Does bad feedback really matter?

[p_p_man]

All authors have massive egos. We're like actors. We like to hear good things about our work all the time.

So when the odd bad feedback pops up in your e-mail do you take any notice or do you say to yourself, 'What the fuck do they know? The stupid ignorant illiterate peasants...'

And ignore the bad feedback altogether, deleting it into oblivion...

 

[curious2c]

p_p_man, I don't believe that ALL authors have massive egos! Perhaps some authors have massive ego's. I for one don't think that I have a big or 'massive' ego. Of course I don't like to read some feedback when it is offensive i.e.; "your story sucks and so do you asshole!" , because it dosen't help me to grow as a writer! All that type of feedback is a personal attack on a writer/author by someone who obviously took their story very much to heart! My viewpoint on that type of feedback is simply, cool! I struck a nerve there! I then go on to read more positive feedback. Some feedback is very helpful especially when it contains pertinent direct corrections or opinions! I am new to writing of any type, and may not have had the experiences of some, but this is my own humble opinion!

 

[KillerMuffin]

I have a massive ego.

I usually sulk for a day or so after deleting it, then forget all about it.

I love being a brainless genius.

 

[p_p_man]

My viewpoint on that type of feedback is simply, cool! I struck a nerve there!

Yes that's a good attitude to have. Turn the negative into positive.

But if we all took to heart negative feedback, and I know some people get very upset about it, a good healthy ego is a form of self protection against the more virulent forms of abuse.

Most times feedback is just an indication that your style of writing is on the right track. That you're hitting a pattern of presentaion that pleases most people, regardless of the type of story you've written.

The ultimate satisfaction is having a pleasing style and a 'must read' plot!

 

[p_p_man]

I have a massive ego.

I usually sulk for a day or so after deleting it, then forget all about it.

You and me both KM!

 

[Wm_Sexspear]

Positive feedback can help you gauge if your story is having the effect(s) you sought. Negative MAY teach you something.

I now know for sure that I do have some readers that like everything I've written, some that hate it. Based upon the written comments I can tell I'm reaching literate readers, which is my target audience. My few hate mails came from a clearly less literate readership. So feedback has told me I should keep doing what I'm doing.

I have also gotten constructive criticism, which is great. Whether I agree with any or all of it, it gives my something to consider.

Best of all… I've replied to everyone that supplied an address. As a result I've made a few nice acquaintances, had a couple nice 'conversations', even gotten several ideas for future stories.

If anyone is interested, I started a thread titled Stupid Human Tricks hoping for people to share their funniest, weirdest, favorite, etc. feedback stories. There are some fun ones, I'd love to hear more.

Larry

 

[curious2c]

I think my greatest fear would be no feedback! The only way I could tell if anyone even read the story would be by voting! Sure you have page reads, but sometimes/mosttimes are they reading the story or cruising on to other's story? I'll take any kind of feedback over none!

 

[SexyChele]

"Massive ego"? Who? Me? Nah, never, not me. I'm just always perfect!

Seriously, I guess I've either been very lucky or a very thick skin. I really haven't received much negative feedback. Almost all have been positive. Of the negative feedback, I've gotten "The story sucks", which gets a simple deletion from me - if they can't take the time to tell me what they didn't like, I don't have to waste my time wiggin' out about it.

Of the couple of feedback that were not glowing, but offered an opinion as to why they didn't like it, I took a look at the story from their perspective. I found it actually helped, as long as it was constructive - or at least pointed me in a direction as to where their mind was at. The last one I received has actually helped me discover where I had gone astray with one of my characters in an ongoing series.

Does bad feedback really matter? If it's constructive and causes a writer to consider their writing from another perspective, then yes, it does. If it only serves to put some one down, then no, it doesn't matter.

 

[Couture]

It depends on what the feedback is. I do have a massive ego, but unless the feedback is an outright attack, I hang on to it for a few days. I take a look at it again after I've duck taped my shattered ego back together. Sometimes, they have a point and I try to learn from it. Sometimes it is just a matter of opinion.

 

[Ray Dario]

I agree with Curious. If it is just "you're all fucked up dude!" feedback, it's worthless and I ignore it. If it is "Hey your story sucked and here's why" feedback then I read it and try to get as much out of it as possible.

I really don't mind people telling me I screwed up as long as they explain why. Even better if they offer help in correcting the problem.

In fact, I would rather get one useful negative feedback than twenty "Great story" feedbacks. I want to make my writing the best it can be and "great story" doesn't help me do that, constructive critisism does.

Ray

 

[Weird Harold]

But if we all took to heart negative feedback,

Make up your mind! Are we talking about bad feedback or negative feedback.

Bad Feedback is feedback that doesn't tell you anything other than you've touched a nerve or agitated a pet peeve -- it doesn't help in any way.

Negative Feedback tells you that there's some way you can improve your story or at least why it wasn't up to standards.

Bad feedback gets ignored.

Negative feedback gets evaluated for it's worth to me. I might not use anything in a negative feedback, because I don't agree with their comments, but I won't ignore it.

Sometimes, I have to let feedback sit for a day or two for my bloodpreassure to go down enough to determine if it's Bad or just Negative.

 

[p_p_man]

I've just checked that my latest story...

has been viewed 29796 times and been voted on by 154 readers.

On this particular story I've only received good feedback but on those sort of figures bad or even negative feedback wouldn't change anything. and anyway, the story's written. I don't intend to rewrite it.

The only decent negative feedback I've had in the last few weeks which I've taken any notice of is someone pointing out to me that Neil Diamond and not Neil Sedaka sang 'Song, Sung Blue'. That's fine and I'll remeber it if I ever bring the subject up in another story.

But for the most part only good feedback needs to be considered. The figures are too small to get upset over criticism. Unless every feedback you get is critical. bad or negative.

Then it's helpful.

 

[Closet Desire]

One thing...

...to remember about feedback is the source.

To be successful commercially you have to accept that your writing or art is a commodity--merely a product to be sold and purchased. If you try to sell ice cubes to Eskimos you'll go broke. If you've written a lovely, romantic bit of erotica and submit it to a fetish publication you're going to get rejected. If you get feedback it will be depressing. In less extreme circumstances it doesn't mean your writing is bad or that the editor/publisher is wrong--only that you didn't choose your market properly.

A few years ago a friend of mine published his first novel and sold about fifty copies. He was bitter toward everyone--the publisher and the general public. Idiots who didn't recognise good literature when they saw it. All of his work since has been rejected as well. Rather than consider that the market for his work is small or nonexistent, he chooses to blame millions of faceless people. Maybe after he dies he will be famous and people will pine for his loss but I rather doubt it.

If you write or create art for just the personal satisfaction then success is measured in those terms. If you want to publish and be popular then you have to write to spec or at least submit to the right market.

I'm always reminded of a company called American Motors (formerly Ramber) who had a "great idea" about what the public really wanted. They unveiled--drum roll please--the AMC Pacer.

Chrysler bought what was left of the company the following year.

The public can be pretty fickle, but they knew they didn't want a Pacer.

 

[karmadog]

CD, I understand where your friend is coming from, but if he/she choooses to write "literary" fiction, he should resign himself to never making money. Jim Harrison is enormously popular in France and he has sold many, many books (all things considered) in the US, but he still has to write screenplays. Quite frankly, he's a crappy screenplay writer, but there it is.

You know that the max for a literary short story is five grand, which is the exact dollar amount that F. Scott Fitzgerald would have made in the twenties. But in the twenties that would have been the equivalent of fifty grand. Writer's today must resign themselves to poverty or a life of suffering as a university professor.

 

[Closet Desire]

Some stereotypes...

...die hard.

That was pretty much my point about my friend although I think his approach has been to try writing something else.

I do write books with a reasonable amount of success and have qualifications to teach at post grad level but chose not to do so. Not so much because of the money but because I'm not structured enough to do it for very long and enjoy it. I leave it to occassionaly lecture by invitation. Nevertheless I don't live anywhere near the poverty line and pay taxes well above that line.

This is true of many writers. At least half of the contributors to our current edition are employed professionally as doctors, lawyers, administrators, and senior managers. You don't see them hanging around forums too often because they don't have the time (they would if they could I suspect). Some are lecturers and professors and, as far as I can tell, feel pretty rewarded by their positions.

Romantically many writers and artists live in poverty but I find I write better when I'm well fed, have a nice car, and cable TV.

Hey, it's a living.

Cheers!

 

[KillerMuffin]

I've always called it:

Positive Feedback: stuff that's not terribly helpful, but bolsters the ego "You're great!" "You made me cum 97 times and my wife hasn't stopped yet!"

Constructive criticism: I never get enough this. Anything with critique in it. Negative critique or positive critique. "I liked it, but you kept saying she dropped the keys when you made it clear they were locked in her truck."

Negative feedback: YOU SUCK! and variations.

I don't like the word "bad" or "good" applied to feedback because that implies subjective judgement and gives it value. I'm picky about semantics, though.



p_p_man, if we get a few more things in common, you'll be voting Republican next election. Be careful!

 

[curious2c]

ARRGH! My greatest fear may be happening on this my third story! Absolutely no feedback as of yet! Perhaps I shouldn't have even mentioned it here! Oh well! I suppose that this may have happened to some other writer. (I hope that I am not alone!)
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=47672
(My story)
Perhaps because it is the third chapter of an obviously l-o-n-g story?!

 

[Omni]

Grandma might just love it and Grandpop might say it is crap! <Smiles.>
Writing any type of literature is definitely a targeted endevor, even at times if you are not sure who that target is, but merely the fact that YOU like it.
Bad feedback as described in this thread, is not even worth considering.
Negative feedback is something different, if we care to learn as writers. Even though there is not a single time you get it that it is easy to take!
General speaking I think writers are an indepent lot. It must be something to do with the creative flow. But, I find any advice, even the most logical such as target your readers or write FOR your readers a hard thing to want to do.
When I first figured out that to get to where I wanted to be as a writer I would have to learn to write in the third person, I fought it tooth and nail! It was hard! I did not like it! I could not figure it out! Geezzz why do I have to do thissss etc.
But, now I love it, and that change came from a piece of negative feedback that I struggled against.
I think writing is always learning, and I guess to do that we have to hear the good and the constructive negatives.
I read all negative feedback, then consider it, before I just toss it aside.......or sometimes not. <smiles>

Omni

 

[Chicklet]

Damned Moron's Don't Know What They're Talking About

Unless they're praising me.

 

[Whispersecret]

I have a vigorous ego. You'll see it flare up often here on the boards.

I have gotten mainly positive feedback about my writing. I can't remember ever getting the "YOU SUCK" type. Sometimes people will point out things they didn't like. For instance, someone wrote me today saying they thought the scene in "Hostile Takeover" with the boys fishing was too crude. That's a valid opinion, and I'm fine with that. It says nothing about my writing, really.

This isn't to say that I'm not unsure (very!) about my writing. Getting rejected out in the "Real World" really killed me. I go through periods of feeling confident about what I write, and wondering if I really know anything about it at all.

 

[SweetSexyLady]

Bad Feedback

I didn't think there was such a thing as bad feedback until I read a few of these posts. People can be mean, and I say just ignore the assholes that are. But other than that I really don't believe there is such a thing.
I don't really have an ego, so I need mass encouragement when I write things. I let my bf read my stories before I submit them and if he gets hard then I know I did a good job, when he attacks me after, then I know I did a great job! I haven't submitted any stories under my new name....this one...but I have under SweetShelby. I got good constructive critiscim, and I hope I put that to good use with the story that I am working on now.


SweetSexyLady

 

[p_p_man]

Bad, negative, good or whatever...

If you're a new author and you're learning the skills needed to produce good, readable work then feedback of any kind from a general reader is not likely to help you.

The only way you can progress is by reading up on the subject, asking questions of fellow authors and by generally immersing yourself in the skill of writing. Don't forget though being an author is meant to be fun!

I love feedback from readers. My ego reaches the stars when I get e-mail after e-mail praising something I've written. But I rarely take advice from readers on how to write. It's kind of them to make suggestions but we, as authors, are very much independent creatures and I usually know when I produce something which is sub-standard.

Bad feedback I delete immediately, negative feedback I read and good feedback I frame!

 

[SweetSexyLady]

Re: Bad, negative, good or whatever...

If you're a new author and you're learning the skills needed to produce good, readable work then feedback of any kind from a general reader is not likely to help you...

I'm not sure about that. I like feedback from anyone. I mean, isn't it general readers who are the ones that read our stories the most? I haven't been here long, so please forgive me if I am wrong. I finally submitted two stories under this name, but they are still pending....how long does it generally take? This is the second day, please pm me with the answer to this. Thanks!


SweetSexyLady

 

[touchoflace]

It has always been my philosphy that my stories are a way of expressing my experiences, dreams, thoughts, etc. I do so for myself. Sharing them is a form of exhibitionism to me, and when I receive a positive response it feeds that side of me, and it brings a most pleasurable response, so as to speak. I find that feedback both negative and positive can be a useful tool to help me strengthen my style, and talent. To allow me to reach all possible audiences, so I welcome feedback of any type.

lace{†Ð¬}

 

[Quint]

Sure, I welcome all types of feedback too

But do I greet them with open arms and a bottle of bubbly, or with my trusty board-with-nail? I have received only one "negative" feedback written with any amount of intelligence, and it hurt me more than the rest combined. I like to think that the people of a similar intellect to mine will enjoy and agree with my stories. I do think I struck a nerve in THAT gentleman. I was cringing for days after that.

I have yet to receive any unasked-for, in-depth critique, which could mean any number of things. 1.) I'm the only fool who gets a kick out of random critiques, and so, short of developing another personality, I'll never be the recipient. 2.) My work has few to no serious flaws. 3.) My work is so shy that the people willing to go in-depth haven't found it yet. And so on.

I have only my logical mind to tell me when a story is ready. My own words never excite me, and hunny thinks that erotic stories are silly. Boy, we're going to be a lively couple in thirty years. o)