Feedback

As authors, we all want it. In fact we need it, like really need it. It's as essential as oxygen. There's really no other way to put it.

You can look at my own extremely pathetic case to see just how absolutely necessary feedback is.

I spent six months on my computer at home writing, rewriting, and rewriting again what eventually was posted on Wattpad as Stolen Hearts. I decided it turned out pretty decent, not so great that I thought I should publish it. But I really loved it and I knew there had to be at least a few other people who would love it just as much as I did. So I Googled free reading and writing websites and found Wattpad.

When I began posting it, I was a brand new author starting completely from scratch. As I posted chapters, I slowly found readers, but the numbers were low. That meant I didn't have a whole lot of feedback by time I posted the last chapter. Fast forward to a few months later when I began posting the sequel. By then, Stolen Hearts had been a finalist in the Watty's which helped grow my readership by quite a lot.

I had the sequel planned out exactly how I was going to write it and as I posted chapters, I started getting feedback, a lot more feedback than I'd ever had before. Readers were asking me uncomfortable questions, ones I'd never asked myself. They brought up things I never planned to address in my story, like really basic stuff that was kind of important. That's when I knew I had better start figuring out how to fix my story. As a result of all that great feedback, Love You Forever didn't become a complete hot mess, riddled with giant plot holes and unanswered questions.

But the problem for all of us - even less readers comment than vote.

Now there are probably as many different reasons for why that is as there are readers, but number one may be that it's just not that easy. I always comment when I read because I know how crucial it is to those authors. But I struggle like the dickens to come up with something coherent to say, and that's on stories I love. With stories I don't love, it's even harder. I want to provide feedback, but I want the writer to feel encouraged to keep writing.

For some readers, it may be intimidating to step out of the shadows as a silent reader and talk directly to the author. Some people aren't sure how the author will react. For some, English is not their first language and they don't want to leave a comment they know will be full of errors. Or it may be that the concept of making a comment on a story is just so new to them that they don't even think to do it.

So how do you get that feedback you're so desperate for? My first piece of advice is to use author's notes.

There are definitely some who hate including author's notes in stories, but I'm a huge believer in them - and this is the reason why. The majority of readers, those app-only silent users don't know you from Adam when they stumble across your story. Even if they've added your story to their library, unless they follow you, those chapters are the only communication they get from you. Therefore, a few words at the beginning or end of your chapter can go a long way towards establishing a relationship with them, and perhaps draw them out of their shell.

As you can tell, I'm fairly chatty when I get started, so author's notes come easily to me, but I'm also aware that super long ones are a turn off. So I try to be informative and cheerful, but also keep it brief. Easy, right? I'm being sarcastic.

If someone has taken the time to comment on your story, be sure to reply to them. This is very important! If readers see a whole bunch of comments that the author hasn't responded to, they may reconsider if they were going to comment. After all, why bother if your comment is going to be ignored?

Thank your readers for taking the time to comment and let them know how much you appreciate it. It not only doubles your comment numbers, I guarantee it will make them that much more likely to comment on another chapter, and then another. If they point out an error, be sure to fix it right away. You're not only getting free editing advice, it lets your readers know you're taking this writing thing seriously.

What if they vote but never comment? That's where thanking them for reading and voting can help in another way. It gives them an opportunity to respond, which will give you the feedback you'd love to hear. If they're the reader who only votes the last chapter of a completed story, let them know you appreciate them reading and you hope they liked it. I've had many silent readers give me a comment or feedback that way.

One of my very good readers, made a comment on this chapter, and I thought it was such a wonderful example of how well author notes can work to encourage reader comments, I asked her permission to include it here. This is what her experience was as a reader.

"I thought I'd support you on this one, 'cause everything you said worked on me as your reader. Stolen Hearts was the first book I actually felt comfortable commenting on every chapter. Because I was new and very shy (I know, I know, it may seem hard to believe) I didn't leave comments at all, or I left one or two on some books saying nothing more than I enjoyed it, since I didn't know how the writer would react. I was afraid of exposing myself. But through your a/n you seemed friendly, and I really enjoyed your story, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The fact that you replied to me right away and so very politely made me really excited, and I really liked our little discussions, so I continued and felt like supporting all of your work with even more comments. I guess if your reactions were different, I'd have been different too. So writers, please be nice to your readers.... That way readers and writers are all happy! :D"

When she read Stolen Hearts, it was already completed, but I'd left those author's notes on the chapters (with some minor editing since readers didn't need to know I'd be posting the new chapter in a week), and I'm so glad I did! Getting comments on completed stories is much harder than ones that are being updated. That's because readers are busy reading and don't want to stop. But with the author's notes, some readers may be enjoying learning a little more about you while they're reading, and that might be just the thing that spurs them to comment.

I have read many stories on Wattpad that don't have author's notes, and the number of comments are very small. I don't fault those authors for making that choice, but if feedback is something that's important to you, I really do recommend them.

Another way to encourage more feedback that a dear friend suggested - if any of your readers are also authors, read a chapter or two of their stories and give them some feedback. It's a terrific way to establish a relationship with them and it may be just the thing that will encourage them to be more forthcoming with feedback for you.

What if after all that outreach, you still never hear a word from them? Don't let that discourage you! After all, they're reading your story!! Actual real-live people who don't even know you have taken the time to read your words! They might even live on the other side of the planet from you! It's something to celebrate!

There is one last thing I would like to address concerning comments, and it's a particular comment you may encounter at some point, although I hope you never do. It is the troll. You can tell you've just received a comment from a troll by the fact that you either feel like you've been kicked in the stomach, or you're so angry you could easily slap the person if they were standing right in front of you.

Trolls are all over the web, and they're on Wattpad too, although thankfully not that common. They love nothing more than to tear into you and your story. When they're done, they've destroyed your self-esteem and confidence in your abilities as a writer. I've had many friends (and myself) not be able to write for days after an encounter with a troll.

So what should you do? My own personal advice is not to engage with them. Whether you rip them a new one, or give them a well thought out response that tears their arguments to shreds, it won't make you feel better, and you've just let them know they succeeded in tearing you down, which is their only goal.

I recommend you delete the comment, use the mute button on them, and commiserate with friends so they can help you feel better. The mute button keeps them from being able to communicate with you by leaving a comment on your stories, profile, or sending you a private message. (They will be able to view your profile and read your story though.) To mute a person on the website, go to their profile and click on the '...' right next to the message button under their banner. On the app, you can find that '...' at the top right of the screen on their profile.

Trolls are horrible people who have miserable lives. The only way they can feel better is to make others feel as bad as they do. YOU on the other hand, have written a story that readers all over the world are enjoying. Don't stop writing!

You may notice I tend to see things in a positive way. Even with stuff you really have to dig deep to find the positive in. The truth is, it's a defense mechanism. If I didn't focus on the positive, it would be far too easy for me to get seriously depressed about stuff.

Never allowing myself to get down about how things were going, especially when it seemed to be particularly slow, meant I never got discouraged and gave up writing. That has a lot to do with how much success I've had - just as much as all the other stuff I'm talking about here.