Story Board Activity Increase

[MissPlumbBob]

I've noticed so many more stories, updates, and comments on stories since I've had this username/account.

All I can say is WOW! I'd like to thank the readers, not just of my story(s), but on behalf of all the other authors. Your enthusiam encourages us like you wouldn't believe! So thank you all!

EDIT: I hope this was all right to say. I just wanted to express my gratitude. Admins and mods, is this fine to keep up, or should I delete it?

[xFezIsAFreakx]

Yes, this post exactly. Every time I read a new comment on my Dreamers, be that from a long-time reader or a brand new one, it makes me even more determined and happy to continue the story and provide those readers with even more chapters!

And also a thank you to the writers who provide such good stories, like you yourself, Miss Plumbob, which inspire me with my own stories. I only wish my laptop could handle one than more save file so I could write multiple stories, hehe.

[MissPlumbBob]

Thanks for supporting and reiterating my gratitude, Fez!

EDIT: I think you edited your post. You are quite welcome, and thanks for calling me a good writer in this thread.

[Sportsfan]

I agree with Fez, anytime someone posts on one of my stories, no matter what they post, even if they say my writing is the worst they've ever read and they hope my dynasty fails (haven't actually heard that on yet) it makes me feel good that someone is appreciating what I've spent time on.

[MissPlumbBob]

Totally right, Sportsfan!

Still haven't heard from a Admin or Mod... I guess this is alright, then?

[AnnBeiFong]

I agree! Thanks everybody for your great inspiring stories and comments!   i always feel all special and warm and fuzzy inside when someone comments on my stories, and even if I get a bad one, I still feel that way. It just makes me feel happy that people care about my story in one way or another.

[ratchie]

What I love about the stories on here is the diversity. It would be so easy for every story to be exactly the same after all we mostly use the same characters but each and every story feels new.
I sometimes don't look at how many people have viewed my stories but when I do I am always presently surprised. I do have a bad habbit where I don't coment on other peoples stories as much as I should.

Rachel

[MissPlumbBob]

I can relate to everything you guys said, Ann and Rachel.

[CarlosLordofTacos]

I agree with Fez, anytime someone posts on one of my stories, no matter what they post, even if they say my writing is the worst they've ever read and they hope my dynasty fails (haven't actually heard that on yet) it makes me feel good that someone is appreciating what I've spent time on.

Ha! That's sounds a lot like my author's bio on my work in progress blog. "Please send any hate-mail to ************, because your effort proves just how much you care."

Personally, I'd rather the PM system was utilised more for stories, it's annoying to wade through a marsh of comments to view the next chapter.

[MissPlumbBob]

Carlos, that's exactly why I update my table of contents every time I post a chapter.

Thanks everyone for putting this (my) gratitude into your own words!

[Sportsfan]

I actually disagree with that Carlos. A lot of the people that comment have questions, and if one person is confused about something more people probably are.

[CarlosLordofTacos]

I actually disagree with that Carlos. A lot of the people that comment have questions, and if one person is confused about something more people probably are.

I like people asking questions in the comment sections, it's just compliments can get frivolous and are best left to PMs.

[MissPlumbBob]

I kind of agree with Carlos now. Which is why I sometimes PM people for constructive criticism.

[CarlosLordofTacos]

Also odds are that people will be less likely to point out bad things about a piece because there is no confidentiality in a post. That's bad for the reader and for the writer. In fact, especially for the writer.

[MissPlumbBob]

~nods head~

I know exactly what you are saying.

Which brings me to start to want Live Chat on this site... But please don't comment on that; I might make a new topic for it.

[Schipperke]

Still haven't heard from a Admin or Mod... I guess this is alright, then?

I certainly can't speak for any of the other moderators or administrators, but personally I think this sort of discussion is a good idea.  It actually reminds me of a discussion the moderators had awhile back.  The issue was how to encourage the kind of supportive, constructive comments we all like to get on our stories, while not having people posting frivolously and creating clutter in the stories, as Carlos has pointed out.  I do think there's been less frivolous posting recently, which is good.  Although I have to say it's not always easy for me to draw a line between what's frivolous and what isn't.

[MissPlumbBob]

I certainly can't speak for any of the other moderators or administrators, but personally I think this sort of discussion is a good idea.  It actually reminds me of a discussion the moderators had awhile back.  The issue was how to encourage the kind of supportive, constructive comments we all like to get on our stories, while not having people posting frivolously and creating clutter in the stories, as Carlos has pointed out.  I do think there's been less frivolous posting recently, which is good.  Although I have to say it's not always easy for me to draw a line between what's frivolous and what isn't.

Thanks so much for agreeing with the idea for this thread, Schip.

[TheChronicR]

I agree with everything said here, except I disagree with Carlos much. You know, it's very important to hear from your readers, to see if they like your work or not, but if it would have to be done the way you suggested, most people would stay quiet, seeing as the shy factor is there.

[MissPlumbBob]

I see your point of view clearly, Chronic.

I am awed that so many writers, and great ones at that, have shared my sentiments on this thread. Any other writers want to say a few words about their fans?

[Metropolis Man]

I certainly can't speak for any of the other moderators or administrators, but personally I think this sort of discussion is a good idea.

Agreed. This is a good thread with intelligent, thought-provoking discussion.

[MissPlumbBob]

I'm flattered, Metro Man, that an Administrator and fellow writer would say that.

[Elainfaro]

I haven't written any stories yet but I agree about all the comments. It does get annoying having to go through all of them but on the other hand, this is a forum and you have your stories on a post so it's inevitable. The only thing that you can do is like many members here do. Put the new chapters on the first post. Unless they completely changed the layout of posts (which beats the purpose of a forum) then we just have to deal with it.

[MissPlumbBob]

I agree with you, Elainfaro.

I mainly posted because I wanted to encourage you to post your story, if you already have an idea for one.

[Saltypaws]

I remember when we first started our dynasties and how few there were and of course, alot less members.  The story board has grown so much, it is hard to keep track of all of the stories and I try to read what I can.  I have to say, I am guilty of not posting a comment on stories, even though I have read them.  I have my own stories on the back burner, like my dynasty, which I started almost a year ago and I really need to upgrade my computer so I can finish.  It is nice to have your story commented on, but even though no one comments, you can see by the views on how many people are at least reading them.

[Pam]

It's the views that I really like.  My Dreamweaver Immortal Dynasty is the 2nd most viewed thread on the forum and it used to be number one.  It currently has over 157,000 views!  I can hardly believe that.  The story for my Townie DecaDynasty is in the planning stages.  It will be interesting to see if it flies or flops.

[Seabody]

Pam, it'll fly. And I know many others agree.
I am guilty of not always posting on stories, but there are so many good ones out there. You guys are really good writers - from the majority of you, I expect to see a great deal of novels in the near (or not so near) future. It's going to be nice to grow up, see a name, and think "Oh yeah! ************* is ********!"
It always makes me happy to see others enjoying my rants stories, even if I remain adamant that the ending is horrible. I still believe that the ending to Katie's World could've ended up better. It was pretty bad.

[MissPlumbBob]

@Saltypaws and @Pam:

I used to not think this at first. Now after a good many updates, I realize that views are more important than comments, especially if those comments are frivolous.

@Seabody:

So you'd buy a book written by me? Or is that not what you were implying? Either way, I also think it would be neat to see a book get published that was penned by a forum alumni (spelling?).

[TheChronicR]

I don't know what about you, but comments are more important for me than views. If my story had forever 100 views, I'd still continue writing and posting it.

[CarlosLordofTacos]

It isn`t about views nor the number of comments, but about the quality that makes a good story and one helpful comment is worth a 1000 frivolous ones.

[TheChronicR]

Okay, I'll be perfectly honest now.

I simply don't get all this frivolous comment chaos. If it's a comment, it's a comment, no matter the length. And for those of you complaining about 'not being able to find the chapter posts in a flood of comments', most authors provide a handy list of links in the first post of the story, but sometimes it indeed is important to read the comments as well because you might find the answer to a question you've been wondering about whilst reading.

[samoht04]

I think what they mean is that you don't need loads of comments to know if people are reading if your view count is going up. I personally don't care about either, I just write my story and if people comment I thank them or answer their questions. I don't find frivolous posts annoying in small quantaties, if it's page after page then it annoys me. I also like detailed reviews but thats just me. 

Thanks to all the Viewers/Readers of the Stories and to the authors of them. The amount of times I fall out of my chair with laughter at some of them or smile because the writing is so great. Thanks go to Carl and Pam who have also given us the opportunity to share our stories, and Metro for coming up with these Dynasties for us to share stories which are all amazingly different for each member.

[TheChronicR]

I think what they mean is that you don't need loads of comments to know if people are reading if your view count is going up. I personally don't care about either, I just write my story and if people comment I thank them or answer their questions. I don't find frivolous posts annoying in small quantaties, if it's page after page then it annoys me. I also like detailed reviews but thats just me. 

Thanks to all the Viewers/Readers of the Stories and to the authors of them. The amount of times I fall out of my chair with laughter at some of them or smile because the writing is so great. Thanks go to Carl and Pam who have also given us the opportunity to share our stories, and Metro for coming up with these Dynasties for us to share stories which are all amazingly different for each member.

This. Thanks very, very, very much to all our community, the staff members, moderators, admins, and all people who made this place come true. I doubt any word will be able to express how grateful I am.

[MissPlumbBob]

I think what they mean is that you don't need loads of comments to know if people are reading if your view count is going up. I personally don't care about either, I just write my story and if people comment I thank them or answer their questions. I don't find frivolous posts annoying in small quantaties, if it's page after page then it annoys me. I also like detailed reviews but thats just me. 

Thanks to all the Viewers/Readers of the Stories and to the authors of them. The amount of times I fall out of my chair with laughter at some of them or smile because the writing is so great. Thanks go to Carl and Pam who have also given us the opportunity to share our stories, and Metro for coming up with these Dynasties for us to share stories which are all amazingly different for each member.

First, thank you Chronic for your honesty.

And I would like to express these same sentiments before I leave for the night/morning.

[ratchie]

When I first wrote the Smith Dynasty I remember being disappointed that I didn't get as many comments as I would have liked but then I realised that people were reading but not always commenting.Even now I still get PMs from forum members to tell me that they have enjoyed my story.
 It is hard from a readers point of view to think of something to post,you might love the story but just writing great update seems pointless and ends up clogging up the thread.
In my opinion I love to read peoples comments and find out what people think,especially with my decadynasty as I am trying a new style of writing with it. But it also gives me a feeling of pride to see that other people out in the big wide world are reading one of my stories.

Rachel

[cathyknits]

I know I should be tracking interest by the view count, but it's still disheartening when I post three "chapters" in my dynasty over the course of about a week and get a grand total of one comment - and that's happened twice. There have been a couple times when I've been about ready to give up posting the story and just put up the museum pic when I finish.

The thing is, the view counter just says someone looked at the page - and some of them are me referring back to what I've written previously. There's no feedback there that I find useful - I don't know who's reading, or even how many different people, and I don't know what they think about it. And I'm my own worst critic - if you ask me, my story is stupid and cliched and not living up to the grand vision I had when I started out, plus, my screenshots are uniformly awful, so I'm just wasting bandwidth and server space posting it at all, and obviously nobody is commenting because they have nothing nice to say. Unless someone occasionally pops up and says "Nice job, Cathy, keep it up," or asks a question, or gives some other sign that they're reading, I've got no reason to disbelieve my own opinion...

...that said, I can see the logic behind the "no frivolous comments" policy, and I don't comment much myself because pretty much everything I have to say is frivolous.

[Sportsfan]

When I first started my story, I was really disappointed that no one was reading it. But after a while I get a couple fa- I mean people that always comment after I write a chapter, which is really cool.

[ratchie]

I know it can be very disheartening when it seems like nobody is commenting but I think the problem lies in that people don't know what to say especially now that we have to take a little extra time to decide if a comment is frivolous or not.
The way I see it a post just saying Yay or great update would be frivolous.

Rachel

[Sportsfan]

I know it can be very disheartening when it seems like nobody is commenting but I think the problem lies in that people don't know what to say especially now that we have to take a little extra time to decide if a comment is frivolous or not.
The way I see it a post just saying Yay or great update would be frivolous.

Rachel

That's why when I comment I might say something frivolous and then ask a question.
Unrelated: My dynasty is only 156k views behind Pam's.

[MarianT]

I agree that the comments are nice, especially the complimentary ones, which might be considered frivolous. Having experienced the "constructive criticism" of writers' workshops and the six-months-to-a-year non-response of publishers (followed by rejection), I have to say that there's nothing like friendly encouragement to keep the creative juices flowing.

When I'm reading a story, I just scroll past the comments of others. I would say it's partly the responsibility of the writer to handle their posts. If you're getting 10 or 15 reactions to each installment, then post chapter links so your story doesn't get lost in the flood of praise.

I'm not sure that adding to the first post would work. I imagine there's some limit to how much you can put in a post, and if you're doing a dynasty, you would go over the 25-photo limit pretty quickly.

Anyway, that's my two-cents' worth, and I am grateful to the people who have commented on my stories. If I haven't always responded, it's because I'm afraid of sounding frivolous.

[samoht04]

In my Dynasty I don't keep a Chapters list, not all of my Chapters affect the Dynasty Challenge and some are purely for reading, I just Title up my Chapter Posts and I think that there is roughly about one update every 2/3 pages, at least. I must admit that when you see these stories that everyone says are amazing and always reference to but when you see the amount of pages, I get put off by that and sometimes might not read the story, or only get part way. That hasn't happened lately though because people are taking care with what they are saying. 

[MissPlumbBob]

it's because I'm afraid of sounding frivolous.

I used to do this too, but as Chronic pointed out, comments always encourage a writer. I've been using the Golden Rule in my commenting lately. I will give constructive criticism like I'd want from a reader, instead of only singing the praises of the author... No matter how good the story is, not really any writing is perfect, and we can all improve.

If my comment would seem too harsh to post publically, I would send it as a private message. This hasn't happened yet because of the author quality level on the forum, but I'm just saying.

[Sportsfan]

When I'm writing my stories, I'm not worrying about my writing style at all. I just like writing the story. I'm not really looking for writing tips because my story is not one hat I would want to get published.
That being said, I tend to model my writing after whatever I just read. When I read Metro's Man Dynasty, I started putting a bunch of jokes (pretty bad ones too) in mine. And after I read the Dreamweavers, I wanted to give each of my characters a personality.

[MissPlumbBob]

When I'm writing my stories, I'm not worrying about my writing style at all. I just like writing the story. I'm not really looking for writing tips because my story is not one hat I would want to get published.

Many kudos to you. I find it difficult to write just for my own pleasure, at least in Sims stories. I save my poems for that purpose. I admire that honesty about what you said, that you are not really looking for tips. I'll try to remember this when I get back around to reading your Galaxian story...

[Saltypaws]

I guess it is only human nature, that we want approval or some kind of recognition for what we are writing, some people more than others.  Some do not care so much, but others work very hard on writing their stories and would like to know if someone else likes the stories also.  I think any kind of compliment on a story is ok.  I have seen posts that simply say "yay".  To me, that is frivilous, but to make a comment on someones story, at least lets the author know that that person has read it.  I agree with samoth, I really do not look for tips as such, but I would always welcome someones idea or feedback.

[kiko94]

Ah I have been busy with building lately, but that part is just dead thees days, the story's section have really grown,  I remember back days when only Chronic and Fez were doing in the legacy section, it changed now, I have seen that it became more active and creative it is amazing now ! my self I would like to say thank you to all my readers, I didn't reach 600 by myself , 
About fluff posts, I understand why they are limited, yes it is boring when you see that there is 20 and plus pages in a story when everybody is just saying "yay" and such,for ex pam's dreamwavers is just depressing to read, you have to go through 10 or 20 comments before getting the updates, in that case it would be good to  limit fluff posts, but sometimes they are good to have when someone likes a twist in a story and wishes to let the writer know  so they are basically like anything, good to have, but with moderation

[xFezIsAFreakx]

Personally, I am grateful for comments even if it's simply a 'Great update!' because it's nice that the effort has been made and if I don't get a comment I feel like no one is reading even though the view count is there. I take care to comment on every story I read also, because I like to let people know I am reading. Personally, I don't mind frivolous comments but I see the reason for concern. I take care to provide a list of chapters on the first page of my story.

[samoht04]

When I started my Legacy it was pretty much the only Legacy Story running, there were hardly any Stories then and only the one Board, then the Immortal Dynasty came and the Board grew, then the Misc Board took off. Now we have tonnes. Just shows how awesome this forum is and how big it is growing with all these people joining and running stories.

[MissPlumbBob]

Just wanted to agree that it is, indeed, extremely awesome!

I was wondering: can anyone tell me how a hiatus (long or short) affects your readership? I was asking because I am SO busy right now...

[TheChronicR]

Just wanted to agree that it is, indeed, extremely awesome!

I was wondering: can anyone tell me how a hiatus (long or short) affects your readership? I was asking because I am SO busy right now...

Well, nearly all my stories used to be on a long hiatus during the whole July, and shall I say, the view counts still flew up and the comments from readers still arrived when I posted an update or two. Just don't let the update be disappointing... Make it something unique, otherwise you are most likely to lose at least some readers. But that rarely happens here, so you're safe.

[MissPlumbBob]

Thanks, Chronic, for reassuring me. I will be sure to make the next update SUPER special. It's in three parts, as well, so more cliffhangers...

Anyone else here want to share a comment about going on hiatus?

[Sportsfan]

I try to post regularly so my story doesn't get buried. But when school starts again I'll probably have to only post on weekends.

[Schipperke]

I think if people are interested in the story, they'll come back if the break hasn't been too long.  My Flowers Waiting for Grim was on hold for over a month while I did other things, and I thought people would have long since forgotten about it and moved on.  It was quite gratifying to find that readers were still interested in it.

[xFezIsAFreakx]

I, as a reader, don't ever mind when a story goes on hiatus as I know how hard it can be to juggle things. I know starting next week I won't be able to update my own as often as I am beginning study for three extremely hard exams (and two mediocre ones, heh) and I have to focus on them, of course. My legacy has been on hiatus three times but never for overly long, I don't think, but even so I do sometimes fear that my readers will get bored and leave. In fact, even when I update I read over my chapter hoping it's no so poor that people decide to stop reading, but I know people on this forum aren't like that.

[Seabody]

@Seabody:

So you'd buy a book written by me? Or is that not what you were implying? Either way, I also think it would be neat to see a book get published that was penned by a forum alumni (spelling?).

That's exactly what I was implying. I have read extremely good stories on the Forum. They deserve to be published. And I'm not exaggerating.
From experience, hiatus comes naturally to some. I actually needed to put my stories on hiatus (exams). So I understand if a writer needs to put something on hiatus.

[Esther1981]

I can honestly say I haven't been reading stories lately unless specifically asked too, but back when I was an active story-reader I was sometimes afraid to post for fear of being frivolous. Also, about the hiatus, both of my stories have been on hiatus for awhile now, yet just the other day I read a comment about my Dynasty, so I'm glad they haven't been forgotten. But good news, I've been feeling better now so my stories should get an update soon. I love the comments, but even if I don't get any I'm not worried. I just watch the view count. 

[MissPlumbBob]

I wanted to post in the thread to thank each and every reader, viewer, commenter, and so on again.

I mention this because:

(I don't mean to sound like I'm bragging, but...)

I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who is following my first original story, "Seasons of Change," because late last night/early this morning it reached the 1000 view mark. It hasn't even been up a week yet, so this amazes and makes me feel so appreciated. I love to hear all the comments too, which I believe are around 80 in total at this point, even though perhaps 1/3 to 1/2 of them are mine.

I'd also like to express my gratitude for the readers of "Selphie: Her Turn To Speak," because I am very passionate about this concept, and I hope it translates well to a written story.

Finally, I want to mention my next story idea. This falls under Misc. Stories, once again. It is the tale of 4 high school graduates from a culture like the one found in the "Southern" United States. I've lived all my life in Mississippi, though I plan to move when I get married to somewhere farther north. My home will always have a special place in my heart. This fact, plus a documentary special I saw called "You Don't Know Dixie," (from the US-based History Channel), will be my inspirations. My goal is to convey to non-Southerners the differences in our heritage and culture while getting a resounding agreement to what I choose to write from any fellow "redneck, cajun, or hospitable" (some Southern depictions and stereotypes) members. The tentative title is "The Dixie Belles' Club".

I am so glad I had the idea for this thread, because I have read such good advice from fellow writers and readers alike.

[KrispyNickyB]

Well sometimes hiatus gets shoved on you. I'm grateful for each and every understanding viewer/reader of my Millham legacy. They've stuck through all the rough patches. I love comments and view counts. The view count floors me because honestly I don't see myself as a great writer after my attempts at getting published.

[Saltypaws]

I know I have to continue my Colour Dynasty, as soon as I get some memory.  I tried playing it again and played for a bit, just long enough to update and that was it.  I started it a year ago and I really need to finish and I am going to, one way or another, lol.  The eighth generation just turned toddler and I have a long way to go, I think I am on 35 weeks right now.