scattered Lit thoughts

[cawastedyouth]

Couple of questions for anyone who wants to partake in a discussion.

1) Do you respond to any of the email you get (good or bad) about your written work?

2) If you have done #1, have you ever heard back from your 'fans' (I'll go with you replied to good stuff; or tell me if the bad review came your way and you replied too)

I know I'm no where near as popular right now as some other writers here, but I'm just curious as to what SOP is here.

Thanks.

 

[glynndah]

Couple of questions for anyone who wants to partake in a discussion.

1) Do you respond to any of the email you get (good or bad) about your written work?

2) If you have done #1, have you ever heard back from your 'fans' (I'll go with you replied to good stuff; or tell me if the bad review came your way and you replied too)

I know I'm no where near as popular right now as some other writers here, but I'm just curious as to what SOP is here.

Thanks.

I do reply to the rare emails I get, usually with a sincere thank you.

 

[Darkniciad]

I send at least a short note back for every email or comment that comes with a means to reply. The length and depth of the feedback more or less determines what I write back. "Great story" gets "thank you" Analysis of the characters/plot gets my take on things. Questions get answers.

I've even gone so far as to include a "challenge" word an anonymous reader put in an email into a following chapter of a story to let him know that I'd read his email and wouldn't mind getting into a deeper discussion about the story.

( He ended up giving me challenge words for every chapter after that, and I think the whole story turned out better for the flow of creativity that generated. His musings were also the spark to write Ebon Genesis )

I've had quite a few readers reply back, and some have turned into strings of several back-and-forth emails talking about the story and other things.

 

[damppanties]

Couple of questions for anyone who wants to partake in a discussion.

1) Do you respond to any of the email you get (good or bad) about your written work?

2) If you have done #1, have you ever heard back from your 'fans' (I'll go with you replied to good stuff; or tell me if the bad review came your way and you replied too)

I know I'm no where near as popular right now as some other writers here, but I'm just curious as to what SOP is here.

Thanks.

I respond to every feedback message that has a return email address. I don't get many negative feedback emails with a return address though. The overwhelming majority is positive, and some (the ones I treasure) are the ones that are critical without being negative, and actually helpful and polite.

ps. What's SOP?

Oh, I forgot to answer point 2. Yes, I have heard back from them. I still correspond with a couple of the ones who started out as feedback emails.

 

[sr71plt]

You are asking exclusively about e-mailed comment, right? Not public comment put on the story or comment sent by PM, right?

I respond to all favorable comment sent to me by e-mail and all comment with a constructive/serious question in it and to the one or two negative e-mails I've received where I thought the sender just didn't understand the point they were criticizing (but I don't follow up beyond trying to illuminate the issue). I do not respond to e-mailed negative comment--and have received practically none.

And, yes, these sometimes spin out into followup discussions, which I'll pursue as long as they are on substance of the story/writing. I don't cruise or shop with stories as bait (or respond very long to those using e-mails as bait), and I don't have time via e-mail for any but a small handful of weekly or monthly touches of base and the one daily-exchange "on the other side of the world" cyber lover/coauthor who brought me to Lit. in the first place.

 

[starrkers]

Standard Operational Procedure.

I reply to any emails that have a return address.

 

[kimbalee]

Standard Operational Procedure.

I reply to any emails that have a return address.

I reply to each one too. Think it's rude not to, and they took time out of their day to do that for me, so...

I have talked with some in IM re the story they are commenting on. Nice people so far. Now when the time comes that they are not... which is probably inevitable... not sure what I'll do. Probably sit in corner sobbing.

 

[_Lynn_]

I reply to any e-mails sent with a return address.
So far, I really haven't had any negative comments.
Yes, I do communicate with one regularly that sent feedback almost 10 months ago.
My reply depends on the length and depth of the comment.

 

[jomar]

1) Yes, if there is a return address.

2) A few times we've traded a few emails. I don't recall getting negative emails, just in PMs.

 

[rgraham666]

I reply to any and all I have the means to reply to. And if it is positive.

The trolls rarely leave a way to respond and I don't even if they do.

 

[Frank Noir]

I try to answer each and every non-anonymous message, thanking them.
They rarely respond to that.

But - here's a tip: Over the years I've collected the email addresses I've gotten feedback from. And lately I've sent out emails to all of these whenever I have new stories online.
That has worked well, giving me lots of replies like "thanks for letting me know" and "hey - great story".

 

[cawastedyouth]

Thank you for your responses.

I too have responded to my latest emails from my readers. I've wondered though if they got them at all, it is possible that their spam filter picked me up, but that really doesn't matter as the 'wow' factor I have from having been the recipient of their time and energy as they have told me what they thought of my work.

Thank you again!