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Danyealle

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Posts posted by Danyealle

  1. Lack of reviews.

    in Reviews

    Posted · Edited by Danyealle

    I'm going to be honest, I’ve been avoiding this thread like it's nuclear waste because it's the kind of thing that can lead to serious rants and some very hurt feeling but, after today, I decided to add my two pennies to it (and Apollo is checking those pennies to make sure I don't step over the line with this rant).

    For those on here that don't know, I've been an archive moderator since '08 and seen a lot of things over those years so I can quite honestly say that, despite what someone asserted, it's not a few bad apples that have ruined reviews for most everyone but a whole lot of them rotten apples that have killed it! That's no joke, folks! And the biggest problem with getting reviews is the authors themselves. They are the ones that have, bluntly, made it to where so many are out and out scared to leave a review of any kind for anyone. It's sad, but it's true! I know people are going to argue with that assertion but hear me out.

    One very shining example of this happened today. A few days ago, I was working on doing my ten reviews for AFF's Review Association (for those of you that don't know what that is we go in and review stories each month that have none. Our reward for that? We get a banner. Nothing else. If interested, they are always accepting members-plug over, back to rant...). It's been a few days since I did it so I didn't think anything of it until I woke up today and was getting ready for work. Checking the standard pages I do when I get up, I found that one of the beings I left a review for reported me for it! Now, being a mod, I know what the difference between what a flame and concrit is. I also know where the line is drawn and don't even step close to it. If I feel something I’m saying is too harsh, I get BW or Apollo to check it over for me to see if there isn't a way to soften up what I said or to ensure that I didn't step over any kind of line with it.

    The review in question wasn't even one I had to do that with. It was nicely worded, slightly blunt but not overly so, giving the issue, a link about how to fix the issue and how what was done affects the reader when trying to read it. I started and ended the review with positive things about the story. Nor did I rip the thing apart. But, still, I got reported for it and there was a long rant from the author about the whole thing basically saying I need to quit pretending this is a professional writing site or Hollywood and stop leaving those kinds of reviews. I was... STUNNED. Then I laughed my ass off! Am I mad about it? No, I thought it was funny as hell! Am I in trouble for it? No, because I did nothing wrong and I didn't flame or attack anyone. Is this odd? Yes and no. It's odd that I got reported but these kinds of tantrums over concrit reviews are quite common. There are plenty out there, more than just a small handful of them, that want nothing but fandpoodling OMGWTFILUFFIT reviews and for you to say nothing else though they ask for reviews.

    Other examples are just as bad. Plenty pimp the hell out of their stuff all over and ask for reviews but when you give them an honest one, they just delete it and don't bother to fix any of the issues you pointed out even if you give them a very easy way or solution to fixing what is wrong. Talking to Rogue, another member of the RA, we figured out that we are running about 50/50 with reviews we leave. About 50% stay up and the other 50 either get rid of the review or out and out delete the story (this month's 5 I did serious concrit for has resulted in 2 reviews already being deleted and one reporting me for what I had to say so you can see this is not an exaggeration). That is sad but true. And, generally, they all but beg for reviews in the story, the thread in the forum to promo the story or elsewhere. But if you don't just gush, they get rid of it. How many times are you going to go through with this until you give up? It generally doesn't take long before you throw your hands up and say 'I give' then quit. It get's worse though.

    Though many of you might think I’m joking (I can assure you, I’m not), it goes downhill from there. Like I said at the beginning, I’ve seen a lot over my time as a mod and a common thing to happen is the flame baiting by authors. BW and I have both had this happen to us because we're mods and the author didn't like something we told them to change. We've had them say something in the story then had their readers go after our stories with reviews that are intended to be retaliatory and bombing our ratings. And if they'll do it to a mod, who knows what's going on and how to handle it, you can damned sure bet they do it to reviewers that say something they don't like! They have too, many, many, MANY times.

    They leave a butt-hurt, whiney ass AN about how someone was so mean to them in a review or that they think they should just stop writing because of something that is said then BAM the reviewer gets nailed. It happens more than you think, folks! And if you think it's just younger authors that do this, think again! There are plenty of older ones that do the same thing. This, more than anything, has made it to where people are afraid to leave a review. Would you want attacked because you were honest or were giving feedback to someone that's not mean but intended to help them improve what they do? The majority of you would say no to this but it's what happens. And plenty have seen this so they back off and say nothing rather than be on the receiving end of that kind of flaming. That results in people not reviewing. Since this has gone on for years, the end result is what you see now; reviews are minimal. If someone gives one, it's just standard fanpoodling OMG update soon or something like that.

    So, know what? You want to bitch and complain to someone about this? Go find the authors that do this bonehead stupid stuff, and more I didn't mention, and let them know because they are the ones that have killed the reviews for the rest of you more than just the readers that never bother.

  13. Using proper anatomical terms over sex slang

    in Writers' Corner

    Posted · Edited by Danyealle

    I understand your opinion but I just prefer using technical terms although I try to use non vulgar terms like flower, malehood, or seed but thats about it. But you must remember that not everyone reads it to be naughty. I read and write sex scenes with artistic and professional sense like authors who write romantic and erotic literature would use.

    Actually, I'm published as erotic romance author and those terms you just used? I had to change them. They bluntly told me to change them. They don't want the flowery language in romance/erotica, they want the naughty and heat generated from it. It sets a tone in something that they want and appeals to a different kind of nature. That's the standard preference to the masses, not the anatomical of anything unless it's a description in a non-erotic part of the story for something. Are they overused? Depends on the term and the context. That just comes from you being able to use a name or description is all.

  14. Using proper anatomical terms over sex slang

    in Writers' Corner

    Posted

    Actually, that 'slang' as you call it is what publishers want. They WANT cock, balls, pussy, etc instead of more mainstream terms. They want heat and heat tends to not come from proper anatomical terms. The whole point of reading some of this is it's 'naughty'. And the naughty parts come from the word usage. Last three go 'rounds with the pro edit i had to change terminology to something more heat driven from the mundane to amp up the heat level. So, it appears, what people want is the naughty, not proper terms.

  24. Supporting our Authors

    in Personal Rants & Journals

    Posted

    Gonna add this here... another factor depends on the age of the fandom. The older fandoms (Inuyasha falls in here as it's an older anime and the manga is done-it'll probably see some resurgence when The Final Act finally finishes being dubbed and hits TV in the states but won't last long) don't get the reviews, period. They have their die hard fans but are not the 'trending' fandoms where people congregate and leave a multitude of reviews. This goes for most sites when it comes to the older fandoms, not just AFF. It also depends on the size of the fandom. The smaller ones get very little 'love'.

    As Rogue said, it's a trend across all sites with this but will add that you're lucky to get what you do. I post on a couple sites that make AFF look like the Garden of Eden for reviews. They get hits, likes, follows, whatever you want to call fav'ing but no reviews and that's how it is for all authors there. So, just keep that in mind. It might not be a massive amount you get but as long as you get one or two it's better than so many stories on other archives or even excellent ones in the small archives here on AFF

    To expound on something Rogue said... so many authors have actually seriously hurt the review counts of others by tantruming, throwing fits, review whoring and other appalling things that many are afraid to review for fear that they will be on the receiving end of such things. We see this all the time working in the archive and in other places. So people aren't going to 'put it out there' and have someone and their fans attack them (yes, that happens quite a bit, more than most authors realize).

    There are many other factors involved but those are the big ones and my thoughts on them...

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