My Favorite Kind of Reviews

It seems that a lot of authors put heavy emphasis on their review counts, to the point of even sometimes blackmailing their readers by refusing to post the next chapter until they get an acceptable number of them.

I've always seen reviews sort of like a tip jar. If someone drops in a "quarter" with a smile face or a "Great chapter!", it's a little kindness much appreciated. Sometimes, people drop in a "dollar" with a line or two about what they liked the most about the story. And once in a while, people drop in a "fiver" by critically analyzing the story. As I see it, I'm already getting "paid" by having my story out there for people to read. Reviews are just a nice little pat on the back.

If I'd been in FF just for the reviews, I would have been crushed. My first effort, Compulsion, got a whopping 45 reviews. (I still think it's a good little story, even if it is a bit rough around the edges. I've thought of re-editing it, but I think I'll let it stand, just as it is, as a way to remind me of the ways I've grown as a writer.)

Then, to my surprise (and I'm still a little surprised about it), my story Written in the Stars took off. It was a story I was hesitant to try because it was so different than anything else out there. Sci-Fi Twilight fanfictions are few and far between, and none of them had aliens quite like I envisioned the Volturi in my story. I kept hearing the mom from Carrie: 

I thought I'd never be able to show my avatar again. I'd have to change my name and go into the Fanfiction Witness Protection Program. And to have it take off like that? Yeah, I was like:

I got such lovely reviews for my stories, and these were a few of my favorite kind:

• "I was so enthralled that I couldn't stop to review." I mean, how flattering is that? The reader was so engrossed that they couldn't tear themselves away. That's more flattering than ten reviews.
  
• "You made a mistake [here]." Thank you, sharp-eyed reviewer. I'm not perfect and occasionally, I'll screw the pooch on a detail that clashes with something later in the story. I'd rather know as soon as possible than go blithely on about my way, never noticing that I made a substantial error.
  
• "I caught your reference to [esoteric pop culture]." I've left little "Easter eggs" here and there in my stories, nods to some of my favorite authors, movies, TV shows, music, and even fanfiction (no one ever caught the Thomas Tallis reference in The Selkie Wife. Color me bummed.)
  
• "I wasn't expecting [that plot point]." Good. I hate to be clichéd. Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander was once on the Oprah show. She said something I've never forgotten: "A cliché is anything you've ever heard." Now, obviously, no one is ever truly original when writing, but we can avoid the expected turns, the tired memes.

But whatever you say, thanks for the "tip."