Elizabeth Reid
Tim Pratt"do you read your reviews"
I don't know, do you stick your head in a large opaque bag that contains a combination of both delicious candy AND angry wasps in some unknown proportion
I do read the ones in the magazine I edit, because I have to, and I glance at reviews before I retweet them to make sure they aren't calling me TOTALLY unfair names, but mostly no. Bad ones depress me and good ones make me smug, neither helps my writing
Naomi Kritzer@timpratt For me, the problem I have with good reviews is that they make me think something like, "oh god, I've fooled them once, but now I will never live up to their expectations with the next thing I write."
nix@timpratt I've always wondered about this from creators. Do you seek feedback some other way? Or just do your thing and hope people like it?
Kimmy@nix @timpratt as a webcomic creator the question of "where do you get feedback" is a never ending one.
If I'm looking for insight, I tend to turn to my peers. Usually people writing similar stories to mine so I know they're on a similar wavelength.
But reader feedback can be useful too, assuming it's sincere and not trying to tear the work down. This often comes from beta readers and the creator often establishes expectations & goals with the beta reader.
If I'm looking for insight, I tend to turn to my peers. Usually people writing similar stories to mine so I know they're on a similar wavelength.
But reader feedback can be useful too, assuming it's sincere and not trying to tear the work down. This often comes from beta readers and the creator often establishes expectations & goals with the beta reader.
@nix @timpratt it can be tough because you might get a beta-reader/peer/editor with an axe to grind. Maybe there's a trope they love/hate. And they get fixated on trying to fix something in your work that.. you're pretty sure doesn't need fixing.
That can be tough (at least for me). And in those cases a creator might just have to make the executive decision to say, "whatever, man. It's my story."
Shae Erisson@timpratt are there other external inputs that help your writing?
Skip the reviews, join my patreon and judge my fiction for YOURSELF
FredKiesche 🇺🇦
Joan Grey@timpratt I do read my reviews. Sometimes the positive ones are just the motivation I need to keep going, sometimes they're just a nice warmth in the day.
The negative ones are usually either instructive (they let me know what readers don't like) or funny.
None of them are about *me*. They're not personal.
#writing #reviews
Shouty person
Abe Drayton@timpratt Don't judge
mcc@timpratt No, I quit Twitter a month ago
Jerry@timpratt @ruthannereid Great analogy!
Ruthanne@jerryjdavis right??
Zander@timpratt I mean, I used to be on the birdsite so yes.
@timpratt tbh some of my favorite authors the BOOKS are like that and you pull your head out and you're all "jeez, guys, you've GOTTA try these wasps, some awesome fuckin' wasps here"