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[RokofAges75]

Oh yeah the story is very close to being done.

Exciting!!  Finishing a story is one of the best feelings in the world for a writer.

Which is better:  finishing a story you've been working on for awhile, or getting a really good piece of feedback?

[nicksgal]

I guess that's where the weird feeling is coming from.  I'm not used to starting something new and then only working on it on the weekends.  But I'm not far enough into it yet to feel like attempting to work on it on school nights.  It's kinda nice to have that week to think about the next scene or chapter before I write it because my outline is just a summary and not a specific list of scenes or anything like that.

I've taken an evening nap both nights this week!  I hit a wall around 5:30-6:00, when it's too early to go to bed, but I can't stay away, so I'll go sleep for a couple hours and then get back up for a few more hours.  This is probably not the best habit to get into, but I figure I'll get more sleep in the long run than staying up late without a nap, because inevitably, nap or not, I always get a second wind around 9 p.m. and don't want to go to bed.  At least now I know I've already had a couple hours of sleep to add to whatever I get tonight LOL.

I think that's why Nanowrimo was good for me. It forced me to do something on a weeknight other than just staring at the tv.

That was me today, but it only ended up being a half hour because I had to be up for a meeting. I also feel really tired, then feel more awake at 9pm. It is the worst. Just don't use those two hours as an excuse to stay up late! haha

[FrickingKaos]

OH man this is a tough question. I do highly look forward to feedback on stuff I post. But there is just a satisfaction of finishing something that I've worked on a long time. I know I have some abandoned stories on my page. So for me completing something is probably more satisfying than the reviews.

Exciting!!  Finishing a story is one of the best feelings in the world for a writer.

Which is better:  finishing a story you've been working on for awhile, or getting a really good piece of feedback?

[nicksgal]

Which is better:  finishing a story you've been working on for awhile, or getting a really good piece of feedback?

Finishing... and... feedback... What are those things? haha I'm being a facetious ahole on purpose, obviously.

They're both good for different reasons. It's nice to complete something you start and it's nice to have other people appreciate it. I think I'll go with feedback because if we just wanted to write to finish stories, we wouldn't put them out there in the world. So it's nice to know people are reading and engaging with it in a meaningful way. Although putting a bow on something you wrote and telling it that it looks beautiful is pretty nice too!

[mare]

I would say the feedback is better. It helps to motivate you to finish a story that you otherwise might have trouble wanting to complete. It’s weird timing for this question because just yesterday I got the nicest feedback on my To Protect and Serve series over on AO3. It made me remember how important those comments were to help make me want to continue to write when I was struggling. I give you guys so much credit for posting on AC where feedback is no longer an option. I admit, I’m not sure I’d have the desire to post if I didn’t get any comments.

[FrickingKaos]

Feedback has been the greatest motivation for me with my current story. I don't think I would have continued to keep up the frequent updates if it hadn't been for my readers and their comments. It's not even about being told its a good chapter but the fact they're so excited to read it, makes me excited to write more.

[nicksgal]

So far it's 100% for feedback. Excitement is infectious is seems!

Here's one just for fun: favorite punctuation mark?

[nicksgal]

Aww! Some guests or spam bots are reading my update thread and featured story thread. Thanks!

[RokofAges75]

I think that's why Nanowrimo was good for me. It forced me to do something on a weeknight other than just staring at the tv.

That was me today, but it only ended up being a half hour because I had to be up for a meeting. I also feel really tired, then feel more awake at 9pm. It is the worst. Just don't use those two hours as an excuse to stay up late! haha

LOL I do use it as an excuse, and then I stay up even later than usual!  Ugh.  Tonight I didn't take an evening nap though - yay!  We'll see if I can actually get to bed at a decent time or if I still stay up late.

[RokofAges75]

I would say the feedback is better. It helps to motivate you to finish a story that you otherwise might have trouble wanting to complete. It’s weird timing for this question because just yesterday I got the nicest feedback on my To Protect and Serve series over on AO3. It made me remember how important those comments were to help make me want to continue to write when I was struggling. I give you guys so much credit for posting on AC where feedback is no longer an option. I admit, I’m not sure I’d have the desire to post if I didn’t get any comments.

I love those random comments on old stories that come out of the blue!  Those always make my day.  I'm glad people are finding your stories and giving you feedback on AO3.

Honestly, posting on AC at this point is just a matter of habit.  I do it because I want to keep my collection of stories there growing for as long as the site is around.  I'm glad there are other places to post that do allow feedback because I would miss it too.

They're both good for different reasons. It's nice to complete something you start and it's nice to have other people appreciate it. I think I'll go with feedback because if we just wanted to write to finish stories, we wouldn't put them out there in the world. So it's nice to know people are reading and engaging with it in a meaningful way. Although putting a bow on something you wrote and telling it that it looks beautiful is pretty nice too!

It's a hard choice for sure!  You make a great point about putting our stories out there in the world.  Finishing a story wouldn't have the same satisfaction if there was no one else to read it.

 OH man this is a tough question. I do highly look forward to feedback on stuff I post. But there is just a satisfaction of finishing something that I've worked on a long time. I know I have some abandoned stories on my page. So for me completing something is probably more satisfying than the reviews.

I agree with you on this.  Of course I love and look forward to feedback, and I'm so appreciative of every piece I get, even if it's just a simple "Great story!"  But there is such a feeling of pride that comes with finishing a story, especially one you've poured your heart and soul into over months or years.  Feedback is great extrinsic motivation, but actually finishing a story takes intrinsic motivation.  You don't get anything for it except a really good feeling of accomplishment, but that feeling is worth all the work that went into writing it.

[nicksgal]

LOL I do use it as an excuse, and then I stay up even later than usual!  Ugh.  Tonight I didn't take an evening nap though - yay!  We'll see if I can actually get to bed at a decent time or if I still stay up late.

I believe in your ability to sleep! I'm on to my next story on the list, so I guess how late I stay up will depend on Tracy's cliffhangers.

[RokofAges75]

So far it's 100% for feedback. Excitement is infectious is seems!

Here's one just for fun: favorite punctuation mark?

I love all punctuation marks!  While I enjoy using exclamation points and appreciate the underrated semicolon, I've always been a comma queen.  Commas are the most overused, underused, and misused of all punctuation marks.  (Oxford commas for life!)  I love the example of "Let's eat Grandma!" vs. "Let's eat, Grandma!"  Commas save lives!

[nicksgal]

I love all punctuation marks!  While I enjoy using exclamation points and appreciate the underrated semicolon, I've always been a comma queen.  Commas are the most overused, underused, and misused of all punctuation marks.  (Oxford commas for life!)  I love the example of "Let's eat Grandma!" vs. "Let's eat, Grandma!"  Commas save lives!

For the oxford comma, my favorite is the Hitler and JFK strippers one.

I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't say the ellipses because boy do I love to abuse a good ellipses... but I think I'd go with the em-dash. It's underutilized.

[nicksgal]

I give you guys so much credit for posting on AC where feedback is no longer an option. I admit, I’m not sure I’d have the desire to post if I didn’t get any comments.

Y'all are my fanfic family. Where else would I post?

[nicksgal]

Feedback is great extrinsic motivation, but actually finishing a story takes intrinsic motivation.  You don't get anything for it except a really good feeling of accomplishment, but that feeling is worth all the work that went into writing it.

I think that intrinsic versus extrinsic is the reason to write. Is it as satisfying if you're just doing something for the extrinsic value? Maybe it depends on what the thing is... Creative efforts seem like one that totters on that line.