Listen up, silent majority!

Do you always beat up on yourself Catmama or just on Mondays? Commenting is easy and you need not be a literary critic. Just say what's on your mind. If you have made 500 comments, that puts you way above the average.

Actually your thoughts are expressed clearly and logically. There is clearly nothing wrong with your writing.

Reasons why I do not comment more:
1) I'm still not entirely comfortable with being a "spanko," and therefore am reluctant to admit publicly that I particularly liked any story about spanking.
2) I was under the impression that simply saying "I liked your story" wasn't desired, that unless I could give some specific, intelligent point, it was better to say nothing.
3) There's a rule "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything." While I enjoy most of the stories I've ready, there have been a few that I didn't think were very good. Would there be a point to posting that? Wouldn't the author rather I just not say anything in that case?
4) There are also some stories I've read which I didn't enjoy, not because there was any problem with the quality of the story, but because it's simply not my cup of tea. Again, it seemed as if there was no point in saying that. It's neither praise nor criticism.
5) I was under the impression that adding a story to favorites was enough to convey my appreciation; I thought both favoriting and commenting on a story was redundant.
6) I may be repeating myself here, but in general the impression I had was that the comments were meant as feedback in the sense that they were supposed to convey specific praise or criticism, not just general approval or acknowledgement of having read the story. If it's important to have a 50:1 ratio or a 500:1 ratio or any kind of ratio, then I think perhaps I (and by extension, perhaps many) have have misunderstood their purpose.

This, I must admit, I find puzzling. You're protected by a pseudonym, and you're among spankos. You're hardly in public.


Reasoned criticism, at least as far as I'm concerned, is always welcome. I'd far rather that than no comments at all. But I agree, if a story just isn't your kind of thing (M/M spanking for example, in my case), then no point saying so. Personally, I just stop reading and look for something else.

Not true. I like to know in general if people liked it. It helps me in my writing. There are ways that you can say you liked something---a character, the dialog, the plot etc., if that helps. It doesn't have to be witty or clever.



See point 2 above. I just like to know if it struck a chord with the readers. Comments or lack thereof are instructive. Some stories are a big hit. Others are not. A recent story of mine (Kidnapped) flopped. It's up to me to figure out why, but with so few reads and so few comments, that tells me the readership doesn't like it.My point is, the numbers represent data that is valuable.


I struggle with that myself. Mostly I just don't comment, so no help there.


I like to see stories marked as "favorites"; problem is unless it's brand new, when my favorites clicker advances, I have no earthly idea which story just got "favorited". The site doesn't tell you which one---it just advances the overall count. So comments are better because the author sees which story it goes with.

I guess my bottom line is, if you like it, say so. If you don't....I don't know what to tell you. Go with your gut.

Gertie:

Ditto everything Phil & rollin just said.

No one expects to you comment on every story (or one in f or even one in 10). But surely in every ten to twenty stories you read there is one that you like, and that you can find something (even a few words) that explains why (it's hot and sexy, it's funny, it has an interesting twist, the characters are believable and/or likable, it reminds you of someone/something, it's unusual or even original, the descriptions were good, the punishments were fair or unfair, etc, etc). And if there is constructive criticism, that's (almost) even better. I find, as a reader, that being more aware of WHY I like a story (or don't like it) enhances the reading experience. And if I'm aware of it, I can say it.

(And don't worry - I won't blow your cover)

I have read many stories that was not something I would enjoy. Yet, I read them, stating that it was "not my cup of tea." Still, the quality of writing was very good and I really can be objective. Now... if it has to do with teenage bulling or outright brutality or sadism, I will make a negative comment, regardless of the quality of the story. This is because I feel strongly about those subjects.

Definitely not! And if you're stuck for something to say, how about picking out a particular phrase or description that you liked, and mentioning that?

If you want a good guide to commenting, read comments.

Just go to an author that you like and open the comments. See what others had to about a story that you enjoyed. They don't have to be reviews or mini-novels, just a little something on the story that you've just read.

For example, last night I went through a bunch of short (most of them under 100 words) stories and commented on them all, saying things like (note: each paragraph is an actual comment on a different story):
Another sleepover spanking. At least in this one they checked with the parents first and offered her a small choice.

It's wonderful that the grandmother returned home in time to lend that paddle to her neighbour. And the bit about self esteem? Priceless!

Actually, it's the three of them. Her mom will be working on Katie's mom while the two girls think that they are the ones scheming. And it's interesting that the non-spanked girl is better behaved and feels guilty when she does wrong while the spanked on sees spankings as the price she pays to be naughty.

She might not be able to convince her sister, but she's made a convert out her son.

---

None of those comments took long to write, but each had something to say beyond 'nice story'. All of them referred to characters or events in the story in a way that makes sense (I hope) to anyone who read it. One of them (the one that mentioned Katie) was build off the last line of that story - something about how it wouldn't take long with the two girls working on it - and I pointed out that a third person was also working on that project.

And that's all it takes. A few words to let someone know that you enjoyed the story that you just read. That you didn't open the story then close it in disgust. Alternatively, if you didn't like it - point out how it didn't work for you. Let the author know that (for example) you can't read a story that includes long description of clothing.

Goodgulf

Absolutely. To give another example - yesterday I read a story that was well written (and I said so), but the final twist was one that I felt had become a bit overused. Don't hesitate to say - in a polite, friendly way, of course - if there's some element that you feel lets down the rest of the story. That can be useful to the writer.

Absolutely! After I pull myself up off the floor, stop crying, and get past my resolve never to write another story, it can indeed be helpful in future efforts.