[ SECRET POST #2763 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2763 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 060 secrets from Secret Submission Post #394.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[a_potato]

While that is a good point, I think there's a difference between writing for and being motivated by feedback and refusing to update until a quota's been met. The latter strikes me as being...somewhat insulting to the readership.

[sarillia]

I agree that there's a difference but I still don't feel like it's a big deal since they're not intentionally extorting anyone by making demands. Does it really affect anyone if their mindset before posting the next chapter isn't "yay, it's finished! I can't wait to show everyone!" but "wow, people really do care about what I'm writing! Time to give them the next installment!"? I realize I'm understating the need for validation here (something that annoys people for reasons I don't think I'll ever understand) but I still don't really see why this is such a problem. I knew it would happen but I'm still boggled at the extreme reactions.

[a_potato]

I do agree that in this case in doesn't affect anyone, since the people who are reading the fic will never know. Ahhh, it's really hard for me to explain exactly what bothers me about this, because I completely understand the need for validation and that, sometimes, people stop posting fic because it seems like they're just shouting into the void. But I can say that it is tied specifically to the notion of there being a quota. It comes across as very cynical to me; it's less about people caring for your writing and more about running a numbers game, and it can make readers feel as if their individual support doesn't matter.

[sarillia]

That's fair. I can agree there's a difference between being glad for some proof that people are reading and quantifying it.

[(Anonymous)]

what happens if the reviews don't reach the arbitrary quota? the writer doesn't post the next installment and stops updating?

yech.

[(Anonymous)]

In my case (I'm not the OP.. or at least, I don't THINK I've been making secrets in my sleep), you actually skimmed across my main reason for my unspoken "quotas".

If you're used to getting, say, 3 reviews a chapter, and suddenly you post several chapters where maybe 1 person reviews, you start to wonder where you went wrong. It may be entitled, but for me, it's a gauge of public interest. Why continue editing a work for public consumption when I originally wrote it for myself, and decided to share on a whim, but nobody cares? Why put myself through all that extra work for no one?

I realize that then it's treating the one person who did review poorly, but in all honesty, it's not like I'm going to stop posting forever. It's just the difference between daily updates and weekly updates. Priorities shift. In a perfect world, that one person's voice would always be enough, but humans aren't always rational beings. More reviews = I'm more likely to, say, edit instead of playing a video game or doing housework. Because the reward is greater.

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. I'm not sure why more people don't get this, or have the attitude that nooooo, you should write and post for the sheer artistic joy of it and if you don't you're gross or entitled. Yeah... the thing is, like everyone else, writers have a lot of demands on their time. Demanding that they spend that time producing something that generates little interest sounds pretty entitled to me, too.

Which is why I go by the philosophy of "If you like it and want to read more, review." Encourage writers to create what you enjoy, it's that simple.

[a_potato]

I can see your point about responding to a noticeable decline in interest. And I can understand shifting priorities away from a fic that doesn't seem to be generating a response.

The more I think about it, the more I think that what I'm objecting to is the potential rigidity of a quota system (in this case, at least; vocal demands for a certain amount of reviews strike me as being very insulting, in the same way that vocal demands for a writer to "do this/update right now or else" strike me as being insulting). Certain chapters might simply generate less of a response, while the overall piece is still widely read; there might days, weekends, or entire weeks (such as during holidays) where a chunk of the readership simply isn't around; there might be a drop in the number of reviews, but an increase in the quality of the ones that are left. It's the difference between looking at the whole picture and getting fixated on a small piece of it. I suppose that presumes a certain level of rationality, however, and you're right that people aren't always rational.

AYRT

[(Anonymous)]

And I definitely see your point about objecting to the inherent rigidity of such a system. It is really nitpicky if a story is not updated because it's not the exact number. Though ultimately, as we both agree, writers are human, and thus imperfect creatures. :)

But that's part of the beauty, for me, of not publicly posting any quotas. That leaves the author free to fudge for things, such as holidays (which ironically in my fandom, I get more reviews during the holidays. I think it's because people are off work/school), or as another poster said below, if I get four reviews and my quota is five, I will definitely update anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes to all this. If certain people have always reviewed and then don't, it always makes me think I've done something wrong and the fic isn't as good anymore. It won't make me stop posting (mostly because I only post finished fic, just one chapter at a time) but it is very disheartening and I could see why something like that would discourage a person from continuing.

[(Anonymous)]

Or they just have nothing to say if you go by actual comments. Go by VIEWS, anon. If there's no real shift in those, you're fine. They just have nothing to say since most people hate going "lol like the fic." It feels cheap to a lot of people since it's not very in depth, and it tends to, at least for me, ring hollow.

[(Anonymous)]

Eh. Views or hits don't really tell you who's reading it, though. It just tells you who clicked and you don't know if they're individuals, repeat readers or a bot.

[(Anonymous)]

JFC, this.

[(Anonymous)]

nayrt but this just seems silly, to me. What if they're busy? What if they didn't get the notification for whatever reason? What if, in a long story, they aren't crazy about this particular portion of the story, but they might love the one after it? There are so, so many reasons people might not give you feedback, and not all of them have anything to do with you.

I do understand feeling less than motivated when it seems like nobody else likes your story, but sometimes things take time to gain steam. And besides, you liked it, or you wouldn't have started it in the first place. That alone seems like a good enough reason to continue.

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. You're kind of putting a rather large burden on the readers to leave you feedback for every single chapter you release, because a lot of people will read and enjoy something even if they don't always have something to say about every chapter.

Basically you're expecting them to somehow magically know that you want them to comment on every chapter instead of just a comment here or there when they liked a certain part.

[(Anonymous)]

I laugh every time someone describes leaving a comment like it's a huge chore. I get that thinking of something to say can be hard for people, but... don't you have to do this every day? The majority of your human interactions outside of your immediate family (and hell, even inside your family) consists of nice, fluffy comments talking about the weather or the big game or whatever. If you can't figure out how to come up with a complimentary thank you, then you really, really need to learn.

Also ask yourself: if you think commenting is tough, how big of a burden is writing a multi chapter fanfic?

[(Anonymous)]

Just guessing here, but I wonder if the quota exists because the feedback (or the form it takes) feels lukewarm?

If I were wavering about continuing a fic, and I had only (say) 2 anonymous kudos, that would strike me as pretty lukewarm. If I had more kudos, OR even one typed comment from someone who was very enthusiastic and said so, I'd probably feel more encouraged to continue.

(I only post completed fics, so this isn't an approach I use AT ALL, but I can sort of see it.)

[a_potato]

Yeah, I can get that.

As I said to another anon, I'm starting to realize that the thing that bothers me is the potential for rigidity when gauging feedback according to a quota.