[PUBLIC POST] Positive Feedback!

[ljwrites]

As promised, this week we discuss the flip side of last week's post, positive feedback about your writing. What are some memorable compliments you have received? How was it helpful? When is a compliment less helpful, though still no doubt appreciated? How do you give positive feedback? What effect does positive feedback have on you? Feel free to discuss these or related subjects in the comments.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Iiii don't know how to do positive feedback. I mean. I can say a thing I liked about the story, or happyface or sadface in the comment box as appropriate (like, there's a Star Wars time-travel fic WIP I'm following that in the most recent chapter explained how Finn is trapped in the past, no chance of return or rescue, and I made a sadface about Finn being deprived of Rey and Poe for the rest of ever, and the author—beatrice_otter—seemed to appreciate that comment), but that's...not quite the same thing, I think. Though I appreciate the hell out of any such comments that come my way. (I am bad at expressing this, though.)

Compliments on the order of "I loved this, what happens next?" on a story that's actually complete with no sequels planned, or on a chapter of a WIP one's regularly updating or doesn't plan to update again, are not helpful. That same compliment on a WIP that one hasn't updated recently but plans to is both helpful and not: it's helpful because it's a reminder that people want to see the next installment and thus it's impetus to get the update written.

That's all stuff specific to the writing. Stuff like "you're a good writer" or "you're a good poet" kind of just makes me go, uh, have you seen astolat, have you seen Seanan McGuire, if you have not seen Audre Lorde I might stage an intervention. These are three good writers and two good poets. (idk if astolat's a poet at all.) I am not. (People keep telling me to not do this comparison on account of it will discourage me being the best writer and poet I can be. My brainweasels disagree vehemently with these people.)

When I'm betaing, I end up remarking a lot more on what's wrong with the story than what's right with it. This is probably not best practice. I try to be gentle, and to make it about flaws with the writing not the writer, but that doesn't always work as intended.

Also probably not best practice is my habit of remarking on people's snippets of original fic or fic in fandoms I don't recognize with "I like this" or not remarking at all. But I flat refuse to say "...I am very confused here" on such a snippet because I know perfectly well I am missing all the context that would make it make sense and it will most likely just hurt the author to see me say the snippet's confusing.

[ljwrites]

Yeah, critique definitely seems to be a separate skill from writing. Many writers, from my observations, are more intuitive than theoretical about what works or doesn't work in writing. I think it was Robert Heinlein who was actually afraid to analyze his writing too thoroughly, for fear of the centipede effect where what came automatically would become hindered by conscious thought.

Heh, I'm actually vain enough to enjoy the "You're such a good writer!" reviews. I loved it when someone told me my fanfic was one of the best stories they'd ever read, original or fanfic, even though I know it's due to their inexperience with (or inability to recognize) better works. It's like being told I'm the most beautiful woman on Earth: Not objectively true, but it's true in that moment with that particular person--unless they're deliberately lying for an agenda, which is unlikely in online reviews--and I appreciate the thought.

Being critical is part of a function of a beta and I tend to focus more on the bad than the good, too. I try to mix it up with the good as well as the bad.

[alexseanchai]

like being told I'm the most beautiful woman on Earth: Not objectively true, but it's true in that moment with that particular person

Huh, yeah, hadn't thought of it like that.

[ljwrites]

Yeah, you wouldn't tell someone in that situation, "I mean, have you seen Lupita Nyong'o? Cate Blanchett?" I see such superlatives as an expression of emotion and appreciation, something special shared in that moment between two people.

Incidentally I just asked my husband, a huge fan of Blanchett since we saw Carol, who was more beautiful, her or me, and he immediately chose me. I like it when they have a sense of self-preservation. XD

[alexseanchai]

Nod.

Heh heh heh :D

[dhampyresa]

I have had THE LOVELIEST comment(s) sitting in my Ao3 inbox for about two months and a half now and I don't know how to answer it -- just thinking about it makes me want to touch my face and go "omgOmgOMG" on a loop.

When giving feedback on Ao3 I try to point at specific stuff I like ("I love how you wrote the landscape descriptions" or "OMG YOU REMEMBERED [tiny canon detail]" or "Wow, the way you wrote Character as doing Thing and having Emotion was amazing"). As much as possible, I also try to pick specific phrases I particularly liked for whatever reason.

If it's a gift fic, I'll basically have a notepad window open where I "liveblog" the fic (write down quotes I like and why) as I go. SOMEBODY WROTE ME STUFF the least I can do is show them how much I appreciate that.

I love getting positive feedback (who doesn't!) and it always motivates me to write more. It's less helpful when it gives me more plotbunnies, I already have too many.

It can be hard for me to both reply to and leave comments on Ao3, so I made myself a deal that for every comment I replied to I would leave someone else a comment. So far it's kind of working. I don't necessarily reply to comment faster, but at least I'm leaving some comments when I do.

[ljwrites]

I was going to wait to reply to the comments I received from History Exchange until the author reveal, and then another author's reply helped me realize I can remain anonymous while replying and now what am I going to say?? *buries head in sand*

That's a good strategy, to reply with specific details. Lots of time a reviewer can say they liked something but may have difficulty saying why, and saying what exactly they liked can supply more detail and lets the author infer the why whether it's stated outright or not.

I see you've done the liveblogging thing for the fic you were gifted with. Impressive! I aim for longer and more specific comments on fics that were written for me, but I've never gone into that level of detail.

I've seldom gotten plotbunnies from reviews. Funnily enough when I do get ideas it's for the fic in progress, and I have in fact corrected course on ongoing projects based on reviews so they're helpful for me in that sense.

[jazzyjj]

I always enjoy receiving positive feedback on my writing, and even negative feedback so long as it's constructive and done in a nice way. I haven't had time for much writing lately though, but that's hopefully about to change. What *really* bothers me however, is how a lot of people in the blindness community seem to only have negative things to say. They think they're right all the time, and that they're the only ones who matter in the world. A great example of this happened several years ago, when I posted a comment on someone else's blog about the movie made out of Jose Saramago's book "Blindness." I saw this movie several years ago with a group of friends and a sister, and while some people found it kind of disturbing my sister and I liked it. This sister and I are both visually impaired from birth. The next day I read a blog post which heavily criticized this movie and strongly urged people not to watch it. This was clearly an opinion piece, which is all well and good. So I commented that my sister and I happened to enjoy the movie. Next thing I knew, the blog author posted an entire entry directed at me. She ranted about how I "seemed" to be younger than the generation of blind people she knew and of which she was clearly a big part, and therefore I had no right even visiting her site. The site has since been shut down, but I was very taken aback by her attitude towards me. I have since read other things like this from seemingly disgruntled members of the blindness community, and it really bothers me. I'm wondering if this has to do with the fact that some people lose most if not all their eyesight later in life? But that's a topic for another time and place.

[ljwrites]

Ooh yeah, the cult of rage, I guess you might call it, seems to be big these days online. I guess some people confuse "disagreeing with me" or even "not having the same experience with me" with "dismissive/evil/wrong." It's pretty concerning that people think having a legitimate gripe gives them a license to demonize people who disagree with them.

[lizbee]

I've received some really wonderful, clever feedback in the last few days, so this question is well-timed! I really appreciate all feedback, and kudos, but I especially love it when I get a comment that shows the reader has really engaged with the fic -- that it's made them think, or have an emotional response. I value that a lot.

(I missed last week's question, but ironically, the same wonderful reader of the last few days ALSO left some feedback that bugged me -- "Cool motive, still murder." I mean, yes, but I worked hard on that motive, dammit! IT WAS A GOOD MOTIVE (for murder).

[ljwrites]

Yep, it's awesome when someone really gets your fic--and awesome to be told that, too! I know I've been elated as a reviewer when an author told me I totally got it. Yeah, the author is dead (I mean, not this particular author, not literally. I hope) and all that (post?)modern stuff, but it's still nice when you achieve that kind of connection.

The "cool motive, still murder" type discussions IME generally come from perceived differences in emphasis: The author might think the "murder" part is a foregone conclusion and focus more on the cool motive, which the reader might read as deemphasizing the murder bit. Sometimes story is a series of misunderstandings. :)