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I usually don't post much on my blog here. But like the title says I'm feeling disheartened and honestly once again like way too many people do It's about the comments. I've looked for the flavors of whatever seems to be the choice of the week/month and all I see is a reduction of comments from a lot of the stories that are up right now.
There's 3-4 with lots of comments and maybe 5-7 with just that between maybe 5-9 comments but there's a lot of peoples stories right now that have gotten two or three comments. I'm just saying this sucks for a lot of us because you can look at the reads all day but there's no feedback really from them. We/I want comments.
I know there's the old saw you don't write for others you write for yourself. Honestly I don't, I do write for others and to me this is a community and writing for it and telling my stories is like doing it in the room with them, or around a campfire and stuff. I want the reactions. I actually am pretty sure we all do, if the comments were disabled, not the counts, or the kudos or even the PM's but just no comments on any stories here you'd see a lot less stories I think.
Why am I writing this? Because I've been told by comments made that they liked things that I've done, they've asked for more then there's no reply/comments to the newest works. It's a very WTF thing for me and possibly other writers here.
Hence disheartened...and getting disenchanted I guess.
Bailey.
Comments
I've noticed
the numbers of comments dropping too - so it could be seasonal - lighter nights make people do things away from their computers.
I also find it annoying that I write something out of character for me, and it gathers loads more reads and even a few more votes than my usual stuff, plus spawning three sequels by another writer, who got more comments too!
Sadly, complaining in blogs only gets one or two mea culpas and is soon forgotten. Write for whatever reason you feel drives you, but don't expect much gratitude from most of your readers or you'll be sorely disappointed.
Angharad
Angharad
Don't ask me!
*I* didn't read the legal-story-thing. Well, I skimmed it, and its sequels, but I didn't read any of them really, because they just weren't my type of stories. On the other hand, the story's deviation from your norm might be the reason for so many comments -- it's not what people expected, and as such caused more of a reaction.
Comments dropping is as much due to the increase in stories as anything else. With more selection, people have the ability to be choosier about what they read, and so are less likely to look at something that isn't exACTly what they want to read. Consequently, comments along the lines of "better than I expected" or similar sentiments are not as likely. By only reading what they know they will like, readers often come to expect certain things, so when those are included it is no reason to particularly compliment the author, and if they're not included then the story might not be seen as worth commenting on at all.
Then, of course, there's the fads that run through the site. What garners only a few hits and comments if posted now might bring in many more of each if it were posted a couple of months down the line, depending on how the popularity spread changes. Look at the site's mix of stories at the moment, and compare it to less than two months ago, when the Comics Retcon kick was still running strong. Sure, a few of them still pop up, but they no longer crowd the rest of the content off the first page. (A side not to Lilith if she reads this: this isn't a complaint about the series! Promise! We good?) Depending on how the majority taste is running changes the way that comments work out. Sure, there are a few genres that tend to stay fairly popular no matter what, but even they have their comparative ups and downs. Heck, the latest chapter in my own superhero story has less comments than the silly blog post I made yesterday afternoon!
Like you said, though. People should write for themselves, not others. A good story might not garner the hits and comments it deserves right off the bat, but the best stories often continue to pull comments and hits long after they've left the front page of the site. So, everything in time I guess, and so long as someone is satisfied with the quality of their own work, does anything else really matter?
Melanie E.
I must say...
...I've been neglectful and remiss, and I am sorry for that.
Dio vi benedica tutti
Con grande amore e di affetto
Andrea Lena
Love, Andrea Lena
Could be as simple as so much stuff has posted of late
BC is possibly a *victim* of it's own sucess.
I think Erin has pointed out sveral times there are alot more stories and viistors here every year even adjusting for problems at other TG sites.
I find it hard to keep up.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Seconded
What with actually trying to write stuff as well, even just reading all the goodies here can be hard sometimes - and I'm a compulsive reader, I'll absorb any words that happen to be in front of my eyes - so sometimes it's just a gallop to try and keep up with all the stories and serials flooding through the site at the moment.
Adding comments can also be difficult if you're rushed for time. I do try to make comments where I can find something useful to say, but I usually pass when it's just a "good story, me too" type of comment. That's what Kudos are for.
Whatever. As it happens, I like what Bailey writes, and I'll usually read whatever she has posted here. Consider this an all-inclusive positive comment.
Penny
RE Comments. There are too many distractions?
Right now, I'm feeling so burdened by other things that it's sapping my energy, and maybe it is so for others.
I have friends in the Middle East. It is quite worrisome for them, and I feel concern for them.
So many dead in the continuing crisis in Japan. It is very sad.
The continuing strife with my son has reached a new peak in the last few days. I'm starting to think it is like Lumbago, that is episodic.
There are new money worries as the IRS is after me yet again.
I know that my troubles are no worse than those of others. In time, I will either get used to them or they will pass, hopefully.
Khadijah
distractions
On occasion, real life gets in the way of reading/commenting. And when it comes to multi-parters, usually comments drop off after each part for a number of reasons that may or may not mean less people like the later episodes. For me, your stories tend to be a bit out of my comfort zone, so I catch them when I am in the mood to be stretched as a reader. That being said, you do good stuff, and I hope you don't get too disheartened by the lower amount of feedback.
"You can survive a couple of weeks without food. You can survive a couple of days without water. You can even survive a couple of minutes without air. But you cannot survive for even a minute without hope."
Dorothycolleen
You know I love your work!
I think I've commented on everything, but sometimes I read all the new stuff and then comment-I could have missed some. If I did, I apologize! I love all of your stories, and it makes my day when I see a new one! I will always love S&L, of course, but you write so many wonderful stories! I can't think of anything I don't truly enjoy. I think you will always be one of my favorite authors, one who always entertains me with anything you write!
Love you!
Wren
Why we do what we do
Writing is a solitary affair. It is done alone, usually in private, and, usually, the only direct result is individual satisfaction.
There are a lot of reasons why any given story (story chapter) might not garner acclaim. Part of it may relate to the size of your audience. This is where writing becomes performance.
I will not speak directly to your writing. I prefer to wait until a story is finished before I start to read. In scanning back over the past few months, I didn't notice anything you've written that was marked as complete. As others have said, there is a lot of material available lately and I don't have time to invest in incomplete stories.
This is my preference and I have not been shy about stating it. I like stories with character development. I usually don't care for stories with a Deus ex Machina unless they are extremely well done.
The point is that we all have our own interests and motivations for reading and, on occasion, commenting.
Regardless of anyone's individual preferences, it seems to me that you are still working out the why of why you write.
I am reminded of something one of my favorite authors said:
I hope you find your writing center. Best wishes.
Janet
Mistress of the Guild of Evil [Strawberry] Blonde Proofreaders
To be or not to be... ask Schrodinger's cat.
Janet
Mistress of the Guild of Evil [Strawberry] Blonde Proofreaders
To be or not to be... ask Schrodinger's cat.
Coming late
Real life, work, or just my own writing, mean I often arrive when the discussion is almost over. There is a long string of comments largely made by people more eloquent than me, that cover all of the points I would wish to raise. Just like here.
So, I drop in a joke, or just leave kudos, only occasionally doing a "what she said ^^^"
I know authors like comments, but sometimes I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said, and better.
Comments
Dear Bailey,
I tend to stick with my favourite authors and you are one of them.
I will always try to comment, hopefully in a positive supportive way, althought late at night after a few reds this may not always be true.
I have noticed though that some writers are possibly writing betwen 5-10 stories at once which then means delays in the next chapters. This makes it hard to keep up with them all, eg. 10 authors X 10 stories = 100 stories, (5 web sites = 500 stories.
The advantage of the BC set up is I can bookmark them and have at least some method of tracking them, many of the other sites don't have this facility.
Quite often I have to re read the last bookmarked chapter to get my head in sync with the story.
I don't know how Stanman does it? I'm sure he reads them all, is usually the first commentor including links of interest, plus his own stories (should be called Superman?)!
Anyway mate, chin up, pat yourselves on the back, and go for it.
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita