Anonymous Feedback

[ANNE240]

Hey evryone! Just thought I'd share something with you all. I received this Anonymous feedback from a reader on my new story, and thought it was a rather noteworthy thing to share with everyone. I have to say, I always appreciate Feedback, positive or negative, but I do feel that it would be nice for someone to at least make themselves known.

This message contains feedback for: ANNE240
About the submission: The Third Wheel
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous

Comments:

If you want to have to different points of view (e.g, this atarts off with Dave narrating, then switches to third person, and back to Dave) USE A TRANSITION.

One BIG problem with this: Kayla.

The reality is that she is a self important, selfish piece of shit. HE's not an asshole, she is.

Fucking someone else is cheating. Period. If Bridgette wants to be with her, fucking Dave is cheating. If she wants to be with Dave, fucking Bridgette is cheating. End of story. Any other stance is a rationalization.

Also, I think it's important to remember that these are just fictional stories! I mean, is it me, or does this person just seem WAY too angry? Jeez - Relax!!! I would have loved for this person to reveal themselves to me, and read some of the stories they have posted!

ANNE240

 

[flawed_ethics]

Perhaps. I agree that if you don't like the subject matter, back out and find something else to whet (sp?) your appetite. The person who wrote the feedback might think your over-reacting too. The door swings oth ways. Besides, it's anonymous feedback. Why get worked up about it?

At least there is some constructive feedback here. If indeed, The Thrid Wheel has POV issues, you might be better suited to address the issue before releasing a story. (I will admit, I haven't checked it out yet.)

As for wanting to see what the feedback's source has written - if you only want feedback from other authors, you shouldn't opt for anonymous feedback then - and instead pander to your peers. That's no fun now, is it?

Still, it seems like your story reaches out to people, so kudos on acheiving that aspect of literature.

 

[Gary Chambers]

Hi Anne,

Years of journalism sadly do not make you a better writer. There are things I could do with words at 15 that I can't do nearly as well now I'm 51, and journalism was partly to blame for that. But I did learn a few things being a journalist, and one of them was that sometimes writers are paid to be hated. Your story moved someone enough that they had to react, even if it was just to vent steam at you. Don't let it bother you. You are obviously doing something right or the reader wouldn't have bothered. My guess is you created a scenario the reader has actually lived, and perhaps reached some incorrect conclusions over. Seeing life reflected back at him probably reminded him of that chain of events and so...

Instead of worrying about that one reader, who will probably read your next story too now that you've moved him once, take the advice that I was given after my first posting and put a link to your work in your forum postings. PM me if you need help with that. Clicking on my name should bring up a page with a PM link.

 

[Boota]

Anne,

I haven't read the story yet, but I think this was a pretty positive response, too. There was a point about maintaining the correct point of view. Not having read your story I don't know if it is valid or not.

But the most important thing is that your characters semed real enough to piss someone off at their behavior. I would call that a victory.

 

[Jenny _S]

Look, Anne.
This is sucess. You have raised enough emotional response with your story to get this kind of feedback. Even though the idiot who responded is not very bright you struck something in him that worked. Way to go!!!

 

[A7inchPhildo]

ANNE240,

as GaryBob2 said I must admit those are the feedback I thrive off of. Other then the fact this peson could not make a complaint in good wording.

"USE A TRANSITION" I would never say this but it is important to conect the story for the reader.

One BIG problem with this: Kayla.

The reality is that she is a self important, selfish piece of shit. HE's not an asshole, she is.

I would eat that up hun, that is like the best compliment. This idiot obviously was moved by your story enough it triggered a real response.

Fucking someone else is cheating. Period. If Bridgette wants to be with her, fucking Dave is cheating. If she wants to be with Dave, fucking Bridgette is cheating. End of story. Any other stance is a rationalization.

Man this guy was hooked on what you wrote. I think his own life may be a bit disturbed, but is you throwing the truth in his face your problem as long as he acceted to reading your story?

To be honest I like it when this comes from an anon, I do not feel compelled then to write a response that sinks them further into their hole of misery. And deal with a week or two of stupid letters crowding my Yahoo mail box. I cant help but to torment the weak minded. Don't they get it this is the internet! Sticks and stones do not exist they are imaginary! and Names I eat up with passion!



For the Uk folk the child saying is "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me!"

 

[alphabravo]

READER REACTIONS

This isn't a problem. You elicited a very visceral response from a reader. The situation, and your handling of it produced a heartfelt response. That's exactly what you try to do, get a response! Granted this was a response not to your liking , but something in there reached out and grabbed this reader by the throat, it shook him around a little bit and then left him feeling as though he had to let the person who had created this response know that he was upset. I wonder just how many other people there are who felt this was a very reasonable and even pleasing scenario and just didn't bother to comment on it because it was so very reasonable and inderstandable..... GOOD FOR YOU!!!!

Sometimes, regardless of what your original intentions were, if you write something that grabs people with a good, strong grip, you'll get inundated with responses that seem way over the top. Remember though, a response means you touched someone enough so they had to tell you about it. A strong response means you really got their attention!!

 

[Enodia]

I agree with what everyone here has said....a response is what a writer wants from a reader! He didn't say the STORY was "shit" it was the character. If she was real enough for him to have such a negative reaction to her--kudos to you!

And on the journalism thing: I took journalism, and it made me a worse writer. Makes me more factual and to-the-point, and not as "lush" a writer as I'd like to be.

Anyhow...good work if the guy was so passionate about this story!

 

[HapLess Husband]

I agree that we all are trying to get a response from your reader, but hopefully positive. It doesn't always work that way. I get blasted some times, always for the direction my story may take. I always assume I have touched a sore point in the individual to the point that they become downright nasty and give me a bad score. What I have NEVER had was somebody badmouth the story itself or my writing style. Incidentally, I feel sure there are those out there that spend the night going through each story and intentionally blasting them for the sole purpose of doing so. I write under several pseudonym on different links and have had the same person (they identified themselves) blast my totally unrelated stories with almost the exact wording.

I'm tempted to direct them to the website for 60 Minutes or something like that to remind them that they are reading fantasy, but feel it is better to let well enough alone. To the original author of this thread, I suspect that nobody enjoys getting the bad messages (I just got one proudly proclaiming that he gave me a one) even if we did move them enough to garner a response.