To all writers recieving feedback...

[Lying Eyes]

Just a note to all writers that recieved emailed feedback that is not anonymous. If someone lets you know that they enjoyed your piece always reply back if in the feedback an email address is given, with a thank you note for the feedback. It can be as simple as "thanks for the feedback" or "thankyou for sharing your thoughts". Some writers after recieving feedback will instead send feedback of their own to the other writer/reader in return which is even a more appreciative way of saying thank you.

Ocasionaly I send feedback and recieve no response. Sometimes I will try to give an in depth feedback and when I do and don't recieve feedback I think either:

The emailed feedback never reached the author or he/she doesn't care for feedback and I just wasted my time and effort sending him/her feedback

 

[The Mutt]

When I was a newbie, I was fortunate in that several of the old hands commented on my stories and poems and made me feel very welcome. I am truly grateful.
Now I try to keep an eye out for first-timers and encourage them in return.
It's a good feeling.

 

[cantdog]

Service, paradoxically, is a big component of leadership. Make it better wherever you go.

cantdog

 

[Green_Gem]

Lying Eyes,

I agree with your sentiments completely. If readers take the time out to send you feedback, the very least a writer can do is to send a short note of thanks acknowledging the feedback.

I posted a similar type thread a couple of months ago asking authors if they do respond to feedback and it seems that in the main they do. I know that if I send feedback and it is not acknowledged, I'm less likely to take the trouble to read that author's work again. As a writer who submits here, I value feeback and comments and make a point of replying timeously and appropriately to all feedback with email addresses. I've found that it also earns me 'loyal' readers who make a point of looking for my work, and since views, votes and feedback is the real reward here, it seems strange that writers wouldn't respond.

Green_Gem

 

[vargas111]

I always relpy if there is an address.

I can't get enough feedback. It's particularly frustrating when negative feedback is anomyous.

 

[stray_girl]

Lying Eyes,

I agree with your sentiments completely. If readers take the time out to send you feedback, the very least a writer can do is to send a short note of thanks acknowledging the feedback.

I posted a similar type thread a couple of months ago asking authors if they do respond to feedback and it seems that in the main they do. I know that if I send feedback and it is not acknowledged, I'm less likely to take the trouble to read that author's work again. As a writer who submits here, I value feeback and comments and make a point of replying timeously and appropriately to all feedback with email addresses. I've found that it also earns me 'loyal' readers who make a point of looking for my work, and since views, votes and feedback is the real reward here, it seems strange that writers wouldn't respond.

Green_Gem

I'm glad I read your message. I'm kind of new and have only one story posted. I've received feedback from around 10 people. By the way, I just finished replying to each one, thanking them for taking the time to send me comments.

I've given feedback to about a dozen or so people and only received one reply. I really didn't think too much of it, and it didn't occur to me that people would want a reply to their feedback.

Anyway, thanks for pointing that out.

stray_girl

 

[DekeJeffery]

I always respond to readers' feedback. I think that if someone took the time to read my story, AND send me some feedback on it, they've earned at least a 'thank you'. I love knowing that my work has aroused or moved someone.

The only time I didn't send a response to a readers' feedback (other than those sent anonymously) was when someone sent me feedback on a couple of my stories, and went into excruciatingly crude detail on what he likes to do with his wife, and his equally crude suggestions of what my characters might do for a sequel.

Maybe he got off by telling me what he thought, and maybe he's not as disgusting as a person as what his emails wanted me to believe. Maybe he was just trolling. In any event, I thought that responding would open up an avenue of communication I simply didn't want opened.

 

[Sabledrake]

If there's a return address, I always reply to feedback, too. Wish there was an easy way to respond to Public Comments, as well (or maybe there is and I've just been too dense to find it). Having someone take the time to read my work is great, and having them take the time to send me a note about it is even better!

Sabledrake

 

[eric shawn listo]

Of course, always reply to feedback. And for reasons already stated. Gotta keep that give and go alive.

esl


[co+l+or=green] eric shawn listo's erotic stories listed[/color]

 

[hotchkiss]

Okay Guys i get the message, I haven't replied to emails for fear of picking up a virus or something.

I apologise for my selfish and thoughtless behavior and promise to do the right thing from now on.


TA HK
(suitably chastised)

http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=151922

 

[Uncle South Loop]

I DEFINETELY attempt to answer all comments I get with a VALID e-mail addy. Several times, my reply failed & was returned because the addy. wasn't valid?????

But, I think it's not just a polite thing to do but, in the five years I've been writing, have made many friends with my readers and other fellow erotic writers. I feel the freindships have helped me. My readers and author "peers" have provided many constructive criticisms that I've used to improve my writing.

I ALWAYS answer.

 

[nushu2]

I apologize to those who sent me an email for not replying. Part of the form that it is sent with contained the words "Do not reply".

I appreciated the comments and would have liked to say so.

Now, I know better.

 

[Rainbow Skin]

I usually reply to feedback. But if all the message says is 'This was great!' I don't think they really said anything to me, so there's nothing to reply to. I also don't reply to the ones that are along the lines 'That was great! I'd really like to get to know you at a personal level.'

 

[wishfulthinking]

I also don't reply to the ones that are along the lines 'That was great! I'd really like to get to know you at a personal level.'

Yep! Definitely hearing you on that one I sometimes think they don't even read your story, but just send you this email saying they want to be your dom, and that you have to send them a photo and so on.

When I give feedback, I never expect anyone to then go and give me feedback on anything I write, or even reply. I give it for free, and they can take it or leave it. And I wouldn't then want feedback from someone who wasn't interested in my story/category or whatever. I sometimes don't know what to do when I get about 10 emails in a row saying "that was great, so what do you think of my story?" But on the otherside, if someone does leave their member id in the feedback or pc, I will go check out thier page and their stories (curiosity ), and have a look and a vote anyway [it won't happen overnight, but it does happen ]

I've put on my members page that I am very slack with emails. I do reply to all of them (with obvious exceptions) even if it generally takes me a month.

Sorry if this all sounds unauthorly

 

[LadyJeanne]

I reply to most of the feedback I've been receiving on my story even if all they say is just that they liked it. It feels great to know that my twisted imagination connected with someone else's and even turned them on, so I really appreciate getting those comments.

The comments on the quality of my writing (and/or the lack thereof) have all been thoughtful and constructive - there are some great writers in Lit, so I'm always grateful for the tips

My favorite comments, though, are the ones where people offer their suggestions for continuing the story. BDSM category readers are very, very creative!!

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

 

[Lying Eyes]

Note that the literotica feedback system is not 100% reliable.

If anyone emailed me and didn't get a reply even though they left their email address it was because I never recieved the feedback.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I politely replied to some feedback and answered a few questions the sender had; and this person apparently took it the wrong way, because this person e-mailed me like seven times in one night and wanted to meet me.

Some of the things this person said they would like to do (with me, or me to do to them) were quite unnerving and really kinda freaked me out. It's made me uneasy about answering feedback now.

Anyone else had something like that happen?

Maybe the way to deal with that is to not answer any questions unless they're "When's your next story coming out, what's it about, etc."

BTW, I blocked this person's e-mail address and never answered again, of course, not even to say "You need help!"

 

[GratefulFred]

I love feedback of any type...

Good, bad, indifferent, wrong message sent by mistake, offers for sexual favors for votes, growing a second penis techniques, etc...so long as it has nothing to do with shoe shopping (ugh!)



My stories...

http://www.literotica.com/stories/s...y.php?id=154569

http://www.literotica.com/stories/s...y.php?id=154572

 

[obscured]

Feedback whore!

Since posting my first story, I've been obsessed with feedback. Every note from a reader is gold to me. If they leave an address, I will always reply with something personal--never copy/paste.
Not only is it a fun thrill, it's also good marketing. Anything you can do to build a fan base, right? I mean, interacting with the readers makes them remember your name the next time one of your stories crosses their screens.
I have, in the past, made a few friends from feedback, and I once got some really good editing that way.
-ob.

 

[snowy ciara]

I'm not an author over here yet , but I am active on other non erotic story boards, circles, fanfic sites. I do have several stories pending here, though. While some of my stories in those venues get a large dose of mushy romantic mildly spicy stuff, this is the first erotic type place I've posted in.

Feedback wise, there are only three types I don't answer. I don't answer the "Great story, wanna go out?" feedback. I don't answer the non constructive hateful criticism emails. You probably know what I mean. "That's sick sick sick, you're EEEEEVVVIIILLLLLLL!" or "I hated it.", with nothing constructive in there.

The third one I don't usually answer is the "Dear Murdering Bastards" type. This is really an offshoot of the second one above. But usually it's in response to the way a specific character is handled in a story, not a general response. (In Highlander, season 6, a favorite character was killed off. The writers got all sorts of hate mail, one of which started out "Dear Murdering Bastards," and has become a classic.) Suppose I'm writing a Buffy fanfic and Spike sends someone roses in a pure mushy romantic way. This would be completely out of character for him. (Which is why I probably wouldn't write it.) So if I got an email saying that in a non confrontational way, offering examples and such, I'd answer it. (He's not above sending flowers if it pushes pins into someone, but as a purely romantic gesture, I don't think so!) But if I got a screaming bloody email in the "How dare you have my evil Spikey-Wikey do something like that! You should burn in hell for making him a nice guy! I hate you, you clueless wench!" vein, (pun intended) it'd go right into the recycle bin. Not because I don't agree with their opinion, but because they didn't bother to give me any meaningful feed back with it! What am I supposed to say? Should I write back in an equally inflamatory manner?

I do have one question for you folks about feedback. On one of the boards, we get a lot of "great story" feedback. Nothing else, just "great story". Which I love, but there's not much cause for dialog there. So I send a nice short email that just says "thanks!". I answer all of them individually. Another writer I know has a nice short sweet "thank you" form letter that she sends out to the ones that just say "great story." She does send it out individually rather than having ten or fifteen address in the "send to" box, but it 's a form letter. Any opinions? Is this okay, or totally disrepectful of your readership? I'm kind of thinking it's a bit disrespectful. If I sent someone a "great story" letter for two or three different stories, and got the same response to all three. I might be a little offended. I don't know for sure, but I might be. The more logical side of my brain says that I'm a geeky college jock chick and I know how you get pressed for time sometimes, so it's not so bad. But the ego part of me gets a little twitchy.

 

[cloudy]

I answer feedback, but never with a form letter. It doesn't have to be anything long, but something like "I'm really glad you enjoyed my story. I have a new one I'm working on now, blah, blah, blah."

I have a couple of fans that read everything I write as soon as it comes out, and if I had responded with a "form" thank you, I don't think I would have them.

 

[Honey123]

Feedback

I always try my hardest to answer any and all feedback (with the exception of Anonymous) since I never know how to thank them...I mean, do I do a thread just to thank Anonymous? I get a few at a time..how would they know I mean them?

But, in this thread, I would love to say to everyone I have already thanked and to those I may have missed purely by accident, Thank you so much for reading my stories, for your kind words and even words that make me sit back and realize that not all SEX is for everyone...

When I do get feedback, I try and encourage that person to read my other stories for two reasons:

1. Well, the obvious, for more reads and votes; and
2. If the story they first read was not to their liking, well then perhaps my other ones might be.

I also love to get ideas for stories ~ so I ask in my thank you's for that as well...


Thanks, Lying Eyes for putting this thread here, hopefully someone who I missed will see that I am sorry for not responding to them and realize that I appreciate their support.

*Honey

 

[Talin]

I've always appreciated feedback on my stories. In the last year or so I've not gotten a lot of feedback but in a few cases I was only able to read it months afterward. That basically made me feel too awkward about replying to a months old email in two cases that were essentially a single line or two long.

Now that i'm finally editing a 4th story I'm somewhat in the position of worrying about not being able to reply for months yet again and not sure how to solve it other than an apology for not being able to check my mail, or to disable feedback.