Does anyone else get extremly anxious over a lack of reviews? I do especially if the chapter I released had something shocking or a twist in it. I get really nervous when no one responds, to the point at times where I've actually found it difficult to go to sleep, or I've been distracted all day.
Please say I'm not the only one who worries like crazy!
Yes, I have been known to get that way as well. Especially if the story is something that actually has a fair amount of reviews or is on a lot of people's favorite/alert lists.
About a month ago I updated a story and even now I've still only gotten one review. It still bothers me...
I sometimes wonder how many of the people looking at my fics actually read them when they don't comment, especially when it's something I'm REALLY happy with.
I had this one story which I practically had to beg for reviews, because people were only alerting. It was really demeaning :(
I try to not stress about it. Reviews are fun, but it annoys me when authors beg for them, so I try not to let it show if I get a little worried. Hell, one of my fics didn't get reviews until something like chapter 3 or 4, and I wasn't surprised because it was a weird concept for a fic, and now it's approaching 100 reviews because people decided they like weird concepts.
Though, I will say, begging does work. Once I even accidentally begged by mentioning that I frequently get few reviews in an A/N, and gotten many reviews from it as a result. I was a little embarrassed.
>>6 ugh it was horrible. I left it at first, but by the time I was on my fifth chapter and I had nothing but silence, I was getting stressed out! I was very embarressed to basically beg people to review, but I didn't know what else to do. I felt like my work really wasn't good enough even though I was trying so hard. Luckily that particular fic is fine now, and I no longer have to beg...but still...
I so know the feeling. I personally hate it when authors go like "If I don't get x reviews, then I won't update."
It really annoys me to tell the truth, and yet at the same time I myself get anxious when I update and get little to no reviews. As stated, I too lose my confidence and wonder if it really is even worth to continue. I have been surprised in the past when in such cases I did continue to write and got a bunch of reviews all of a sudden on chapter 6 or 7. Yet I believe it is nothing but human nature that when others show interest, we're bound to be more motivated to continue and update faster.
Holding the story hostage for reviews is just annoying, but I don't actually see the problem in asking in authors notes for people to review. All you're doing is saying you're interested in getting some feedback, and I suspect readers may be more willing to review if they think their opinions are worth something.
>>9 - I don't see the problem either.
Actually, I decided to parody what >>8 was taking about where on the first chapter I wrote "If I don't get at least zero reviews, I won't update." And then as I got reviews, I changed the number to equate the number of reviews I already had.
Those who knew my love for satire were laughing their heads off and enjoyed the joke. I also got people who it didn't click that I was doing this and begged for me to update, saying I already had that many reviews. It was fun and I might do it again in a different fandom. :D
I have the same thing! I have internet on my cell phone and I check my email way to often! XD
I'm currently working on a AU story for Gundam Wing called Alegrata's Beloved. In the beginning reviews kept pouring in. Sometimes I got 10 reviews for 1 chapter and now that the story is progressing further (I have 30 chapters written) I'm lucky if I get 2 reviews. So I'm like: where did all the readers go?
I have the same thing! I have internet on my cell phone and I check my email way to often! XD
I'm currently working on a AU story for Gundam Wing called Alegrata's Beloved. In the beginning reviews kept pouring in. Sometimes I got 10 reviews for 1 chapter and now that the story is progressing further (I have 30 chapters written) I'm lucky if I get 2 reviews. So I'm like: where did all the readers go?
Sorry for the double post! Something went wrong with my computer!
Recently, I've had to deal with a badfic writer who is addicted to reviews. I've told them that their story isn't improving, but they keep bugging people to get more reviews and such. If they ask me ONE more time, I'm going to go ahead and review their story, calling them out for their behavior.
>>15 That might be a good idea. Sometimes people just need the truth.
>>15 That might be a good idea. Sometimes people just need the truth.
>>15 That might be a good idea. Sometimes people just need the truth.
I've actually read some of the stories by authors' that have posted here, and I decided to give a reviewer's opinion, since I read more than I write. We don't review because of quite a few reasons. Sometimes, I'm just too lazy to do it, I don't know what to say without sounding mean or stupid because it was really good, or really bad. Or maybe I review all the time and would like to take a break. Most of us reviewers DO understand your need for reviews, but sometimes we're just too lazy. Or maybe, if you're story was popular when it started, and still is, we don't think we need to review since you know by now that we like it. Just look at old reviews to reassure yourself, or keep count of bad revews compared to good. Sorry for the long post. ^^'
>>16 - I finally called the writer out and blocked them.
>>19 - I think some of the people came here because they wanted to get more reviews fro their stories. This isn't everybody mind you, but there are sure a lot of people who show up and suddenly disappear. Particularly when they are called out for behaviors that are considered bad etiquette amount the more serious writers in fanfiction. By this I mean universally bad etiquette.
Anyways, I had an author who told me I was calling people out for making a strong character into a weak bubbling version of their formal selves because I don't like seeing said character be sad. I am still shaking my head at this because they based this on one review not on their story within the fandom and stories that the author deleted. There is a fanfic where said character deals with grief that I actually liked and I have written for the angst genre and I've also written Darkfic. Goodness knows I would write this character in a position where she was sad IF I thought it possible. This one isn't easy though.
>>20 - I think I posted the second half in the wrong thread... for some reason I thought this was the "stuff people do that bothers you" thread. Oops...