More thoughts on feedback…

Last night on Twitter, I had a long ramble about my efforts to get feedback for my writing and rarely finding anyone willing to offer anything useful. Along comes a follower, @harmony0stars, who was
willing to go to the site and poke around. She was there less than two minutes when she said, “Hey, I don’t like this formatting with the indents and no line breaks.”

Aha! Feedback! And you know what? I’ve heard this complaint before. I believe I heard it the last time on Twitter…back when I’d last told people “talk, damn you!”

This reader proceeded to deliver the finest live review of Zombie Punter ever, and she had me smiling all night long because she really, REALLY understood the subtler points I was trying to make in the story. Other people liked it, but still weren’t as observant about the direction I was taking the story. Let me tell you, when a reader truly grasps the work that well, it’s truly better than sex.

We ended the night with a discussion about the limitations of the main character’s anti-social POV, and then she wrote a lovely review on Web Fiction Guide. (For those keeping score, the story now has a 5 star rating, a 4 1/2, two 4s, a 3, and a 2 at WFG. Zombie Punter just needs a 1 star rating to have a complete set. ^_^ )

And you know what? I really don’t expect all of you to make that much effort. Yes, it was nice. No, it was fantastic, having someone really enjoy my work, and let me know AS they read it. That’s why I’ve got my stories on a blog with comments. It’s why I give you the chance to do simpler reviews with just a rating. I want to know if you’re liking what you read, as you read it.

But beyond that, I still need feedback about larger issues like site design. I’ve now got a laundry list of items to add to the web site with the next major revision, and among them is returning the stories archives back to the block formatted style instead of the novel style. It annoys me that I’ll have to do the work, but it annoys me more that I don’t find this stuff out until after I get belligerent and demand criticism. Really, it shouldn’t be this hard to get an honest complaint out of you people. But it is.

If this design was a problem for you folks, you needed to come out and say so without me twisting your arm. If it IS working for you, and you want me to keep it, now MIGHT be a good time to say so, before I completely revise the design again. But of course you won’t complain unless I attack you outright, right?

Look at my history here, people. When complaints come up, I address them, and I don’t bash commentators for having differing opinions. When errors and typos are found, I fix them. Hey, I just mentioned having a 2 star rating on Zombie Punter, and I’m totally cool with that nerd’s uninformed opinion. ( <– See that? That was sarcasm.)

Really, if you’re going to hate my stuff and rate it low, I want it to be because you don’t like my writing style or narrative voice. Not because the site is a strain on your eyes, and not because there’s so many freaking typos that they detract from the story. No, if you think I suck enough to give 2 stars, I want it to be based on the story itself, and not the medium I present it in.

I need site feedback just as much as I need to know what you think of the stories. I have the comments section open so you can tell me what you think of the fiction. If the latest update is underwhelming, then type “meh” and hit submit. I know it’s supposedly a habit of the web surfers to be silent, but damn it, I’m bound and determined to find some way to make you talk. If I didn’t want your opinions, I could have just stuck with the main web site. The blogs and their comments and ratings are there for you to speak your mind. If you won’t, I see no point in maintaining three archives when I only need one.

(PS: Yes, Lisa, I know you don’t understand social media. Yes, I know you don’t rate fiction, and only comment on my “real life” posts. No, you don’t need to repeat that you only read non-fiction.  I’m sure my site is exceedingly dull for you these days, but I’ll try to have some non-fiction for you soon-ish. Yes, I’m sure it’s very annoying that I’m replying to your post in advance. Did I miss anything?)