Best or Worst review you've ever gotten

[Kurahieiritr]

I was just given the Home school version of the program levels 1-3 for my B-day. Am already rolling with laughter over how my inflection is definitely missing the mark since I loaded the program onto my laptop yesterday. I am glad I got the Rosetta Stone though cause it is a really neat program. All the lettering is in the Japanese style font at the moment, so I hope I can figure out how to get romanji up once I understand the program a lot better than I do at the moment. Thanks so much for the tip, Aysha.

[Aysha c.c.]

I was just given the Home school version of the program levels 1-3 for my B-day. Am already rolling with laughter over how my inflection is definitely missing the mark since I loaded the program onto my laptop yesterday. I am glad I got the Rosetta Stone though cause it is a really neat program. All the lettering is in the Japanese style font at the moment, so I hope I can figure out how to get romanji up once I understand the program a lot better than I do at the moment. Thanks so much for the tip, Aysha.

You are welcome, and what you are looking for is at the bottom of the screen, when you are doing your lessons. There are little boxes down there right in the middle of the screen. Clicking on them will change the writing style.

Happy birthday to you as well. I hope you're having as much fun with it as I am.

Edited August 18, 2013 by Aysha c.c.

[Kurahieiritr]

You are welcome, and what you are looking for is at the bottom of the screen, when you are doing your lessons. There are little boxes down there right in the middle of the screen. Clicking on them will change the writing style.

Happy birthday to you as well. I hope you're having as much fun with it as I am.

A: Thanks so much for the additional tip. My birthday is a few days away, but some of the longest standing friends are aware of my obsession to learn Japanese so they searched for a copy for me. Seeing as how they live several states away, they shipped me the box and it arrived early.

AS to the main topic of this thread about best and worst reviews, I got another review recently that made my day brighter. This review is to my one shot I posted recently called Shop talk.

I enjoyed watching INITIAL D, and this dialogue reminds me very much of what I heard on the show--a lot of tech talk that I find interesting even though I can just barely follow it. I like the added twist of comparing American and Japanese racing and racers. I saw some misplaced commas but no other language problems. Thanks for posting.

I love knowing I stay true to my fandom universe's expectations. Guess being a shade tree mechanic has days where it really does pay off in the small details shared through dialog in this instance. Had I not known about the diverse kinds of street/off road racing due to my decades of participation and fan following, I would never have been able to get such a nice review I'm fairly certain. Soon as I can figure out where the misplaced commas are, I'll be able to repair those problems to make the story even better.

[KoKoa_B]

This makes me wonder; does it have to be a review you received from here? I received one from another site that I post on which... I didn't know how to take it, really; LOL! I know that I'm not the greatest of writers but a part of me wanted to be really discouraged from the review only because it was revised from the original. They said: "This style of writing sounds very young, like the stream of consciousness of a young girl. But she mentions a husband so I'm guessing she must be at least 20. Did you write this when you were younger?"

That wasn't the style of writing I was going for, to be honest so that tells me that I may or may not need to "write more maturely" with this Pokemon fic. Then again, I had no plans for the story to be a dark or erotic one so the other part of me took this as a slight compliment; it's Pokemon for crying out loud! It also made me wonder: I have other stories that the reviewer could have sampled that, in my opinion, sounded older; why did he choose the one that would've been more likely geared towards the younger crowd...? *shrugs* Like I said, it was a revision that was posted; what type of review would they have left if I would've said "screw it" and posted the original? XD So, yeah; it was pretty interesting to say the least!

[Crystalandra]

I would like to share two bad reviews that I have received but they were not on this site. They are quite comical in my view...Okay, the first review that I had received, the individual was puzzled about the way the characters spoke. Basically what they said was from my Avatar (I had used Storm), they are assuming I am Black. So if I am a Black person then how come my characters don't speak "ghetto"? *sighs. I mean really...I am an educated person of colour so why would I?? And besides what does colour have anything to do with writing??!!! This, of course had me laughing--people can be so incredibly stupid.

Okay, now for the second review I have printed it below:

"If you want to write something that is dark, you need to remember that less is more. Using large or uncommon words does not create a dark atmosphere; often, it does the opposite, making the material unintentionally comical. Instead of enjoying what you wrote, I found myself unable to follow along at times. Lose the melodrama and shoot for more realism. Allow your characters to talk like normal people because your readers are going to get stuck on how they're saying it rather than what they are saying. If your reader has to have a dictionary then you have lost them. Keep it simple and show, don't tell."

Here is another person who isn't a fan of the dictionary...I just thought it was common knowledge that people knew what words such as, syncopated, blithering, and cacophony, all meant. And as for keeping things simple, I always remember my English teacher in University telling me that detail is the key to painting a picture for the audience to visualize--simplicity is boring, dull, and unimaginative. Oh well...

[Aysha c.c.]

@Crystalandra: I to am a person of color, and I even grow up in a relatively ghetto area. However I never could speak ghetto very well; my grandmother was a journalist and raised my mother the speak proper English and she passed that on to me. I got a lot of grief from my friends "in the hood" about all the big words I use.

I decided a long time ago that I don't have to sound stupid just to make them feel better about how stupid they sounded, saying stuff like "she lookeded good." and "He was more gooder looking then you." , No really a girl actually said that to me! I just stared at her in a state of disbelief.

As for writing using "big words" try reading some of my stories like Teen Titans and a Sex-fiend, or Transformers Prime the Truth Revealed. I think I sprained my vocabulary writing those LOL. So don't let the "ignint" people get you down simply because they can't read words with more than four litters.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Aysha c.c.

[Kurahieiritr]

This makes me wonder; does it have to be a review you received from here? I received one from another site that I post on which... I didn't know how to take it, really; LOL! I know that I'm not the greatest of writers but a part of me wanted to be really discouraged from the review only because it was revised from the original. They said: "This style of writing sounds very young, like the stream of consciousness of a young girl. But she mentions a husband so I'm guessing she must be at least 20. Did you write this when you were younger?"

That wasn't the style of writing I was going for, to be honest so that tells me that I may or may not need to "write more maturely" with this Pokemon fic. Then again, I had no plans for the story to be a dark or erotic one so the other part of me took this as a slight compliment; it's Pokemon for crying out loud! It also made me wonder: I have other stories that the reviewer could have sampled that, in my opinion, sounded older; why did he choose the one that would've been more likely geared towards the younger crowd...? *shrugs* Like I said, it was a revision that was posted; what type of review would they have left if I would've said "screw it" and posted the original? XD So, yeah; it was pretty interesting to say the least!

A: Do not let such a review get you down. I have had similar reviews via several sites over the years. Not everyone can be pleased by a writer's style and topic choice as a rule. The fact you were writing Pokemon in itself is telling about the correct writing style. Some people want nothing but sex or similar in their stories and will be rude about any other types of stories, no matter how well written.

I would like to share two bad reviews that I have received but they were not on this site. They are quite comical in my view...Okay, the first review that I had received, the individual was puzzled about the way the characters spoke. Basically what they said was from my Avatar (I had used Storm), they are assuming I am Black. So if I am a Black person then how come my characters don't speak "ghetto"? *sighs. I mean really...I am an educated person of colour so why would I?? And besides what does colour have anything to do with writing??!!! This, of course had me laughing--people can be so incredibly stupid.

Okay, now for the second review I have printed it below:

"If you want to write something that is dark, you need to remember that less is more. Using large or uncommon words does not create a dark atmosphere; often, it does the opposite, making the material unintentionally comical. Instead of enjoying what you wrote, I found myself unable to follow along at times. Lose the melodrama and shoot for more realism. Allow your characters to talk like normal people because your readers are going to get stuck on how they're saying it rather than what they are saying. If your reader has to have a dictionary then you have lost them. Keep it simple and show, don't tell."

Here is another person who isn't a fan of the dictionary...I just thought it was common knowledge that people knew what words such as, syncopated, blithering, and cacophony, all meant. And as for keeping things simple, I always remember my English teacher in University telling me that detail is the key to painting a picture for the audience to visualize--simplicity is boring, dull, and unimaginative. Oh well...

A: I get the same type of complaint about specific words used reviews also on occasion. I find that people who have "Be more dumb, Stupid" syndrome rarely read anything but fluff. The only time a character should speak ghetto in writing is if you are writing a character known for speaking ghetto in the story line. I detest such nonsense ideals that a person of any specific history or background must comply to a set of iron bound laws because of where a person grew up. You are correct in painting a good scene for the intelligent readers to immerse themselves within to their heart's content. Although, I must acknowledge words like syncopated are considered obscure and a touch archaic in the modern writing industry, I have used many big words throughout my writing career.

As for writing using "big words" try reading some of my stories like Teen Titans and a Sex-fiend, or Transformers Prime the Truth Revealed. I think I sprained my vocabulary writing those LOL. So don't let the "ignint" people get you down simply because they can't read words with more than four litters.

A: Agreed in spades. The lazy will never appreciate language and have very small vocabularies overall. So whenever we cross paths with such individuals, talking or writing over their heads happens without intention which is painful. The ignorant do not wish to be challenged to evolve often being the biggest problem. Such people tend to stereotype others, as seems to be the case of the bad reviews mentioned above. Kind of sad to see it when it happens. Stupidity by choice is one disease that seems to infect across all colors and backgrounds I have discovered in my lifetime. It is always best to shrug off such negative and narrow minded foolishness when it is tossed at any of our works which we have shared online.

[DrunkenScotsman]

[snip]

I don't know if I'm qualified to try to teach you anything , I just enjoyed reading and writing, but I suppose I may be able to give you a few tips. The first one being don't take any shortcuts developing your story, make sure you explain your character's motives emotions and feelings and what precipitated them. Number two is continuity to the best to maintain the continuity of your stories so you don't throw the reader out of the world you're trying to create for them. If you think of something in later chapters that relates to the earlier chapters , make sure that you get the reference right.

For instance in the legend of Drizzt , the author wrote in one of the early books about the main character playing a joke on his nome friend, where he had his pet Panther lie on top of the nome. Then in a later book got it wrong when the main character was retelling the story and said he had the panther lie on his dwarf friend. Both characters were present at the retelling of the story

and both acted like he got it right.

It may seem like a small breach in the continuity of the story, but it's those small things that stick with the reader.

The third and final tip I can give is that if your character has special abilities or attributes, explain them! How they got them and how they work and don't put them in unless they're important to the story.

[snip]

P.S. Oh wait , I just thought of one more thing and it's probably the most important. Read your story not as you wrote it because , you can overlook things that way. you have to try to read it as if you don't know what's written on the page. . It's a very difficult thing to do as the writer of the story, you tend to anticipate what the next word will be and you miss seeing what's actually there and it can be something that you did not intend to put on the page that totally destroys the continuity of your story. So every time you complete a couple of chapters go back over it , make sure you read every single word that is actually on the page and then once you've completed a scene or chapter reread that to make sure it comes off the way you intend.

This man speaks the truth. Especially the PS - I've gone back and reread stories years later and been galled that I'd done such a "shoddy" (in my own eyes) job proofreading them.

First, for one of the more bizarre reviews I've gotten, for my fic "The Witching Hour" on this site:

"Personal thing, I REALLY hope Yukari shaves. I really don't like chicks with hair down there, though I'd be fine if she trimmed it down to a small patch."

And that's all there was to it. I guess it was useful, in that the reviewer was giving me feedback about what he found unsexy; it just caught me offguard that this person had that strong a reaction AND that it was the only thing s/he felt worth commenting on.

Some of my best reviews:

- for "Solo Shots": I'm SO sorry I didn't review this earlier. I've been meaning to let you know what a great contributor you are to the world of Adult X-men Fanfiction. This was a very good little series. Each chapter was small and focuses. Each coupling was nicely detailed and very hot. I have to say it's rare to find stories of this quality on this site. Your story was very refreshing. I only wish there were more like it. My favorite scenes were the ones with Cyclops and Jean, Emma's fantasy, and Storm. You were creative and insightful with each scene. It didn't feel like PWP even if that was the major theme. I really applaud you for telling all these nicely developed tales. I really do hope that you continue to write X-men stories of this nature. This section needs quality work like yours! Thank you for crafting this series and I look forward to seeing what you have in store next!

- for "First Times at Bayville High": Holy crap. Poor Sam. That is not the standard porn 'loss of virginity goes awesomely' story.

The story telling theme in interesting as you've done not to facilitate a flashback but to tell it on their own words. Which means first person writing and less explicit porn. You've done it quite well though and in most parts it really does sound how Amara might describe the situation.

Still Amara's background has been entirely lifted from the comics? I don't recall any princess of nova roma stuff in the cartoon. Just brazillian chick with an affinty for volcaneos. Still the princess background is worth it just for the scene of the panic amara suddenly starting to use the royal we.

and: Aysha is beside himself, yes, yes he is; aside from the fact that this was some of the best all time F/F I have ever read and loved all the nuance's of this chapter. From the English accent to the odd English idioms.(sometimes its hard to believe they understand each other.) However one is forced to be curious, yes, yes one is, about a question Aysha posed a while back. Do you remember? Well do you?

(Especially the latter one - I lol'ed, b/c I heard Smeagol/Gollum in my head.)

As far as worst reviews, I can't quote them, since the poster deleted them from the stories. One particular user hated one of my fics, "Down Under," something fierce, and made no bones about it - and, to be fair, some of the criticisms raised were quite valid. This same user then started leaving baselessly harsh reviews on "First Times," accusing me of writing some characters OOC when, in the show the fic is based on, those characters had minimal screentime and thus little, if any, defined personalities; worse, the accusations were also based on assumptions from mainstream Marvel continuity, when "First Times" was clearly stated as taking place in a different continuity. In some cases, the criticisms of that story even seemed to be based on deliberate misreadings of what I'd written, which was the most frustrating part. I'm glad he chose to stop reviewing that story, as his reviews weren't at all constructive.

On the topic of elevated vs. everyday language:

First, know thyself - write however feels most comfortable to you. (See what I did there? I used both styles.)

Second, experiment - explore both more florid, descriptive prose and sparse, tight narrative; there's a place for either, with good examples of either to be found among the literary giants.

Third, always bear context in mind - if it makes sense for a character to use more formal language in his/her dialogue, then write that character's dialogue in that fashion; on the other hand, if the character's just a regular joe, or comes from backwoods Mis'sippi, or what have you, try to capture the flavor of that dialect as best you can. In this case, it really helps to listen closely to the way real people talk. In the latter case, it's especially important not to overdo it or mis-write the character with your word choice.

Edited October 8, 2013 by DrunkenScotsman

[Guest]

RE: Elevated vs everyday language:

I keep wondering if a reviewer will tell me to tone down the cursing in my current fic. (I am only capable of writing one at a time) The MC says the f word so frequently (when angered) that I have to get really creative with his curses. Actually, he curses in 2 languages, so that makes it a bit easier for me. I know plenty of people who speak that way, but I rarely if ever read characters that speak that way (excepting perhaps Trainspotting characters). So far, no one has said anything, through 50 reviews. I keep thinking the next review someone will say, "Oy! Less is more!" The thing is, I really enjoy writing the character that way. Any thoughts?

[DrunkenScotsman]

Some characters are pottymouths; other characters aren't. For me, it'd be a problem if EVERY character cursed like a sailor, as it'd get unpleasantly repetitive quickly and make it harder to differentiate characters. I don't find writing pottymouths to be all that fun most of the time, so I'll usually use one at most; or I'll give each character a particular favorite swear that they use a little more often (for example, one character that uses "asshole" more than any other). That said, I don't mind writing stories where each character curses occasionally, like maybe once or twice every few chapters.

[RogueMudblood]

As far as worst reviews, I can't quote them, since the poster deleted them from the stories. One particular user hated one of my fics, "Down Under," something fierce, and made no bones about it - and, to be fair, some of the criticisms raised were quite valid. This same user then started leaving baselessly harsh reviews on "First Times," accusing me of writing some characters OOC when, in the show the fic is based on, those characters had minimal screentime and thus little, if any, defined personalities; worse, the accusations were also based on assumptions from mainstream Marvel continuity, when "First Times" was clearly stated as taking place in a different continuity. In some cases, the criticisms of that story even seemed to be based on deliberate misreadings of what I'd written, which was the most frustrating part. I'm glad he chose to stop reviewing that story, as his reviews weren't at all constructive.

What you're describing sounds like flaming (without seeing the reviews exactly, would not be able to state definitively), and we don't allow it. If that was something staff found, it's possible the user's account was terminated, not just that the user removed the reviews.

[BronxWench]

What you're describing sounds like flaming (without seeing the reviews exactly, would not be able to state definitively), and we don't allow it. If that was something staff found, it's possible the user's account was terminated, not just that the user removed the reviews.

If that reviewer does begin leaving irrelevant and needlessly harsh reviews again, please email us or post in the forums to let us know. Don't delete the reviews, because we do need to see them ourselves to verify whether or not they're flames. If they are, we will proceed appropriately because Rogue's absolutely right. We don't allow flaming, and chronic offenders will find their accounts deleted.

[DrunkenScotsman]

Thanks. I would've left the reviews up anyway, even if he hadn't deleted them, just to prove that I could accept negative criticism without pitching a hissyfit. Ultimately, we were able to talk on the discussion thread for the story; while the other user and I were unable to come to any sort of understanding, he decided to delete his reviews and just stop reading my work, I guess due to artistic differences. If there are any more incidents (which I doubt, since I think he'll just refuse to read anything I write from now on), I'll be sure to PM one of you moderator-staff-types.