Random thoughts on feedback

[cornerofmadness]

I guess this is somewhere between rant, essay and a question, namely how do you handle feedback? We’re all well aware of the problems with feedback (and what feedback whores we’ve become especially those of up growing up doing paper zines and were happy if three people a year wrote to say how much they liked your story/art). For the most part we don’t get enough feedback. It’s certainly one of the reasons I’m not going to be taking too many more ficathon challenges. I don’t mind not getting a lot of feedback but when you write a story for someone I don’t think it’s asking too much to get a little thank you at the very least even if you didn’t like the story or it wasn’t what you wanted. I’m running about 50/50 on getting a response and I know a lot of others are too. I’m thinking am I THAT bad in answering these challenges? Somehow I’m not sure.
That aside, since there’s no way of making people give you feedback (which is one of my annoyances with the ‘if you don’t feedback me I’m going to stop writing this story’ crowd. To me that’s an instant turn off). I’m more curious what others do with the feedback you get. Me, I like to thank the person if I can and often I get involved in conversations with the feedbacker. Heck, that’s how I got to ‘know’ most of you. Now, we all get flamers from time to time. I’m not too worried about them. I DO wonder why is it that they feel they need to flame something especially when the pairing is listed at the top of the story. Just don’t read it if you don’t like it. I know where the delete button is and I use it quickly on these people. I will edit that crap right out of archives like Fanfiction.net.
My concern on feedback currently is how do you handle your regular feedbackers who are constantly putting in little annoying things (check out my reviews at ffn for examples)? Now sometimes we might disagree with how a writer handles a character and say something. That’s okay with me. Sometimes we might beg for the inclusion/exclusion of a certain character. That’s okay too. It’s when this becomes the only focus of the feedback that I begin to get irritated. I wouldn’t mind it if they beg for a certain character and still give great feedback. I have one regular reader for whom this has become a running joke with us. Does anyone else have the problem of your readers writing merely to dictate which characters should do what? You get, ‘nice chapter’ and I want ‘fill in the blank?’
Am I the only one who has regular readers who no longer comment on your story other than to complain you still have THAT character in the story? A hundred other things could happen in the chapter and THAT character might have two lines and the only feedback you get is to belittle THAT character. Am I the only one who has regular readers that get furious if Spike isn’t the perfect fighter or that Wes isn’t a bad-ass or if someone gets the better of Angel and/or Buffy? I wouldn’t mind if it was some random feedbacker making this complaint but lately it’s been my regulars who want to Mary Sue those characters. It’s gotten to the point that I dread opening reviews because I’m tired of getting marching orders for what has to happen and complaints that I still haven’t killed off Spike or Connor or you get the picture.
Like I was saying, I like to talk to my readers. I’ve politely pointed out that I LIKE that character and will continue to use them or illustrated with example that all the characters from time to time FAIL on the show. No one’s perfect. This has been totally ignored or argued so I’ve pretty much given up on that. I was just wondering does anyone else have this problem. Is it just me and if not, how are you handling it? I hate just replying to the positive reviews and ignoring the weird and/or negative ones but it’s starting to go that way. I don’t mind getting negative reviews if they have something constructive to say. If they’re right, I’ll go change the mistake. If I can prove they’re wrong, I’ll illustrate why I think that they’re wrong. If I get something like this ship sux, I just hit delete.

Comments

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yeah I know what you mean. Sometimes I do think a story might have been better if this and rarely I tell someone that because it's THEIR story. I'm looking at that in the feedbackathon. I don't honestly think a certain character would act that way but I may say that but say WHY (you know, if they just gave me that much I'd be happy) I feel that way but that would be just a tiny part of over all feedback.

You're lucky in that Sunnydale is actually one of the best feedback giving lists I've EVER been on. no lie, the best.

And yeah I also know what you mean about writing for the same person again and again. I've gotten the same person multiple times and have had someone else get me multiple times. For ficathons I think I'll be sticking to just ones with pairings for the most part that way I'm not suddenly stuck with let's say Wes or Angel and get a female character I could never in a million years see them with an have to write that and either write a crap story or beg to be reassigned which I've only done once but that's because I was accidently assigned a slash story.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

If I feel comfortable enough with the person, I would probably tell them that I really don't think that a character would behave that way. With the feedbackathon, I will probably be honest and say it even if I don't know the person. But I've seen stories that have been really good with the exception of one character acting "off" and no explanation for it.

And I love Sunnydale because of that.

It's weird I was thinking this morning I've written so many stories for these ficathons and I think Kristi's the only person who actually got back to me for the story I wrote for her.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

That sucks, just one. Boy I hope I don't owe feedback to you on a story for me. I'd feel like a real butt head. Kristi is excellent at getting back to you. So are SJ and Leni (I know SJ got back to you on the Connor story. If you didn't get that let her know).

Yeah occasionally we all might write a character a little off. It's easy to do especially if we don't like the character or we need it for the plot. I dont like when someone just bashes a character but we've had that rant before. I know for me, it's hard to write Andrew or Kennedy without them feeling off because I dont' like them but I try to find parts in the show and use them (like Andrew in Damage which is where I got most of his actions for Fata Viam Invenient) but it's hard to do.

for the feedbackathon I'm holding back nothing since that's what it's about. But I've lucked out, the stories so far have been really good. Nothing that's made me feel bad about the one or two nit picks that I've made so far.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

I think I did get the feedback from SJ for the Connor story so that makes two... out of how many? I know other people have gotten back to me but a lot of times the person I wrote for hasn't.

[scratchingpost1.livejournal.com]

Hey, Aaronlisa. Since we're on the topic of feedback here, I have to ask you something. Have you had a chance to read the Angstathon story that I wrote for you? I was asked to be a backup writer and write your request.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

no last time I checked it wasn't ready... I will check it.

[scratchingpost1.livejournal.com]

It's posted in both my journals. It's called 'What she left Behind.' Here's the link to part 1: http://www.livejournal.com/users/mrsdrake/12427.html

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

okay I will check it out.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yeah if you look at my other replies, it appears to be par for the course. I just find it somehow rude. And on that note, I need to see if my Ripper fic has been posted and my Harmony and Faith ones for that matter

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Harmony one hasn't been posted at the site, or at the list, I've just been so behind...

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks. I didn't think so. crazygirl did tell me she was way behind on all her ficathons.