide the author an indication of interest -- I am under no obligation to involve myself with her or her work beyond that which I choose. Would Ms. Czerneda appreciate hearing from me? While she very well may appreciate receiving a note from me the odds are probably even that she may not care one whit about what I have to say. 

The above same goes for any of the many other authors whose work I have read.

I have a point to make here so bear with me. 

"Do you write like this all the time? Consider me hooked.". This is a direct quote from my comment to @CassieQ in response to her story Statuary written for the Pandora's Box anthology back in 2013. It was the first story that I had read by CassieQ. It was also the year that I decided to join GA after reading for a period of time beforehand (like so many others have done) and that particular anthology was the first time I submitted a story for one of them. But, why did I join? I joined up so I could comment (back then it was called review) on what I was reading (there you go @Myr ), but I'm a bit of an extrovert in that regard, I think, and I tried then and still do to not limit my comments to simple phrases. My writing was a foray and not on my mind when I signed up. 

Writing a story is harder work than I ever imagined and it was extremely difficult to hit the publish button the first time (still is, it can be a fraught moment) but we shouldn't discount that writing a comment is also difficult and maybe a little scary -- other people are reading what you write, and make no mistake they are judging what you wrote even if doing so unconsciously. One of those people reading your comment, and perhaps the most important one, is the Author and what if they don't like what you wrote. Writing a comment is a hurdle for some, I imagine, when you add that everyone can see what you write and each of those people can now quote you and make comment on your comment... Think about that for a moment and why it is that an author might be PM'd (which, IMHO, should be considered a feather in your cap).

Otherwise, I too have been guilty of not commenting from time to time because another commenter has somehow magically conjured every word that summed up that which I was thinking. I mean, come on, how do they do that?!

But all in all the authors here do not share the same privileges (or downfalls) that come with mainstream publishing. The Julie Czernedas' of the world and those like her are not in need of any approbation or criticisms from me but perhaps the CassieQs' of the online publishing world and authors like her are deserving of hearing a word or twenty after you and I have done some reading.

Now I know this post doesn't offer anything by way of some newfangled idea toward getting people to comment and for that I'm sorry. There is, of course, the oldfangled way of doing things... hard work. There is nothing stopping an author from sending a PM to someone who left a emoticon alone and thank them but also prod for a little for more information; create a dialogue with the reader; make a connection; send them a PM the next time you have a story to publish; and encourage them to post their thoughts publicly on the next story and tell your reader how important it is to you, the author, that you hear from them in such a way. Yeah, it's drawn out, it's hard work but if you consider this type of outreach as your book tour, authors, then you may see the benefits. Consider also that there's a hell of a lot less travel time involved.

With apologies to J. Czerneda and CassieQ for using them so horribly.

 

[Valkyrie]

Another thing to consider is author engagement with readers.   As a reader, I'm more likely to leave a comment when I know the author will respond.  One of the great things about this site is the interaction between authors and readers.  As an author, I appreciate all comments and respond to all of them.  

When I first discovered GA, I did a lot of reading, but I never commented much.  It was intimidating to me until I discovered what a supportive and fun community there is here.  So much so, that it inspired me to start writing again.  The interaction with readers as I posted my first prompt responses and ultimately my first novella, was motivating enough to keep me writing.  

I try to inspire readers to comment by asking a question or making a comment of my own in the chapter or story end note.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  I've written 25 anthology stories, and have found that I get the most comments when I write a story with a polarizing or thought-provoking theme.  

I don't think there's an easy answer to increasing reader participation.  The badges are an interesting idea, but I'm guessing they'll reward people who are already active.  I think if we institute a "join after reading a chapter" policy, it may turn people away.  Isn't a big part of the site's revenue from non-members, because of the ad views? 

I remember a blog post once about how to write reviews and/or comments... maybe featuring that again or having it in a permanent place, like the Help or FAQ section would help.  Is it possible to link to it in the story footer that reminds people to leave a review?

 

[Krista]

To be completely honest, my lacking of motivation comes from outside factors and not with GA's system as a whole. I do not like the, "I read it," checkmark. It seems lazy to me and indifferent. Although, if the membership wanted it, then who am I to say, 'no,' when that is all they wish to offer - as lazy as I think it is in general. So I won't put up a fuss (even though I just fussed). 

You get what you give as well. I have a chapter sitting right now in, The Best Year, with some chapter comments unanswered. I know they've been that way for ages, but I've been a bit off with my writing and when my writing is off, then my 'community participation,' also falls to the wayside. Readers want consistency and that means participation too, not just writing. So if people don't want to comment on my stories because I do not respond, that's fine - I am more than partially to blame sometimes.

Also, I don't write for shock value. I write run of the mill stories that people have read hundreds of times. It is stories that I like, but they aren't... deep. So I need to buck up and be ready for the sort of feedback my stories require. I can't go into a chapter thinking I've changed or blown someone's mind when I've 1. Already did it in other stories. 2. Hundreds of other authors that are currently writing, or have written these stories in the past have already did so. 3. I just didn't pull it off like they did, so they deserve the feedback. -- Like others have said though, negative is better than nothing, if it is constructive and not a hissy fit or a tantrum - I get enough of those in my day from the brats and the husband, I won't respond to it here. Not that I've gotten many of those and mostly it is my very early works that seem to irk people enough to whine with no real criticism (I give fair warnings in the story description, mind you - tread them dangerous waters at your won risk). Maybe I should delete those stories, but I did spend years of my life writing them, so to see them go would be sad, even if I don't particularly like them.

I will not write for shock value though. I tend to keep that in my back pocket for forum posts, specifically those threatening @wildone I only have so much time in my day and I'd rather reserve all that shock and awe for him.  So if that garners more reviews and "reactions," again - I'll just have to put up with what I put out.  

But it does bother me. I don't get a lot of time to write, I have a thousand things on my to-do list during the week. So for me to sit down long enough to write a sentence let alone an entire chapter is taxing. To do that is me stretching past my already time consumed limits as it is. The thing is though, readers do not know that. They are taking the written words at their value and will respond accordingly - you cannot ever force someone who doesn't want to respond, to respond. They're just not that invested. Also, If they have never written anything of length in their life, we cannot hold them accountable to know just how much time, tears, stress, etc it puts on us as writers. It is just unfair. It is like looking at a nice carrot at the market, if you've never toiled the ground, planted the seeds, and tended until harvest - you just know it is a nice carrot. So people may just, 'thank' you with their time and feel like that is an appropriate amount. Like I said though, you're not going to force a person, you'll likely just dissuade them from reaching out if you attempt to restrict them. So I'm personally not for restricting, especially guests who might not be members for very specific and personal reasons. 

What all this rambling comes down to, is me motivating myself. I need to start doing that - and that starts with stories in my head that I actually feel like I want to write and not focusing on, "good stories," that I've written numerous times. Sometimes authors are our own worst enemies and it isn't the reader or the GA's fault at all. We're the only ones broken. 

Although, I do get grouchy when I don't get feedback, so - I guess I fall into one of the categories in the polls that require some sort of acknowledgement for my time. I've just been in the game long enough to realize that when you give the milk for free, there's no reason to buy the cow and that's just how some readers treat our stories. 

[CassieQ]

3 hours ago, Ron said:

With apologies to J. Czerneda and CassieQ for using them so horribly.

Since it's you, @Ron, I'll forgive it.  

32 minutes ago, Krista said:

I've just been in the game long enough to realize that when you give the milk for free, there's no reason to buy the cow and that's just how some readers treat our stories. 

I hope it is a small minority of readers, because that's just incredibly disrespectful.  

[ObicanDecko]

This is an interesting discussion and I liked reading all of your comments here.

From my point of view as an author, I welcome and encourage feedback and criticism, as long as it's constructive and not something like "wow it took you 4 weeks to write this crappy short chapter?". I've had my share of positive and negative comments and I don't mind them as long as they are not rude. Even just a short "Nice story so far!" is always better than silence. Sometimes I'll work really hard on a story and get all excited about posting it, eagerly awaiting to see what people will think about it, only to get very few reactions. Of course, then I also have to wonder what I'm doing wrong? Maybe readers aren't 'lazy', maybe my story just isn't as good as I think it is. But then, lack of comments doesn't really help me figure out where the problem is.

Anyway, lack of feedback is definitely a bit discouraging, but it certainly won't stop me from writing. I write primarily for myself, so even if I know that a certain genre would be more popular (from what I've seen on this site, it's mostly romance), if I don't feel like doing that type of a story, I won't. I'll simply write what I'm motivated for, even if it's a sequel to a less popular story. But in that case, I'd probably not post the story here because what's the point? I'd just show it to friends who I know would give me feedback.

For me, motivation mainly comes from reading really good books and stories by other authors, which then inspire me to write more and strive to be better. Of course, if a story turns out to be popular among readers, it will certainly motivate me to write more. As much as I may write for my own enjoyment, it's always more fun to share it with others and read other people's opinions and theories.

As a reader, I leave reactions to all the chapters/stories that I read, but I sometimes don't leave a comment, so I can't really blame others for that. 

17 hours ago, Mawgrim said:

I like to get feedback but I understand why some readers don’t add comments. It might be because they've read the story long after it has been completed and it seems a bit pointless to comment when the discussion is no longer ongoing. Or if it's a popular story and they're reading chapters as they are being published, maybe it seems that everyone else has already made relevant comments and they can’t think of anything original to say.

I think this is the case with a lot of readers, and with myself too. If I see that a chapter already has a ton of comments and I don't have anything interesting/original to contribute to the discussion, I won't leave a comment. However, if it's an old story that's been completed a while ago, I will still leave a comment if I feel the need to. And I love it when people do that on my stories. I've had a few people leave a comment on some of my stories that I finished years ago, and it makes me happy to see that they are still being read.

As for the 'check mark' reaction, I had a good laugh when I first saw it. It just screams passive-aggresive to me, like "this was not worthy of a like, but here, I'll let you know I read this chapter and was not impressed". I'm not a fan of it, but oh well, I understand why it was introduced.

I'm not sure what can be done to make readers participate more. I think the barrier for giving feedback is very low as it is. I'm not sure how other websites for writers deal with this? Maybe they have some tricks that could be implemented here. I do like the new note that appears at the top and bottom of chapters, but I guess we'll have to see how effective it is. 

[Krista]

1 hour ago, CassieQ said:

Since it's you, @Ron, I'll forgive it.  

I hope it is a small minority of readers, because that's just incredibly disrespectful.  

I hope I didn't come across too harshly by saying that, lol. I'm not in the best head space, it has been a stressful week. What I mean is, there 'is' a mentality that if something is free, that there isn't anything required in return. There's no real tradeoff. So offering stories for free, to some people may fall into that line of thinking that since it is free fiction - for the most part - that feedback and criticism isn't warranted. 

[headtransplant]

Loving this conversation.

I’m interested in the thread about comments that include constructive feedback. I’ve participated in writing websites where feedback aimed at helping the author improve is the norm. Comments on those sites might include copy editing, suggestions on pacing/plotting, and character development, etc.

Here, the commenting norm includes leaving positive motivational comments, emotional reactions, summaries, and predictions (all wonderful and useful stuff!). However, I rarely encounter constructive feedback when skimming through story comments, even when the author invites it. I’ll admit it winds up making me feel hesitant to leave comments of a constructive nature. It’s not so much about fearing to “rock the boat,” although that’s part of it, but I really don’t want to inadvertently offend or demotivate.

On reactions and comments in general ... The reaction system seems great for readers who don’t have a lot to say but still want to acknowledge the author’s hard work. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with reacting and not commenting. Of course I value people’s comments highly. They are like the holy grail of motivation. But I would much rather someone sit back, relax, and enjoy reading without feeling pressured to type out a comment if they’re not in the mood or not feeling inspired to do so.

[BigBen]

15 hours ago, Mrsgnomie said:

I wrote my first story because it was something I wanted to read at the time. It was terrible. I can't even re-read it without causing myself some serious emotional distress because of the overwhelming embarrassment.

I'm sure this will be the case with anything I ever manage to post, too!  I admire you for having the guts to put something out there.

 

15 hours ago, Mrsgnomie said:

GA has done a great job. It's my favorite site to post. I do okay here. I don't have a lot to add because I'm not nearly as active as other authors. I know I don't utilize GA the way I could.

One of the things I like about this site is the possibility for engagement.  Codey's World/Awesome Dude have forums, but the latest posts seem to be from six or seven years ago.  A lot of the stories I find on Nifty are old enough that the author's e-mail no longer works.  The ongoing community here is a big draw.

[Mikiesboy]

1 hour ago, headtransplant said:

Here, the commenting norm includes leaving positive motivational comments, emotional reactions, summaries, and predictions (all wonderful and useful stuff!). However, I rarely encounter constructive feedback when skimming through story comments, even when the author invites it. I’ll admit it winds up making me feel hesitant to leave comments of a constructive nature. It’s not so much about fearing to “rock the boat,” although that’s part of it, but I really don’t want to inadvertently offend or demotivate

Sometimes i will PM an author if i have something to constructive/helpful to say and ask them if they'd like to hear it. Some say yes, some no. Some people just want to tell their story and aren't terribly interested in quality. That's certainly their choice. But I'd rather offer in private rather than drop it in their comments for that story.