Why aren't I getting any responses on the SYW forum?

Charlie Horse · Dec 21, 2007

I'm not sure how to react. I have a chapter up in the YA section and a short in the Literary section. They've been sitting for days with no response.

JerseyGirl1962 · Dec 21, 2007

Charlie Horse said:
I'm not sure how to react. I have a chapter up in the YA section and a short in the Literary section. They've been sitting for days with no response.

It's the holidays, so a lot of people are busy running around buying presents, going on airplanes to visit, yadda, yadda, yadda, so I'd be patient.

Here's an idea: Why don't you put a link in your signature line? I've seen others here do the same thing, so I know it's allowed.

Unfortunately, I don't read literary or YA, so I'm out of the loop.

Good luck.

~Nancy

rwam · Dec 21, 2007

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been in SYW for awhile. One thing I did learn, though, is that when I posted my work, I would also critique the works of others while I was waiting for feedback. It kind of helped carry on the 'give and take' spirit of the SYW forums, and often times people would return the favor.

DeadlyAccurate · Dec 21, 2007

Also, you could bump the one in YA once, since it's quite a bit down the page. I noticed it was chapter 3. I don't know about others (and I know nothing about that particular forum since I mostly hang around Mystery and Fantasy/SF), but I very rarely critique beyond chapter 2.

Charlie Horse · Dec 21, 2007

Thanks. I'll go back to my sports forums for awhile and wait patiently.

Toothpaste · Dec 21, 2007

I don't know if leaving AW and waiting patiently is the way to go. The fact is that people develop relationships on forums and are more keen to help people they "know" (though that isn't just the case, newbies do get critiqued as well). Just saying that going away to wait, might not help. Then again now that you've posted this thread, you'll probably be getting critiqued soon! No one here wants to leave anyone in the lurch!

FennelGiraffe · Dec 21, 2007

DeadlyAccurate said:
I noticed it was chapter 3. I don't know about others (and I know nothing about that particular forum since I mostly hang around Mystery and Fantasy/SF), but I very rarely critique beyond chapter 2.

This might be the problem. (I don't hang out in YA, either.) I know I'm reluctant to give a general crit beyond the first chapter. For me, the only exception would be if the poster was asking for help with a specific problem that was unique to the chapter in question.

BlueLucario · Dec 21, 2007

Charlie Horse said:
I'm not sure how to react. I have a chapter up in the YA section and a short in the Literary section. They've been sitting for days with no response.

Dude, Be patient. You got to keep in mind we all have lives too.

If it's SYW, I'll be more than happy to look at it. But it may take a while because I'm in class.

ACEnders · Dec 21, 2007

I'm not getting many hits on my query letter (or on the chapter I posted in women's fiction) either. But that chapter changed...so that's okay. But, yeah. I don't have an answer for you - but I'd like to find out what the answer is! lol From what I gather, be patient and make sure you critique other people and particpate in the forums so people see you're not just out there to get help, you're also out there to help when you can.

JoNightshade · Dec 21, 2007

#1 - Critique someone else's work and then tell them you'd appreciate a reciprocation. Give them a link.

#2 - Link it in your signature.

#3 - Post elsewhere, make some friends, etc.

Charlie Horse · Dec 21, 2007

Toothpaste said:
I don't know if leaving AW and waiting patiently is the way to go. The fact is that people develop relationships on forums and are more keen to help people they "know" (though that isn't just the case, newbies do get critiqued as well). Just saying that going away to wait, might not help. Then again now that you've posted this thread, you'll probably be getting critiqued soon! No one here wants to leave anyone in the lurch!

I wasn't altogether serious when I said that about sports forums, although I do spend a lot of time on them as well. I forget that not everyone knows how sarcastic I can be.

Actually, in the past few days my post count here has risen considerably. Since I never formally introduced myself, I'm sure most of you veterans of AW are unaware even of my presence. Just to get it out in the open, I've been lurking here for years, never feeling a need to participate. Now that I've officially joined, however, you'll soon realize that I can't keep my mouth shut.

The funny thing that just happened...when I jumped on here after lunch, I looked at the down the list of forums and the top thread on Writing Novels read "Why aren't I getting any..." I laughed until I realized it was the thread I started.

NeuroFizz · Dec 21, 2007

What Jo said is probably the most important. If you are not critting the works of others, you may not get any return attention. This is a cooperative arrangement not a one-way freebie (although it sometimes does work out to the latter unless someone keeps posting samples without reciprocating).

I have had poems fall into the abyss of "pages two-to-infinity" in the poetry critique forum several times without a comment, and it is usually at a busy time when haven't been able to offer return crits. The other possibility, though, is the poems that don't receive comments are crap, but I doubt if that's the problem with your piece because prose is a different animal. One other thing to consider is posting for crits can be a bit like submitting a query. If what you wrote doesn't hook a reader in the first paragraph or two, he/she may pass (posting a middle paragraph may be a problem here). You may need to look at what you've posted to see if it has a sufficient hook to get someone to read on.

BlueLucario · Dec 21, 2007

Look ,if you're desperately in need of reviews, try this site http://www.urbis.com Depending on what you submit and how often you review, you can get up to 50 reviews in one week. But you have to buy those reviews by getting credits. I usually go there to critique because it's alot easier to do that than here. Because the vast majority of them are noobs.

Charlie Horse · Dec 21, 2007

BlueLucario said:
Look ,if you're desperately in need of reviews, try this site http://www.urbis.com Depending on what you submit and how often you review, you can get up to 50 reviews in one week. But you have to buy those reviews by getting credits. I usually go there to critique because it's alot easier to do that than here. Because the vast majority of them are noobs.

I don't know if I'd say I was desperate, but thanks anyway.

PeeDee · Dec 21, 2007

BlueLucario said:
Look ,if you're desperately in need of reviews, try this site http://www.urbis.com Depending on what you submit and how often you review, you can get up to 50 reviews in one week. But you have to buy those reviews by getting credits. I usually go there to critique because it's alot easier to do that than here. Because the vast majority of them are noobs.

I have been there twice before. Both times, I have left because I needed a few sheets of paper towel, to mop the blood out of my eyes. I mean that in a loving and affectionate way.

There are other places, sure. Critters, for example. But mostly, remember that it's the holidays and the usual folk in the SYW area might be pretty busy. And the best advice in this thread is absolutely the "while you're waiting, helpfully critique somebody else." For one, because as was pointed out, it's all about give-and-take. For another, while you're explaining your problem -- or your delight -- in someone else's scene, you may suddenly realize that what you're saying applies to something you wrote. In essence, you have tricked yourself into critiquing...yourself.

And if that sounds like hogswash, it may be. But I don't think so.

BlueLucario · Dec 21, 2007

PeeDee said:
I have been there twice before. Both times, I have left because I needed a few sheets of paper towel, to mop the blood out of my eyes. I mean that in a loving and affectionate way.

There are other places, sure. Critters, for example. But mostly, remember that it's the holidays and the usual folk in the SYW area might be pretty busy. And the best advice in this thread is absolutely the "while you're waiting, helpfully critique somebody else." For one, because as was pointed out, it's all about give-and-take. For another, while you're explaining your problem -- or your delight -- in someone else's scene, you may suddenly realize that what you're saying applies to something you wrote. In essence, you have tricked yourself into critiquing...yourself.

And if that sounds like hogswash, it may be. But I don't think so.

It's easier to do it on Urbis, because most of the pieces there are horrible. Nobody reallly revises before they submit. Which makes it easier to crit for grammar and get more points.

Birol · Dec 21, 2007

But what do you as the critter learn doing something like that, Blue? Critiquing, when done well, should help the person doing the critique as much as it helps the person being critiqued, if not more.

geardrops · Dec 21, 2007

Birol said:
Critiquing, when done well, should help the person doing the critique as much as it helps the person being critiqued, if not more.

QFT

(If you want to add this to the AW dictionary, it's "Quoted For Truth.")

Charlie Horse · Dec 21, 2007

I think I've learned something today.

PeeDee · Dec 21, 2007

Lori is, as ever, correct in this. I can critique slop all day long, but what does that gain me? Nothing useful. And what does it gain the author? Probably nothing useful too. I hate to be cynical, but... Mostly, that sounds like being asked to send back editorial notes on every single bad manuscript I reject in a submission pile. I did that for a few months, it was neither fun nor did it have a future.

There is a value in critiquing a story that needs work, because it can be improved. But just an atrociously bad story needs a "Go back. Read this out loud. Pay attention. Do a re-write," and will benefit from little else.

My favorite critiques were always the ones where, without invitation, I wrote the author to say "This is good. No, really good."

Charlie Horse said:
I think I've learned something today.

I hope so. Then it's a good day.

johnzakour · Dec 21, 2007

Birol said:
But what do you as the critter learn doing something like that, Blue? Critiquing, when done well, should help the person doing the critique as much as it helps the person being critiqued, if not more.

Besides if I wanted to have stuff ripped apart I'd just let my mother read it.

She doesn't get this sf stuff. Nope not funny at all!

BlueLucario · Dec 21, 2007

Birol said:
But what do you as the critter learn doing something like that, Blue? Critiquing, when done well, should help the person doing the critique as much as it helps the person being critiqued, if not more.

Not only that, critting can actually make better writers(according to critters), correct?

Birol · Dec 21, 2007

There is that.

chevbrock · Dec 21, 2007

Charlie, I'm sorry I haven't replied to SYW earlier than this. I don't like to throw my two knobs of sheep s**t in before someone far more skilled than I does.

Paichka · Dec 22, 2007

Question

I've noticed several of you have said you don't do general crits after chapter 2.

Does that mean that once a person has submitted chapter 1 or 2 of their WIP to SYW, and gotten some good (hopefully generally applicable crits) after that they should try to get a beta reader?

Why aren't I getting any responses on the SYW forum?

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