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Motivation and Feedback - Authors, Choose Best Answers


Motivation and Feedback - Authors, Choose Best Answers  

98 members have voted

  1. 1. What motivates you to write?

    • I write no matter what. It's what I do.
      37
    • I write because I like to and getting feedback motivates me to write more
      54
    • I write and I need feedback to keep me going
      7
    • I can only write if I get feedback constantly
      0
  2. 2. What feedback would you want?

    • Love it or hate it, I just want to hear something
      27
    • Obviously, I want to hear people enjoyed it, but constructive criticism makes me strive harder
      65
    • I'm still working on confidence of my writing and I'm only ready for positive reinforcement
      3
    • I'm writing any way and don't care about feedback
      3


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1 hour ago, Brayon said:

I typically will write for an audience of one: Me, Myself, and I

That's three :rofl: 

I was going to ask you what a asshat was, but looked it up instead: 

noun
VULGAR SLANGNORTH AMERICAN
  1. a stupid or contemptible person.
Edited by Luca E
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  • 5 months later...

Is there a similar blog asking readers what attracts them to start or try a particular story?  I seem to remember seeing one some time ago, but do not remember what it was called.  If there is not, or if the other one is old, the following questions should be included, and possibly others.  

Does the title play a part in choosing a story?
Does a particular author attract you to a story?
Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?
Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?
How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?
What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story?  [Possibilities include -- Lose interest; story turns dull; situations in a story you don't want to read about; story changes direction so much it no longer seems like the same story at all; too many grammar errors/spelling errors/weird word choices; health issues keep you from continuing; sudden lack of time due to IRL (In Real Life) situations; etc.]
Does response from authors to comments after chapters encourage you to keep reading?

And of course, comments.

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On 12/18/2022 at 9:21 PM, ReaderPaul said:

Does the title play a part in choosing a story?
Does a particular author attract you to a story?
Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?
Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?
How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?
What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story?

Yes, title plays a part in story choice, as does a cover, and most importantly the synopsis (the latter often gets ignored and I reckon authors lose readers because it's added as an afterthought: without too much thought!).

No particular author makes me read their latest book, but someone I have read will make me look at the synopsis and maybe read it.

Ditto next question, no, I wouldn't make time for any particular author simply because of their name.

Amount of reading time has an influence. I don't usually read more than one book at a time and I'm not going to pick up a story or series that's been running years and stretches to the size of War and Peace!

Mood, I guess it influences reading, but a good story creates a nice mood.

Stop reading factors: nothing happens in the first chapter, it's so poorly written and the poor writting is not compensated by the story, it has too much detail which is irrelevant (he got up, got dressed, went into the kitchen sat down and said... instead of: over breakfast he voiced the fear that was still troubling his thoughts).

Response from authors to comments and or messages definitely encourages reading. If you get even a little insight into the story, the author and the creative process, it adds a lot.

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On 12/18/2022 at 3:21 PM, ReaderPaul said:

Does the title play a part in choosing a story?
Does a particular author attract you to a story?
Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?
Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?
How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?
What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story?  [Possibilities include -- Lose interest; story turns dull; situations in a story you don't want to read about; story changes direction so much it no longer seems like the same story at all; too many grammar errors/spelling errors/weird word choices; health issues keep you from continuing; sudden lack of time due to IRL (In Real Life) situations; etc.]
Does response from authors to comments after chapters encourage you to keep reading?

Okay, I'll take a stab at this.  

Title:  To a degree yes.  If it's an interesting title, I will at least check out the synopsis as well and decide from there.  If a title sounds boring or generic, I'll pass.  

Authors:  Not specifically.  It's the story rather than the author that attracts me.  However, when I submit to an anthology, I will usually read some of the other entries, to see how other authors handled a theme or idea

Reading time:  This highly influential and one of the main reasons I don't read here as much as I would like.  

Mood:  Not really

Factors:  Time is the main one.  I have ADHD so keeping focused and interested in a story is a major hurdle, but that's on me.  If a story is littered with typos, I won't read and if the subject matter contains a lot of violence/abuse then I won't read it either.  I understand that makes me sound like a huge hypocrite, but reading and writing hits differently.  

Response:  Yes.  Like I said, I have ADHD so my focus switches easily but if I get a response from an author then that will sometimes remind me of the story and I will return to it.   

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On 12/18/2022 at 3:21 PM, ReaderPaul said:

Is there a similar blog asking readers what attracts them to start or try a particular story?  I seem to remember seeing one some time ago, but do not remember what it was called.  If there is not, or if the other one is old, the following questions should be included, and possibly others.  

Does the title play a part in choosing a story?
Does a particular author attract you to a story?
Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?
Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?
How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?
What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story?  [Possibilities include -- Lose interest; story turns dull; situations in a story you don't want to read about; story changes direction so much it no longer seems like the same story at all; too many grammar errors/spelling errors/weird word choices; health issues keep you from continuing; sudden lack of time due to IRL (In Real Life) situations; etc.]
Does response from authors to comments after chapters encourage you to keep reading?

And of course, comments.

The title plays no part in what I choose to read. Not that I don't enjoy a clever title. 

If I've read a particular author before and have enjoyed their work, then that becomes the single most important factor in my decision to try a story. 

Absolutely, there are some authors I will make time for if I see they have posted something new or have updated a story.

That said, I have very little time to read for pleasure. But if a story looks interesting and grabs my attention, I will try to make the time to read it... it just may not happen immediately. 

Mood is key. Nuff said. If you're a human who's had a sh****y day, or week, or month, you get that. 

What factors may cause me to stop reading? Many factors. You mentioned several, but I will touch on two here because they feel related: story turns dull and story changes direction so much it no longer seems like the same story at all.

I adore serials, but one issue with stories which are written a chapter at a time, then posted, is that they can lose focus or direction. Most successful narratives (not all, don't come for me with pitchforks) follow a pattern, which includes rising action, a climax, denouement and conclusion. It's actually really freaking hard to get right. Writing and posting in pieces - if there isn't a plan - makes it even harder. If I sense a story is going off the rails, I might abandon it. 

Lastly, I don't need the author to respond to me. They've given me everything already: a pleasurable escape. I'd rather they take the time to write more! 

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On 12/18/2022 at 3:21 PM, ReaderPaul said:

Does the title play a part in choosing a story?
Does a particular author attract you to a story?
Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?
Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?
How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?
What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story? 

On many sites, the title is all there is to go by, so a synopsis is to be treasured, when there is one.  If I liked one story by an author, you can bet I'll be checking out other stories by that author.  But I also have to be in the mood for a story; sometimes I'll find a story interesting that I had previously rejected, or sometimes I'll put a story down because I've lost the mood (usually I'll come back to it later).

As for stopping reading, too great a number of grammatical and spelling errors is really hard to overlook.  I also can't cope with shifts in who the narrator is, or narration that shifts between first and third person.  They're just too jarring for me.

I also tend to lose interest when the flashback starts within the first few paragraphs, or when there's a flashback within a flashback.  On the other hand, I don't mind skipping over detailed sex scenes, if the rest of the story is interesting.

As for content, I have highly specific tastes and have no interest in certain topics (no werewolves or vampires, for example, and certainly no alpha/omega or soulmate stories).  I also don't deal well with grim material, unless the writing is really gripping or the overall tenor of the story is affirming enough to pull me through.  Though I'm not usually wild about mysteries, Westerns, or horror stories, the right one has been known to pull me in from time to time.

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1 hour ago, lawfulneutralmage said:

1. join the site as premium member 

Thanks!

1 hour ago, lawfulneutralmage said:

so putting into words why I liked something can be rather challenging.

The "Recommend" button on the Table of Contents pageimage.pngwas put in to allow readers to provide meaningful feedback to the author and other readers without having to write a review.  It's quite easy and has quite a few reasons you might like a story to choose from (And you can choose as many as you like)

 

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What @lawfulneutralmage said about joining the site as a Premium subscriber is well put.  When I joined as a Site Supporter, I had not realized how much time I would be saving, especially when reading on my phone, from not having to click through ads. 

2 hours ago, Myr said:

 

The "Recommend" button on the Table of Contents pageimage.pngwas put in to allow readers to provide meaningful feedback to the author and other readers without having to write a review.  It's quite easy and has quite a few reasons you might like a story to choose from (And you can choose as many as you like)

As @Myr said, the "Recommend" button is a great way for feedback without writing a review.  It is easy to use, as well.

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Does the title play a part in choosing a story?

Yes. A book titled as "Expialidociousness" that is too strange, and then you read the synopsis that it's about a boring ass teacher in the middle of nowhere... my balls will get neutered from reading it. Compared to a story titled "My Boring Sunday," and then you read the summary that it's about a romantic weekend gone wrong with CIA world spies, North Korea, baby labradors, Eiffel Towers, and renegade gun-wielding nuns involved, and you think it's going to be fun read then yes, the title plays a huge role. 

The tile is the first hook you have with your readers. More often than not, writers will think of it as an afterthought. 


Does a particular author attract you to a story?

Not really. 


Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?

Yes. There are some who are very good storytellers.


Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?

Oh yes. 1 million, half a million, 250k, 100k, and 50k stories; I mostly will read stories around 70k-150k depending on the genre. But a single story worth over 150k... I'm sorry, that requires to be broken down into another story. 


How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?

I'm old, so I mostly read stories relating to my age around mid-20s (that's stretching it though unless the plot doesn't pertain to the character's age but the narration) to early 30s or 40s. I've grown past stories about kids in High School. Although, a really really well-written story centred around teenagers will capture my attention. Puppy love and other heartaches for the youngins are not my thing.

Although a 16-year-old teen who discovers his puppy love for his teacher and gets teleported into the future to become a 30-year-old who is mentored by his now 38-year-old colleague (former teacher) that focuses on mature themes and lessons about growing up, adulting, and sacrifice, would be an interesting read. Oh wait, that's from the movie 13-going-30.

Can someone write this up, please?


What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story?  [Possibilities include -- Lose interest; story turns dull; situations in a story you don't want to read about; story changes direction so much it no longer seems like the same story at all; too many grammar errors/spelling errors/weird word choices; health issues keep you from continuing; sudden lack of time due to IRL (In Real Life) situations; etc.]

The first read in the first chapter I'd know what kind of writer the author is. Most of the time, it's the flow of words, the phrasing, the style of narration, the voice used, or the lack of it makes me stop reading it.

If it's a 1st person PoV, the voice of the narrator dictates the feel of the story. If it's a story about a young adult with the writing style of a 50-year-old, I get turned off right away. You'll get a sense of it unless the writing style gets explained.

For example, "I've been living for 100 years. I'm a vampire bech."

Or, 

"Time travelling is so hard. Being alive for a millennium while looking like an Instagram star who's 5'10 with perfect, hair, teeth, and 12 sets of abs is hard. Hate me, non-time travelling commoners. Wait, I sound like I'm 12."


Does response from authors to comments after chapters encourage you to keep reading?

It helps a lot. But I mostly skip the comments section unless I have a question. For example, why was Adam enrolled in 12th grade when in Chapter 8, it was mentioned that he was in 10th grade? Did he skip classes or is this something about to be addressed in the coming chapters? Or was this a plot error made by the author?

Questions like that need answers that's why I go to the comment section. 

 

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On 12/18/2022 at 12:21 PM, ReaderPaul said:

Is there a similar blog asking readers what attracts them to start or try a particular story?  I seem to remember seeing one some time ago, but do not remember what it was called.  If there is not, or if the other one is old, the following questions should be included, and possibly others.  

Does the title play a part in choosing a story?
Does a particular author attract you to a story?
Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?
Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?
How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?
What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story?  [Possibilities include -- Lose interest; story turns dull; situations in a story you don't want to read about; story changes direction so much it no longer seems like the same story at all; too many grammar errors/spelling errors/weird word choices; health issues keep you from continuing; sudden lack of time due to IRL (In Real Life) situations; etc.]
Does response from authors to comments after chapters encourage you to keep reading?

And of course, comments.

Does the title play a part in choosing a story?

Sometimes.  A catchy or intriguing title helps.  I'm turned off by degrading titles, puns and something that a second grader may have come up with.  Titles are difficult for me to come up with, so I usually don't settle on one till after the first chapter or two are written.  I can understand the difficulty in coming up with titles, but they should still be taken into serious consideration.


Does a particular author attract you to a story?

Yes if I'm already familiar with their work.  I'm willing to read everything by a particular author, so long as I find their works engaging.  I like Stephen King, but I don't like all of his books.  I like the Harry Potter series, but don't like Rowling as a person.  For me, it is about the story itself.  Jeff Burton is a good example on here about consistency with storytelling.  I will read whatever he puts out, because he hasn't shown to release anything I don't like.


Do you have some authors for which you will MAKE time to read their story?

Yes.  Jeff Burton, as mentioned before, is one of them.  Voice is incredibly important when writing, and I like his style and voice.


Does the amount of reading time available influence whether or not you start or continue a story?

No.  If I like a story, I will make the time, even if it means not sleeping until I'm finished.  Once I'm hooked, I won't stop unless I absolutely have to.


How much does your mood influence whether or not you start a new story?

My mood definitely impacts my ability to focus.  Depression hits me hard and zaps my motivation to do anything.  However, I will make note of stories I want to read once my depression has subsided.


What factors cause you to stop or suspend reading of a story?  [Possibilities include -- Lose interest; story turns dull; situations in a story you don't want to read about; story changes direction so much it no longer seems like the same story at all; too many grammar errors/spelling errors/weird word choices; health issues keep you from continuing; sudden lack of time due to IRL (In Real Life) situations; etc.]

Horrifically bad grammar (i.e. no punctuation, run-on sentences, no paragraph breaks, etc.), weak narrative voice (i.e. always in passive voice, fluctuates between tenses, doesn't further the story, etc.), bad dialogue (i.e. doesn't suit the character's age, no contractions, misuse of slang or the lack their of, intentional and uncharacteristic censorship, choppy speech, etc.), uninteresting characters (i.e. no depth or motivation, doesn't serve the plot but isn't just a side character, etc.), and just poorly written prose.


Does response from authors to comments after chapters encourage you to keep reading?

Yes for the most part.  I never expect a response, but when I do, it can be encouraging, so long as the conversation doesn't become critical or hostile.  I also only comment or contact an author if I find the writing to be exceptional.

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