To comment or not to comment

[legerdemer]

I'd like some data, from an anonymous poll, from those who post stories to this site on whether they want comments or not and what type of comments they want. Please fill out. (If you have only posted poems, I assume you are already taking part in the PFD forums and may be a happier and possibly more well-adjusted camper. )

You can tick off multiple boxes, and the poll is anonymous.

 

[GriffyD_Boy]

I like helpful comments, even if the poster says that he/she didn't like my story. I'm not interested in comments that only seem to be trying to start a fight with me.

 

[sr71plt]

None of the above. I don't place any demands or expectations on comments on my stories.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'll take any comment anyone wants to give. I won't give any credence to either"you suck" or you're the best ever" but I don't mind them.

I left comments open meaning I will take the good with bad

 

[AwkwardMD]

Although it's not intentional, I get a lot of comments that my stuff "takes the readers to places they didn't expect." That feedback tends to sound dazed, like the reader just doesn't know what to think. I don't aim for it, but I love it when I get it.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

I'm with pilot. Any comments are welcome; no expectations attached. I enjoy the reactions.

 

[glynndah]

I'm just happy to get comments.

 

[CeasarBoobage]

I'll take what comes my way. Sometimes they are rude/mean personal jabs, but usually folks tend to be supportive. The ones I prefer, regardless of the content, are the ones that show that the commenter actually read the story.

Since I mostly write for my own benefit, it doesn't faze me much when people say they didn't like it. That's OK though, I'm sure others will enjoy it anyway.

 

[Katiecat]

I like getting comments. Nice comments feel good and stroke the ego; although "loved this story" or "wh00t!" are nice to read, they don't tell me a lot about how the story affected the reader. I have been fortunate enough not to get any "Fuck off and die, you suck so bad" comments -- yet -- but my stories don't typically have a really high readership, so maybe I've been flying under the radar. And I avoid the Loving Wives category like the plague.

My favorite comments are when people tell me my characters are likable, believable, that they care about them:

"You elegantly created a credible and sweet picture of the feelings of two real people, (compared to all these emotionless robots we too often are presented with), and at the same time created the sexual tension that a good erotic story should do. Thanks!"

And I love it when people say that my story made them laugh -- IF it was supposed to be funny.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Bottom line: I don't give a shit what readers like or think. I turned voting and comments OFF on all my wares.

There was a time when I tried to please everyone, then I realized I pleased no one, not even me. And since then I aim to please myself...at least. If others like it FUCK THEM, if they don't like it FUCK THEM.

What counts are comments and money I get from people who buy my stuff.

 

[CyranoJ]

I voted 1, 4 and 8 based on my experiences thus far.

 

[Handley_Page]

I only got to vote once.
Ah, well, perhaps next visit, eh?

 

[SamScribble]

The voting panel seems to have disappeared

 

[ElectricBlue]

I appreciate comments from readers who find something appealing in my writing, whatever that might be, and who take the time to respond.

"My reaction to your story was...considerable." I liked that one, coz it means I paced it...just right

Occasionally reactions surprise me - it's fascinating to discover what "rules" some of the genres have - I'm only new here, so I'm still discovering them. Since I'm generally iconoclastic, if I'm told I've "broken a rule", that will generally prompt me to push the next chapter further, just to push their buttons. WTF, it's my story, I'll write what I bloody well want to!

 

[lowphat]

I appreciate comments from readers who find something appealing in my writing, whatever that might be, and who take the time to respond.

"My reaction to your story was...considerable." I liked that one, coz it means I paced it...just right

Occasionally reactions surprise me - it's fascinating to discover what "rules" some of the genres have - I'm only new here, so I'm still discovering them. Since I'm generally iconoclastic, if I'm told I've "broken a rule", that will generally prompt me to push the next chapter further, just to push their buttons. WTF, it's my story, I'll write what I bloody well want to!

I chose I don't give a shit, because I don't. I write for myself, because if I don't, I'd go crazy. I post it here because I figure what the hell, maybe someone else out there might enjoy it.

 

[oggbashan]

I voted with the majority - I'll accept and appreciate any comments from anyone, but my reaction to some abusive comments is "I don't care what you think because your comment shows your lack of understanding/reading ability etc.".

What does sometimes irritate are comments that show that the reader hasn't appreciated the story category. If you don't like Incest, or Fetish, why comment that you don't like it or find it threatening?

Femdom stories can attract violent language in reaction because the commentator seems to regard Femdom as a personal challenge his (presumably his) masculinity.

Some people don't seem to understand the concepts of Fiction and Fantasy. A fictional story doesn't have to agree with the real world, nor comply with local laws in the reader's country/state. As for Fantasy? Commenting "That's impossible!" is a rejection of Fantasy.

Yet the same person seems quite capable of thinking that a movie in which a few Americans save the world - again - with a few hand-held weapons is based on fact.

Sigh.

 

[curl4ever]

...

Yet the same person seems quite capable of thinking that a movie in which a few Americans save the world - again - with a few hand-held weapons is based on fact.

Sigh.

What??? Not based on fact???

 

[DreamCloud]

I won't deny it. Comments are my fuel. I was unable to access Lit for two days - I starved.

 

[legerdemer]

I won't deny it. Comments are my fuel. I was unable to access Lit for two days - I starved.

"Don't know what you're missing till it's gone" - too right.

 

[legerdemer]

Thanks for voting, hopefully even more people will add their voices.

The results are interesting both for the options that got votes AND the ones that got none, or very few.

 

[sr71plt]

Yet the same person seems quite capable of thinking that a movie in which a few Americans save the world - again - with a few hand-held weapons is based on fact.

Sigh.

The Americans have already done that a couple of times. Is it their turn again? (just kidding)

 

[legerdemer]

Bump.

 

[Swilly]

I love receiving comments and feedback. It's nice to hear is someone enjoys a story I've written. If someone offers constructive criticism, I'm happy to read and consider it. Some comments are useless, but that comes with the territory. They can be ignored. All in all, I appreciate feedback.

 

[oggbashan]

The Americans have already done that a couple of times. Is it their turn again? (just kidding)

British children's books in the late 19th and early 20th Century used to be the same.

What irritated many Brits was Hollywood's versions of WW2 with Americans playing roles in actions that occurred BEFORE Pearl Harbor.

We know that there were US citizens in the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain (and many more Poles and Czechs) but we didn't have John Wayne winning the war for us in every theatre.

We know the reality of WW2. A visit to the US cemetery above Omaha Beach is enough to show how much we owe to US forces. We shouldn't forget the USSR's forces either, nor the troops from many parts of what was once the British Empire - for example one of my wife's uncles fought and died in Italy alongside Indian forces, and another was an officer with the Gurkhas in Burma.

Even while ackowledging our debt, we still get irritated by the gung-ho US action movies continually released in the UK. OK, they now have an obligatory woman character, but they are still nonsense, as were the British 19th Century Boys' adventure stories. They are an insult to the reality of US military forces.

 

[Katiecat]

British children's books in the late 19th and early 20th Century used to be the same.

What irritated many Brits was Hollywood's versions of WW2 with Americans playing roles in actions that occurred BEFORE Pearl Harbor.

We know that there were US citizens in the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain (and many more Poles and Czechs) but we didn't have John Wayne winning the war for us in every theatre.

We know the reality of WW2. A visit to the US cemetery above Omaha Beach is enough to show how much we owe to US forces. We shouldn't forget the USSR's forces either, nor the troops from many parts of what was once the British Empire - for example one of my wife's uncles fought and died in Italy alongside Indian forces, and another was an officer with the Gurkhas in Burma.

Even while ackowledging our debt, we still get irritated by the gung-ho US action movies continually released in the UK. OK, they now have an obligatory woman character, but they are still nonsense, as were the British 19th Century Boys' adventure stories. They are an insult to the reality of US military forces.

Many of us do realize how utterly stupid and obnoxious our country can be.

'Murica...fuck yeah