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It had to come some time.
I love reviews. I'm a sucker for reviews. You could say they're the next best thing since self-stirring cauldrons (guess where that quote is from and get a cookie). They make my day, be it a simple "Great chapter" or "Boy, that sucked!" I know that oftentimes, people don't have the time or inclination to review a story, and even two words can make your day. It means that someone out there has read your work and taken the time to drop you a line.
Sometimes, if you're really lucky, you'll get a long, well-rounded review that points out what you did well, or gives you some constructive criticism as to how you could improve. Those are jewels amongst reviews, and whoever has gotten so much as one should be glad that someone has taken more than a minute to think out their ideas and share them with the author. Feedback helps us improve our writing, and often that makes the difference between a badfic and a goodfic. Call it reverse beta-reading. I know I do.
And when you actually find that people discuss your work... whoa! It gets near impossible to wipe the happy grin off your face, doesn't it?
Flames... well, flames burn up pretty quick, if you catch my drift. They sting sometimes, but they're usually short-lived. Or I've been lucky to get an overwhelming majority of positive feedback that makes these little fires die before they turn everything to ashes.
I am well aware of the many different writing styles out there, and that some people will not like your writing, for whatever reason. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, right? I am not a fan of romance, for instance. Yet I have found a few fantastic fics that are romance-centric. And I've liked them, reviewed, and moved on. Sometimes, I will even love a fic that could be better written, but has a plot that more than makes up for the typos. I still review, focusing on the content, and giving my advice as to typos. Not everyone is a native speaker of whatever language you're reading at the moment. I don't really like ships, but there are a fair few hilarious fics out there that are ship-centric. I still read them... but I would never dream of telling the author what to write or how.
However... There's a type of reviews that goes something like:
I really like your story but it sucks. Your main character A should do this instead of that, run into B and have ten little bunnies, before he dumps her for C and then goes on a killing spree against D and screams at B for being an insensitive idiot... Can't wait for the next chapter.
Did they like it or not? If they didn't, why read up to chapter 43 to tell you off? Why not write their own fic, seeing as they already have an entire plot drawn out as to what the author should write and they seem to know so much better where the storyline should be going.
Pretty confusing, isn't it? Or as Fred would say, what a waste of parchment.
Well, I happen to have received such a review a few days ago, for chapter 12 of Time. It does call for some answers, although I cannot provide them all.
Laura, I hope you read this, because you didn't even give me an email to send you my response to:
Not that I don't like this story, don't get me wrong. I love it but when's the main point in this plot going to be revealed?
This whole Azkaban trip has now lasted too many chapters not to be repetitive. Harry seems to be running and running and running. Thinking with his feet. It's just getting a tad too much without any clear plot or direction involved. Where will it all lead?
Is Azkaban going to be the main plot in this story or will it simply be one more action packed adventure more? If so, what'll happen then. It suddenly seems so empty. Will harry just run all through his summer and then begin his 6th year? Will he somehow become a lord of Azkaban in this trip and foil Voldemort's plans and achieve more independency from Dumbledore? Or will he face Voldemort here and duel, either ending it all or returning back as a hero? Will Harry... *sighs* How long time span will this story include? The summer? How many chapters are there to come? Do you yourself know the plot or is this going where it feels like to?
Well, she's basically asking me to tell her the whole story beforehand so she can make up her mind if it's worth reading or not. I don't get it.
So here goes:
I love it but when's the main point in this plot going to be revealed? - I'm glad you love it. The main plot is, as with any Harry Potter fic, Mr. Potter vs. Voldemort. Hardly original, I know, but there you are.
This whole Azkaban trip has now lasted too many chapters not to be repetitive. Harry seems to be running and running and running. Thinking with his feet. - Well, he is fifteen, you realise. If he didn't run from this, he'd just be stupid. Or maybe you would enjoy a Super!Harry fic more? 'Cause, you know, Time of the Turning isn't one. Go read RossWrock's PoT, or Joe's SotH and be happy. They're excellent fics, by the way.
As for the repetitiveness, well, I could say the same of the books. Hey, JK, Harry's been at Hogwarts every book, and he's still pitted against Voldemort, it's getting old...
It's just getting a tad too much without any clear plot or direction involved. Where will it all lead? - to the unmasking of the plot. Which is there, has been, since chapter one. It's all in the title. Although it also has to do with a certain Mr. Riddle, a prophecy, a manipulative old coot or two, and a Mr. Potter, a pack of Messrs. Weasley, a couple of OC's, and any and all Canon information I've gotten my dinghy little claws on.
Is Azkaban going to be the main plot in this story or will it simply be one more action packed adventure more? - Azkaban has just been revealed as being Voldemort's headquarters. You tell me if it's going to be important to the fic.
If so, what'll happen then. - Telling you that would render finishing the fic a tad useless, don't you agree?
It suddenly seems so empty. - Azkaban? No, Azkaban is chuck full at the moment! It's Inverarray that's empty...
Will harry just run all through his summer and then begin his 6th year?- Harry will run and fight and twist his little heroic self into knots as the story requires. He will have no choice in a few parts, but the rest will be his own doing. As for beginning his sixth year, well, school usually starts September 1st. We're currently at 23:45, July 21. Over a month to go.
Will he somehow become a lord of Azkaban in this trip and foil Voldemort's plans and achieve more independency from Dumbledore? *blinks* Huh?
Or will he face Voldemort here and duel, either ending it all or returning back as a hero? - I repeat: Huh?
Will Harry... *sighs* - Are you letting me choose from these two plots? How kind of you. I think I'll go with the... erm... *ponders* maybe the lord of Azkaban one? Ooh, maybe the ending it all one? I'm torn between options.
How long time span will this story include? It's a sixth year fic. It says so there, in the summary-thingie. Right before the warnings mentioning OCs, the lack of shipping and that this is an AU...
The summer? Hey, I'm aware the summer's getting rather long here, but it's how the fic goes.
How many chapters are there to come? In my steadily growing, but currently 637-page-long manuscript, we're around chapter 6. In reality, 12 chapters are up. My manuscript covers 32 chapters, but some have not been developed. So, at least 32, but in reality probably over 40 chapters.
Do you yourself know the plot or is this going where it feels like to? - Oh, I know perfectly well where this is going. I know what each of the main characters are doing at every moment of the fic, even if it's not mentioned. In fact, the storyline alone is over 18 feet long, and growing. There are six separate storylines all rolled into one package, Death Eater OCs (with background), good-guy OCs (with an even more comprehensive background), a backstory department that covers every important moment since 1971 (when the Marauders started at Hogwarts) and going on until Harry's seventh year, 32 pages worth of spells, maps, lists of items in this fic, copies of QTTA and FB with loads of side-notes, two bags of Chocolate Frogs and three crates of Butterbeer. With all this back-up information, I am quite certain I can say I have no idea where this fic is going, thank you ever so very much.
*pants* Well, I feel loads better now. I don't mean to be bitchy, folks, but nobody is holding a wand to your head and forcing you to read. Or review, for that matter. If I don't like a fic, I do not review. Hell, if I don't like a fic, I stop reading and carry on with my life.
Time is currently at 101,194 words, and not even one-third done. If you like it, good. If you don't like it, don't read and be happy.
DND
I love reviews. I'm a sucker for reviews. You could say they're the next best thing since self-stirring cauldrons (guess where that quote is from and get a cookie). They make my day, be it a simple "Great chapter" or "Boy, that sucked!" I know that oftentimes, people don't have the time or inclination to review a story, and even two words can make your day. It means that someone out there has read your work and taken the time to drop you a line.
Sometimes, if you're really lucky, you'll get a long, well-rounded review that points out what you did well, or gives you some constructive criticism as to how you could improve. Those are jewels amongst reviews, and whoever has gotten so much as one should be glad that someone has taken more than a minute to think out their ideas and share them with the author. Feedback helps us improve our writing, and often that makes the difference between a badfic and a goodfic. Call it reverse beta-reading. I know I do.
And when you actually find that people discuss your work... whoa! It gets near impossible to wipe the happy grin off your face, doesn't it?
Flames... well, flames burn up pretty quick, if you catch my drift. They sting sometimes, but they're usually short-lived. Or I've been lucky to get an overwhelming majority of positive feedback that makes these little fires die before they turn everything to ashes.
I am well aware of the many different writing styles out there, and that some people will not like your writing, for whatever reason. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, right? I am not a fan of romance, for instance. Yet I have found a few fantastic fics that are romance-centric. And I've liked them, reviewed, and moved on. Sometimes, I will even love a fic that could be better written, but has a plot that more than makes up for the typos. I still review, focusing on the content, and giving my advice as to typos. Not everyone is a native speaker of whatever language you're reading at the moment. I don't really like ships, but there are a fair few hilarious fics out there that are ship-centric. I still read them... but I would never dream of telling the author what to write or how.
However... There's a type of reviews that goes something like:
I really like your story but it sucks. Your main character A should do this instead of that, run into B and have ten little bunnies, before he dumps her for C and then goes on a killing spree against D and screams at B for being an insensitive idiot... Can't wait for the next chapter.
Did they like it or not? If they didn't, why read up to chapter 43 to tell you off? Why not write their own fic, seeing as they already have an entire plot drawn out as to what the author should write and they seem to know so much better where the storyline should be going.
Pretty confusing, isn't it? Or as Fred would say, what a waste of parchment.
Well, I happen to have received such a review a few days ago, for chapter 12 of Time. It does call for some answers, although I cannot provide them all.
Laura, I hope you read this, because you didn't even give me an email to send you my response to:
Not that I don't like this story, don't get me wrong. I love it but when's the main point in this plot going to be revealed?
This whole Azkaban trip has now lasted too many chapters not to be repetitive. Harry seems to be running and running and running. Thinking with his feet. It's just getting a tad too much without any clear plot or direction involved. Where will it all lead?
Is Azkaban going to be the main plot in this story or will it simply be one more action packed adventure more? If so, what'll happen then. It suddenly seems so empty. Will harry just run all through his summer and then begin his 6th year? Will he somehow become a lord of Azkaban in this trip and foil Voldemort's plans and achieve more independency from Dumbledore? Or will he face Voldemort here and duel, either ending it all or returning back as a hero? Will Harry... *sighs* How long time span will this story include? The summer? How many chapters are there to come? Do you yourself know the plot or is this going where it feels like to?
Well, she's basically asking me to tell her the whole story beforehand so she can make up her mind if it's worth reading or not. I don't get it.
So here goes:
I love it but when's the main point in this plot going to be revealed? - I'm glad you love it. The main plot is, as with any Harry Potter fic, Mr. Potter vs. Voldemort. Hardly original, I know, but there you are.
This whole Azkaban trip has now lasted too many chapters not to be repetitive. Harry seems to be running and running and running. Thinking with his feet. - Well, he is fifteen, you realise. If he didn't run from this, he'd just be stupid. Or maybe you would enjoy a Super!Harry fic more? 'Cause, you know, Time of the Turning isn't one. Go read RossWrock's PoT, or Joe's SotH and be happy. They're excellent fics, by the way.
As for the repetitiveness, well, I could say the same of the books. Hey, JK, Harry's been at Hogwarts every book, and he's still pitted against Voldemort, it's getting old...
It's just getting a tad too much without any clear plot or direction involved. Where will it all lead? - to the unmasking of the plot. Which is there, has been, since chapter one. It's all in the title. Although it also has to do with a certain Mr. Riddle, a prophecy, a manipulative old coot or two, and a Mr. Potter, a pack of Messrs. Weasley, a couple of OC's, and any and all Canon information I've gotten my dinghy little claws on.
Is Azkaban going to be the main plot in this story or will it simply be one more action packed adventure more? - Azkaban has just been revealed as being Voldemort's headquarters. You tell me if it's going to be important to the fic.
If so, what'll happen then. - Telling you that would render finishing the fic a tad useless, don't you agree?
It suddenly seems so empty. - Azkaban? No, Azkaban is chuck full at the moment! It's Inverarray that's empty...
Will harry just run all through his summer and then begin his 6th year?- Harry will run and fight and twist his little heroic self into knots as the story requires. He will have no choice in a few parts, but the rest will be his own doing. As for beginning his sixth year, well, school usually starts September 1st. We're currently at 23:45, July 21. Over a month to go.
Will he somehow become a lord of Azkaban in this trip and foil Voldemort's plans and achieve more independency from Dumbledore? *blinks* Huh?
Or will he face Voldemort here and duel, either ending it all or returning back as a hero? - I repeat: Huh?
Will Harry... *sighs* - Are you letting me choose from these two plots? How kind of you. I think I'll go with the... erm... *ponders* maybe the lord of Azkaban one? Ooh, maybe the ending it all one? I'm torn between options.
How long time span will this story include? It's a sixth year fic. It says so there, in the summary-thingie. Right before the warnings mentioning OCs, the lack of shipping and that this is an AU...
The summer? Hey, I'm aware the summer's getting rather long here, but it's how the fic goes.
How many chapters are there to come? In my steadily growing, but currently 637-page-long manuscript, we're around chapter 6. In reality, 12 chapters are up. My manuscript covers 32 chapters, but some have not been developed. So, at least 32, but in reality probably over 40 chapters.
Do you yourself know the plot or is this going where it feels like to? - Oh, I know perfectly well where this is going. I know what each of the main characters are doing at every moment of the fic, even if it's not mentioned. In fact, the storyline alone is over 18 feet long, and growing. There are six separate storylines all rolled into one package, Death Eater OCs (with background), good-guy OCs (with an even more comprehensive background), a backstory department that covers every important moment since 1971 (when the Marauders started at Hogwarts) and going on until Harry's seventh year, 32 pages worth of spells, maps, lists of items in this fic, copies of QTTA and FB with loads of side-notes, two bags of Chocolate Frogs and three crates of Butterbeer. With all this back-up information, I am quite certain I can say I have no idea where this fic is going, thank you ever so very much.
*pants* Well, I feel loads better now. I don't mean to be bitchy, folks, but nobody is holding a wand to your head and forcing you to read. Or review, for that matter. If I don't like a fic, I do not review. Hell, if I don't like a fic, I stop reading and carry on with my life.
Time is currently at 101,194 words, and not even one-third done. If you like it, good. If you don't like it, don't read and be happy.
DND
