{"id":10168,"date":"2015-12-19T17:59:27","date_gmt":"2015-12-19T17:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/2015\/12\/19\/how-to-praise-writers-and-influence-fics\/"},"modified":"2015-12-19T17:59:27","modified_gmt":"2015-12-19T17:59:27","slug":"how-to-praise-writers-and-influence-fics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/2015\/12\/19\/how-to-praise-writers-and-influence-fics\/","title":{"rendered":"How to praise writers and influence fics"},"content":{"rendered":"

icybluepenguin<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019ve seen a lot of posts recently reminding readers to leave feedback on fics, which is great!! \u00a0Writers deserve all the love they can get. \u00a0Likes, reblogs, comments, messages, these are the lifeblood of writers. \u00a0They are proof that people are reading, that they\u2019re enjoying, and that they want more. \u00a0<\/p>\n

But maybe readers don\u2019t know what to say. \u00a0Maybe you\u2019re new to Tumblr, new to reading fan fiction, shy, or just not sure how to say what you want to say.<\/p>\n

Let me start by saying, no matter how popular the blog or how cool you think they are,<\/i> everyone loves a compliment. \u00a0If you\u2019re worried about sounding silly or bothering people, let me assure you- a message will make your writer do a happy dance (depending on the writer, they may actually<\/i> get up and dance. \u00a0I have.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the basic ways of communicating with writers on Tumblr:<\/p>\n

Likes and kudos-<\/b> these are great, they\u2019re the high-fives in this world. \u00a0They\u2019re the \u201chey, nice\u201d nod.
Reblogs-<\/b> even better, because they mean exposure. \u00a0More people see the story and that makes us really happy. \u00a0A reblog with a comment is amazing<\/i>, especially one that entices others to read. \u00a0These make a writer\u2019s day.
Comments and messages-<\/b> these are the thing that keeps us going. \u00a0Most of us have anon turned on- and if we don\u2019t, just let us know you want a private reply. \u00a0(And, if your writer has anon off, it probably means they\u2019ve been getting hate and deserve extra love.)
Recommendations-<\/b> recs are like coming in to work to find someone baked your favorite cake and left it on your desk. \u00a0Recommendations make your writer feel so loved and valued!<\/p>\n

So, that\u2019s all good, but what do you actually SAY to writers? \u00a0It doesn\u2019t have to be much or take a lot of time.<\/p>\n

A simple \u201cThis is great\/funny\/hot!\u201d is wonderful. \u00a0"Best fic I\u2019ve read this week!\u201c \u00a0"Funny as hell and cute too.\u201d \u00a0"You have to read this, it\u2019s awesome!\u201c \u00a0"I can\u2019t wait for more of this.\u201d \u00a0"I hope you keep going!\u201c \u00a0These are great in reblogs and in messages.<\/p>\n

Even better is specific feedback<\/b>. \u00a0We love<\/i> specific feedback, because it tells us what readers liked and what they didn\u2019t. \u00a0Want to influence our next fic? \u00a0Tell us what you liked about this one and I bet you it will keep showing up! \u00a0Specific feedback is just telling the writer what you liked. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t have to be long or complicated, either. \u00a0(But if you write a lot, we will love you so much.)<\/p>\n

Was there a character you liked?<\/b> \u00a0Talk about them: \u00a0"I love how you wrote X\u201d \u201cY was so funny!\u201d \u00a0"OMG I wanted to STRANGLE Q!\u201c \u00a0"You can really feel X\u2019s frustration.\u201d \u00a0"Y has so much depth, they\u2019re a really well-rounded character.\u201c \u00a0"R says so much with so few words, it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

What about a part or line you enjoyed?<\/b> \u00a0"That bit in the park- LOVE IT.\u201c \u00a0"I have never read a better description of a cup of tea.\u201d \u00a0"The way you wrote about his fear, that was heartbreaking.\u201c<\/p>\n

Was there a part that made you feel something?<\/b> \u00a0Happy, sad, angry? \u00a0"That last sentence killed me, he\u2019s so broken.\u201d \u00a0"I wanted to jump around when they finally kissed!\u201c \u00a0"This chapter was so tense, my heart was pounding by the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did the characters or plot or setting remind you of your life?<\/b> \u00a0"I live in Brussels, that\u2019s just how that street looks.\u201c \u00a0"When Y talked about R, I knew exactly how he felt.\u201d \u00a0"You captured that lost, aimless feeling perfectly; I\u2019ve so been there.\u201c<\/p>\n

Are there unanswered questions?<\/b> \u00a0Mention how much you want the answers. \u00a0"I can\u2019t wait to find out what\u2019s in the basket!\u201d \u00a0"That was a cliffhanger ending, wow.\u201c \u00a0"How is she going to explain THAT?\u201d \u00a0(some writers are touchy about \u00a0predicting, though, so stay away from \u201cI bet he\u2019ll throw that letter out.\u201d or \u201cX is clearly coming back.\u201d)<\/p>\n

A few closing notes:<\/b> be enthusiastic if that\u2019s your style, go crazy with exclamation marks, smileys, caps! \u00a0Tell a writer if you\u2019re rereading their work- very little makes us happier than knowing our writing has the staying power for a second, third, sixth, tenth read. \u00a0Did a reread give you a new insight or feeling about the fic? \u00a0Tell us! \u00a0We will be so excited<\/i> to hear. \u00a0And remember, recommendations are wonderful- putting up a random post tagging your favorite writers or fics you\u2019re enjoying will show the writers that they\u2019re writing is more than a flash in the opan and they\u2019ll get some new readers too!<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t do this writing thing without you guys. \u00a0So thank you so much! \u00a0Without readers, we\u2019re just talking to ourselves. \u00a0We love and appreciate you for reading- but we need to know you\u2019re doing it. \u00a0We need feedback like we need air<\/b>. \u00a0Don\u2019t let your favorite writers suffocate! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

icybluepenguin: I\u2019ve seen a lot of posts recently reminding readers to leave feedback on fics, which is great!! \u00a0Writers deserve all the love they can get. \u00a0Likes, reblogs, comments, messages, these are the lifeblood of writers. \u00a0They are proof that people are reading, that they\u2019re enjoying, and that they want more. \u00a0 But maybe readers … Continue reading How to praise writers and influence fics<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[618,137,154],"class_list":["post-10168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-important","tag-writing","tag-yes","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10168\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/archive.gabapple.com\/tumblr\/gabapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}