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[mare]

Readers survey (To be completed once the person reading your story is finished)

Story: Living at the Top

Person reading it: Steph

1) When you found out this person was reading your story what were your initial thoughts? I was happy because I know Steph and I figured she'd like this one.

2) Did your reader leave you an adequate amount of feedback and was it helpful to you? She is always fantastic with leaving feedback. It wasn't necessarily helpful but this story is so old I really didn't need to be. lol

3) Did you find yourself going back to read your story as a result of the feedback? I probably should have because I barely remembered this one, but I most likely won't.

4) Do you have any questions for the person reading your story? Nope

5) Overall did you find the experience a good one or a bad one? Yes, it was a great experience. I can't believe she's finished it already! LOL

[KeepThisSecret]

Final survey (To be completed after finishing the story you are reading)

*I put a spoiler alert on the biggest surprise answer. I hope you don't mind KeepThisSecret but I kind of want to keep that secret! lol It's what makes the entire story. 

Name of story: Shadow Woods

1) What was the biggest challenge for you when reading this story? I probably encountered the most difficulty at the beginning (in terms of motivation to keep reading) because there were a lot of "supernatural" things going on and that is not really my thing. However, I really enjoyed the story towards the end, so I'm glad that I kept going with it.

2) Did you find yourself looking forward to reading as you were going along or did it feel like homework? I was definitely looking forward to reading it, especially towards the end.

3) What was your favorite scene/chapter in the story? I really enjoyed the part where Nick convinces "Evil Brian" to give him a piggy-back ride up the hill. Too funny!

4) Was your favorite character at the halfway point still your favorite at the end? Yup - I liked the growth that Nick's character experienced throughout the story.

5) Who was your least favorite character and why? Probably Matt because he chopped up Sarah and Mary-Beth with a hatchet.

6) If there was a sequel to this story would you be interested in reading it? You bet!

7) Were you happy with the ending? I was extremely satisfied with the ending. I liked how Mare summed things up while still leaving a lot of unanswered questions.

8) Name the biggest surprise in the story and did you see it coming? (If there was one) [spoiler]The fact that Nick had meningitis and was essentially dreaming the whole thing from his hospital bed. I probably should have been able to figure it out, but it threw me for a loop.[/spoiler]

9) What was this stories biggest strength? Nick as the narrator was strong. He told the story as he saw things, which created just enough confusion and doubt to keep my guessing,

10) What was it's biggest weakness? I can't identify a weakness. Nothing stood out as wrong or unrealistic and the writing was good!

11) Did reading this story make you want to try another one from this author? Yes - Actually, I had read Hope by Mare prior to reading this story and that's why I selected this story for the challenge.

12) Give us one final review that sums up your experience reading this, maybe explain why you gave the kind of feedback you did or if you would have perhaps picked a different story from this one? I had a really great time reading this story! I mostly commented on what was going on in the story, but I also tried to throw in some of my predictions (which all turned out to be wrong - LOL). There wasn't really anything to critique, because Mare did an awesome job with the writing.

13) Did you prefer the way we did the challenge this year or did you like the pairings better? I didn't participate in the challenge last year.  

14) Did the author respond to your feedback? Yup!

15) Any final thoughts or questions for the author? Thanks for giving me such a positive (reading) experience with my first-ever reading challenge!

[mare]

Aww two of you are done reading my stories. This makes me sad. lol

Story: Shadow Woods

Person reading it: KeepThisSecret

1) When you found out this person was reading your story what were your initial thoughts?
I was excited because she's a pretty great writer so I was counting on really insightful, honest feedback and I wasn't disappointed!

2) Did your reader leave you an adequate amount of feedback and was it helpful to you?
Yes she did and yes, it was!

3) Did you find yourself going back to read your story as a result of the feedback?
I am kind of re-reading the OF version of the story now so in a way, yes.

4) Do you have any questions for the person reading your story?
Not that I can think of.

5) Overall did you find the experience a good one or a bad one?
It was a great experience!

[mare]

Questions:

1) What is the hardest part of the challenge for you? (Reading, reviewing, responding to reviews etc...) and why?

2) How do you feel about getting reviews for the challenge? Are you excited to read them or do you dread them?

3) After you review are you curious to see what the author has to say?

4) Has this changed the way you handle reading other people's stories?

[mare]

Halfway there survey (Only to be completed once you have gotten at least halfway through your story)

Name of story: All of Your Life

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise?
Yes, the plot is not confusing at all. Pretty straight forward.

2) So far who is your favorite character and why?
I love Nick because he is so open with the idea of falling in love with Rayna. I also like Rayna because despite all she's been through, she seems like a tough lady.

3) Are you getting a sense of how it will end and if so, any guesses? (Sometimes authors get a kick out of seeing what a reader thinks will happen and how predictable they may or may not be)
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say yes, I'm pretty sure at this point.

4) Do you feel like the summary the author gave accurately describes the story you are reading? Would there be anything you would include or omit?
I think the summary works perfectly.

5) Has there been any big surprises/plot twists or just overall observations?
Not really, except for maybe the speed at which the two of them have fallen for each other. It reminds me of Tony and Maria in West Side Story a little minus the snapping, dancing and singing every five seconds. lol

These are the harder questions, but don't be afraid to answer them. Remember we all signed on to this knowing and expecting to get and give constructive criticism.

6) If this wasn't a challenge story and you didn't have to continue reading, would you have stopped already? If so please explain why.
I would have stopped most likely, although it would have nothing to do with the plot. Even though it's really not something I would ever read, Carter's two main characters (Nick and Rayna) are so likable I actually do care about them both, but there are so many grammatical errors that it makes it really not fun to read. Especially if you tend to be a grammar police person like I am. lol

7) Has there been any glaring errors that have stuck out? (I'm not talking about the occasional missed period, typo or spelling/grammar errors but huge mistakes that need to be pointed out that the author might not be aware of)
As I've mentioned to carter in my feedback, there are a lot of grammar issues. Missing periods at the end of sentences, making them run on forever. Going back and forth between past and present tense, etc... all of those things makes it hard for a reader to keep track of what's going on and might be a reason for the small amount of reviews this story received, which is a shame because it's a good story otherwise. Just needs a fair amount of editing. I'll take a good plot and strong characters over a weak plot with weak characters any day. It's very rare for me to like a female character and root for them all the way through, but I like Rayna. That should say something.

8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot?
Nope, this story is very self explanatory. I know it's intensely personal to her and I feel like I'm watching a scene from her life.

[Carter]

1) What is the hardest part of the challenge for you? (Reading, reviewing, responding to reviews etc...) and why? Reading and sticking to it even though I have already completed one story lol

2) How do you feel about getting reviews for the challenge? Are you excited to read them or do you dread them? a little bit of both because I know my story has issues lol

3) After you review are you curious to see what the author has to say? I get up every morning and read my review while drinking a cup of diet coke lol

4) Has this changed the way you handle reading other people's stories? no, but when I get home from visiting my parents next month I will probably do a lot of reviewing and editing...and all of that stuff to improve my stories...as well as future stories cause I have another story that I have started while I was on the plane

[mare]

1) What is the hardest part of the challenge for you? (Reading, reviewing, responding to reviews etc...) and why?
Definitely the reading. I have really not been a huge fanfic reader so just reading the stories will be the toughest part. That's why I do only one chapter a day lol and always have.

2) How do you feel about getting reviews for the challenge? Are you excited to read them or do you dread them?
It's something I do/did look forward to.

3) After you review are you curious to see what the author has to say?
Yes, I'm always curious to see what the author has to say about my take on what happened.

4) Has this changed the way you handle reading other people's stories?
Not really because I came up with this challenge, I modeled it after the way I do things. lol

[julilly]

Halfway there survey (Only to be completed once you have gotten at least halfway through your story)

Name of story: The Road That Leads to Who Knows Where by freedomwriter

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise?:

Pretty much, yes. My biggest issue with the plot is the pace. It's slow and I'm personally more drawn to fast-paced stories. I think there's a feeling that in order to create suspense, there should be more chapters that don't really reveal anything but the suspense isn't building up, it's plateaued. I'm finding the plot very repetitive at this point. I'm on chapter 15 and not much has really happened.

2) So far who is your favorite character and why?:

I don't really know. Every chapter has been done from the perspective of a different character so I haven't had the opportunity to get to know or create a connection to any one character in particular.

3) Are you getting a sense of how it will end and if so, any guesses?:

I haven't the foggiest idea! I haven't really figured out what happened at the beginning yet lol
 
4) Do you feel like the summary the author gave accurately describes the story you are reading? Would there be anything you would include or omit?:

At this point, it's a very accurate description! It's pretty short, so I suppose I might go into a bit more detail but she's trying to create the aura of suspense so it works.

5) Has there been any big surprises/plot twists or just overall observations?:

No, I keep waiting for something to happen, some big twist or ah-ha moment but it's mostly been the same period of time told from someone else's perspective. I find that some of the perspectives don't really add to the story or move the plot forward. The small nugget of information that I get from it could have easily been incorporated into someone else's scene.

These are the harder questions, but don't be afraid to answer them. Remember we all signed on to this knowing and expecting to get and give constructive criticism.

6) If this wasn't a challenge story and you didn't have to continue reading, would you have stopped already? If so please explain why.

I feel bad for saying this but, no.  I'm really struggling with this one because of the pace. It's very slow and there's not enough tension/suspense for how many chapters I've read that would have kept me clicking 'next' in a normal circumstance.

7) Has there been any glaring errors that have stuck out? (I'm not talking about the occasional missed period, typo or spelling/grammar errors but huge mistakes that need to be pointed out that the author might not be aware of)

No, this story is genuinely well written. There are some great moments that I've been trying to note in my reviews and good ideas in there also.

8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot?

I suppose now would be the time to ask, why did you pick to give an entire chapter to each perspective rather than having a few different points of view in one chapter? Or, alternatively, if each perspective gets a full chapter why did you choose to have so many?

I don't know if it continues throughout as I'm only a chapter shy of halfway but have you found it challenging to continue with the style you've chosen?

[carterkid]

1) What is the hardest part of the challenge for you? (Reading, reviewing, responding to reviews etc...) and why? reviewing. Mostly because I have trouble going into details, most of the time I write short and sweet stuff  lol but I also read slow so that could be hard for the writer to wait  on the review

2) How do you feel about getting reviews for the challenge? Are you excited to read them or do you dread them?  A little of both

3) After you review are you curious to see what the author has to say? always

4) Has this changed the way you handle reading other people's stories? Not really
 

 
  
 

[KeepThisSecret]

Ahhh I didn't even think about giving that bit away when I was filling this out. I don't know what I was thinking ... perhaps that no one else would read it?? LOL oooops!

Final survey (To be completed after finishing the story you are reading)

*I put a spoiler alert on the biggest surprise answer. I hope you don't mind KeepThisSecret but I kind of want to keep that secret! lol It's what makes the entire story. 

Name of story: Shadow Woods

1) What was the biggest challenge for you when reading this story? I probably encountered the most difficulty at the beginning (in terms of motivation to keep reading) because there were a lot of "supernatural" things going on and that is not really my thing. However, I really enjoyed the story towards the end, so I'm glad that I kept going with it.

2) Did you find yourself looking forward to reading as you were going along or did it feel like homework? I was definitely looking forward to reading it, especially towards the end.

3) What was your favorite scene/chapter in the story? I really enjoyed the part where Nick convinces "Evil Brian" to give him a piggy-back ride up the hill. Too funny!

4) Was your favorite character at the halfway point still your favorite at the end? Yup - I liked the growth that Nick's character experienced throughout the story.

5) Who was your least favorite character and why? Probably Matt because he chopped up Sarah and Mary-Beth with a hatchet.

6) If there was a sequel to this story would you be interested in reading it? You bet!

7) Were you happy with the ending? I was extremely satisfied with the ending. I liked how Mare summed things up while still leaving a lot of unanswered questions.

8) Name the biggest surprise in the story and did you see it coming? (If there was one) [spoiler]The fact that Nick had meningitis and was essentially dreaming the whole thing from his hospital bed. I probably should have been able to figure it out, but it threw me for a loop.[/spoiler]

9) What was this stories biggest strength? Nick as the narrator was strong. He told the story as he saw things, which created just enough confusion and doubt to keep my guessing,

10) What was it's biggest weakness? I can't identify a weakness. Nothing stood out as wrong or unrealistic and the writing was good!

11) Did reading this story make you want to try another one from this author? Yes - Actually, I had read Hope by Mare prior to reading this story and that's why I selected this story for the challenge.

12) Give us one final review that sums up your experience reading this, maybe explain why you gave the kind of feedback you did or if you would have perhaps picked a different story from this one? I had a really great time reading this story! I mostly commented on what was going on in the story, but I also tried to throw in some of my predictions (which all turned out to be wrong - LOL). There wasn't really anything to critique, because Mare did an awesome job with the writing.

13) Did you prefer the way we did the challenge this year or did you like the pairings better? I didn't participate in the challenge last year.  

14) Did the author respond to your feedback? Yup!

15) Any final thoughts or questions for the author? Thanks for giving me such a positive (reading) experience with my first-ever reading challenge!

[mare]

Ahhh I didn't even think about giving that bit away when I was filling this out. I don't know what I was thinking ... perhaps that no one else would read it?? LOL oooops!

aww I don't know whether to be highly offended by that remark. I'll get back to you! LOL 


It's okay, I didn't even think about it until Julilly texted me and said something like, "Well now that I know the twist in Shadow Woods, It won't be as much fun to read."

Not that the black spoiler thing will keep people from looking. I am one of those people that would TOTALLY still look at what it says!  LOL

[FrickingKaos]

Final survey (To be completed after finishing the story you are reading)

Name of story: Stockholm Syndrome

1) What was the biggest challenge for you when reading this story? Sticking to reading daily due to my work schedule this time around.

2) Did you find yourself looking forward to reading as you were going along or did it feel like homework? I always enjoy reading so it  never felt like homework at all.

3) What was your favorite scene/chapter in the story? I liked the chapter where Nick and Brian face off and Nick hits him with the frying pan to get away lol

4) Was your favorite character at the halfway point still your favorite at the end? Yes he was.

5) Who was your least favorite character and why? I wanna say Kevin because he wasn't really in the story much.

6) If there was a sequel to this story would you be interested in reading it? It is fine the way it is without a sequel but yes I'd read one.

7) Were you happy with the ending? Yes I was

8) Name the biggest surprise in the story and did you see it coming? (If there was one) the sex scene threw me off for a minute actually. But the story was so good it wasn't a big issue and I skimmed it.

9) What was this stories biggest strength? The pacing was easy to follow and it was a well written story.

10) What was it's biggest weakness? It didnt really have any honestly. Julilly is a great writer.

11) Did reading this story make you want to try another one from this author? I've read other stories by her so yes

12) Give us one final review that sums up your experience reading this, maybe explain why you gave the kind of feedback you did or if you would have perhaps picked a different story from this one? I felt that this story didn't need any criticism but I pointed out things I liked and tried to be detailed. Hope that was OK. Like I said she is a great writer so I reviewed like I normally would.

13) Did you prefer the way we did the challenge this year or did you like the pairings better? I am always happy either way.

14) Did the author respond to your feedback? Yes she did

15) Any final thoughts or questions for the author? What made you choose the guys personalities and their roles in the story?

[KeepThisSecret]

LOL - Don't be offended! I meant that I didn't think that anyone would read my survey, not that no one else would want to read your story!! *forehead slap*

Sorry Julilly for ruining the surprise!! 

aww I don't know whether to be highly offended by that remark. I'll get back to you! LOL 


It's okay, I didn't even think about it until Julilly texted me and said something like, "Well now that I know the twist in Shadow Woods, It won't be as much fun to read."

Not that the black spoiler thing will keep people from looking. I am one of those people that would TOTALLY still look at what it says!  LOL

[mare]

LOL - Don't be offended! I meant that I didn't think that anyone would read my survey, not that no one else would want to read your story!! *forehead slap*

Sorry Julilly for ruining the surprise!! 

Aww lol We share a brain so if she ever does decide to read it, most likely she'll forget what the twist was by then anyway!

[emilo]

Name of story: Switch by carterkid

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise? I completely understand the general premise of the story, but the storyline is a little hard to follow because of some chapter organizational things (like one chapter will have only one scene, one POV, while the next might have three or four scenes and/or POVs)

2) So far who is your favorite character and why?  I think Nick.  His personality seems to be coming out a little more.

3) Are you getting a sense of how it will end and if so, any guesses? (Sometimes authors get a kick out of seeing what a reader thinks will happen and how predictable they may or may not be) I assume they'll switch back, but I'm interested to see how that happens.

4) Do you feel like the summary the author gave accurately describes the story you are reading? Would there be anything you would include or omit? I think the summary works pretty well.

5) Has there been any big surprises/plot twists or just overall observations? There was a chapter about "salsa night," and it's not what you probably think.  I thought it was cute.

These are the harder questions, but don't be afraid to answer them. Remember we all signed on to this knowing and expecting to get and give constructive criticism.

6) If this wasn't a challenge story and you didn't have to continue reading, would you have stopped already? If so please explain why. I may have stopped, yes.  Mainly, because I'm finding it a little hard to follow.  I am interested in seeing where it goes, so I may have kept reading as well.  It's a toss-up.

7) Has there been any glaring errors that have stuck out? (I'm not talking about the occasional missed period, typo or spelling/grammar errors but huge mistakes that need to be pointed out that the author might not be aware of) Not really, other than a few grammar/organizational things- but they're small.

8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot? Why did you choose these two Backstreet Boys as the main characters?