Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: bsbsavedmylife on June 25, 2008, 03:23:37 AM
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Lately I've noticed a drastic change in my reader reviews. I have several stories and I realize that each story has a different group of readers, but it seems like I'm getting less and less reviews. My question is, how do you know when you've lost your audience? Has anyone ever experienced this? Is it just like a dry spell of readers or is it a sign I'm losing my touch? I have my stories posted several different places and each place has a different group of readers. I'm sure every writer has gone through this. How did you overcome the frustration and find the motivation to keep on writing?
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First of all, don't worry so much about your reviews. People read without leaving reviews, that's where there's a read count. Is it going up?
To only write for the soul purpose of receiving praise is superficial. Whether or not you have one review, or twelve reviews write it if you want to.
Sometimes the readers will stumble onto it later and be glad they did, you can't force them to read and review as you update just so that you feel good about yourself.
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I do agree with Julilly that if you're writing for praise, you're writing for the wrong reasons. However, I think the fandom in general is reading less. So it's probably not just your stories that are getting "snubbed" so to speak. That's why it's important to write for yourself.
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There does seem to be an increase in readership whenever there's a new album out...or so I've sort of noticed, but that might just be my imagination.
And, I agree with everything you said, Julilly. I think the best stories are written when a writer writes for him/herself. Some of my faves on AC only received maybe 5 or 6 reviews for entire stories. *shrugs* Write for yourself. Readers are just an added bonus :)
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I think its also like time of year and stuff. I know I've been busier lately and haven't done as much reading or writing as usual. Your true fand always do find themselves wandering back eventually, so I wouldn't sweat it. It probaby just is a dry spell.
And you did mention that you have readers from all different places, not just AC. So, its not like you aren't getting ANY feedback. I know that feedback is very motivating and I'm very fortunate to be at a point in my writing career where I do get a lot of feedback per chapter usually, but it takes time. When I first joined AC and first posted my main fan fic it took a while to catch on. You have to build up a steady audience.
But as Julilly said. You don't write for praise. You write because you love to. Sure the praise is great and very motivating, but you don't want to come across as like you expect people to tell you how great you are, because if you do readers WILL get turned off and not bother reading.
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To add to what everyone else is saying, when I wrote regularly I always noticed a decline in readers in the summer. With the nicer weather, people tend to go out and hang at the beach and don't spend as much time sitting at the computer reading fanfics. And like Julilly said, there are lot's of people who may be reading but not reviewing. Sometimes people just don't have anything to say.
I would't worry about it too much and it seems another thing i've noticed is when people are so hungry for praise they seldom receive it. Nothing turns people off more than when a writer begs for reviews. I know it bugs me lol I'm not sure if you do that or not but just be aware, that might be another factor.
In the meantime, just write for yourself and enjoy it :)
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I've noticed that this happens sometimes. People will start reviewing every chapter, and as the story progresses, some people just stop leaving reviews. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something that happens. I know I'm guilty of it myself, reviewing a story and then just sort of losing interest in it.
I guess I'll agree with what everyone else has been saying and that while feedback is nice it shouldn't be your main reason for writing. I have had stories that have got a fair bit of feedback for each chapter, and while I thought it would be nice to make the story go longer for more feedback, in the end I knew where I wanted to go with it and where I wanted it to end. If I hadn't done that, I would have been disappointed with myself and with the final result. I still write on Not Like We Predicted. It doesn't get much feedback, and it isn't my most popular story by any stretch, but I always feel accomplished every time I upload a new chapter just because I've been working on it for so long. :) So I guess what I'm trying to say is don't worry about having a readership, just worry about making your writing the best you can to make yourself happy.
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I agree with the part about writing for myself. I do love to write and it's a great way for me to stay focused on my sobriety and other things going on in my life. I use my writing as a tool for my own personal therapy. I guess I got a little paronoid that I was losing my touch as a writer. I know I'm not like this great writer who should be published or anything, but I do like to read reviews from time to time. I have my regular readers who are very consistent and I appreciate each and every one of them. Maybe some of it is my fault because I went through a short spell of depression and stopped writing most of my stories. I'm sure I'll gain some audience back as I continue to update. A part of me was just worried about being one of those writers that people roll their eyes at and wish they didn't post here. LOL! You know what I mean?
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A part of me was just worried about being one of those writers that people roll their eyes at and wish they didn't post here. LOL! You know what I mean?
Well, I think I can speak for most of us when I say that I don't roll my eyes and wish people didn't post their stories on AC because their writing may not be as on par as other authors. What gets me annoyed is authors with attitudes. So as long as you stay humble and modest no one should roll their eyes at you.
I think maybe other people might have suggested it too, but it may be better to only focus on a few stories at a time. Three is a good limit. If you have too many stories out at once it gets very hard to keep them all straight. That's just my suggestion.
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I just love writing for myself! I know some people write for their readers, but I write because I'm just dying to get all these ideas out of my head and onto the computer screen! LOL! I think it's way more gratifying when you write for yourself, and OMG I'm like my biggest critic, so I always, always, ALWAYS write what I know I'll like. I love my fans and the fact that they're still around and just begged me to come back, but, yeah, write for yourself totally!! ;D
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I think maybe other people might have suggested it too, but it may be better to only focus on a few stories at a time. Three is a good limit. If you have too many stories out at once it gets very hard to keep them all straight. That's just my suggestion.
LOL! Yes, I do agree with this one. I got on this odd, creativ streak for a while and couldn't decide which one to write. Now I've got it limited to three solid ones and one that I'm posting as a newly edited version. I realized it was getting confusing to the readers and even myself at times. LOL! It's good advice. ;D
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A part of me was just worried about being one of those writers that people roll their eyes at and wish they didn't post here. LOL! You know what I mean?
hahaha. I'm pretty sure we all wonder about this.
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hahaha. I'm pretty sure we all wonder about this.
Yay I'm not alone! :D
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hahaha. I'm pretty sure we all wonder about this.
Well you can be assured... that I roll my eyes at each and every one of you. 8)
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I have my regular readers who are very consistent and I appreciate each and every one of them. Maybe some of it is my fault because I went through a short spell of depression and stopped writing most of my stories. I'm sure I'll gain some audience back as I continue to update.
I update once every 4 or 5... 6 or 8... 12-ish months, and for some ungodly reason the "regulars" will come back.
As long as you're true to your regulars, it doesn't matter about anyone else. I go by the read count way more than I do the reviews, anyway.
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Well you can be assured... that I roll my eyes at each and every one of you. 8)
Even me? lol
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Even me? lol
Especially you
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Well you can be assured... that I roll my eyes at each and every one of you. 8)
2 kewl 4 skewl huh? Ther always has to be at least one. ::)
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Especially you
*sniff* :'(
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I think all my fics have a bigger read count that the number of reviews. Which, is a tad frustrating, but least I know people are still reading!
~Lenni~
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^ I'm sure everyone's does. The read count isn't very accurate because it counts every time someone refreshes a page or clicks on a chapter more than once, including all the times you click on it yourself. (And I know I do that a few times every time I update to make sure my chapters uploaded okay.) So the read count isn't really an accurate measure of how many readers you have; it's just how many hits your chapters have gotten.
Also, not everyone who clicks on your story actually reads it, and not everyone who reads leaves a review. I've said this before, but I'll repeat it: A friend of mine once told me that she had heard that the average ratio of reviewers to readers is 1:10. So for every ten people who read your story, only one will actually bother to leave a review. I have no source for that stat so I have no idea where it came from or how accurate it really is, but in my experience, it seems about right. If you're getting an average of 5 reviews per chapter on AC, you can assume there's probably about 50 people reading your story on a regular basis; most of them just don't bother to review.
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In some ways, I think readers are a lot like authors themselves. For example, with myself, I read almost every fan fic that is put up, but very rarely do I review one and if I do, a lot of times, it is a personal email to the author after the story is finished or after I have read something I really enjoyed. The reason for this is pretty simple. I don’t want to write a review that has the author rolling their eyes, saying I wish she would just stop reviewing. I know that when I first started reading stories on AC, I read the reviews before I started reading the story, just to get a feel for what the story was like and most the time, the reviews are pretty accurate on whether it is going to hold my interest or not. Then there is another factor that doesn’t hold true with me on this site, but it has on other sites, once I start reviewing a story, I actually feel guilty if I don’t continue to review it. So I almost find it easier to not review it to start with rather than feel guilty when I don’t review a chapter. And it quite possibly is only a feeling that I have, but I think I feel guilty because it is almost like I feel that once I start reviewing a story, the author expects me to continue to review it. I hope that makes sense. I also would have to agree that this time of year with so many activities going on outside, it is harder to read and review.
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^ LOL I don't think any author would say "I wish she would just stop reviewing," unless the reviewer in question was more of flamer or nitpicker. Generally, though, no one complains about getting too many reviews LOL. And if anyone did, I would have to smack them.
I don't review everything that I click on and read part of, but anything that I read in full, I review. If it's a story that is already finished when I start reading it, I usually wait until the end to leave a big overall review, or I review halfway through or something. It is easier than having to review every single chapter. And honestly, sometimes I don't really have much to say after one chapter, not like I would at the end of the story, when I know the overall picture.
When I'm reading something as it's being written, I tend to leave a review after every update... so every chapter or every few chapters. It's not time-consuming because the stories I read only get updated once in awhile; I think I can spare a few minutes to give some feedback once in awhile. I really hate the excuse of "I don't have time to review," because, seriously, reviewing takes only a fraction of the time reading does. So if you have enough time to read in the first place, you have enough time to leave a quick review. If you're reading a chapter real quick before you have to run out the door for work or something, you can always come back and review it later. "I don't have enough time" is a total cop out.
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I have to say I do the same thing you do Susan. I always read the reviews for the story to decide whether or not it would be something I like. I mean I can usually tell by the summary but if i'm still on the fence I will go to the reviews to get the gist and almost always I can get a feel of if the story is right for me. I also have to be honest and say i'm turned off by authors who do not respond to their reviews. Sometimes that will keep me from reading their stuff. If someone has time to review your story, the least you can do is reply. Even if all they say is good job! It annoys me when authors skip over some reviews and respond only to certain reviewers. It makes it seem like the good jobs aren't as important as all the others.
That belonged in the pet peeve thread. lol
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I usually review at the end. I'm not going to pat you on the back for every chapter you complete, sorry. If it's something exceptional where I was like damn that chapter was good then I will give props where they are due... otherwise once it's finished and I am I satisfied (or hell even dissatisfied) then I can give a more complete review. In my mind that is worth more than a dozen "Update!" or "Keep up the good work" reviews.
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I agree with that as well. I don't think it's necassary to review every chapter of a story. If i'm reading something and it sticks out in my mind i'll probably comment on it, otherwise I might now. I usually do review every chapter if it's being written at the same time i'm reading, but the finished ones i'll usually wait until the end.
I always review though. If I don't that means I haven't read it or perhaps started but didn't decide to finish. lol
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Aww I agree with Julie Susan... I don't think I'd ever think to myself that I wish someone would STOP reviewing. LOL I do admit that sometimes I get a lil worried if I don't hear from regular readers every once in a while, but I do understand we all have lives and you stop in and review every few chapters or whatever is best for you.
I'm one of those reviewers who leaves feedback, but every ten chapters or so because usually I fall behind. I always try to leave feedback once I'm caught up though. There are very few stories I review every chapter and those are usually close friends of mine.