Lack Of Feedback

Meta
Title:	Lack Of Feedback
Creator:	CiCi Lean and many commenters
Date(s):	September 17, 1997
Medium:	USENET post
Fandom:	emphasis on The X-Files
Topic:
External Links:	Lack Of Feedback, Archived version
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Lack Of Feedback is a post by CiCi Lean at alt.tv.x-files.creative.

There is much discussion in the comments.

For additional context, see Timeline of Concrit & Feedback Meta.

Some Topics Discussed

• lack of feedback
• feedback as currency
• writers who don't respond to feedback
• how much feedback is enough?
• different posting venues and amount of feedback
• do writers get tired of hearing feedback?

The Post

Meanwhile, I've been flooded with feedback to stories I've posted in another newsgroup that I only recently started reading. What's the deal? Is ATXC so glutted with stories that *nobody* can keep up with feedback?

I used to think that was the case, but I'm not sure anymore. What changed my mind was looking at the Gossamer Download stats. One story I wrote that I got exactly 5 pieces of feedback for, was downloaded, and I'm not kidding, 400 TIMES.

That's a disgraceful ratio, nearly 1 out of 100. So, what's the deal here? Readers? Anyone? Is it shyness? Laziness? Broken fingers?

I don't mean to sound bitter or anything, but feedback is the *only* payment fanfic authors get for their labours. It really hurts to know that people are reading your stories and you're not sure if they are enjoying them or if you are just making a damn fool out of yourself in front of an audience of thousands.

So what *is* the deal here?

CiCi

Excerpts from the Comments

[Loligo Opalescens]: I have to admit, I always check my download stats -- some of my stories have had a better feedback/download ratio than that, but others have been even worse than that.

[Raine]: I agree, and have strong feelings on feedback, but I think we just need to realize it's human nature. Unless you're just so moved by a story that you can't not comment, or want something, like a sequel, why should you comment? Never mind it's the kind/nice thing to do. So I won't really go there...Except to say that I try and respond to the majority of stories I read. The ones I don't reply to I ususally haven't gotten all the way through. And I've read a lot less lately for some reason. Well, crap, since I'm going off on a tangent, why not...Does anyone else have that experience, that the more you write, the less you read? It's kind of weird for me, since I used to read an enormous amount of fanfic. I'm not sure if it's a time issue, or if I am simply more impatient/critical now. Okay, back to the original point for posting. Ahem. What I want to know is, you can check out how many times your story was downloaded? I am in shock... Please tell a computer moron how this is done. Of course, once I find out, I may just go into a severe depression ... But hey, I'm up for it, I've got my thick skin on today.

[ Loch Ness ]: Yes. I almost never read anything when I'm working on a story...which is most of the time. So I just don't read all that much fanfic, which is the principal reason why I don't offer much feedback.

[Circe]: I have to agree. I get much more feedback from small, private mailing lists than I do from atxc. I think the amount of stories flowing through here is overwhelming.

I do understand lack of feedback. I don't always write an author when I really like something. I mean to, I just don't always get around to it.

Feedback is nice, but I've learned not to expect it. And Loligo, I'd love to get a note like yours, constructive criticism is wonderful, and it shows that the reader is really interested.

[Megan]: It probably is human nature. But I have to be annoying here and say to people who don't comment: were you happy to have read that story? Were you glad that story was there? Well, if you don't comment, it might not be there next time. Writers, do you want feedback on your stories? Why do you expect people to write you if you don't write them?

[Maria]: ....I posted to the group before thanking the people that wrote to me. I got something like 30 letters concerning my story "The Eternal Flame", and I thought - hey this is great, lots of feedback. And after reading your post I go to the download stats and find that the story has been downloaded about 2000 (!) times on Gossamer. And that sure puts the amount of feedback in a whole new light...

[Anna Maria]: Well, what I think is going on is that many people have no idea what they would say to fanfic authors. They read a story and think, "Gee, that was great," or "Gee, that sucked." They don't really like to analyze *why* they feel that way. I often find it hard to pinpoint my likes and dislikes about the stories I read, so I am frequently unable to offer any kind of constructive criticism or praise. I just *know* if I like it or not. Also, and I hate to say this, but I find that when I pick apart someone's story, it kind of takes the magic out of reading fanfic. I start to concentrate on plot construction and characterization, and that (at least for me) takes away from the whole point of reading fanfic in the first place - to be entertained. Anna Marie (who is trying to be perfectly honest and not feel totally ashamed of herself at the same time.)

[ Red Valerian ]: From one computer moron to another. There's probably a quicker way, but this is what I have recently discovered. Some of the Gossamer sites (but not all) have a download stats link - but the figures vary tremendously depending on which site you're accessing, so I assume that they refer to that server only, and not to Gossamer genereally.

For instance, the Gossamer Simplenet site has my 'Pick Any Number' as having had 620 hits for the week Aug 31-Sept 6 - making it the fourth highest downloaded story. (Whoo-hoo!)

But the Gossamer Australia site says that the same story only got 114 hits for the same period. DOH! (Not that I'm complaining - actually. Thank you - all 114 of you!)

So you should run off and visit the Gossamer - Australia, X-Philes and Simplenet sites and check out their download stats. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

Oh - and if anyone knows an easier way to find out the download figures, please tell.

Final word on feedback generally. It's great when you get it - but I understand when people download but don't write. I'm afraid I've been guilty of the same sin of omission myself. I've been meaning to write to many people on this very site whose fantasitc stories have appeared recently. But mea culpa - I keep not getting around to it.

So - I'm going to send off one of those - 'recent stories I have loved' type postings in a minute - and *that* will probably cause a shoal of complaints from people whose stories I've left out - but guys - chill out. If you admire one story, it in no way denigrates all of the others.

It's just that there's so much great fanfic out there and so little time to respond to it all.

[ CiCi Lean ]: Well, if I bought the book, then I'd say I've sent that author the biggest fan letter of all.

I gave him my money. <grin>

You know, the only source of compensation for writing fanfiction is feedback (and the short-lived warm fuzzies that come from being able to say "I made this!"). I know that not everyone enjoys everything they read...but if they DO, then they *should* send the author a little note (And no, you *don't* have to send brilliant 10-page critiques. A one line sentence that says "i dug dis" is good enough for most of us).

It's really the polite and courteous thing to do. You know the saying..."If you enjoyed the tune, you gotta pay the piper."

CiCi

PS: If you think I'm sounding snarky, please don't get me wrong. I'm not really *that* vehement about this. I'm enjoying this thread and all the responses I've read here have been interesting and informative.

[Selena Coontz]: In my entire life, I have sent exactly one. And I imagine I am very much in the minority by having written even one. People are not accustomed to writing authors and saying they liked what they read.

The fanfic internet community also offers the cover of anonymity. "That was a good story, someone else will write and tell the author so. I can just keep reading." Or, "I'm somewhat intimidated to write because I don't know what to say other than I liked that."

I've had a handful of occasions when someone has written me and asked if they could add one or more of my stories to their webpage and the exchange will start of with, "You're one of my favorite authors," and I would have never heard from them before. It's amazing to think I can be in someone's group of favorites, but I've never heard from them. (Don't get me wrong, I STILL want to hear from you. <g>)

I take the download stats as a form of feedback. I may not hear from the people who download my stuff, but considering the 6000 to 7000 stories on the archives, just making the top 500 is a compliment. And yes, I know we're not supposed to take them too seriously, but hey, I take what I can get.

[Andrew in Amherst]: ... chances are many readers will give feedback to a new writer. I am more likely to send feedback to a writer whose name I don't recognize. When I send feedback, it is almost always brief and specific, mentioning perhaps a character and a scene that I thought were particularly well done.

So new writers have the "advantage" once their stories have been read. But don't many established writers have at least as big an "advantage," given that people recognize their name and are more inclined to download their stuff?

Count me among the many who would like more feedback. It doesn't have to be positive, although it should of course be constructive.

[Rachel]: Oy, now I feel bad. I checked that out and what I happily discovered was that one of my recent pieces of fanfic was accessed 112 times. I was beyond excited. 112 people saw fit to click on *my* link! And then I realized something. Out of those 112 people, I didn't get one single piece of feedback. Not *one.* Sigh. I was so desperate I thought I'd even enjoy hate mail. Bigger sigh. So much fanfic, so little time...

[Loch Ness]: I can understand that if it's a detailed critique or a negative bit of feedback in a case where the writer really is likely to have grown some in the meantime. But if somebody wants to tell me they liked something I did two years ago, I'd love it. Hey, whether a piece endures is supposed to be a measure of whether it's good, right?

[ Kipler ]: I've got stuff on a variety of websites and I always post to ATXC, EMXC]], and now to XFF. I don't seem to get a lot of people writing to me about web site postings (I think I'm on some small sites). But I get fairly consistent feedback from ATXC, XFF, and, proportionally, EMXC. There's also a "kickback" effect - that after the story is out there a week or so, people EM it to friends who haven't seen it, and it kind of gets a second distribution. The feedback from that is much appreciated!

[ Sheryl Martin ]: ...I think one side effect of having xf fanfic explode the way it has in the last year is the problem of feedback - frankly, who can read ALL the fanfic coming down the pipeline on ALL the lists?

back when atxc was the only resource, you had no choice... but with so many different mailing lists and most people subbed to more than just one; you're getting a lot of fiction in your sights... and I know I end up skipping over stories using a basic criteria to work through the slosh pile in my mailbox - and I can't be the only one...

and the growth of Gossamer to the huge archive that it is now is evidence of same...

which, I guess, is the simplest view towards the lack of feedback - people have too much to read and therefore pick and choose what they can/want to read... if you go to a private web page; you're there probably because you're already a fan of the author and therefore you'll snatch up anything they put out and write back without having to worry about driving through piles of stuff to find the pearls...

but if you're just trying to keep atop the postings... heck, how many does Gossamer pull off a day?

30-40 stories?

plain math says that you can't read them all and give decent feedback on all of them... or any, depending on your tastes and where the trend is going...

don't get me wrong, I LOVE feedback... and when I don't get any, I slip into the insecurity that says that I've gotten worse as a writer, not better... but I think as the pool of authors has gotten bigger, the readers have to pick and choose who they will respond to - if anyone...

[ Youkneek ]: I'll probably regret this the minute I hit 'send' but in a momentary flash of insanity I'm going to risk being totally honest on this subject and probably end up covered in flames. Deep breath...flame retardent gear in place:) I offer this as one reader's input on the whole feedback issue. I rarely pull stories from the newsgroup anymore. There are too many and it's too time consuming. It's much easier to wait for the Gossamer update, scan through the summaries and pull from there. I imagine a fair number of readers do the same.

And yes, I do sometimes pull stories that aren't summarized, especially if I've had a positive experience reading that writer's work in the past.

A couple of writers have referenced # of hits vs. feedback responses. I imagine Gossamer records a hit everytime someone opens the story. I don't know how many other readers do what I do but if the summary catches my interest, I open a story, scan the start of it and most often, close it without ever reading any further. I probably open less than 5% of the "new stories" as they appear on Gossamer, and rarely read as many as three. If others do this as well, it could be that a lot of the 400 hits or so that someone referenced, may have been no more than peeks.

Why do I open so few? Individual taste, I gravitate towards conspiracy, angst, and humor, which makes up a very small portion of what's written (especially if I'm looking for all 3 in one story:). There's nothing inherently wrong with the other genres; they're just not my chosen section of the bookstore. I'm sure I miss some good stories with this approach, but my time is limited and the methodology works reasonably well for me.

Why do I abandon so many of the ones I open without reading past the first few paragraphs? A variety of reasons...poor spelling and grammar, wooden characterization, the writer's telling me, not showing me, it didn't grab me for whatever reason...once again, individual taste.

As to feedback, I too have struggled with what exactly to say on some stories, although any critique I've made has generally been favorably received by the writer and has frequently resulted in some lively and interesting exchanges. I do try to write, but admit to having a backlog of notes to do. There are some incredibly talented individuals out there, who deserve more acknowledgement than I've given them.

There are, however, more than a few stories out there, which seem to defy positive feedback of any sort. I think of these as "train wreck" stories, in that they have a certain fascination for me, rather like a gawker at a train wreck. The writer has mangled the characterization to such a degree that it's soooo bad, it's almost good or at least humorous in a twisted way. I could write to tell the writer that, but I suspect the writer's intent was not parody so what do I say? Generally, I opt for silence and hope they don't quit their day job.

[ Nomad ]: Feedback. We really never seem to leave this issue...and it is an important issue. However I find it ironic that this discussion comes on the heels of a debate about the approrpriateness of one reader posting a list of their summer favorites. Yes, whether intentional or not this reader, and I'm sure few others, is left wondering if there's any *realistic* way to please everyone.

At various times I've heard authors express similar types of statements:

"I write for my own pleasure, if others enjoy it, great...if not...."

"The only payment is receiving the thanks/appreciation of others...

"One thoughtfully written note is worth ten 'I liked it' notes...

Some authors form/join communities within the community to find the support they need. Some do this more graciously than others. Of couse this does lead some people to comment on the cliquishness of the fanfic community <g>.

Some authors hold reader's hostage by refusing to finish a story unless they receive feedback.

Apparently it is ok to post on atxc or Fictalk "Read soandso's new story it's great" but not ok to list your personal favorites for the summer.

Let's not forget that a subsection of the authors that crave feedback, never respond to their own e-mail.

Sad as it is, the reality of this very public and very *active* community is that only a fraction of the stories posted to the email groups/atxc/gossamer will receive the public/private feedback that they deserve. It's sad but it is like real life. It can get better but it will never be entirely fair.

I work in social services. The amount of education & skill required is high, the work difficult, the pay low, and the amount of public support is nil. One's choices are a) leave the field b) become bitter, or c) find your reward in the work itself.

[Sue]: Mea Culpa. I've sent feedback to only one writer (maybe two) since I started reading fanfic about 6 months ago, but I've wanted to do more.

Why haven't I?

The reasons may be lame but...here they are.

First, I'm shy. I have felt that it would be lame and not very helpful to just gush "Loved it!" and definitely feel too shy to get into a critical mode. And when I love it, I'm not sure how helpful my comments will be. I am in awe of anyone who attempts fiction since I am not sure I can do it. On the other hand, if I were reading exposition and someone wanted detailed feedback on his or her expository writing, I would have no problem commenting.

Then there is the problem with how I go about reading fanfic. Reading fanfic is an addictive behavior for me. I just read story after story, not noticing that hours have gone by -- hours that I probably should be spending on other stuff. I also don't notice authors and forget titles, because I read and then move on. Warped, but there it is.

Then, there is the problem of my news browser. As soon as a message is "read," my news browser (trn, lynx) "erases" the thing. So I read a story I like on this newsgroup and it's gone! Then, I start reading on Gossamer. Once the piece is archived on Gossamer, I can re-read it and it stays there so I can go back and look at it and find out the real author and so on. Quite often on the newsgroup, the first line says "I didn't write this." My browser has a reply function that replies only to the person who posts the story. And there is no "forward" or multitasking to help me easily do an e-mail on the spot. When I go into Gossamer, even when I'm using lynx, there is an e-mail feature I can go to as soon as I read the piece, without going out of Gossamer. And some archives create links to the authors right there with the stories.

Please do not flame me but this is my situation.

[Coleen Sullivan-Baier]: After driving ATXF to distraction for 10 monthes, I posted my first story here, a reality/fantasy collision about the Golden Globes, and captioned it with something terribly witty like "HA!! And now she writes!!!" I got some nice notes, a little praise, a lot of laughs.

Two months later, moved by Bruce Harwood's simple scene in "Memento Mori", I wrote "The Messenger". I was OVERWHELMED by the response, I got close to 200 replies--MOST of the responses were SHOCKED because goofy gizzie wrote ANGST!!! gizzie-angst...whoa, that's like peanut butter and tuna fish. The feedback was intoxicating, it was especially gratifying to hear from writers I greatly admired myself; when I got stroked by CiCi and Paula in the same day, I had to leave the band out on my X-Files cap.

Part two was generated as a direct result of a feedback message from someone who has since become a cherished e-friend. Part two also generatd a little less feedback; by part four, the feedback was down to almost no thing, despite the fact that I thought that was the best yet. But I think people EXPECT you to KEEP writing, once you start, and EXPECT to be entertained and fulfilled. I do it myself, I admire someone's work consistently, but DON'T always comment.

[snipped]

I think there's a, pardon the expression, "celebrity" issue here, too. In the fall of '95, as a brand new denizen of ATXFC and fanfic, before there were THOUSANDS of stories, I quickly recognised the old-timers, the established writers, the "net-stars", the very talented writers that built the foundation of this group. I hesitated to write to any of them...why would a Sheryl or Goo or Sarah give a squat what *I* had to say?? Of course, this was foolish on my part...but I think it is a common fear of the newbie, the fear of the percieved BMOC...bottom line is, we are all the same here, we all slouch in our chairs, type WAY too fast to be acurate, and spill hot chocolate down our t-shirts. And we ALL need that squeeze of the shoulder....

However, we can't really DEPEND on feedback to fuel our fire. We have to write to entertain our friends, fulfill ourselves, and for the love of our characters. I have an admitted unhealthy attachment to my new friend Byers... and I often wonder how many times Jackie St George has stood Sheryl up for lunch, or if McSpooky has ever been forced to babysit for those twins of Mulder and Scully?? Ungrateful wretches.

[ Susan Proto ]: I'm finally on the final edit of AbahV and have found over 400 unread postings on the AXFC newsgroup. Now how the heck am I supposed to wade through all of those? I can't. Not if I want to continue to write, and do a funny little thing called earn a living to help put some food on the table, clothes on my family's back, and pay the mortgage. (I keep telling my husband to pick the winning lotto numbers, but some men just never listen!! ;->)

So what I do is I look for one of two things... authors whose name I am familiar with (gee, someone like InverNessie or Raine....;->) and take the time to read their stories. I have been trying very hard to keep up with my feedback as well. I figure if I want to hear from the Raines, and the Nessies, and the Bliss's, and the Moseleys, and the anyone of a number of other authors whom I really admire, then I'd better take the minute or two it takes to send off a note of encouragement with something specific that I really enjoyed about the story.

What else do I do? I look for stories that are 1/1 on the newsgroup and wait for the really big ones to be posted on either the MulderTorture site (my favorite site, thanks Shirley!) or Gossamer. Then I don't have to worry about it disappearing on me...as things often do from the ng. (Of course I've probably just shot myself in the leg here... Abah V is 19 parts, so look who's talking! Oy vey.)

With respect to getting feedback, heck yes!! I take the "Great story!" and the "But what happens next?" and the "Oh I just love the series" kind of messages. As someone said, any feedback is better than no feedback!

But I love even more when someone takes the time to write at least one **specific** thing they liked about the story. For example: "I liked the way you got Skinner and Maggie together...(or contrary, I wasn't too crazy about Skinner and Maggie together...) or "I like the fact that Mulder's illness was a result of something medical and not alien," and "I hope you don't have Mulder's hearing loss cured too easily, if at all! etc. etc.

Something else that I have found so very helpful is Vickie Moseley "adopting" me and helping me on editing and revision. I am happy to say she has trusted me in doing the same for her on occasion. Having at least **one** trusted should to give you immediate feedback is always very helpful!

[ Laura Capozzola ]: I'm a little late reading the thread on this topic but I have to say that I write to make people laugh. I'm not going for Empress of FanFicdom. I use too many commas, I stink at narrative description, I couldn't write a love scene between any 2 people if my life depended on it and God Bless Spellcheck. I love the whole phenomena of The X-Files which includes the Internet fans, the fan fic, the merchandise (the goods, not the aliens), the behind the scenes people, the recurring characters and the mytharc plots. The only way I know how to express how much I love this whole phenomena is parody. I'm going for laughs and that's about it. This is a TV show and I don't pretend to be Steinbeck, Hawthorne or Stephen King. I just don't have the talent. If I get a feedback that just says "LOL" or "ROTFL" or "this sucked" it carries just as much weight as an in-depth critique. If I don't get much (in conjunction with the stats) compared to other things I've written, I just try to figure out what I did differently and adjust the next time.

But, I think to a new author who is trying to find their niche, quality feedback is really important because it helps to guide their decision as to the type of stories they want to keep writing, especially if they write for an audience and not just to please themselves. It would be a shame if an author with a knack for Mulder Angst gave up because the MSR didn't click with the readers. These new writers should get more quality feedback and encouragement and maybe in a year from now, they'll do the same for the next crop of new writers.

I've said this before but when I first started to write, I dabbled in angst until I asked, and Colleen Bailey advised me, to go with my strengths and not try to be something I'm not (like an angst writer). It was the best advice I ever got from an established writer and I cherish it to this day.

[Shannon Drury]: I have a few comments on the "Lack of Feedback" subject. When I began reading fanfic, I was lucky enough to stumble upon some great stories (and therefore, authors.) I took the time out to write to two authors, and they were kind enough to reply and send suggestions on fanfic to read. I was and am thoroughly pleased that they wrote back. Most everyone has a busy schedule. These niceties are few and far between in today's world. I guess somewhere along the road, however, I got entirely too wound up in the reading and forgot to let each author know not only how much I loved his/her stories, but how I, as a writer, admired him/her for posting. I am not yet that brave.

Also, as a writer, I am usually quite worried to send criticism (gentle and constructive though it might be) about stories. I do not feel I should sit in judgment over anyone. I flinch to think how I would feel if I posted my first story and got flamed. Then again, how would I feel if I posted and no one responded? Probably worse. The other side of that is sending a bland email to someone saying "Hey, uh, like cool story." This gets the author nowhere. So what's a girl to do?

I admire anyone who can put their words, ego and heart on the line and post here or anywhere else. My poems and stories are my children, as I'm sure most other authors feel, and letting them go is difficult. Imagine sending your child off to school on the first day and finding out upon their return that a bully beat em up and stole their lunch money.

I digress and go on too long. Anyway, to all those who have been brave enough to share, thank you. You have filled the Scully/Mulder void for me over the past few weeks.

Shannon

Write back, flame if you want, or make friends...

[Valoise]: One nice thing about posting stories on specific mailing lists and specialized archives is that you are reaching an audience that has interests closer to your own. Not that I'm criticizing the newsgroup, I've received some great feedback from here.

[ Paula Graves ]:

You know, most of the time, it's only when a story is really good that I'm tempted to respond with constructive criticism. A really BAAAAD story can't be fixed with a couple of concrete suggestions, so I don't bother. But a good story---and a good writer---deserve honest suggestions for improvement. Nevertheless, I think ANY critic ism, however complimentarily it's given, is perceived by some authors as a flame, sadly.

Though I'm by no means a perfect writer, there are techniques and concepts of composition that I feel I'm qualified to share with other writers. But I don't, for the most part, because I don't want to come off as negative and know-it-all. I usually wait until my opinion is asked before I give any constructive criticism.

However, I love writing---I love both the creativity of it AND the craft of it. And I'm more than willing to share what little knowledge I do have with others--if they're willing to listen to what I have to say without considering it a flame. I'm sure there are LOTS of people here on the newsgroup with as much or more knowledge of the writing craft who are willing to do the same thing, if only we felt such constructive criticism would be welcome.

[Hong Te]:

This may sound selfish but I usually don't send feedback to someone who didn't response to a feedback I sent earlier. I figured they didn't appreciate it or they don't care so I don't even bother, although I will read their stories.

What I'm wondering, though, is will writers get sick of hearing from the same people over and over again? There's one author I always reponse to, and others that I paid close attention to and for a while I thought they would get sick of hearing from me. ;) But I guess feedback, whether it's not from a someone you never heard from before or a wide eyed number one 1 fan who emails you the moment you send the story is still appreciated.

[ Hindy Bradley ]: My first reaction is to say that, whether we are talking about fiction or criticism, it is incumbent on everyone to frankly and coherently speak their mind and that all readers should be intelligent enough to intuit the author's context. sigh... Now that we've established that I live (and write) in a fantasy world...

If I'm going to comment on a story, I'll go to the archive and see if I have read anything else by them. Sometimes there are a couple earlier pieces that I read and discarded without comment. (Silence *can* be a comment too.)

If they've finally written something with enough substance to merit a letter, then I will often include a comment on how far they've come from their earlier stories re- characterization, writing style, whatever.

In our public forums, I've often been shocked by cries of 'flaming' towards what I thought were constructive comments. Consequently, I prefer to comment in private.

[ Sheare Bliss ]: Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones is also very good. As for writing groups--I would only add this caveat. You can learn a great deal, and really find your own voice in a group of this kind, on or off line. But groups like this tend to have a life cycle directly proportionate to the goals of the members (i.e., writing for fun, or writing professionally), the egos of the members (in other words, you're going to run into what psychologists call borderline personalities who don't have boundaries, and either want the most intense kind of mentoring, or who attack as you as a threat to them), and the real lives of the members. I've been peripherally involved in a couple of groups. The first one broke up when all of us, to one degree or another, ended up having hellishly busy and difficult years, although we still stay in touch more or less. The second one began to break up--or at least lost a number of members when the administration of the group passed to another member with some serious issues. IT then turned into some weird variation of audience for the second admin and God help you if you wanted feedback or critiquing on anything that you had written. I know of two at least who withdrew precisely because of that. It also became a chat group aimed at providing warm fuzzies for the second admin, and God help you if you didn't participate. Ultimately, three more members dropped out because that wasn't their aim in joining the group. Those who withdrew were ultimately attacked in email, either direct or via another member of the group, and the whole thing turned into lunacy. Soooo. the caveat is simply this--be sure you're on the same wave length, allow time for real lives, make sure that the group meets your goals before becoming heavily invested, and keep your ego separated from your writing, and these groups can be great fun, a great education, and a wonderful way to meet new and interesting people.

[Mary]: I going to jump in here, and add my two cents. The first story I ever read on here, I sent an e-mail telling the author how much I loved their story. At least I sent it to who I thought was the author. Unfortunately, I got a reply from someone else who had posted the story for a friend of a friend type of thing. I felt silly, and I have hesitated ever since to give feedback.

[the SUe]: I think the readers should give whatever level of criticism they're capable of and comfortable with, be it, "Loved it!" or a long commentary. Everyone can only do what they can do from where they are in their life/writing career. (Did anyone follow that? <G>) Just as you can't critique from the perspective of, say, a person very unlike yourself--different age, different gender, whatever. Every person's perspective is unique, and the beauty lies in the range of perspectives and perceptions a story can generate.