What sort of feedback/concrit/comments do you leave?

[valis2]

I was thinking about that today as I was leaving a comment. I realized that after two years of having a LJ I've begun to review with a system. I'm like that, of course, because I like to break everything down into categories and organize things.

If I didn't like a story---if I skimmed it and didn't finish it---I don't leave feedback. Sometimes when I see a story like that, I'll keep a tab open with the story in it, and wander back to check on it later to see if anyone else says anything. Sometimes those stories never get more than a comment or two, despite being in active comms, so I have a feeling that I'm not the only one who does this.

If I liked a story, but not a lot, and it had a few problems, but I am wary of getting into it with the author, I usually leave a comment that I enjoyed it, or I thank them for sharing the story.

If I liked a story, but not a lot, and it had a few problems, and the author seems to want concrit, then I'll leave a few thoughts, and make certain to add at least one strength I found in the story.

If I liked a story, I usually leave a comment that says something to the tune of "I enjoyed this". Sometimes I'll add something positive about the story.

If I really liked it, I usually try to leave a sentence or two about what strengths the story had, and how much I enjoyed it.

If I loved it, I usually quote a line that I loved and mention how much I enjoyed it. I also tend to get to glow a bit and add a few exclamation points.

Do you have a system of feedback?

Comments

[deviantauthor.livejournal.com]

I'm not on any fic comms on LJ, but I've got a few things posted at TPP. My one story has 433 hits and only 6 reviews. The other few don't have near as many hits or reviews. I can either conclude one of two things.

A--my writing sucks

or

B--this is my own fault for not pandering my fic.

The total of reviews I've left? 81, so no, I'm not being a hypocrite about the whole feedback thing. *g*

I've not ever thought about if I have a system or not. LOL

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I usually only comment on stories on LJ...mostly because that's where I'm reading at the moment. Though I do occasionally review on ffnet.

As far as number of reviews to number of hits...it just seems to be that way sometimes. It's really bizarre. I don't think there's any quantifiable logic involved most of the time.

[deviantauthor.livejournal.com]

I don't go anywhere other than TPP if someone I know has written something. Doesn't that sound snobby of me? LOL

Course, if someone on the flist has posted something and I have time, then I'll usually read.

No, there's not any logic involved. Not even when it's badly written fic. *g*

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

People are really pretty lazy and the majority will not leave fb even if they really enjoyed the story. Everyone, even really popular authors, will have hundreds, maybe thousands, more hits than they have comments.

[deviantauthor.livejournal.com]

Glad to know I'm not the only one, then. *g*

[delurker.livejournal.com]

isiscolo analysed hits to her website and found that only %2-%6 of readers will leave feedback on her stories (http://isiscolo.livejournal.com/220853.html), so it's not just you. :)

[deviantauthor.livejournal.com]

Wow--that's interesting!

(I'd hate to think it was just me, otherwise I'd know something was grossly wrong, considering I've been paid for my writing. LOL)

[vanityfair00.livejournal.com]

People generally only hear from me if I'm really enjoying a story. Most of the time I try to point out something specific that I liked because those are the kind of reviews I like getting.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, same here. I like to let people know that I've read it and liked it, even if it just means leaving a one-liner.

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

I'm a bad 'feedback giver', I think. I generally only leave feedback if I'm really enjoying a story or 'know' the author. Or if they've left a raging big cliffhanger and I'm saying 'ARGH. You left off *there*?'

When I do leave feedback, I always mention what I liked, and/or if there was a glaring error of some kind that I think the author would want to know about, I ususally mention that too.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I always wonder about leaving feedback about the error. Sometimes I try to look for an email address so that I can send it to them privately.

And knowing the author definitely skews the balance if I'm wavering between leaving a review or not.

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

A few of the authors I read I know are very vigilant about not having any errors in their stories and don't seem to mind having it pointed out in a review. Sometimes, if I'm feeling like it I'll log in and look for their email addy to let them know that way.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't mind pointing out errors to somebody who wants to see them, but I totally understand having a comment there for all eternity saying "You misspelled righteous" when it was merely a typo. So emailing can be the way to go.

[sylvadin.livejournal.com]

First off - I'm as guilty as the next person about not leaving feedback often enough. I think this is partially caused by the fact that, when I do leave feedback, my comments are far more than a generic 'Great Story! Write More! End of comment!' type statement. Heck, I've been known to leave feedback that was longer than the 100-word drabble I was praising *g*

Stories that get feedback are ones that feature excellent writing, believeable character development, creative scenarios, or clever twists on common themes. The higher quality the story, the more I try to find specific points or examples in which to praise.

I'm more likely to leave feedback on the stories that have had less exposure or are of interest to a smaller audience base. Call it hubris or whatever but I figure that an author who's already got a hundred feedback comments on her latest story needs my feedback and encouragement less than does the writer who's only gotten four comments on her delightful quirky story in a rare pair I like.

I usually just leave praise. I'm careful about leaving criticisms. But, when I do, I try to state in polite terms precisely what I found flawed, and I usually try to temper my criticisms with pointing out something I found positive about the story. Also, I'm more inclined to point out grammatical errors if I've seen that other people have already done so and the author has reacted with an 'oops! thanks! I'll get that fixed!' type of attitude (or, if I know from previous experience that the author is not upset by having her typos pointed out).

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I'm more likely to leave feedback on the stories that have had less exposure or are of interest to a smaller audience base.

An interesting point! Sometimes I find myself being a little more verbose in response to a story that has few comments and is really great. Part of commenting is to encourage the writer to write more, I would think, and most people that I've talked to glow when they get praise.

I am less likely to comment with a long, drawn-out comment if the writer is well-established and has tons of comments already. I mean, if I'm on page 5, anything I have to say has probably already been said, so I usually leave a one-liner.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

I'm more likely to leave feedback on the stories that have had less exposure or are of interest to a smaller audience base.

Me too. I'm also more likely to leave feedback on a flawed story that I generally liked if it's by a fairly new author.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

I don't read much fic that I don't like, since I read mainly from authors I already know I like. However, I do occasionally come across something that I read to the end and yet don't like or am ambivalent enough about it that I can't give positive fb without feeling like I'm lying for not mentioning the things I didn't like, so in those cases I don't comment at all. If I liked it but wasn't hugely impressed, I'll comment with a one-liner (I will also sometimes comment with one-liners on WiP chapters, even if I'm really enjoying the series overall). If I really like something, I'll quote part of it. Actually, I try to quote something even if I just like it, not really like it. I leave fb for close to 100% of the fics I finish reading on LJ. I'm bad at sending email fb, though, but I so rarely read fics not on LJ that my total fb ratio is still about 95%.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I leave fb for close to 100% of the fics I finish reading on LJ.

Wow! That's pretty amazing!

I would say that my feedback ratio is about 30%, I think. Perhaps 25%.

I can't give positive fb without feeling like I'm lying for not mentioning the things I didn't like

I sometimes do omit the criticisms. I feel a bit nervous is I don't know much about the author, or if they seem like they might react poorly. Occasionally, if I see that no one's reviewed, I'll send them an e-mail privately and mention my thoughts, but this is rare.

[issen4.livejournal.com]

That's... frighteningly similar to the way I leave feedback, with the addition that I tend to post the links to those fics I like on my LJ so other people can read them. Other than pointing out typos, I try to be positive as much as possible.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I generally don't rec things on my journal, because much of what I read these days is slash, and I would be a bit embarrassed if family/friends followed a link. Though once in a while I read something stunning and then I really feel the itch to do so.

[ikiningyo.livejournal.com]

Strangely enough, I'm less inclined to leave feedback for stories that I like. I don't like just saying "Wow! I love that!!" So I really have to force myself to leave feedback, and generally try to add something specific I liked.

I love leaving concrit though, because I like to think I help in some way. And because I like receiving it too. Of course I always phrase it politely, I hope, and I also point out some of the things I did like.

If I really don't like anything about a story, I won't leave feedback at all.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I love leaving concrit though, because I like to think I help in some way. And because I like receiving it too.

I like concrit, myself, but it's hard for me to leave it for other people. Sometimes it's because I worry that I'm the only one having this reaction to their writing style; sometimes it's because I find that some people are just not interested in receiving concrit. There are people writing to have fun, and people writing to improve, and if you give concrit to the fun people they aren't really happy about it.

I agree, if I don't like the story at all, I just think, not my cup of tea, and I move on.

[celisnebula.livejournal.com]

I'm a terrible feedbacker.

I go by the mantra if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all, so if I don't like something, I'll often not comment.

I don't leave feedback for WIPs either, I like to save what I'm going to say until the bitter end, after I've read the whole thing from start to finish.

If I do like something, I more likely to recommend it in a community like crack_broom or on my own life journal with a link back to the story with a little note as to why I liked it rather than leave feedback. Although lately I've been trying to make a concentrated effort to leave some feedback for a story I enjoy, but I'm always reading on the run (ie printing it out to read later) that I often forget to unless I'm at home reading it in the middle of the night.

Conversely, I'm bad about feedback I receive too... I often don't know I've gotten it until weeks later unless it's on LJ because I rarely check the email I have fan stuff going to -- about the only time I check it is when I have a chapter in validation so I can get the correction notices. However, LJ comments go right into my regular email, so I get those immediate and can respond to them.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

If the WiP is long, and I'm enjoying it, and it's still progressing, then I often leave comments at chapters I really liked. Sometimes it's every chapter; sometimes it's just one or two. I have this feeling that I just want to let the person know, at the very least, that I enjoyed it more than usual.

I find that I'm more apt to leave fb for stories on LJ, too. I never print anything out, so I don't have much experience with that.

[flutteringazure.livejournal.com]

Do I have a system for reviewing? I'm not sure if it could be called a system per se but yes, I do have certain 'rules' (and I use this word lightly) for leaving a review.

Mostly whether or not I leave a review depends on a couple of things:
- The amount of time I spend on reading the story.
- Whether or not I enjoyed the story.
- Why I read and/or enjoyed/didn't enjoy a story.
- The amount of time I have to leave a review (I do not always like to be the umpteenth person going: “Oooh, fantastic story! More please?!” And in that case I sometimes prefer not to review at all. This might also be due to the fact that I always have major problems responding to these kinds of reviews when I’m on the receiving end of one – don’t worry, I do always thank my reviewers:))
- I hardly ever leave concrit because I'm not that confident in my beta abilities (especially since English isn't my first language and I suck at grammar and the like).

Whenever I leave a review I like to use the general rules of giving feedback so I write down what I liked in a story and why I liked it and I always make sure that negative feedback is accompanied by something positive. I prefer to leave feedback through a simple form (like LJ comments or a feedback form within an archive) but if a fanfiction really impressed me and there is no feedback form I will gladly send an e-mail. I always try to remember to thank the author for the story :)

In the past I have read several stories that squicked me in a way or that didn’t really do it for me but the writing was so good that I had to leave a review! In such cases I will tell the author that the subject matter wasn’t my thing but that I enjoyed the good writing. I have even read fanfictions that dealt with squicks of mine that didn’t squick me because the writing was so good or because the context was properly explained (I’m like that with pairings, I like pretty much everything as long as it’s plausible and it fits the context.)

Sometimes I do have to curb in my desire to say “I’m looking forward to the next chapter” with every new chapter of an updated story *blush*

So, not really a system but more a set of guidelines :)

Very interesting post BTW ;) I really like these kind of discussions because they work as a reminder for me to leave a review with the next fic I’m going to read!

Nine

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I do not always like to be the umpteenth person going: “Oooh, fantastic story! More please?!”

Yes, exactly! I do leave one-liners, absolutely, but I try to make them simple and convey how much I enjoyed it.

I write down what I liked in a story and why I liked it and I always make sure that negative feedback is accompanied by something positive.

Yes, same here! It's important to me that the author realize that I liked the story, which is why I'm reviewing, and that the concrit I'm leaving is meant to show them what I thought when I read it. If I didn't like it, I won't bother finishing it, much less leaving any sort of concrit.

Very interesting post BTW ;) I really like these kind of discussions because they work as a reminder for me to leave a review with the next fic I’m going to read!

:) I always like talking about stuff like feedback. I like hearing how other people put together their thoughts. Everyone has their own idea of how to go about it, after all.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

If I liked a story, but it has problems, I'll frequently leave a comment asking the writer to send me an email if she wants concrit. That way it stays private; I generally don't think public criticism is a good idea.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I've emailed authors before when I felt that they might be sensitive to comments, and I thought they might appreciate them; I usually check their notes to see what they "sound" like. Some people ask for it in their notes, and other people seem as if they're not open to it.

I've seen concrit get ignored or worse; it isn't pretty. Your rule seems quite sensible.

[zulu]

Heh. I've lost others' respect by leaving concrit in the past, but that doesn't seem to stop me. For me, concrit is about improving the story, not attacking the author, but because I've joked to others that I'm flaming, it's been misinterpreted. (Quite unsurprisingly.) This is immature on my part, and entirely my fault, but that doesn't mean that the crit I leave isn't accurate from my point of view, and politely worded.

If I'm feeling bitchy, I'll write honestly about stories--awesome, indifferent, or eye-achingly horrible--over on my zulu_reviews journal, which I doubt anyone cares to read except for me. However, even there I try to stay positive, pointing out strengths as well as what could potentially be fixed. (Usually, I'm feeling bitchy because of the lack of honesty in fandom, the unwillingness to say, "This story is not so great, and it could be better." That doesn't mean I want to crusade all over lj for others to immediately be swayed by my opinions because I'm all that and a bag of chips. I'm not. I just have opinions. It's nice to have somewhere to vent.)

In smaller ficathons where I'm a participant, I read every story (whether or not I'm in the fandom) and try to pick out something unique about each one that I really enjoyed. I also usually give a line or two of advice or typo-spotting. I always try to end with an encouraging remark. People are usually glad to get these comments.

If fic appears on my flist, either by someone I know and like, or in a community, I'll read if I have the time or inclination. People I know well or am friends with are more likely to get a comment, usually more mindlessly squeeful than when I'm concritting systematically.

BNFs often lose out on comments by me.

I don't crit people I know in real life unless they ask me to. This is hypocritical of me, because I'll crit strangers at the drop of a hat. I'm okay with that.

I don't know if this amounts to a system, but it's my modus operandi.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

I took a look at zulu_reviews, and wow, am I impressed. I certainly rec with caveats and some discussion, but I (usually) don't bother mentioning stories I don't like with why they don't work for me. I do find those discussions about why a story didn't work for me (or for someone else) really interesting, though, and I frequently have them on the phone or in email with friends.

Of course, perhaps I am sanguine about it because you mention none of my stories. :-)

[zulu]

Well, as I say, sometimes I just get in a mood. But I actually really like trying to figure out why something doesn't work, because I find it helps my own writing. Plus it's interesting to see the ways in which fanfic and original fiction differ in their conventions.

And, hey, watch out: you might show up there at some day. I make no guarantees.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. I like that you're so honest. I once had a reviewer say that I repeated certain words and phrases, and I still remember that bit of advice. It was very helpful. Not that I didn't like the other hundred reviews before it that said "Plz wrt more!", but it was a good, solid piece of concrit that I've thought about since. It's rare to find people besides your beta who want to really help and point out what they felt were the story's shortcomings.

I like to end with an encouraging remark, too, the few times I give concrit.

Interesting system! Thanks for sharing! <--encouraging remark ;)

[zulu]

Honesty doesn't always win friends, and it's not always the most advantageous tactic, but I've just never learned to keep my big mouth shut. This is true in RL as well as online. But for the most part, I go with the "if it's out there, I can crit it" philosophy. Usually I try not to shove it in authors' faces, but sometimes I go overboard. The majority of the time, though, my suggestions are well-received, and that makes me feel like overall, I'm doing something right and being helpful, as you say.

[elaran.livejournal.com]

I always feel guilty because I never leave comments. =( I shoudl start doing that. There are some damn good fics out there. I tend to pimp them sometimes but I rarely leave comments. *feels guilty*

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Well, I know that there are lots of reasons for not leaving feedback. Sometimes there's already so much of it, for example, that you feel like you're repeating what's been said. Sometimes it does seem strange to leave a oneliner, like you should be leaving more. But most authors and artists seem to like feedback, whether one line or many, which is why I do both.

[c425cc33.livejournal.com]

This discussion has been fascinating - and affirming. I try hard to give feedback because I am only a consumer, not a producer. Comments are all I can give back to someone who's taken time to personally craft something and is sharing it. That probably works out to be about 95% of what I read. Really, there isn't enough time to read all I want, so I tend to stick to a specific subset of fic in my fandom. That already weeds out a lot of what I might read and might not like for one reason or another. I guess I do have a system:

-- No concrit and I don't leave comments if I didn't like the fic. As somebody already said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

-- If I thought something was OK, writing a little encouragement seems like the right thing to do. But I do try to leave more than one-liners for things I liked a lot. Sometimes I quote and comment on an aspect of the story or characters.

-- For work that's intrigued me, sometimes I ask the author questions about the story or their motivation for writing something in particular. Very few authors have not replied, but the ones that don't reply really irritate me. WIPs get encouragement, and if I want to see more of something I mention it (no harm, I figure).

When I first arrived in fandom here (after a long absence), I sent a message to a BNF to express appreciation for her rec page. I had no idea who she was at the time, but she wrote back the nicest note. It was probably one of the reasons I stayed. There are a few other BNFs who always seem to ack people's comments no matter how many or how short they are. And they still find time to write. Amazing.

Good question. It's been nifty to read what others think and do about commenting.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I try hard to give feedback because I am only a consumer, not a producer.

That's a great attitude! It reminds me of Ebert's Law, which I wholeheartedly agree with, which states that one must not be an expert in something to be able to judge it.

For work that's intrigued me, sometimes I ask the author questions about the story or their motivation for writing something in particular.

Ooh, that's a great habit! It certainly encourages discussion. That's awesome!

There are a few other BNFs who always seem to ack people's comments no matter how many or how short they are. And they still find time to write.

Yeah, a lot of people in fandom are just wonderful, honestly. I've loved my time in fandom so far. There are many people who work so hard and do so much for fandom, and are just so nice too. I mean, you can't avoid unpleasant people anywhere, but the presence of so many committed, caring individuals in fandom is wonderful.

[c425cc33.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your quick and kind reply. It's great to hear that there are plenty of folks who just enjoy fandom for its own sake and the community it provides. See you there!

[chocolate-limes.livejournal.com]

If a fic doesn't start well I don't usually carry on with it - if I do, and didn't like it at all I don't comment unless it's someone I know and then it's a sort of non-commital "You've posted a fic!" sort of comment.

I always review if I liked it, even if I only liked it a little - highlight the good bits and ignore the bad bits because I'm rubbish at concrit. I end up feeling mean XD

It's an interesting question though! I shall watch myself now in my reviewing tactics...

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I don't comment unless it's someone I know and then it's a sort of non-commital "You've posted a fic!" sort of comment.

bwaahaha! Yes, exactly.

I shall watch myself now in my reviewing tactics...

And deliver a complete report! In triplicate! With limes!

[fantasyenabler.livejournal.com]

I only leave feedback for stories that feel like "quality" to me--a fresh idea, a strong character voice, a solid grasp of point of view, and no glaring factual or dialectical errors that make me scream "Know your characters!" (Americans speaking like Brits and vice versa, geographic errors, etc) To me, these are the people who've worked hard and put in some effort. So the least I can do is try to give them some effort back.

Thus, I always try to write at least two or three paragraphs and address everything they did that spoke to me. I'll also address any flaws I see because I think everyone should want to know their flaws, and typically in these cases the flaws involved are so minor, I don't feel like I'm risking offending anyone.

Everyone else...I don't really bother to feedback. Primarily because generally the best I'll have to say to these people is "Your fanfic is on a par with the rest of the blandly decent 'cliche-fic' I've read." In my experience, most fanfic writers don't want to hear that, so if I can't find something I think they did extremely well, I tend to keep my mouth shut. Things just work better that way.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I only leave feedback for stories that feel like "quality" to me

Interesting. I do notice sometimes when I read a fic that seems like a "diamond in the rough" (there's something unique about it and an imaginative premise and details), and there are just a few things that put me off, I'm more tempted to write to the author or comment.

Thus, I always try to write at least two or three paragraphs and address everything they did that spoke to me.

Wow! I'll bet the recipients are happy with that! I love getting feedback like that. It's few and far between, as far as I've seen, though.

Everyone else...I don't really bother to feedback.

I can understand. I've had some crazy reactions from people for what was nicely-worded, relatively tame concrit. Sometimes it's better to not say it at all on the internet.

[urbangonzo.livejournal.com]

HI! Wandered in from meta.

I leave fb about 95% of tht the time.

If I can pinpoint my favorite turn of phrase I make sure to point that out. And If I can't, I usually just stick to the oohs and ahhs kinda silly but it;s the best method I've come up with.

The only times I don't fb are when either I know the person reads me and doesn't leave me fb (yes it's petty but so what?) or the author doesn't respond to fb bc I feel like they take it for granted and that's just silly when a lot of great writers are totally overlooked.

I guess our systems are similar except that I'm in no position to leave concrit so I never to unless it's like a HUGE glaring factual error.

I think I'll watch this thread to get ideas about leaving better fb.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

95%?! Jeez, that's great. I wish I were that motivated. I'm lucky to hit 25-30%, generally. There are a lot of stories that I just close out of and never bother to finish because they don't "speak" to me.

Sometimes I tend to review other writers who have reviewed my fic. Though not always...I can't keep track of everyone, unfortunately!

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

If I liked a story I'll say so. If there's a specific bit I liked, or that made me confused, or struck a chord, I'll mention it. If there's something I want to point out, I'll do so.

If I don't like the story so much, I may not bother, or I may leave a standard response that I liked it, if I feel guilty for not giving feedback.

And if I love it, I get incoherent. And try painfully to explain myself.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

And if I love it, I get incoherent. And try painfully to explain myself.

Oh yes! I've definitely done that. I remember, someone recc'd a fic that I had read before, and I went and reread it, and happened to see my comment, and I cringed. Heh. I'm surprised the writer responded at all.

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

I've done that, too. :D Gods, the newbie comments... dear, oh dear.

Most of the writers tend to understand, or are at least patient with me. :)