On feedback - preemptive apologies and notes
Things that I've got on my mind today regarding feedback I give or wouldn't give to other writers. Might get expanded in the future.
1. I only feedback stories I like.
When I think your story sucks, or your characterization is so far out of the field that it loses me, I won't write feedback.
2. I only write meta in the comments when the story manages to makes me think.
I usually don't do meta a lot but there are stories that have themes or pairings that are especially relevant to my interests (like, PIKE or BONES) and then I might indulge in lengthy discussion of character traits. I never want to impose my opinion about certain character aspects on you (and don't like it at all in the reverse either). If your story loses me or when I have a completely different take on a character, then see point 1.
3. I only rec stories that meet my taste to an exceptional degree or impress me with something.
So if I ever recced your story, be sure that I liked it as is.
4. I'm sorry if a comment like *combusted* or *on my bunk* feels strange to you.
I love a good story mix of plot, characterization and sex but I may end with feedbacking on the hotness of the sex the most and I apologize if that annoys you.
(It doesn't annoy me as a writer because I love to see which scenes hit the buttons of which readers, but I know that not all writers see it like that.)
5. I don't do constructive criticism unless asked.
If you want constructive criticism from me for a draft, you're more than welcome to ask me in a message. But I quite abstain from such a level of feedback in public, when the story is done and posted.
6. When in doubt about how to interpret my comments, please ask.
There's a noticeable cultural difference in the level of DIRECTNESS between the US and Germany. German is a very direct language and I've had US folks misunderstand statements of mine as an attack or as very impolite although I didn't intend that at all. So when in doubt, please ask because I might a) have used the wrong words or b) have written too "harsh" for you. It's a problem that's easily solved in rl discussion but can have nasty side effects in writing.
100. If I don't feedback your story, this still might not mean a thing
I try to read and feedback a lot but sometimes stories escape me, or are too long to read right away and then get lost in my backlog. Or sometimes stories just don't work for me, have sub-pairings I don't like, or have themes I don't deal well at the moment/that night/that time of the month/whatever. So just because I usually give fb to your stories doesn't mean that if I don't write fb for one, I thought it would suck or anything.
1. I only feedback stories I like.
When I think your story sucks, or your characterization is so far out of the field that it loses me, I won't write feedback.
2. I only write meta in the comments when the story manages to makes me think.
I usually don't do meta a lot but there are stories that have themes or pairings that are especially relevant to my interests (like, PIKE or BONES) and then I might indulge in lengthy discussion of character traits. I never want to impose my opinion about certain character aspects on you (and don't like it at all in the reverse either). If your story loses me or when I have a completely different take on a character, then see point 1.
3. I only rec stories that meet my taste to an exceptional degree or impress me with something.
So if I ever recced your story, be sure that I liked it as is.
4. I'm sorry if a comment like *combusted* or *on my bunk* feels strange to you.
I love a good story mix of plot, characterization and sex but I may end with feedbacking on the hotness of the sex the most and I apologize if that annoys you.
(It doesn't annoy me as a writer because I love to see which scenes hit the buttons of which readers, but I know that not all writers see it like that.)
5. I don't do constructive criticism unless asked.
If you want constructive criticism from me for a draft, you're more than welcome to ask me in a message. But I quite abstain from such a level of feedback in public, when the story is done and posted.
6. When in doubt about how to interpret my comments, please ask.
There's a noticeable cultural difference in the level of DIRECTNESS between the US and Germany. German is a very direct language and I've had US folks misunderstand statements of mine as an attack or as very impolite although I didn't intend that at all. So when in doubt, please ask because I might a) have used the wrong words or b) have written too "harsh" for you. It's a problem that's easily solved in rl discussion but can have nasty side effects in writing.
100. If I don't feedback your story, this still might not mean a thing
I try to read and feedback a lot but sometimes stories escape me, or are too long to read right away and then get lost in my backlog. Or sometimes stories just don't work for me, have sub-pairings I don't like, or have themes I don't deal well at the moment/that night/that time of the month/whatever. So just because I usually give fb to your stories doesn't mean that if I don't write fb for one, I thought it would suck or anything.