Writerly Ways
Apr. 1st, 2012 10:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessReviewing means something a little different to everyone and it differs (or probably should) between fanfiction and original. In fanfic, we review others and they us. If you want to get reviews on your own work, you pretty much have to share the love with others. If you don’t bother to comment to them, eventually they’ll stop commenting to you. Often times conversations (pleasant and otherwise) spring up around these reviews. Go to my profile page and look at my friends. At least 90% of them are there because they left me comments on a story and we started talking, or I left one on their art/stories with the same results. Even if you take thirty seconds out of your day to say ‘good story, I really enjoyed it’ makes a difference. If you don’t bother, eventually your followers will go to more hospitable climates.
It’s a completely different beast in the professional world. There are two things published authors would be wise to heed: 1) don’t review your own work 2) don’t feed the trolls (though this goes for fanfic too). I think a lot has already been said about #2. I’ve had professional authors like Jim Butcher, Justine Musk and others stop in to thank me for a review I’ve left or to discuss a point but those were by and large good reviews and I was thrilled to hear from them. On the other hand, if someone is busy tearing apart the story, it’s best to just not engage them. How many authors have we seen in recent years look like absolute idiots or raving lunatics once a troll has really gotten them going (Anne Rice as one of the biggest examples)? It’s hard NOT to say something back, to defend yourself but often, if just never goes well.
As for number one, a growing number of people won’t even bother to get a book if the author reviewed his/her own work. I’ve commented on a couple of the anthologies I’ve been in without leaving a star rating and being honest about being a contributor and only talking about stories that were not my own and even then I keep it short. I would never go in and leave a five star rating for myself and tell you how great this story is and how proud I am of it. Save that for your blog. Obviously YOU like the story or you wouldn’t have written it.
I read two in the last few days on goodreads. One wanted to know how to remove her review because she decided it wasn’t ethical to review her own work (dollars to donuts, someone commented to her about it). That’s not so bad. She, at least, learned from her mistake. There were two others who busily told me that their books weren’t great literature and would never be discussed in class but they hoped I’d enjoy it anyhow. Um.. what? This is as bad, no worse, than the fanfic authors who write ‘this story kinda sux but I hope you like it anyhow LOL’ in their author’s notes. Why in the world would you put the idea in the heads of potential readers that your book isn’t that good?
Never underestimate the power of the review. It can make the author smile and write more or hurt them badly enough they never write again. I have seen both happen. I know a lot of people on my author’s list hate goodreads because no one comments there unless it’s to bash. That’s categorically untrue. Yes, there are people who comment merely to bash. Those people exist everywhere. It makes them feel superior or something. I don’t go by reviews alone in making a choice of what to read but if I do see many 1-2 star ratings with people agreeing as to why they rated so low, then I do reconsider buying it at any rate and trying the library) Some review without reading it (sometimes positively because it’s their favorite author’s latest, or sometimes negatively and dear YA readers, the author more or less doesn’t get much say in the cover so screeching a cover looks too much like another cover and that author is a plagiarist isn’t fair or accurate).
Some even say that if you are an author you should stay away from goodreads and Amazon and other review places. That is so very hard. Harder still to see a troll ripping you apart and even worse, seeing a critical review and realizing it has merit. That said, I think leaving a review is a good thing. You never know who you might inspire.
And here are a couple of links I found this week that I wanted to share
The dos and donts of ending your novel by writer's digest.
A platform writing challenge
It's a daily challenge. Unfortunately for me April is too busy for me to do something with this time committment
And I’m not feeling so well and I’m swamped so I’m just doing a yearly count today and not the break down. I didn’t get much done with those two exams I had to write last week.
Yearly word count <a href=" target="_blank" title="NaNoWriMo writing toys games & gadgets">
25563 / 75000 words. 34% done!
i'm a third of the way through!
It’s a completely different beast in the professional world. There are two things published authors would be wise to heed: 1) don’t review your own work 2) don’t feed the trolls (though this goes for fanfic too). I think a lot has already been said about #2. I’ve had professional authors like Jim Butcher, Justine Musk and others stop in to thank me for a review I’ve left or to discuss a point but those were by and large good reviews and I was thrilled to hear from them. On the other hand, if someone is busy tearing apart the story, it’s best to just not engage them. How many authors have we seen in recent years look like absolute idiots or raving lunatics once a troll has really gotten them going (Anne Rice as one of the biggest examples)? It’s hard NOT to say something back, to defend yourself but often, if just never goes well.
As for number one, a growing number of people won’t even bother to get a book if the author reviewed his/her own work. I’ve commented on a couple of the anthologies I’ve been in without leaving a star rating and being honest about being a contributor and only talking about stories that were not my own and even then I keep it short. I would never go in and leave a five star rating for myself and tell you how great this story is and how proud I am of it. Save that for your blog. Obviously YOU like the story or you wouldn’t have written it.
I read two in the last few days on goodreads. One wanted to know how to remove her review because she decided it wasn’t ethical to review her own work (dollars to donuts, someone commented to her about it). That’s not so bad. She, at least, learned from her mistake. There were two others who busily told me that their books weren’t great literature and would never be discussed in class but they hoped I’d enjoy it anyhow. Um.. what? This is as bad, no worse, than the fanfic authors who write ‘this story kinda sux but I hope you like it anyhow LOL’ in their author’s notes. Why in the world would you put the idea in the heads of potential readers that your book isn’t that good?
Never underestimate the power of the review. It can make the author smile and write more or hurt them badly enough they never write again. I have seen both happen. I know a lot of people on my author’s list hate goodreads because no one comments there unless it’s to bash. That’s categorically untrue. Yes, there are people who comment merely to bash. Those people exist everywhere. It makes them feel superior or something. I don’t go by reviews alone in making a choice of what to read but if I do see many 1-2 star ratings with people agreeing as to why they rated so low, then I do reconsider buying it at any rate and trying the library) Some review without reading it (sometimes positively because it’s their favorite author’s latest, or sometimes negatively and dear YA readers, the author more or less doesn’t get much say in the cover so screeching a cover looks too much like another cover and that author is a plagiarist isn’t fair or accurate).
Some even say that if you are an author you should stay away from goodreads and Amazon and other review places. That is so very hard. Harder still to see a troll ripping you apart and even worse, seeing a critical review and realizing it has merit. That said, I think leaving a review is a good thing. You never know who you might inspire.
And here are a couple of links I found this week that I wanted to share
The dos and donts of ending your novel by writer's digest.
A platform writing challenge
It's a daily challenge. Unfortunately for me April is too busy for me to do something with this time committment
And I’m not feeling so well and I’m swamped so I’m just doing a yearly count today and not the break down. I didn’t get much done with those two exams I had to write last week.
Yearly word count <a href=" target="_blank" title="NaNoWriMo writing toys games & gadgets">
i'm a third of the way through!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-04-01 09:40 pm (UTC)That said, I like the article on how to end a novel.
I like your ideas on not reading reviews on websites.
Sorry you're not feeling well.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-02 02:57 am (UTC)thanks. i know i'll end up reading the reviews but i'll try my damndest not to respond (other than to whine in private to friends)
thanks
no subject
Date: 2012-04-02 03:28 am (UTC)Yes, I can understand that.
You're welcome!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-02 03:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-02 03:38 am (UTC)