Good Netfic Through Better Feedback
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| Title: | Good Netfic Through Better Feedback |
| Creator: | Marla R. Reed |
| Date(s): | August 2000 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom: | |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | Good Netfic Through Better Feedback |
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Good Netfic Through Better Feedback is a 2000 essay by Marla R. Reed. It has the subtitle: "Giving feedback as a Valuable Tool."
Excerpts
The best thing that a reader can to do to help a writer improve is to give them generous amounts of honest, constructive feedback. But how to go about giving feedback can be a very difficult thing to decide. The biggest worry is the fear of saying something wrong or stupid. Don't worry, chances are you will:) Truth is, we all do sometimes and it's forgivable as long as both the reader and the writer understand that it's being offered as help. As the reader begins to actively participate in giving feedback he/she will improve just as they will help the writer to improve.
Posting a story to the net is an act of courage on the part of the writer and the worst response they can get is silence. Silence undermines a writer's self confidence, especially a new writer! The second worst response is comments with no elaboration. Things such as "I liked it", "It was good" or "I just didn't work for me" don't help the writer to understand exactly what she/he did well or needs to improve on. Being specific is far more constructive and valuable to the writer and the reader. Believe it or not but the majority of writers, especially new ones, really don't have any awareness of their strengths or weaknesses as a writer. They need to be made specifically aware of those things so that they can build on the strengths and repair the weaknesses. The following is one possible approach to take that will help you to give feedback that is constructive and productive to the writer and to other readers.
The first one does the one thing you want to avoid--making yourself seem incapable of accepting anything but positive feedback. It leaves the reader worrying and debating over what your definition of 'unkind' is. It leads them to remain silent rather than take the risk of hurting your feelings. The second one is equally as detrimental because it gives the impression you will view anything but positive feedback as flaming even if that is not the case. It leads the reader to be concerned over what you consider flaming to be. It leads them to remain silent rather than run the risk of starting a conflagration. The best thing to do, is to never give the impression you associate flaming with feedback.
Be honest about the work you are presenting. Let the reader know if it is a first draft, revision or final product. Let them know if you are a new writer or if this is a new genre/topic aspect for you. Be specific about the kind of feedback you want (or don't want) such as comments on overall content, characterization, punctuation and so on.
Remember that readers often disagree about what they have read. You will get different views on the same topic and there will possibly be reactions to feedback comments from others. This is a productive thing as long as the feedback/comments involved are geared towards what's best for the writer. Sometimes, feedback discussion between readers can result in trying to win an argument or prove a point rather than offer a solution. Learn to recognize this feedback for what it is and don't take it personally as it usually has nothing to do with your overall writing or story. Objectively choose the constructive things it has to offer and move on.
If feedback from several people leaves you with conflicting comments or there was more than two overly severe comments, don't respond right away. Instead, read everything through once, set it aside for a few days then go back to it. This gives you time to process what was said and to be more objective about how it applies to what you have written. This also gives you time to decide if the criticism was inaccurate or off track. Also take time to look at the overall mood or basic views on a topic that the group may have as a whole (a 'shipper' story may not do as well with a 'nonshipper' crowd'). This can be a very vital aspect of how you choose to be influenced by feedback.