Silent acceptance or vocal criticism--Which is better?

[foxes]

But that was my point. See, they acted on feedback from a very vocal minority. When most of the readers, or in my point, audiences remains silent yet present, assuming the minority reflects the whole is statistically unsound... did I just write a pun?

Silence is difficult to regard as an indicator. It is immaturity, habit, deafness, uncertainty, misunderstanding, anything, but not the average value, just any meaning. I am talking about the situation itself, the difference between somewhere in Disney or(and) Sony and here. There are nuances everywhere.

I publish the same work on different websites and receive completely opposite feedback or activity. Even on sites of the same subject. Maybe his problem is that he posts chapters at the wrong time of day. Or they have an epidemic of diseased fingers. They got a shock when they tried to write something under his text. It's quite possible if you think about the fact that half of the "oh, how cool" reviews are bots. And here they just hung. It's impossible to just sit in silence and not write anything after reading a dozen chapters. Did they travel by train and read his text on trees? Is it a cable broadcast?

 

[Arkus86]

We all know that the vast majority of our readers aren't going to leave comments, no matter what site we're on. They're happy to just read the story and come back when more chapters get posted. So let's say that one of my chapters has two hundred readers. Two of those readers left comments saying they don't like the way the story is going. Those two comments are the only tangible feedback you've gotten for that chapter. But if two people left negative comments, does that mean that 198 people liked the story enough that they didn't feel the need to leave a comment criticizing it?

What do you guys think is more indicative of how you should proceed? Silent acceptance of where a story is going, or vocal criticism for what someone doesn't like?

See if the feedback you get is constructive and relevant, but otherwise judge by the actual numbers. If you have 200 readers, and two of them voice dissatisfaction, but 198 more keep reading, I would say that's good.

Ultimately though, it's your own story, and you have to weight your priorities and goals in writing it against the reception it gets.

 

[Ai-chan]

But I'd dig a bit deeper. It seems to me that the web literature format is, first and foremost, an experiment with text, and readers are participants in this experiment as well. These platforms were created for this very purpose: to bring writers out of their seclusion. However, with the evolution of the internet and an influx of people accustomed only to consuming ready-made content, it has turned into a trash heap that fails to meet writers' expectations.

So, "Demand justice! Let's shut down all platforms, unsubscribe without finishing, and disperse—this doesn't work anymore. Readers need to be taught the rules of how to write reviews, and we shouldn't let them read further without feedback."

And besides, "you don't show half-finished work to fools." It's hard to take seriously moments like these, when people start reacting only after they've gotten triggered. It's simply brainpower conservation—a hate response instead of a thoughtful analysis.

This is true, but it's not the same thing. It's one thing to show a crooked Sonic before the movie is made, and another after.

Indeed it used to be that way. Authors share their stories for free, intending to improve through suggestions and criticisms, usually with the hope of making it big in the future or merely just to share what's in their heads. Back in Ai-chan's youth, we had blogs and shosetsu ni naro which greatly helps making connections between author and reader. Before that we had google groups and use.net where people waited patiently for the author to drop a new chapter and thanked them for sharing while giving their opinions on the chapter.

Today's readers assume web novel is the same published novels and expect that the quality of web novels are on par with published novels from the get go. Sure it could be on par if they're willing to lower their standards and compare the absolute trash of published novels with webnovels, but the majority of webnovels are merely experiments. Unfortunately readers don't understand that and feel entitled to have perfect books for free.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

I think it's better to complete your vision regardless of what anyone says. Not everyone is going to like everything about a story, what might be perfect for someone might be horrible for another. The best thing about being a creator, is that you get to steer the story the way you wish for it to go.

 

[HungrySheep]

I like feedback when it's helpful.

 

[DoodTheMan]

Personally I wouldn't risk changing the work very much based on comments. If you think of your story like a moving vehicle, then a slight deviation to the trajectory could be fine and doable, especially if, as you say, you have buffer chapters ready to post that you can edit. If you crank the wheel too hard, however, you could spin out and lose all momentum.

 

[Sylver]

What do you guys think is more indicative of how you should proceed? Silent acceptance of where a story is going, or vocal criticism for what someone doesn't like?

Vocal criticism! Vocal criticism!

I'd rather be forward and see where my faults are then to be left guessing. But you need to have thick skin for that however, it depends on the criticism. If it's catching plot holes or questioning character changes, then yea it would be helpful. If it's them saying they wanted something else, I'd be understanding. If it's them saying this sucks, I'd be hurt cx but I'll try to cheer them up and let them know i got plans for the story's direction. If they prefer dropping the story, I can suggest a few stories that they can follow instead

 

[MFontana]

We all know that the vast majority of our readers aren't going to leave comments, no matter what site we're on. They're happy to just read the story and come back when more chapters get posted. So let's say that one of my chapters has two hundred readers. Two of those readers left comments saying they don't like the way the story is going. Those two comments are the only tangible feedback you've gotten for that chapter. But if two people left negative comments, does that mean that 198 people liked the story enough that they didn't feel the need to leave a comment criticizing it?

What do you guys think is more indicative of how you should proceed? Silent acceptance of where a story is going, or vocal criticism for what someone doesn't like?

That depends entirely on the story, and your intent. (If you're writing a choose-your-own-adventure style series, you may want to consider the feedback as a means of promoting additional engagement with the readers).

No work of fiction or art will be universally appealing, so there are sure to be folks who will love it, and folks who will hate it. No matter what you do.

So as for what is most indicative of how you should proceed, that's simple.
Write the story you want to write, for the audience you want to write for.
There will always be that vocal minority, and they can be safely ignored for the most part.

As for re-writing, that would really depend on how you view the work itself.
If re-writing would both drastically improve the quality overall, or sharpen the story to better match your vision, by all means do it.
Otherwise, don't. The only real changes that you might want to consider making would be spelling, or grammatical, ones if they are necessary.

I hope this helps.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

We all know that the vast majority of our readers aren't going to leave comments, no matter what site we're on. They're happy to just read the story and come back when more chapters get posted. So let's say that one of my chapters has two hundred readers. Two of those readers left comments saying they don't like the way the story is going. Those two comments are the only tangible feedback you've gotten for that chapter. But if two people left negative comments, does that mean that 198 people liked the story enough that they didn't feel the need to leave a comment criticizing it?

What do you guys think is more indicative of how you should proceed? Silent acceptance of where a story is going, or vocal criticism for what someone doesn't like?

on another site, I heard authors relating that you can't listen to loud critics. especially the 1%. They'll try to "bully" you into writing what they think you should. Led to the trope that "readers are not to be trusted". It pains me to think in adversarial terms to readers, but... many authors do and I hoe I never get there. I'm at that virgin stage I treasure any reader. Much like any love, I'm sure I'll get jaded over time though i hope not. For the record "Arr Arr" is where this comes from what I heard. So take it for what its worth.