Comments
Sep. 11th, 2025 07:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
author_by_night posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fan_writers I've been seeing a lot of people talking about the lack of comments. So, let's talk about it.
I have a few theories.
First: Are kudos being counted in this conversation? Because I think that makes a difference. It took me a long time to see kudos as comments, given that I'm a Fandom Old who remembers when you couldn't really hit fancy buttons. You had to hit reply, hope you were logged in, and type a comment. Over time, I've come to count them, but I still prefer comments. Especially on chapter fic. I've written chapter fic where I didn't receive many comments, and I wasn't sure if it was because people lost interest, or they'd used their one kudos and that was it. Like that one call from jail.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, some of my theories:
While I realize you're supposed to "write for yourself", we can't deny that people like comments. They like feeling part of a community. Also, it's just nice when your work is appreciated. So, what can we do? I have a few ideas.
I have a few theories.
First: Are kudos being counted in this conversation? Because I think that makes a difference. It took me a long time to see kudos as comments, given that I'm a Fandom Old who remembers when you couldn't really hit fancy buttons. You had to hit reply, hope you were logged in, and type a comment. Over time, I've come to count them, but I still prefer comments. Especially on chapter fic. I've written chapter fic where I didn't receive many comments, and I wasn't sure if it was because people lost interest, or they'd used their one kudos and that was it. Like that one call from jail.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, some of my theories:
- I'm going to be an old fart here and blame phones. Okay, I give them only a small fraction of the blame. But here's the thing - going back to my fandom old days, people generally went online when they had time. Baby was napping, they were home from work, they were on their lunch break and lucky enough to have an oblivious boss who thought Livejournal was a news website, it was Sunday afternoon. Now I talk to friends on Evilbook Messenger who are in between soccer practice runs. People go online on the toilet. I actually think that's stilted internet communication in general; there really isn't a captive, attentive audience the way there was 20 years ago, or even ten years ago, really. (I feel like it was about ten years ago that people started using the internet on their phones regularly, and not just in times of desperation.)
- I think in the case of some fandoms, they became active in 2020. What happened in 2020 that meant a lot of people weren't leaving their houses very much? Yup. And it seems to me that a lot of people really didn't become active again until early 2022. I know that while I was back in the office by late 2020, I wasn't seeing people in large quantities until early 2022. So that's two years of people being able to read and comment a lot more, before their lives went back to being busy.
- Going along with this, in general, the fandom may have been inhabited by people who had time in the social distancing years, and then everyone moved on. And even if 2020-2022 has little to nothing to do with it, it is true that fandoms don't seem to have a very long lifespan these days. So it may just be that the fandom's gone stagnant.
- Some people are afraid they'll comment the "wrong" way. It's weird to comment on older fics. Your comments need to be long. They can't be too long. Emojis are cringe. Among other worries.
The other issue with phones? They're hard for some of us (me) to type on. I'll own it, I have meant to leave a comment before, but I read the fic (or whatever else) on my phone, meant to comment when I could type something longer than "I'm at the restaurant got us a table", and it never happened.
While I realize you're supposed to "write for yourself", we can't deny that people like comments. They like feeling part of a community. Also, it's just nice when your work is appreciated. So, what can we do? I have a few ideas.
- If you are one of those people who won't respond to things while you're on your phone, try marking for later, or emailing the fic to yourself.
- I try commenting on chapter fics, if I've already used up one kudos. Please let people know you're still reading. If you're not reading at all because you don't read WIPs, may I suggest letting the writer know if you've interacted with them before? I'll be very honest here, I once almost trashed a WIP because no one was commenting.
- Don't be afraid of commenting the "wrong way". People LOVE reviews on their old work. People don't care how long or short your review is. Emojis are adorbs. If the writer doesn't like it, welp, that's their problem.
What does everyone else think?
Points of View
Sep. 10th, 2025 10:58 ammific posting in fan_writersSo... Point of View. Is there a POV you prefer to write, or do you vary it depending on what you're writing? Are there certain types of story you think are best done in a particular POV?
I'm talking broadly here, about 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person and the variants within those, also Outsider POV, and Unreliable Narrator POV (and any other examples you can think of).
Then there's reading different POVs - any differences there from what you prefer to write?
Tell us why you like different POVs or how you use them, and if you really dislike a specific POV maybe try to discuss why you think that is, rather than just dissing it.
Have you ever written something from one POV, then decided you needed to change it to another POV? How did that go? How about sticking strictly to a single POV in a story, versus telling the story from several POVs?
china_shop posted about 2nd person POV a while back, here: Come speak to me of second person POV and there's a fair bit of discussion at that post. Plus, here's a vid discussing the basics, and one about weird POVs, which has a bunch of POVs I'd never considered before.
And if you can think of a good example of the use of POV, let us know what works for you about that piece of writing, and link us to it.
I'm talking broadly here, about 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person and the variants within those, also Outsider POV, and Unreliable Narrator POV (and any other examples you can think of).
Then there's reading different POVs - any differences there from what you prefer to write?
Tell us why you like different POVs or how you use them, and if you really dislike a specific POV maybe try to discuss why you think that is, rather than just dissing it.
Have you ever written something from one POV, then decided you needed to change it to another POV? How did that go? How about sticking strictly to a single POV in a story, versus telling the story from several POVs?
china_shop posted about 2nd person POV a while back, here: Come speak to me of second person POV and there's a fair bit of discussion at that post. Plus, here's a vid discussing the basics, and one about weird POVs, which has a bunch of POVs I'd never considered before. And if you can think of a good example of the use of POV, let us know what works for you about that piece of writing, and link us to it.
changing how a journal shows entries are posted in a comm?
Sep. 9th, 2025 09:02 amkakkoi posting in style_systemhello! i've been working on layout for a bit, and while i've got most things i want done the way i want it, i'm having issues with the way a poster is displayed on the read page
ignore the padding, i'll be fixing that, but is there any way to get the "posting in" to not display on the reading page, and have it just show the entry poster and the community?
using tabula rasa - plain, and this is the current base layout and the code regarding posters and user pics looks like this
using tabula rasa - plain, and this is the current base layout and the code regarding posters and user pics looks like this
Private community for storing drafts, templates and symbols
Sep. 7th, 2025 08:55 amg_uava posting in fictional_fans(cross-posted from newcomers)
Sharing my method for saving unpublished posts on Dreamwidth since I haven't seen it mentioned before:
It's basically just creating a community for yourself with all posts set to private (here's how). That'll serve as a repository for posts only visible to you that you can organise with tags exclusive to the community. I also use my private community to store post templates with code and put in a sticky post a bunch of often used emoji along with other symbols to copy and paste when I'm on my PC.
Does anyone know of any other less known methods for saving drafts on Dreamwidth? ☺️
Help with sidebar display - Missing header for navlinks?
Sep. 7th, 2025 08:52 ammerrileemakes posting in style_systemHello! I am a new DW member and in the process of transferring my blog over.
I'm playing around with the Buttercup Summer theme and happy with everything I can modify, except one thing. This layout has the navlinks in the sidebar, which is great, but the text overlaps the icons in the profile module slightly.
Looking at the source for my page, I *think* this because the navlinks module doesn't have a H2 header. If I wanted to add a H2 to the navlinks module (like the text highlighted below), how do I do that? I've tried the 'Use embed CSS' box on the Custom CSS page but I don't think that's the right approach (and it doesn't work).
Wait, I think this is because the S2 base layer has the code:
# Modules without titles: navlinks, time, poweredby
Do I need to made a custom S2 and remove navlinks from the 'Modules without titles' section? Is there an easier way to get my sidebar to look pretty and not have overlapping text?
I'm playing around with the Buttercup Summer theme and happy with everything I can modify, except one thing. This layout has the navlinks in the sidebar, which is great, but the text overlaps the icons in the profile module slightly.
Looking at the source for my page, I *think* this because the navlinks module doesn't have a H2 header. If I wanted to add a H2 to the navlinks module (like the text highlighted below), how do I do that? I've tried the 'Use embed CSS' box on the Custom CSS page but I don't think that's the right approach (and it doesn't work).
Wait, I think this is because the S2 base layer has the code:
# Modules without titles: navlinks, time, poweredby
Do I need to made a custom S2 and remove navlinks from the 'Modules without titles' section? Is there an easier way to get my sidebar to look pretty and not have overlapping text?
Ladies' Bingo 2025-2026 (Round 13)
Sep. 6th, 2025 04:39 pmpurplecat posting in allbingo
Link: Ladies' Bingo Round 2025-2026 (Round 13) Sign-ups
Event Description:
ladiesbingo is a bingo challenge for creative works about the relationships between women. It runs for seven months (from September until March). The motivation behind the community is to encourage people to make creative works focused on female characters and their relationships.
Round 13 (2025-2026) is now open.
Important Dates:
Sign-ups Open: September 3rd 2025
Posting: September 3rd 2025 - March 31st 2026
Amnesty: April 1st 2026 - August 31st 2026
Feedback: when, how, what, who
Sep. 5th, 2025 10:05 amtroyswann posting in fan_writers So, I'm currently constructing a course to teach young artists (in this case dancers) to build the habit of creative journaling as a foundation for developing collaborative projects and writing grants and stuff. *handwave* That's not relevant except as the impetus for this musing about feedback.
I want to teach them a little bit about how to fruitfully solicit, receive and offer feedback, and that got me thinking about how much I've learned from fandom about this process. Having a good many years and a few hundred fics-worth of experience working with beta readers, I can say that fandom did a fantastic job of preparing me to take and give feedback in my other professional spaces (teaching and learning, pro publishing etc.). The idea of involving beta readers in the creative process was just woven into the fic-writing experience and fandom culture when I dipped my toe into it, and that expectation trained me to hold my deathless prose lightly and to onboard the help and insights of a reader way more graciously than I ever had before. This shift of mindset was due in some ways to the gift-culture ethos of fandom; the delight my community took in working to make cool stuff together helped me to shift my stance from defensive protectiveness to openness. This is something I would like my students to experience in their own work.
So, to that end, I would love to hear what y'all think about soliciting and receiving feedback on your work.
Some things I'm chewing on in that regard:
1. The right feedback at the right time: When I'm asked to beta read for someone, the first question I ask is what kind of beta they are looking for: cheerleading? Line-by-line? Structural? etc. I have found that getting the wrong kind of feedback at the wrong time can be harmful to the process. When I'm struggling with the question of whether this story is even viable, telling me that I have too many adverbs and dangling modifiers is gonna derail me completely. How do you articulate to a beta reader what you need at a given stage of the process?
2. Building trust: Asking for feedback requires a lot of trust, I find, since you're giving someone your baby and asking for help raising it. I used to lean on people I already knew and whose work I admired (sometimes different people for different sorts of stories). What do you do when, for example, you're in a new space or are interacting with someone, either as beta or author, whom you might now know very well? How do you establish trust and boundaries necessary for a good experience?
3. Articulating values and qualities of useful feedback: I have found that building a good beta relationship requires me to "hold my values strongly and my opinions lightly" as a colleague of mine wisely advises. For me, some core values can be captured in the "think" model for feedback:
true, helpful, inspiring, needed and kind.
Other models add to that basic structure: timely, specific, honest and brief.
At the heart of these qualities I find two key requirements for both sides of the relationship: the focus on the work; and, as a corollary, leaving our egos at the door. We have to be both kind and courageous, to simultaneously consider the human being and to ensure that the work itself is at the centre of the relationship. It's tricky. What values or qualities do you see as central to the beta relationship?
PS. Thanks to all the folks engaging in interesting conversations here. I really appreciate this space.
I want to teach them a little bit about how to fruitfully solicit, receive and offer feedback, and that got me thinking about how much I've learned from fandom about this process. Having a good many years and a few hundred fics-worth of experience working with beta readers, I can say that fandom did a fantastic job of preparing me to take and give feedback in my other professional spaces (teaching and learning, pro publishing etc.). The idea of involving beta readers in the creative process was just woven into the fic-writing experience and fandom culture when I dipped my toe into it, and that expectation trained me to hold my deathless prose lightly and to onboard the help and insights of a reader way more graciously than I ever had before. This shift of mindset was due in some ways to the gift-culture ethos of fandom; the delight my community took in working to make cool stuff together helped me to shift my stance from defensive protectiveness to openness. This is something I would like my students to experience in their own work.
So, to that end, I would love to hear what y'all think about soliciting and receiving feedback on your work.
Some things I'm chewing on in that regard:
1. The right feedback at the right time: When I'm asked to beta read for someone, the first question I ask is what kind of beta they are looking for: cheerleading? Line-by-line? Structural? etc. I have found that getting the wrong kind of feedback at the wrong time can be harmful to the process. When I'm struggling with the question of whether this story is even viable, telling me that I have too many adverbs and dangling modifiers is gonna derail me completely. How do you articulate to a beta reader what you need at a given stage of the process?
2. Building trust: Asking for feedback requires a lot of trust, I find, since you're giving someone your baby and asking for help raising it. I used to lean on people I already knew and whose work I admired (sometimes different people for different sorts of stories). What do you do when, for example, you're in a new space or are interacting with someone, either as beta or author, whom you might now know very well? How do you establish trust and boundaries necessary for a good experience?
3. Articulating values and qualities of useful feedback: I have found that building a good beta relationship requires me to "hold my values strongly and my opinions lightly" as a colleague of mine wisely advises. For me, some core values can be captured in the "think" model for feedback:
true, helpful, inspiring, needed and kind.
Other models add to that basic structure: timely, specific, honest and brief.
At the heart of these qualities I find two key requirements for both sides of the relationship: the focus on the work; and, as a corollary, leaving our egos at the door. We have to be both kind and courageous, to simultaneously consider the human being and to ensure that the work itself is at the centre of the relationship. It's tricky. What values or qualities do you see as central to the beta relationship?
PS. Thanks to all the folks engaging in interesting conversations here. I really appreciate this space.
