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Since the new year I've been catching up on my 2006 reading. So many good stories! Anyway, whenever I read something I enjoy I send a note to the writer. Usually I get back a brief acknowledgment But I've sent a few out and have had no response. So I'm wondering if some of the new writers only want feedback on the mbs as a story is being posted? What's the feeling out there? Should I abandon sending private feedback to new authors?

c.

IMHO - No. Please continue to send Carol. And if I've ever forgotten to respond to an e-mail you've sent me, I humbly apologize.

I love any kind of fdk - on the boards, in an e-mail, or in a PM.

Although, being completely honest, fdk on the boards is my favorite because it is instantly gratifying. I also feel that some people may read a story that they weren't planning to read, based on fdk in the fdk folder for a story. <shrug>

But I personally love it any way I get it.

-- DJ

Interesting question, Carol. Because I very, very seldon read stories on the boards. I wait to read stories on the archives. So if I do give feedback, it will almost always be in an email - unless it's in regards to a story that I beta read or something. But if I do read a story and enjoy it, I will usually try to send the author an email. And, like you, I often don't receive a response anymore.

On the other hand, I remember during my first couple of stories, I got some emails from people saying they liked the story and... I have to tell you, at first, I thought it was really strange . I wondered why anyone would send a stranger an email - so I didn't respond. Of course, my opinion on feedback in emails has changed drastically over the years. After all, I write for me, I post for feedback .

I can actually remember the first email I ever sent in response to a story. It was when I read Without Consent by Wendy Richards. My heart was in my throat, wondering if she would think it was really weird to get an email from a complete stranger. Maybe she would think I was a stocker or something and send the police after me . I was so relieved when she wrote back, thanking me for my email.

I guess I don't know why I said all that . I guess this thread just got me thinking - and remembering.

Oh, right. I know. I just wanted to say that I, personally, like getting an email. And since most of my stories were not posted to the boards first, if it weren't for emails, I'd probably never know if people liked my stories or looked at the archives and groaned, "Another story by ML Thompson? I'm so sick of her. Why doesn't she just give up writing and go away?"

ML

I find this funny, ML, because I am afraid of it going the other way:

"Another email from Lisa telling me she liked one of my stories. Seriously, I get the picture, I wish she'd shut up and leave me alone!"

Not that anyone here has ever done that to me, of course, but I worry about it. That's why I don't email the authors of stories I read on the archive 100% of the time, because with our more prolific authors it will be the dozenth time they've heard from me! But if it's an author I've read for the first time I usually will email them.

Sometimes I try to find the original FDK thread on the boards and comment there, even if it is really old, or send the author a PM if I know that they are still active here on the boards.

...

We're supposed to *respond*?
oops...

*looks guilty and shuffles away*.

Um, okay...I'll admit to prefering the boards, though I do like email too. I just...tend not to respond to things. Sometimes at all. There've been times when I even let FDK folders go for too long.

I'm sorry! I hope I haven't rudely offended anyone. I plead complete and total ignorance, combined with laziness.

As a new author to this fandom, I would definitely tell you to keep writing when you enjoy someone's work. Feedback feeds the muse, and it is kind of you to let someone know that you enjoy what they are doing (whether they respond or not).

I would suspect that many of the authors who have not responded aren't fully aware of the etiquette. When I first started my fanfic career (in another fandom), I had some kind veterans give me pointers as to how to respond to feedback and build an audience. Otherwise, it would have taken me awhile to learn the ropes.

I don't think there's a hard, fast etiquette on it. Just speaking for myself, I know I've forgotten to reply to a few FDKs over the years, but in general it's really important to me to let someone know how much I appreciate that they took 5 minutes out of their day to read my story and then email me. Even so, as a reader, I don't think you can go wrong with positive or constructive feedback if they don't reply. As much as we love to write, I think we'd all eventually say it's feedback that plays a part in keeping us going. If I really didn't want to know what people thought, I could just write a story and read it to myself on the computer. <g>

JD

Hi,

I'm one of those writers who love getting fdk emails after my story appears on the archive and I will always try to answer those emails, just to thank the reader for taking time to read my story and then send me an email.

I suppose this is just a habit for me because I didn't post on the MBs when I first started writing. I used the fanfic list to post stories and was always happy to get comments from others on the list.

Now I do post on the MBs and I'm also grateful for anyone who posts in the fdk folders. So I guess I appreciate fdk however it is sent.

Like ML, I write for myself, but fdk to me means that I'm not playing to an empty auditorium and sometimes, when real life is stressful, those comments encourage me to keep writing.

So for anyone who is wondering whether to email a writer who has a story on the archive, I'd say go ahead and send the email and don't think that the writer will be anything other than over the moon.

Yours Jenni

I remember reading a particular long story on the archive, one which touched my heart and gave me goosebumps. So I e-mailed the author and gushed over the story, and she responded with surprise and not a little humility. She was quite gracious, and I've enjoyed her stories ever since then.

And I must confess, I don't leave enough feedback for WIPs either. Sometimes I see that another person has mentioned the same things I have, or there's another story I want to catch up on, or I have to go check me own e-mail to see if I've gotten any response from my Beta -

You know how life goes. Sometimes it's even something from RL that keeps me from the boards, like plumbing contractors or financial pressures or my daughter's on MySpace.

I hereby resolve to give feedback to writers whose WIPs I read and enjoy on these boards. I also resolve to e-mail authors whose works I read from the archive, assuming I can find something mildly original and complimentary to say. It's one thing for people to tell me they don't like the direction of a WIP, but I don't know that anyone likes having a completed work slammed.

I'm actually surprised that you wouldn't get a response from an author. I'd have thought flattery would get you everywhere!

Now that I think about it, I'd guess I'm more likely to send feedback to a newer author than a more "established" one--although I read very little these days and usually straight off the Archive. I just sort of assume writers like MLT know I love their stories...My bad. I used to be so much better at the feedback business!

It's one thing to "know" and another to "see" so to speak. I know that quite a few people read my stories but believe me, there's nothing like that solid piece of feedback in my hot little hands -- or at least on my computer. There have been times when it seemed that the whole world was letting me down that an unexpected email from someone about a story I wrote a long time ago suddenly makes everything seem a lot better.

Nan

Jen and Jenni summed it up for me. I've always just thought that if someone takes the trouble to email me to say they enjoyed one of my stories, then they deserve the courtesy of a response.

I still get the odd email now and then regarding my stories - I got an email about Sugar & Spice last week - and it never fails to brighten up my day. Especially, I think, if it's something from years back.

Giving fdk is another matter. I tend to give fdk on the mbs most of all. I don't read much fanfic at the moment, but if I do it'll usually be well after the fact (GEing it for example) or the odd thing that catches my eye for whatever reason.

For the former, I'm likely to go looking for the TOC and add to the old fdk thread. I'd probably only send email fdk these days if it was the only way to reach an author. But I have sent email fdk in the past and I've never had anything other than a positive response from the authors in question.

There is, of course, another reason to respond to fdk emails. It may just get you more fdk. And less if you don't. I know that I would be unlikely to send another email to an author if they hadn't replied to the first one I'd sent. (Well, maybe the second I sent. I'd probably give them the benefit of the doubt and a second chance, choose to believe the first email never reached them or whatever). I'd assume they hadn't wanted to hear from me. And, to be honest, I'd think, 'well if they can't be bothered to acknowledge that I took time to write them, I'm not going to make the effort again'.

That said, it's been interesting to read the very genuine reasons why some of you don't send/reply to fdk emails. None of which had ever occurred to me before. Maybe, in future, if I send any more, I'll remember those and make it a third or fourth chance.

LabRat

Well, I usually reply to feedback whether I get it in an e-mail, here at the boards, or through the fanfiction.net review system (I kinda have to have that, 'cause LnC isn't my only fandom).

But every once in a while, there's a piece of feedback that I just don't know HOW to reply to, or if I did reply, it'd just be a minimum response, like, "Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!"

Don't get me wrong, I've sent the minimum response before, but I really prefer to have something else to answer--like if they mention a certain part of the chapter/story, then I might like to elaborate on my thoughts from that part.

Or if they encourage me to keep writing a WIP, I just HAVE to reassure them that I WILL be continuing it--or let them know that I won't be continuing others.

So, even though I'm most likely to answer a feedback e-mail, if there really doesn't seem like anything to answer, I MIGHT not answer it.

Then again, it does feel kind of great just to say, "Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!"

Well, I only posted 3 stories, and one of them were in french, so it didn't have many readers yet - I'm planning to post it in english soon (I hope). And I've received e-mails for each story. I have to say I kinda feel weird the first time. I knew that there was people who tended to give feedback by e-mail, but I though that it only happened with the well known authors, you know. I wasn't prepared for that. I was so surprised (but delighted ) that at first I didn't know how to react. I guess I was feeling a little inadequate. I was SO HAPPY that someone had liked my first story enough to write me an e-mail, but I just didn't know how to thank her properly. I had needed a little over a week to respond to that person.

With my second story, it became easier, but it was kinda special, I guess. I actually received more feedback by e-mail than I had on the boards, for that one. It took me even more by surprise because since there was only a dozen people giving me feedback on the boards, I have been really taken aback to receive so much e-mail about it when I submitted it to the Archives(somewhere between 15 and 20 people had send me e-mails concerning my second story). I can't say how delighted I was. I never though it was possible to have that many people to send me mail for a story which wasn't very good, all things considered. I was deeply touched by all the messages of the people telling me they liked it. I hadn't understood why this story hadn't worked on the boards, but had been popular on the archives, but I'm damn glad about having received all this mails I tried to respond to everybody, but it is still possible I forgot one or two people. If it's the case, I really apologize! I have been OVER THE MOON with each mail I got.

The third story is something else entirely, since it is for now only available in french. I thought that since most people doesn't speak french I wouldn't have any feedback at all until I start to post the english version, but I've been wrong. I've received two feedbacks. And if I'm getting better at responding more quickly, I still am very surprised and embarassed (in a good way) every time. But that made me so happy I almost dance by happiness when I open my mailbox to see a feedback.

What I'm trying to say is that even if, personally, I have responded to every mail I received (god, I really hope I hadn't forgotten anybody), I understand why new author sometimes doesn't respond. It feels so awkward! I mean, we're nobody. Most people doesn't even know we had written stories, so when we receive the mail, it's weird (in a good way, again). And when it's a well-known author, one from who you read all stories, it's even more intimidating to respond "yeah, I'm glad you liked that bit. I wanted to do this and that". All the while you're thinking:"Oh my God! But what do I think I'm doing?! I should just go in hiding beneath my desk!". I do it because I really want to thank the people for having taken the time to email me their comments, but I absolutely don't find it easy to respond to these mails. It's very intimidating.

LOL! I know just what you mean! The first time I got feedback from Wendy Richards I kind of gibbered for several hours before I got up the nerve to email her back. Believe me, though, she was very nice and not at all weirded out at getting a thank you from a virtual unknown -- which I was at the time. I emailed her about one of her stories and had a small anxiety attack over it, too, but she was pleased to hear from me. Now people know me because I've been on the MBs since 1999, and somebody admitted that they were scared to email *me*! (holy mack! If you met me, no one would be intimidated, believe me <g>) But I know exactly what you're talking about.

Nan

I will occssionally receive an email feedback on some story that has been on the archive. It's usually for something that is older since I tend to take my time sending stuff to the archives after it's finished its run on the MBs.

I will always respond to the email, if only to acknowledge the receipt of the note and to thank them for their comments. Most of the time it's little more than that. If the person has some specific questions, or wants to know something more about any of the whys or whatevers about the story, I have no problem answering their questions.

But, like most writers, I get the majority of feedback on the message boards, and am usually surprised if I get a personal email on something that someone read on the archive.

It's all feedback, and it's all good.

Tank (who found out the hard way that he can't write without the anticipation of feedback)

And I'm sure many of you will be astounded to see as talented and long-standing an author as Nan say something like that! But we were all newbies once - when I first joined fandom, and even before I began to write, there were people I felt I almost didn't dare to approach or say hi to if I met them on IRC. I mean, these were amazing, incredibly talented authors like Pam Jernigan and Kathy Brown and Chris Mulder, who'd obviously been around for ages and were hugely popular and would never want to hear from nobodies like me.

Yeah, right. :rolleyes: Like so many have said, feedback makes our day.

But, anyway, Nan, I remember that! Wasn't it your first Dagger story? I even remember the plot - it involved a sunken ship, I think. And, good grief, to think that me sending you feedback left you gibbering... I think every author who's ever been considered a 'big name' has the same reaction whenever anyone says that they think of us as a big name: "Who, me? You're kidding!"


Wendy

Nan said:

Well, true enough. I wasn't intimidated so much as I was awed. I went to LAFF back in 2002, which is where I met my first bunch of great folcs. Of the people there, there weren't really too many fic authors who I knew, but there was Nan. Poor Nan! I remember sitting at a table with her, thinking "OMG, it's Nan Smith! I can't believe I'm talking to *Nan* *Smith*!" I think I said as much to her (and possibly a duh statement of "OMG you wrote ____!"), but she was nothing but smiles and humbleness (and probably thought me a silly girl for not thinking of anything to say other than that for the first 15 minutes ).

And to bring this back on topic a little , I remember the first feedback post I got from Wendy -- oh, boy! I was smiling for a week that *Wendy* was reading *my* story and liked it! Since then, we've become friends, chatted a lot, talked on the phone once (that was an experience <g>), and by the time I met her last summer, I was only starstruck in my head for the first little while (but don't tell her that ).

I could go on with more such stories, but they're not really fdk related.

Sara (who, if accused of being evil, will blame it on the fact she's been in close company with both Wendy and Yvonne at the same time; it's contagious )