Why? :/

[Lepidottero]

Why was my story hidden?

...I can't even tell if it really was hidden or if it's just... not there for some freakish reason. It shows up to edit but it doesn't come up in my profile.

I don't really get it.

A few weeks ago I got a message that said I was 'Holding chapters hostage until I got reviews' and that if I didn't change this, the story would be hidden.

Not only was I doing no such thing in the first place. (Trust me, I hate it just as much as the next guy. Authors are supposed to earn reviews by making readers unable to resist throwing feedback at them. Not force people to review if they want to read more.) But I changed the part that was most likely being interpreted that way so that there was no way it could be interpreted that way. So not only was I not holding anything hostage in the first place, I made the change I was asked to make.

But the story has now been hidden.

I don't understand this, and I'd love to be enlightened.

I don't like to stick my nose out and cause issues like this, but... what can I do?

I doubt this is the right board :X.

[RogueMudblood]

No it's not in the right board - it should be in the disclaimer issue forum.

Ok, hon, tell me which category. Name of story.

[RogueMudblood]

Nevermind.

Here's the part that's the problem:

"So if ya review, there's a better chance I'll have more motivation to write, which can mean quicker updates."

Remove that and we can make visible again.

[Lepidottero]

Gah. I don't understand that. I think I made it pretty clear that I'm encouraging reviews because they motivate me and not holding anything hostage until I get them.

But, I guess it's not that important. So yeah, I'll take it off.

[RogueMudblood]

Where the issue comes in is that it sounds like you're saying that your update frequency will be based off your reviews.

We appreciate your correcting it and cooperating with us.

Your story is now visible.

[Lepidottero]

Seems a little insensitive to the idea that a writer can be motivated to write more quickly and confidently when he/she receives feedback. I don't understand how it was being interpreted that way. I mean, I update when I finish a chapter, no matter what. Then again, yes, if I don't get any reviews after an update, I will likely be discouraged and in turn take longer to update, because it suggests my last update wasn't as good as the other things I've posted. But even if I do get that way, I'll still update IF I finish, there's just less of a chance that I'll finish because I'm a little put off by a story that no one likes enough to review. I guess you could say I feel like I'm generally better than that. So yes, my update frequency can be based on reviews, depending on whether I personally still care about the story or not. I'm a social motherfucker, other people liking what I write is what makes me care, and if they don't, I'll stop caring. That's what it means.

I guess I'm a little peeved at being accused of doing something I find so shameful and idiotic, is all.

But, you're the boss. Thanks for bringing it back.

[RogueMudblood]

I'm not the boss. That'd be Apollo. And DG as admin. I'm just on the little totem pole - rung right above the bottom. (Please don't look up my skirt.)

As to your grievance, I would direct you to review both the guidelines and user agreement for the archive.

[ApolloImperium]

Seems a little insensitive to the idea that a writer can be motivated to write more quickly and confidently when he/she receives feedback. I don't understand how it was being interpreted that way. I mean, I update when I finish a chapter, no matter what. Then again, yes, if I don't get any reviews after an update, I will likely be discouraged and in turn take longer to update, because it suggests my last update wasn't as good as the other things I've posted. But even if I do get that way, I'll still update IF I finish, there's just less of a chance that I'll finish because I'm a little put off by a story that no one likes enough to review. I guess you could say I feel like I'm generally better than that. So yes, my update frequency can be based on reviews, depending on whether I personally still care about the story or not. I'm a social motherfucker, other people liking what I write is what makes me care, and if they don't, I'll stop caring. That's what it means.

I understand where you're coming from - Reviews are an Author's lifeblood and keep us going. I know it's always disappointing when your hits jump up 200, but not a single person takes the time to review. While you may not view what you had on your story as review demands or holding the story hostage, it can still come off that way. Your wording is a lot less extreme than some, but it does still fall under that category.

Asking for reviews is allowed. You can always place something like "You're reviews are always appreciated!" or "Please read & review" at the end of the chapter. Or if you want to indicate that reviews keep you motivated to keep writing, "Reviews let me know that I'm not just writing for myself." Just be careful to keep any mention of updating frequency etc out or mentioning a specific number needed to see an update. If you ever have a question if something is allowed or not, you can always ask any of the staff, we'd be glad to help.