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[FrickingKaos]

With FC I started out really good at first, now I got only one person reading at the moment. I think because people are busy. Doesn't mean nobody is reading. I sometimes check the review count but that doesn't mean anything, they could be looking and click back out. I figure if there's at least one consistent reviewer I am doing okay, but if it is a story I like and I'm enjoying, I will continue to write even if nobody gave feedback. Sometimes I just want to know how I'm doing.

[myconfession]

I've been able to tell the past two or three weeks that feedback has become less on MC, I'm guessing with school starting back, etc. I know with me moving and starting my new job, I'm slacking on stuff (swear Tracy, I'm going to catch up on FC!).

But with me taking a short break from writing and updating (Lisa will be updating our collab story), I figure it's a good time to do so with everybody being busy.

[RokofAges75]

So here's a question, how do you gauge your feelings about how well your story is doing? Do you go by reviews or read counts or any other way?   

I don't pay attention to read counts because they're not accurate.  Like a lot of you have said, I'm happy as long as I average a few reviews per chapter and keep the same group of regulars reading for the whole story.  And what those reviews actually say matters, too.

I'm usually not surprised when some stories do better or worse than others in terms of readers/reviewers.  Like I said in my last post, there are just certain combinations of genre/Boy that, when written well, almost guarantee a good group of readers, whereas others are only going to attract a small, select group.  I also know it's easier to keep a group of people reading regularly when you update regularly.  My story Guilty Roads was averaging 5+ reviews per chapter when I was updating it regularly, but it's been so long since then that I wouldn't be at all surprised if that number dropped significantly when I do finally get around to updating it again, despite the number of people who have begged for updates.  That's my own fault LOL.

[FrickingKaos]

Don't worry about it, Karah. The story isn't going anywhere. In fact, I've been cooking up some good stuff for it. Had a big brainwashing session with my friend on the way to Hershey. That's why I've been fortunate to be cranking out daily chapters. I have Chapter 7 almost finished already. Anyone can play catch up when they need to

[mare]

^ when that happens there is a definite decline in reviews. I have noticed that too. I know I've done that as writer more than once. As a reader, if someone waits a super long time to update, I might decide to wait until its done to read it for fear that the story will disappear again because I know I'll have to start over anyway since I usually can't remember what happened. lol

[FrickingKaos]

Yep that's what happened with my romance series. I took too long to update and people got bored.

[mare]

Speaking as a reader & not a writer, what are some of your biggest pet peeves?

[Carter-Orange]

I don't pay attention to read counts because they're not accurate.  Like a lot of you have said, I'm happy as long as I average a few reviews per chapter and keep the same group of regulars reading for the whole story.  And what those reviews actually say matters, too.

I'm usually not surprised when some stories do better or worse than others in terms of readers/reviewers.  Like I said in my last post, there are just certain combinations of genre/Boy that, when written well, almost guarantee a good group of readers, whereas others are only going to attract a small, select group.  I also know it's easier to keep a group of people reading regularly when you update regularly.  My story Guilty Roads was averaging 5+ reviews per chapter when I was updating it regularly, but it's been so long since then that I wouldn't be at all surprised if that number dropped significantly when I do finally get around to updating it again, despite the number of people who have begged for updates.  That's my own fault LOL.

Well I'll be there to read and review when you do get back to it!

[Carter-Orange]

Speaking as a reader & not a writer, what are some of your biggest pet peeves?

Writers who vanish off the face of the earth and leave the story unfinished, lol.  There were a few I started reading a while ago and I'd love to see the writers come back and finish them off.

That's one of them.

[RokofAges75]

^ when that happens there is a definite decline in reviews. I have noticed that too. I know I've done that as writer more than once. As a reader, if someone waits a super long time to update, I might decide to wait until its done to read it for fear that the story will disappear again because I know I'll have to start over anyway since I usually can't remember what happened. lol

I do that too as a reader, so I wouldn't blame anyone for doing it to me.  I wish I could say I'd been writing GR in secret all summer with the goal of waiting to post it until it was done, but haha, that was not the case.  But I did go back and finish a story I had only written a total of 7 chapters for since 2008, so there is hope for GR.

[RokofAges75]

Well I'll be there to read and review when you do get back to it!

Thanks Steph!   Now that school is starting, I'm taking a self-imposed break from writing for at least a few weeks to fully commit to that, although I do have an Undead chapter or two to write, so maybe I'll get to those on the weekends.  But after that, I'm down to either GR or the HP story, so I'll have to do some writing on one of them! LOL

[Carter-Orange]

Well, I am reading all of those too, lol

[Purpura Lipstick]

I started the HP story.... lol you can write on that one

[mare]

My reading pet peeves:

When stories just disappear without any announcement from the author
When author's don't respond to reviews
When an author constantly changes their chapters while posting their story and then expects you to go back and reread the new chapter again once it's reposted.
When you are reading something that is being co-written and it's clear that one person is into it more than the other so one updates consistently and then you wait twelve years for the other one to post an update
Banners!

lol

[FrickingKaos]

My writing pet peeves?

When a writer has a really awesome story and never finishes.

When a writer doesn't respond to reviews

When there are a lot of grammar and spelling errors

When the author puts themselves on the banner

When the author doesn't finish a story and starts a new one instead

When an author goes a long time before updating (I will still keep reading, but the anticipation kills me)