Advice to New Fanstorians
Viewing comments for Chapter 4 "Posting & Reviewing for Newbies "Tips and advice for the new members
31 total reviews
Comment from LJbutterfly
I really appreciate this post. I wish I had read something like this when I joined in 2020. After around 3 posts, reviewers told me my font was too small, my story was too long, and I should use Advanced Editor.
I'm glad you included the suggestion to use a larger font. I actually skip posts with small font and single spaced. It bothers my eyes even when I stretch the font on my computer screen.
Oh No! on that example of a bad review. I've actually gotten that review.
I'm going to bookmark this post so I can refer back to your tips posting and highlighting.
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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I really appreciate this post. I wish I had read something like this when I joined in 2020. After around 3 posts, reviewers told me my font was too small, my story was too long, and I should use Advanced Editor.
I'm glad you included the suggestion to use a larger font. I actually skip posts with small font and single spaced. It bothers my eyes even when I stretch the font on my computer screen.
Oh No! on that example of a bad review. I've actually gotten that review.
I'm going to bookmark this post so I can refer back to your tips posting and highlighting.
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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I got some of the very same advice that you did when I first joined too, Lorraine. That's the way we learn: by older members sharing with us what they've learned. That's what I liked about Helen's idea for this book and why I added my chapter to it. Thanks for your kind words of support.
Comment from Spitfire
Thanks for the citing on both good and bad reviews. Feedback should be specific. On reviewing I like the bit about fonts as I try to choose one appropriate yet easy on the eyes. I have a question maybe you can answer. On my next post I want to use a video from YouTube under the notes section. Do you know how to do that?
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thanks for the citing on both good and bad reviews. Feedback should be specific. On reviewing I like the bit about fonts as I try to choose one appropriate yet easy on the eyes. I have a question maybe you can answer. On my next post I want to use a video from YouTube under the notes section. Do you know how to do that?
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thanks very much, Shari, and for the 6 stars too.
Right-click on the YouTube video and left-click on the Copy Embed Code link. On your FanStory page, locate your cursor at the bottom of the notes and hit Ctrl+V to paste the embed code right there. That's all there is to it. Let me know if you have trouble doing this.
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Still can't do it. Sigh. I'll try it on another post since this one has most of the reviews it will get. Thanks anyway.
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What part isn't working? Are you able to get the embed code from YouTube successfully?
Comment from Karen Cherry Threadgill
You included examples which is a lot more helpful as you pointed out. Than saying, your writing is nice, your picture is swell, hope to read more. I like it when people tell me why they liked a line so much. I wrote a poem "Belief is Enough", and more than anything else I have written, everyone is referring to certain lines and telling me what it means to them. This gives me input that"nice" just can't do. I am feeling great joy today. Reviewing is sticky. I would add, that if we can think of nothing"good" to say. and cannot think of how to tell the writer all that is wrong, they should pass giving a review. Someone told me that. Karen
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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You included examples which is a lot more helpful as you pointed out. Than saying, your writing is nice, your picture is swell, hope to read more. I like it when people tell me why they liked a line so much. I wrote a poem "Belief is Enough", and more than anything else I have written, everyone is referring to certain lines and telling me what it means to them. This gives me input that"nice" just can't do. I am feeling great joy today. Reviewing is sticky. I would add, that if we can think of nothing"good" to say. and cannot think of how to tell the writer all that is wrong, they should pass giving a review. Someone told me that. Karen
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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I especially like it when different readers tell me they like lots of different lines. Then I know the piece, as a whole, is going over well.
I agree with the last. I pass on many reviews of pieces that have too many flaws to attempt to correct. It would just take too long to do it. Can't make that commitment of time for only one review.
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I like how you write, you must be southern, because we seem to think along the same lines. I used to write only mystery/crime. Whenever someone annoyed me I killed them off in some gruesome or embarrassing way in a story. I built up quite a pile through the years. Since leaving my husband and finding FanStory, I am a little less bloodthirsty.
I use a lot more humor. :-) Karen
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That's funny, Karen!
I am a southerner--now. I grew up in New York and lived there until I was 21, moved to Michigan and lived there for 40 years, then retired and moved to North Carolina 10 years ago to live near our grandchildren. Have you always lived in the south?
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Born and bred in Houston, Texas. I lived in Oregon a while in 1972. They all sounded like they have marbles in their mouth, and they came in the wig shop I was assistant manager, and ask me how many horses I had on my ranch, and was it true we only went into town on Saturdays?
:-) I was only there about 6 months. Missed home too much. In 1990 I moved to Las vegas, my husband got a job there. I liked that the town was open 24/7. I was a night owl. we were there 3 years, Then we moved to Alabama. We lived back up to a small forest. We were there one year, then we moved to Arlington, Texas. I liked it there. I took care of his mamma who had several strokes, she wouldn't behave for anyone but me . I took care of her for a couple of years until she fell on me. I had to have another back surgery. Taking care of his mother showed me what he was really like. After my recovery I divorced him, and came back to Houston, where I have stayed ever since. I may be moving to outside Dallas In the Town of Plano, to be near my sisters. I ama Texan. We consider ourselves southern and we sound like it it. :-) TMI?
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Thanks for the history, Karen. You've moved a lot more than I have! I loved your comments on your Oregon experience!
I really like the people here in North Carolina. One of the first things I noticed when we moved here was that people hold doors for each other in public. People are just nicer down here than in the North, except for the East Coast transplants. They've stayed pretty much the same. When we see a rude person, my wife and I say, "Must be from NY."
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I edited the piece to say that we should avoid people who only say bad stuff but never tell you why something fees wrong, as that is tantamount to torture. I had to clear that up for Brett. Karen
Comment from barbara.wilkey
Thank you for sharing this with us. I've been a member since 2008 and wish I'd have had something like this when I first started. I don't post in
Advanced Editor. I tried it for a few months and found it to be very difficult to use. As for your last paragraph, sometimes there's really nothing much to say in a review, even though you read the post thoroughly.
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thank you for sharing this with us. I've been a member since 2008 and wish I'd have had something like this when I first started. I don't post in
Advanced Editor. I tried it for a few months and found it to be very difficult to use. As for your last paragraph, sometimes there's really nothing much to say in a review, even though you read the post thoroughly.
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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In that case, if I can't say anything positive or negative, I'll just skip it. Wouldn't do the writer any good if you managed to write something.
I skip reviewing a lot of stuff I read here. Some is just so bad, it would take weeks to teach the person how to fix it. You have to judge if it's worth your time to do a review. If the piece shows potential but has a few flaws it might be worth it. Too many flaws and it usually isn't.
Comment from Ric Myworld
I always enjoy these books on ways to help newbies, because in reality, they help us all to think back and improve your techniques on reviewing and writing. When I first came to this site Gayle (Showboat, who owned G&J publishers who used to do all the books for FanStorians) asked that I submit a "how to" to her book. Barely knowing a noun from a verb, I couldn't say no. My selection was titled "Reasons to do the Write Thing." Thanks for sharing.
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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I always enjoy these books on ways to help newbies, because in reality, they help us all to think back and improve your techniques on reviewing and writing. When I first came to this site Gayle (Showboat, who owned G&J publishers who used to do all the books for FanStorians) asked that I submit a "how to" to her book. Barely knowing a noun from a verb, I couldn't say no. My selection was titled "Reasons to do the Write Thing." Thanks for sharing.
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thanks, Ric. I always enjoy them too. When I saw Helen's first chapter, it prompted me to write one too to share some of the things I've learned and to get a few things off my chest at the same time.
Comment from Julie Helms
Very helpful. I could have used all of this information when I first started several weeks ago. I've had to trial and error my way through it. Of specific help to me today though, is how to paste and copy without getting that stupid white highlight background. Thank you so much for telling me how to not do that anymore!
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Very helpful. I could have used all of this information when I first started several weeks ago. I've had to trial and error my way through it. Of specific help to me today though, is how to paste and copy without getting that stupid white highlight background. Thank you so much for telling me how to not do that anymore!
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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You're welcome, Julie. Glad you found it helpful.
Don't worry; it takes everyone a while to get the hang of this site and its quirks. It certainly did with me. I've been here over a year now and still learning new things about it all the time.
Comment from Daylily
You have presented a very helpful chapter with an abundance of positive tips on posting and reviewing. I especially like how you differentiate between credible reviews and those that are written just to reach a minimum word count. Honestly, I really did enjoy reading this.
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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You have presented a very helpful chapter with an abundance of positive tips on posting and reviewing. I especially like how you differentiate between credible reviews and those that are written just to reach a minimum word count. Honestly, I really did enjoy reading this.
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thank you very much, Daylily. Glad you found this to be helpful. It takes a while to learn to review well and certainly more time to make them meaningful and helpful, but for me, that's one of the things I really enjoy about FanStory--the chance to do that.
Comment from Sarah Tummey
Thanks for these tips. I'm blind, so as I can't see how posts look on-screen, it's interesting to know they're double-spaced when pasted in from Word.
I knew about the - being weird, because I've sometimes pasted poems in and forgotten to correct that!
With the reviews, I think I appreciate them even when they're short. Just knowing someone has taken the time to write some words to you is lovely. Less so when it's impersonal and you can tell they're phrases the person often uses, but even then, the fact they've bothered to write something at all is nice.
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thanks for these tips. I'm blind, so as I can't see how posts look on-screen, it's interesting to know they're double-spaced when pasted in from Word.
I knew about the - being weird, because I've sometimes pasted poems in and forgotten to correct that!
With the reviews, I think I appreciate them even when they're short. Just knowing someone has taken the time to write some words to you is lovely. Less so when it's impersonal and you can tell they're phrases the person often uses, but even then, the fact they've bothered to write something at all is nice.
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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I guess I do too, although I know their main motive was probably to earn the member dollars.
Comment from Tom Horonzy
Really? I am unsure what drove you to write this article, but I pray I was not the cause, especially for the final three lines which I do all the time because I feel unworthy to critique another writer's literary licensing. If I am, the cause, I'll not review ever again. NOT!
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Really? I am unsure what drove you to write this article, but I pray I was not the cause, especially for the final three lines which I do all the time because I feel unworthy to critique another writer's literary licensing. If I am, the cause, I'll not review ever again. NOT!
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Never gave you a single thought. What prompted this was reading Helen's posting which was the first chapter in the group book. Then I thought I might add a chapter with a few more tips.
I've always found your reviews to be uniquely written, humorous, and often with great observations and critiques, Tom. Don't stop, man; I'd really miss them!
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Stop? Never gave it a thought, since we are bonded it seems sometimes in blood rather than FanStoryism.
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Amen, brother!
Comment from royowen
You've done a good job explaining, I remember I learnt quickly by observation and a little bit of thought also, I don't think I could add more than that, but it is by observation and thought, unless they are absolutely new. Well done Jim, blessings Roy
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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You've done a good job explaining, I remember I learnt quickly by observation and a little bit of thought also, I don't think I could add more than that, but it is by observation and thought, unless they are absolutely new. Well done Jim, blessings Roy
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thanks, Roy. That's exactly the same way I learned too. The biggest help to me was Jay Squires' reviews. He always gave me good advice and suggestions for wording changes.
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There was one that unravelled my poetry and rewrote it, he was a real help.
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Yeah, great guy. I've been in touch with him, and he said he may not be back to FanStory after his subscription expired in December. He's writing for another writing website where he can earn money for his postings. Sorry to see him go.