Reviews: Asking, Leaving, Receiving
By: Ty-Chou aka Ghost of the Dawn
Since fanfic writing revolves so largely around this, I might as well touch on the subject. Everyone wants to get them. Very few bother to give them. Even fewer give good ones. And by "good ones" I don't mean positive reviews, I mean helpful, intelligent ones.
Asking
You want reviews for your fanfic. How do you get them? Easy, you ask. Posting on FF.Net is a good way to get reviews as well since the web page is set up so readers can leave comments easily and view what others have said.
Usually, though, that still doesn't mean you'll get the response you want. Asking is a good way to illicit more of a response. I see people asking for reviews all the time. While it's the right idea, it's the wrong way to go about it. (Note: Do not beg for reviews in your fanfic teaser on FF.Net. It's obnoxious.)
I've learned that asking too broad of a request isn't a good way to get things done. Most people gloss over "please leave a review" and ignore it. Plus it just looks like a plea for empty praise; and as such, not worth their time. Being a bit more specific like asking "please critique" is a bit better and may result in more of a response--but still may not get you the feedback you're looking for.
If you do just want empty praise--yeah, just ask for reviews. If you are seriously looking to get an honest opinion and improve your writing then be very specific about what you're looking for. People love to give their opinion on things, but they need a topic before they realize they have an opinion. "Hey, what did you think of my characterization of the Warlords?" "How did you feel when I brought in my own character?" "Did the plot make sense?"
Suddenly, the reader will have the urge to give their opinions on that topic. Possibly, they'll give their thoughts on other aspects of the story as well.
Leaving
I'm just as guilty as everyone else in being lazy about leaving reviews. It's so easy to just read and move on. Especially if it's on a web page and you have to hunt down the author's e-mail address. I'm personally making an effort to leave more feedback on the stories I read. I hope others do as well. The author took far more time and effort to write the thing. The least you can do is type a few quick sentences just to let them know someone read it.
But it IS hard to leave feedback for a fic. Not only hard to get around to it, but also difficult to know what to say to the author. Especially since 90% of the authors out there just want empty praise--not a real review. Incidentally, it seems the worse a fic is, the least interested in an honest opinion the author is. So it is quite a task to come up with something that isn't empty praise, that will help them but not insult them. Sometimes this too daunting of a task and most fanfic readers will just not bother--especially if it's a bad fic. Which is sad because the bad writers need the most help and suggestions.
We'll hit the easy one first: Leaving feedback for a fic you've enjoyed.
If you want to praise an author, please feel free. What author doesn't need a little bit of praise or encouragement? Just don't make it empty. None of that "I liked your fic! Update soon!" crap. At least say something about the fic to prove you read it. It doesn't have to be lengthy, but some kind of reference relating to what was in the story is in order.
I want to pull my hair out every time I get an empty review on anything. I would rather have two real, intelligent reviews about the fic than fifty of those cut and paste responses. If you don't have time to leave a lengthy one, at least personalize it somehow.
Also, don't write the fic reviews AS you read them. They make no sense! It's like making comments in the middle of a movie. Wait for the end of the chapter at least. To get a review like "I like how this scene is going--I wonder if this will happen" is no help at all to an author. All they do is get frustrated and yell at the screen "Yes! It DID does happen! Did you not finish reading the freaking paragraph?!"
Reviews are your thoughts in retrospect after reading a finished product. Be it a chapter or an entire fic. If you're reading something particularly lengthy then take notes as you go. But those notes should not be your final review. Take some time to organize your thoughts and submit something understandable and intelligent. If you sound stupid, no one's going to take what you say seriously.
When it comes to leaving reviews for something you didn't like, that could be tricky. Most people will only leave feedback if they liked something. If feedback is left for something a person didn't like, it's usually flames. But if the writer is real serious, they'll want to know exactly why someone didn't like their story.
Unfortunately, it seems the better the story, the more open to criticism the writer is. The ones that need the constructive criticism the most react quite badly to it. And it's their fault most people are afraid to leave real, intelligent comments. It's because of these idiots who refuse to listen and freak out at the slightest hint of an honest opinion that scare the rest of us into reaching out to our fellow authors.
So you see a fanfic that isn't so great, but the writer has promise of getting better. What do you do? Most will not say anything or just give some empty "nice story" comment anyway to be polite. It takes some guts to be honest with the chance you're going to get yelled at as thanks for your effort to help.
If you're not afraid of that, go ahead and give it a try. Just be polite and try not to focus on only the bad. The writer will respond better with some positive reinforcement. Pont out some of the strong points of the fic as well as the weaker ones. And give encouragement. Everyone needs a bit of that. If the writer was really worth your time, they'll respect you for being honest and trying to help.
Receiving
Part of the fanfic comment process is being a gracious receiver of feedback. Even if you don't agree with that's being said. It's polite to thank them for taking time to both read your fic and write you. (Note: If you get copy and paste feedback, response is optional. Give them a copy and paste thank you if you want.)
Most of us think we can take constructive criticism until we actually get some. Then we realize it does hurt a little even if the reviewer is trying to be helpful. But that's life. Take it with a grain of salt. Think about what the reviewer said and be honest with yourself. Did that reviewer have a point? Or was it a mere matter of different opinions or did they just not know what they were talking about? Sometimes reviewers don't know what they're talking but, but they're trying to be helpful anyway. Even if a review was not helpful, or you didn't agree with it, you should still send a thank you if you are able. Thus, the reviewer is more inclined to offer further opinions on your future works and will also be more inclined to give feedback to other authors as well. More reviews all around and maybe the next one will even be more helpful.