Anonymous feedback

[OxfordDon]

I am fairly new to this site and only have 7 submissions with varying amounts of feedback. However I get the occasional anonymous comments that are somewhat cryptic and sometimes downright bizarre, and normally bear no relation to the story.
Is this a form of spam and can they be safely ignored?

 

[gauchecritic]

Which kind of feedback do you mean? Personal Messages, mail or comments at the end of the story? Not that it matters which.

There are some weird readers out there, some will tell you that your characters wouldn't do that or what should happen to them because they did that. Some will tell you what you did wrong or how you should have ended the story.

If it's a PC give us an example.

The best and worst example I ever received as PC was "It suck". What're you gonna do?

 

[OxfordDon]

anonymous feedback

Both times it was posted at the end of the story.
For one story it was "TIT...for TAT!" (heard this once in a comedy film - was it meant as a joke??)

The other was "HA Ha such a funny story - thanks for a good laugh." This was for my latest addition.

As you rightly say - what can you do?

Someone has too much time on their hands....

 

[CWatson]

Is this a form of spam and can they be safely ignored?

In my experience, all reader comments can be safely ignored... Unless it makes some sort of impact on you.

If reading it makes you feel good, write 'em back and thank them for it.

If reading it makes you feel bad, write 'em back and thank them for telling you a hard truth. Then work on whatever it is they criticized.

If it's just random or irrelevant, it's random or irrelevant. You can ignore it.

 

[KarennaC]

I pay attention to comments from writers whose names I recognize either from having read their stories or from having read their comments or had discussions with them here on the forum.

Otherwise, I pay attention to the comments that either make me feel good or that offer helpful criticism or advice about the story or my writing, and ignore the rest.

 

[Elianna]

I think that sometimes people can leave a good critique anonymously. But you have to know when they are just being a troll of if their points are valid. I have found that a good, valid critique leaves me thoughtful and checking my story to see if they are correct.

If I believe they are on to something, I seek help here on the threads. If I think they're pissing in the wind, I ignore them.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't quite get the "can it be safely ignored?" question. Yes, you're perfectly free to ignore any comment you don't like--here you can delete it as well, if you like.

 

[Darkniciad]

I don't quite get the "can it be safely ignored?" question. Yes, you're perfectly free to ignore any comment you don't like--here you can delete it as well, if you like.

When you're new to writing, or just new to unmoderated, unfiltered feedback from the masses, it's just a question that comes up. You've been in the real business for a while, so you're probably used to cold, sometimes unfounded critique. I doubt anybody in the publishing world ever told you that you should eat a shotgun for something that you wrote, but you've had exposure of your writing to public critique prior to wading into the shark pit of Lit feedback.

Even the experience of dealing with an editor/proofer/beta reader, something that most of us don't do with our first few stories, starts the process.

Without the seasoning time, you have to wonder whether those venom-spitting comments are an indication that your writing is so awful as to be offensive to readers. That's one element of "is it safe to ignore."

The other element is actually hidden in there, and that is "should I respond?"

You can charge into the waves with barely a blink, because you've sailed rough waters before. For most of us, we're on a ship that we've barely had time to puzzle out the rigging for when the hurricane hits.

 

[OxfordDon]

anonymous feedback

Thanks for all the advice - I've just had three positive feedback e-mails for the story which more than makes up for it!

Ta everso!

 

[TallDarkandRandom]

Wow. A fellow Oxonian. What are the chances?

 

[OxfordDon]

Oxford

Wow. A fellow Oxonian. What are the chances?

Actually in Abingdon but Oxford sounds better! Love the city...