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One of my early stories "Choices" has just passed 4000 hits after about 18 months. This shows that people do continue to read submissions when the gloss of newness and novelty has worn off.
I know that this number is a long way from the achievements of some of our "superstar" authors, but it still gives me a real sense of achievement and satisfaction and I humbly thank everybody who at least clicked onto my tale, even if they clicked straight back off again when they realised they had made a mistake!
Now the question. Why does nobody ever comment or vote after about the first week or two? A comment I know takes an effort and sometimes a reader may think "well, that's already been said" but a vote is a mere click of an icon at the end of the story,
Joanne
Comments
Comment or Vote
I guess they think the vote will do noting for month old stories.....
tmf
P.S.: i do vote for the one i like whatever the posting date.
I haven't read your work yet, but...
Whenever I discover and read a story, even if it was written 2-3 years ago, I will vote.
And I have been known to leave the occasional comment in 'ancient' texts - which I suppose I do for two reasons:
a) Let the author know someone's still reading their works,
b) Encourage other readers to leave the occasional comment - there's no stigma attached to adding a new comment 2+ years after the previous one!
I was a little hesitant at first, but the authors seem to appreciate it, so I will continue :)
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Yes, we do appreciate it
We really, really do. Really.
Really.
In case that wasn't clear.
Thank you for doing and saying this, and encouraging others to do so, even if none of your belated comments have been on my stories, either (yet). ;) The only "pay" we get for doing this is the satisfaction of knowing we've given someone a little entertainment, a little food for thought, a little something that made some small difference in their life--and that's enough. But comments (and even votes) that trickle in long after the initial posting of the story are like little royalty checks. They continue to remind us that we can make a difference like that, that our incoherent scribblings (speaking for myself here) are appreciated. They've even been known to motivate me to make more time for writing. I wouldn't be surprised if they had that effect on other authors here too.
Erin M. (justme)
Funny...
How many authors seem dismissive of the quality of their work - although I can't help but wonder the extent to which it's become a bit of an in-joke...
Then again, although I don't have the literary prowess to try my hands at writing a story, I do like maintaining the self-delusion that my comments (both here and elsewhere on the 'net), blog posts and even tweets [1] are full of random, incomprehensible gibberish :)
And you lot are sometimes deluded enough to attempt to make sense of them - and even reply!
Righteo, I'd better make a note of your usernames so once I've got up to date with the dozen or so stories I'm currently trawling through, I can start giving you lot votes, or even possibly another slice of random, incomprehensible gibberish...
--Ben
[1] Yes, I am an avid twitterer, using this same nickname (which I also use practically everywhere else on the net, so a quick Google should reveal the extent of my random, incomprehensible gibberish...)
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
hmmm
One of those perennial questions. To look at my own... my best read piece is not quite 3200. Which is I suspect a mere fraction of many. Does this make me sulk and feel inadequate? Um, no... a little unloved maybe, but then I's a prickly thing. On the other hand as does happen now and then some erudite soul will offer up a comment on something perhaps years old. That small offering of letters on the screen means more in many cases than 1000 votes. Not to say votes are not welcome, they are. But like Jo says, as rare as rocking horse poo after a week or so. Well okay she didn't say that, I did. Yes votes are welcome, an offering of ..'yeah okay but not worth more'. Which may be a stylistic or interpretation thing as much as any judgment of worth. Maybe it's an ..'I'm inadequate and I can't put the words'...CRAP. I mean who am I, bloody Shakespeare?? Hell I'm an uneducated nutter at the bottom of the world. A semi literate looney with delusions of adequacy. Yet... I try. Do you?
Personally I never expect to win the ratings because I don't write the gentle fantasy that most want. I enjoy them as much as anyone... but to write, just not me. I begrudge no one a big readership or popularity. I do what I do and some enjoy. Those that do and especially those that share a thoughtful opinion mean more to me than thousands of votes. All we that try to share can do is to do the best we can as an expression of an idea ( how's that for a sentence...cough). How others see it is up to them. So... I'll scribble now and then and maybe some will enjoy, that's all I ask. But I do love a thoughtful 'comment', show me a 'performer' that doesn't.
Scribble on those that will. But do the best you can...always.
Kristina
Playing the Percentages
Percentages probably. Just as a story, when first released, will receive a certain percentage of voters, comments, etc. You'll receive that same percentage or less well after the newness wears. So even though I still see one or two hits on my first stories posted at BC, it will take a hundred or so additional hits before I see another vote or comment, which in turn makes it seem like forever.
http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Yeah, that's pretty much
Yeah, that's pretty much what I see. I occasionally get more votes, but it's a rare thing when I get a new comment on an old story.
----
May the Stars Light Your Path
Maid Joy
http://i-know-i-know-but.net/
I wish I knew the answer to
I wish I knew the answer to this question as well. My first story, Two Roads occassionally gets hits. Especially when I post something new, but it is rare that it gets any kind of acknowledgement.
I will say and encourage all who do read old stories, please do comment on them if you find you like them. This accomplishes several things, first we author's love to know who is enjoying our work, and especially when it is someone new. The other thing it does, is gives it exposure on the front page again. If people see your comment on the recent comments list, they may click into an old story and find a gem. That actually did happen with Two Roads one day and I got several new comments as a result, in fact several of them mentioned that they did not know how they had missed the story when it was originally posted. That really made my day, in fact it made my week at the time.
I always try to at least vote on a story I have not done so for before, and I really try to comment as well. It doesn't have to be fancy, it can be just, "I enjoyed this." I can't conceive of an author that will mind getting comments on old stories.
Hugs,
Kristy
I have to wonder if it's because of this blog - but
Two roads got two votes today. If so, thanks for posting this, and to whoever it was that voted for it, thank you too!
Hugs,
Kristy
Old stories
Every so often, I still get occasional votes on older stories. Right now my story list is showing 1 vote this week on a story that's about a year old. (and only around 2500 hits, so its hit rate is a little less than yours)
Whingeing Must Help!
Since I posted this blog I've had over 50 hits on my stories (all old) and, YIPPEE! two votes. No comments though, so thankyou kind readers and kind voters.
Obviously I'll have to have a regular whinge to drum up business, as it were.
Do we appreciate votes and comments? Of course we do!!!!! They are our oxygen, our life-blood. What a great comparison by Erin M. They're like royalty cheques,
Joanne
Joanne, Thanks for
Joanne,
Thanks for whinging... it's been good for all of us... I also have had some hits on my Two Roads, some new votes, and an actual honest to god comment! (Thanks Renee M!) So thank you to you Joanne, and I hope you too will see the increased fruits from your effort here!
Hugs,
Kristy
Not a correlation
A consistent presence is always good advertisement. It's why you have Coke commercials. Everyone in the world knows about Coke and that you can buy it in almost every store you go to, but it's the reinforcement from commercial advertisement that keep their sales up.
So, be active in the blogs, comment frequently, respond to comments that you are given even if it's just a thank you, write those stories and post often. Whining too much will actually be detrimental to readership eventually. I know you were just kidding, but some people might come to the conclusion that you aren't. Then we'd have a big-ole whine-fest going on.
http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
The answer? Keep writing Joanne!
Once in a great while a writer will come along and post one story and then vanish. The story becomes a great hit, but noting else is ever seen from the author. (Or is it?)
It is a very rare thing for that to happen, but then again I've discovered a writer or two just changed their name! They kept writing and posting, just under another name.
The fact is that the more of your work you post, the more people will read your stuff and you'll get a fan base of people looking for more from you.
I have a few older stories and I do see them hit on from time to time. Rarely is there a comment left, but the hit count does go up by a few.
Once you have posted to several sites and have posted more than a few stories it gets harder to check on them and reply to comments left for them as well. I do eventually check them, the places I can remember posting them too anyway. Giggle, giggle.
Once you have readers that love or hate your stuff and style of writing they will visit your new stories! I think "Why Me" was my last effort I posted here. It's doing okay and after the initial flurry of comments and hits they both have tapered off a good bit.
So Joanne, that is my little explanation I can offer you. Just keep writing and keep posting Joanne.
Huggles
Angel
"Be Your-Self, So Easy to Say, So Hard to Live!"
"Be Your-Self, So Easy to Say, So Hard to Live!"
Every now and again I get a comment
months later. These I "almost" cherish more than the ones I get up front (notice the "almost" there. I cherish all comments!)
I'm salving my ego by assuming that folks that read-but don't like the story enough to comment long after it was posted do so because they're reading a lot - trying to catch up. But, I figure it's just that most folks don't bother to comment.
Grats on the # of reads though. :-)
Annette