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."

Dark Goddess has gone live! The first chapter is up on Fanfiction.net and my heart is pounding as it always does when I click on "Post New Story."

I hope you guys like it.

Coming Soon ...

A Love Letter, To You

To you, my readers,

How can I express how grateful I am to you? Words have always been my friends, but at this moment, they desert me, because they do not seem large enough to convey the depths of my gratitude.

You have given me a gift that so few people ever receive, a dream that becomes reality for only a small number of writers. It was because of you, your enthusiasm, your support, your efforts at promoting my stories that I came to the attention of a publisher. I've learned that my book will be coming out this fall, and I needed to tell you how much your support has meant to me. I owe everything to the Twilight fanfiction community.

Your reviews have been so kind. I've enjoyed the participation, reading your speculations on what will happen next, and your reactions to the plot. I sincerely never imagined that so many people would enjoy my stories, or that I would be the recipient of such praise.

And what can I say about the PMs you send me? They touch me deeply, that someone would take the time to send me a note to let me know how my stories made them feel. I've written to very few writers in my day, and when I did, it was because something about their story spoke to my heart. The thought that I'm able to do the same for a reader is both humbling and exhilarating.


I'll never leave you. This is the nest where I learned to fly. You embraced me. You supported me. Sometimes, chided me. You helped me grow and gave me opportunities I never imagined possible. How could I leave such a supportive network? My new fanfiction story will be starting soon, a small "gift" to you that I hope, in some small way, repays some of what I have been given.

With love, with appreciation,
Lissa

Translations: I say "Oui!"

One of my stories, Written in the Stars, is being currently translated into Russian and French. There's also a Polish translation out there somewhere, but I haven't seen it or heard anything about its progress.

Some writers refuse to allow translations. They sometimes post a refusal on their profile page. I've been told that it's because they have no control over the translation and don't know if it's being done well or not, which might damage their story's reputation.

I'm of a different opinion on the subject. I allow translations. I've gotten a few lovely notes from those who want to do the translation, asking my permission and ensuring me I'll be credited fully. If you go to the first page of the Russian translation, you'll see my name, links to the original story, and what I wrote when I granted permission. They even made me a lovely new banner for it.


I like the idea of my story reaching across borders, being accessible to readers who wouldn't otherwise get to experience it. Could the translation be incorrect, or possibly badly worded? Sure. I use Google Translate to read some of the comments and occasionally am amused by how some of my English idioms translated into other languages. But I'm incredibly touched that someone is willing to put so much effort into my story, that they like it so much, they're willing to spend what probably amounts to a lot of time and effort to bring it to other readers in their language.

My Reading Lounge: Writing Lab: improve your writing with Lissa Bryan...

My Reading Lounge: Writing Lab: improve your writing with Lissa Bryan...: Lissa Bryan 's and Jmolly 's lessons for the Writing Lab have been very appreciated. These lovely writers are back to give us more ideas to ...

Plagiarism

I've been fortunate enough not to have experienced the pain of having my stories plagiarized. (What? Are my stories not good enough to steal?) But I've seen several examples of this on social media that I visit.

On Facebook the day before yesterday Mamafour Dukes pleaded for help. One of her stories had been stolen and re-posted on Bookrix. The community swung into action, especially Aunt.Bell, who went on the war path, spreading word of the theft and organizing complaint postings to various boards on the site itself. I was impressed with the effort my fellow fic-lovers put into reporting this individual and trying to get the story removed. Within 24 hours, it was down.

The next day, the same thing happened to poor Ellie Wolf, who had two stories stolen, posted on multiple sites, and one of them entered into a contest, no less!

So, Aunt Bell issued this statement:

Here's a TREND plea for ALL Twilight FanFiction authors. I don't care if you are a canon OR a non-canon author, both sides are effected.

In your next chapter of your story update, incorporate plagiarizing. Make mention of the rights and why it is wrong. Somehow help your readers to watch out for plagiarism and become warriors in the fight. Incorporate the fact that it is intolerable.

Make sure that you list that readers and writers alike need to be vigilant. If they notice a stolen story, they need to inform the owner of the story immediately.

Do whatever you can within your story to get your readers join in the fight! Let's get the word out that we are watching out and we are fighting AGAINST it!!!
PLEASE JOIN IN THIS FIGHT!!!

This post is my contribution to the cause.

The question that kept appearing on the comments was, "Why are they doing this?" The answer can be quantified in one word: "Attention." They don't have the skills, or perhaps the bravery, to post a story of their own, but they're eager for praise. So they take a story they like and post it as their own and bask in the attention and praise garnered from reviewers.

I tried explaining this to one of the commenters, whose response was that they wouldn't enjoy praise they hadn't earned. Well, most of us wouldn't, but they do. As the old saying goes, any attention is good attention for them. In real life, these are people who pretend to have rich/handsome boyfriends, or tell strangers they have exciting and exotic jobs, or sometimes even pretend to have diseases to get sympathy. In reality, they're very sad individuals, starved for attention but afflicted by low self-esteem which would prevent them from actually going out and doing something to deserve it.

Fanfiction authors are especially vulnerable to theft. There really aren't any legal protections available except for reporting the culprits to the site where the stolen work was posted. As a result, all of us authors have to stick together. If you see a plea for help, answer the call. Because some day it may be you who needs the help.

And, for God's sake, don't take your story down in response to a theft! It won't stop the thieves, and you've just shot yourself in the foot by removing the PROOF that the story is yours.