Does the audience influence your fic/drawings?

[valis2]

I've been thinking a lot recently about LJ, and how it makes communication between writers/readers and artists/viewers so easy. The commenting system creates the possibility of having many conversations with other LJ users, whether one-on-one or multiple.

One of the interesting things about commenting is how the original author/artist reacts to comments.

Comments generally fall into three categories: detailed analyses, a paragraph or a few lines of details they liked/emotions they felt, or a simple one-liner of "I liked it!" or something similar.

Some authors/artists respond to each and every comment with a line or two, detailing something in their response to the comment, and I'm always impressed by people who take the time to craft each response like this. Some respond only to certain comments. Some respond to every comment with a simple thank you and/or an emoticon. Some leave a blanket response, either as a new entry or as part of the original entry. It's understandable, especially when artists/authors are receiving three or four pages of comments, and most of them are simply "I like it!", and they'd rather create new art than respond to four hundred comments. Some never respond at all.

I always wonder how the back-and-forth communication of LJ affects the original artist/author. Commenting/responding is communication, after all. Reviews and feedback can be an excellent tool to hone one's craft. If many reviewers point out the a particular characterization, then odds are it needs revising. If an artist receives several comments praising their clouds, then that is probably a strength and something to be explored.

I've been writing a WiP, and as I've been writing it the reviews and feedback that have been left for it have sometimes influenced the story. A minor character who was meant to be a simple annoyance has gained significant "stage time" due to positive reviews. The conjectures of some of the reviewers have led to minor plot alterations and new directions. This isn't really possible for an author who waits until they're finished to upload their fics, or writes short fics all the time, but still, I wonder how much feedback influences people. Especially artists. If you're drawing Draco Malfoy for the hundredth time, and you have Harry in the background, and all of your regular Draco viewers enthusiastically respond to Harry's appearance, do you pursue Harry, even if you're not fond of him? Or do you just keep drawing Draco, because he's still fascinating?

I'd love to hear thoughts about this. Does the audience influence your fic/drawings?

Comments

[charliesmum.livejournal.com]

It's a whole new medium, really, so I think the rules of regular writing don't apply. It's almost more like doing a stage show, since one gets a more immediate reaction.

I can't really say because I haven't posted too much writing on LJ, but I do like feedback one gets, and comments probably would influence me a bit.

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

Yes - I've abandoned posting in some fandoms because I know I won't get the quality/quantity of feedback I need to keep me enthusiastic.

I write for myself, but posting is stressful, and I need to know the audience is enjoying it, otherwise I feel like I'm just imposing on them with unwanted stories.

If I post in WIP form (almost never), I'll write faster and faster because I'm spurred on by the enthusiasm of the audience.

[scribbulus-ink.livejournal.com]

It can and has, yes. I took suggestions for aspects of Muggle life for Severus to have problems with when I was writing "The Way of the World" as a WIP, and there are plotlines from Season of Mists that resulted from reader input. I don't change things to please the audience, but I'll take suggestions on certain things if I'm undecided about them, or if it seems like a really cool idea.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

It's almost more like doing a stage show, since one gets a more immediate reaction.

Wow, yes! That's a great analogy. You can hear the catcalls from the audience or the applause as an immediate response. Exactly!

[mariannelee.livejournal.com]

Reviews have little influence on me plot-wise. It's all in the outline, and little can change it. However, sometimes the comments of reviewers, even ones they make when not intentionally analzying the work, offer insights that even I did not see. These can influence relationships, or perhaps make me realize that I need to make some aspect of personality a little clearer.

One reviewer I had for LLP said that she did not relate to the OFC until that particular chapter. That little off-hand remark was incredibly valuable, because it was the first chapter in which I had added a lot of character 'thinking' about her problems and doubts and fears. Before then, I had always shied away from too much 'thinking' because it can be inherently boring. The lesson -- don't neglect your character's inner life. It's what makes them real, human, and empathetic. I think that may be one of the most valuable of the many valuable lessons I've learned while writing LLP.

M

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yes - I've abandoned posting in some fandoms because I know I won't get the quality/quantity of feedback I need to keep me enthusiastic.

Whenever I really need to get motivated to write, I read reviews. Nothing makes me want to write more. I'm a ham at heart, I guess.

It's interesting that you feel like you're "imposing" on people if you're writing something you think they won't enjoy.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Sometimes there's a bit of collaboration involved between the artist and the audience, I think, and LJ definitely helps facilitate that with its simple commenting system. I think even authors/artists who write/draw short or simple pieces pay attention to their reviews and concentrate on certain subjects...

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Isn't it interesting how people can have this image in their mind of your character, and see things that you never saw? I love some of the reviews I've received for tLS, especially reviews that mention the characterization of Sarah or Severus. They often point out things that I never noticed.

I love hearing thoughts about the plot, and what they think it means, and their conjecture about future events (though I get a little sad when people guess! I try to make everything unusual so they can't, but sometimes they do).

[aerynstales.livejournal.com]

Well, reviews don't influence my drawings for content...I draw what I see in my head or to express something I see in my head. Like my latest pic. I'm thrilled with how it came out, but it was mostly so I could see the OFC on paper and not this vague description in my head.

However, I love it when other artists let me know way that I can improve my technique. Pointers on where I need to focus on more.

As for writing...I think the same goes. Constructive crit is wonderful dealing with technique...though Great Work boosts the ego...it doesn't aid in writing other than relief someone is actually reading it!

*grins*

But no...reviews don't make me change my plot. I'm afraid I stick to my guns there. Unless the plot is dragging...that I need to know!

[ldybastet.livejournal.com]

Thinking about that comment... I realise that I sometimes feel that way too. Sometimes even to the point of wondering if I should a) take it down, or b) rewrite it.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

but it was mostly so I could see the OFC on paper and not this vague description in my head.

Isn't it amazing how much a concrete, static image of a character will help you see them and understand them? I never realized until ac1d6urn did that illustration for me.

But no...reviews don't make me change my plot.

Not even leeetle things? Itsy bitsy things? :)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I've seen two people on my flist recently take down fics they weren't happy with. Part of my understands that it isn't up to their standards now, but part of me thinks, it shows the journey, and there were fans for the works as they were...

[ldybastet.livejournal.com]

Detailed analysis of fic is a rare type of comment, for me at least, but I have recieved it, and it's truly something special! Perhaps it felt extra good because the commenter loved the fic? *g*

I like getting at least a line or two about what it was a person liked (or disliked) about a fic. Some kind of emotion it woke in them perhaps, or a line that stayed with them, because that helps me see what works and what does not. I try to reply to every comment or email I get, but I admot that when it comes to reviews on places like aff.net or Skyehawke, I seldom reply. It's just easier here on LJ, quicker, more accessable. I like LJ in that respect. Very much.

Do reviews and fb influence my fic? Yes, to a certain point. If I notice that a scene doesn't at all bring the emotions or atmosphere to the audience as I intended, then I will try to work on it. Also, there has been times when I have actually been convinced to write a sequel or continue a fic, because of fb or a discussion about a fic in comments. I have several such that I have waiting to be written.

[effseedee]

Some authors/artists respond to each and every comment with a line or two, detailing something in their response to the comment, and I'm always impressed by people who take the time to craft each response like this.

See, I try to do this, because I always love it when people respond to me in such a fashion, but sometimes I just don't have anything to say - if the review is simply 'I loved it' there's not a lot you can say, bar thank you + emoticon.

I do know that several times I've had someone point out an aspect of the fic that didn't work for them, and I like that, actually, because finding out what I'm doing wrong is just as important as finding out what I'm doing right (although admittedly they've all been 'I really liked it but...' style comments. If it was just a comment consisting entirely of 'this part sucks' I suspect I'd be less inclined to take it to heart).

[ldybastet.livejournal.com]

Hmm.. that's true, and a different way of looking at it.

Mostly, I do leave my fics as they are posted, unless I find a typo or something. But I do often squirm and wish I could rewrite and make them as best as I can at this moment *g* I will try to see it from this angle instead, because it may be easier to accept the earlier 'mistakes' and clunkiness then. ;-)

[jen-deben.livejournal.com]

I think I'm pathologically self-reliant in terms of content, but I do love reviews, and they do make me enthusiastic about the prospect of creating more, since they make the act of sharing fiction/artwork so much more fun.

All my stories with the exception of one were finished before they were posted, so reviews could not influence the plot at all. However, reviews (or lack thereof) have let me know when I've written a clunker (and didn't know it), and when I've written something really good (and didn't know it). In that way, I do get important feedback on my writing from the reviews, even if the reviews are unhelpfully along the lines of, "Oh thatt wasso awesom!!1! u r so great!!! YAyy!!" (which is nice, but which is not concrit).

In the case of the one story I wrote that was posted as a WIP, the reviews didn't alter the plot (because I didn't know what was going to happen next anyway, and thus neither could the readers), but they did help me finish the darned thing. The story had proven to be a lot longer than I had anticipated, and that feedback really helped keep me going when I started to feel bogged down by the work.

I have occasionally drawn pictures for friends, just to amuse them, but mostly my artwork consists of the contents of my own head. Again, I like the reviews, but they mostly function as encouragement, rather than inspiration.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Detailed analysis and detailed concrit are very rare, but wow, when they're insightful and on-target, they're just amazing.

I love it when someone writes about what connected them to a piece, or what they felt upon reading it.

And I totally agree...LJ is definitely a place for quick responses. I write more feedback on LJ stories than I do on stories on other archives. Of course, that could be because I read more LJ stories than stories on other archives, too.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I do know that several times I've had someone point out an aspect of the fic that didn't work for them, and I like that, actually, because finding out what I'm doing wrong is just as important as finding out what I'm doing right

Oh, absolutely. I think that concrit has its place. It's great to get lots of happy reviews, but the one review that mentions an OOC character or a plot problem is the one that sticks out in my mind, and I always take the time to review the fic and the problem in question.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

The story had proven to be a lot longer than I had anticipated, and that feedback really helped keep me going when I started to feel bogged down by the work.

Yeah, some of the constant reviewers will act like "cheerleaders", and really keep you going! I know it's been a long haul for some of my readers, but I'm anxious not to let them down, so I keep continuing it, though it's been slow going as of late.

[sylvadin.livejournal.com]

Does the audience influence my fics? Yes...in a qualified sense.

Originally I wrote one Snagrid story...a simple little standalone story...which I posted on the original Yahoo Snape_Hagrid newsgroup... And people actually liked it! And they left nice postings telling me how much they liked it! And then people started politely encouraging me to write a sequel...or two...or three...

Because of those reviews, and the encouragement they gave me along the way, I wound up spending 18months and over 200,000 words creating the 'Courtship Dance' series.

I'll admit it - I adore the reviews! I do try to drop a thank-you line to most of them. It's wonderful when someone takes the time to mention a particular scene they liked or a bit of dialog they found especially amusing or insightful; it makes me feel like the person actually *read* the story rather than just skimmed it.

Do the reader comments influence what I write in future stories/chapters? Maybe. But if they do, it's more of an indirect/subconscious influence. Basically, something along the lines of - if people keep praising my scenes involving the nifflers, then I'll start thinking more about the nifflers, which may make my Muse start daydreaming of additional events involving the nifflers, which... You get the picture.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Basically, something along the lines of - if people keep praising my scenes involving the nifflers, then I'll start thinking more about the nifflers, which may make my Muse start daydreaming of additional events involving the nifflers, which... You get the picture.

Oh yes! Exactly what I was thinking when I wrote this. Sometimes the back-and-forth of it isn't obvious, sometimes, as you say, it's more subconscious.

I love your Courtship Dance series, it's great. It's really wonderful that you recognized that it hit a chord with your audience and continued it!

[vanityfair00.livejournal.com]

They influence me only so far as they prompt me to keep it up even when I don't feel like it because I feel like I'm letting people down. There was one instance where I added in clarification because I had so many reviewers ask "what happened to so and so?" And another where something was very unclear that I had to fix, but that was my first fic, pre-beta, so that doesn't happen as often anymore.

But I don't receive much concrit. I wish I got more. I may or may not go back and fix what they mentioned, mainly because I'm lazy and once something is posted I leave it alone, but I do always keep it in mind for future things. That sounds bad doesn't it? I want concrit but then I don't really listen to it. I guess maybe because it usually comes from someone I've never seen review before and then never hear from again. There's no trust there--just some stranger's opinion. I'm more likely to listen if it comes from someone I know.

[b2wm.livejournal.com]

Cheerleaders with specific insights are wonderful about inspiring me to pull my act together and get the next chapter done. They don't influence the contents of my fic much more than grammar issues, most of the time, but when readers ask questions, they have inspired me to go back and add more so that the story makes better sense.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I think that a lot of people are afraid to leave concrit. I think that they think that they'll start a flame war, or that the author/artist won't appreciate it, or that it will somehow be construed as an insult.

And the validity of concrit depends upon the source, and the number of times you hear it from unconnected sources, I think.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sometimes the insights are really helpful, and can make you see what is "working" and what is not, absolutely!