#writing feedback

[ostroa]

whats the main thing you want in a fanfic?

Use small text

Use big text

Less description more action!!

More action less description

Use of (y/n)

Use of [name] instead of (y/n)

Voting ended onJul 5

you dont have to answer if you dont wanna, this is just to see how i can improve cause i cant really tell what people like…. okay byee

[waynes-multiverse]

hey so, your work is actually fucking gas. love it. a little nervous to say this next part and of course ignore if you want, but some details made it a bit obvious that the reader character wasn’t written with darker skinned people in mind. not telling you how to write or tag your works but if you feel like it, maybe you could put in an author’s note or something that you write with specifically lighter toned people in mind. or even reader has “x” hair or something. so sorry if this came off as mean or rude but xreader fics should be able to apply to everyone. id like to many it clear that my problem isn’t with backstory, personality, or actions. im strictly speaking for the physical appearance. this came out way longer than i anticipated im so sorry.

First of all, don't be nervous! It's not rude at all and a legitimate question/criticism 🫶

But the God's honest truth is, it's fucking hard and close to impossible to write reader as a completely neutral blob. In my personal opinion, this whole "reader fics should apply to everyone" is a lie. Some things and details will always slip through that might give the illusion away. Just know I'm trying really hard to keep it as neutral as possible, especially in my works from the last 1-2 years.

That being said, you can tell by my profile pic that I'm pretty light-skinned myself, so you can assume that I write mostly what I know and from my own experiences as many writers do. Hence why I don't specifically mention it because it was always fairly obvious to me and like I said, I really do try to keep readers as neutral as possible and never want to exclude anyone on purpose.

And to give you a few examples of why writing a reader possibly having multiple skin colors is hard: a lot of it is through context. If you take Time After Time, I tried not to give reader physical descriptions, but I think it's obvious she's lighter skinned through context. You can't send a POC character back to the 1940s and have her live with a rich white boy without raising several eyebrows (putting it mildly). If she had darker skin, people around her would've reacted to it, considering the era, and I would've written toward it and not ignored it entirely. And since you mentioned hair, I try not to describe it too much in stories, but every hair texture – whether it is thin, thick, straight, wavy, curly, afro etc. – comes with its own care routine and it's hard to cover all bases to a satisfying degree in a fic, you know?

Moreover, my friend @zepskies writes some POC stories specifically and what I love most about them is that those readers come with their own culture and sometimes even cadence as well. There are different foods, traditions, phrases etc. that come with it (and that even applies to White characters as well – did they grow up Catholic, Jewish, French, Skandinavian, Italian etc.?). To me, that all influences how a reader is perceived and behaves, so backstory does matter a lot because it shapes the character.

So if you're looking to completely immerse yourself in the reader experience, I would look specifically at POC tags to fulfill that need. I know it sucks since there aren't that many, but it's honestly your best bet. Otherwise, you're just going to have to ignore certain parts or change them in your head yourself if they hit wrong. Writing 10k+ chapters is work enough as is and I can't service everyone in this world to full satisfaction 🙏

However, since you mentioned "physical descriptions" bothered you – if you can give me a list of examples from my writing, I can at least make sure to be more careful with these next time I write something and keep that in mind a little more. I honestly thought I was already going as neutral as possible, but I guess not 😂 That honestly would help a lot, so I can tune and adjust those parts a little in the future and be even more mindful about them.

Again, not my intention to exclude anyone, but I will keep writing what I write and shape my characters, including reader characters, the way I see fit for the story. For recent stories, I really tried not making it clear what nationality/skin color reader has. Even in stories like Somebody I Used to Know where Bobby was reader's father, reader's mother could've been anything you wanted her to be. Same goes for my new series Glitch as well – it's stated that reader's ancestors come from Northern Europe but 2000 years ago and while mother and grandmother have Norse names, all fathers are unknown on purpose and could be anything you want as well. I honestly don't know what else I could do about that without sacrificing vital parts of a story.

Really appreciate the constructive feedback, but it's really not as easy as it seems! Hope that makes sense a little for you. I guess in the end it boils down to a "take it or leave it" type of deal since they are my stories and I have to put in all the work and no one else 😅🩵

[ghost-flesh-1]

I'm trying to gauge something.

is there any need for character, world building, and writer sheets?

I am making a whole bunch (started as just something for me to use personally but I can share it with others) for free and just want to know if its something new or experienced writers would want?

I would gladly take advice and pointers on them but right now they will only be available on patreon (lab technician $5 tier) until I get them completed, then they will be available for free on my website.

Patreon

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[syntheticdesign02]

You ever get a comment on your fic that so perfectly describes what you were going for in the chapter that you're worried they're living in your walls or

(comment below cut)

[weird-gnome]

I was working on one of my stories when I realized it was a direct parallel to my experience with a stalker.

And now I just

Do I lean into that??? With an unclear fate because technically my issue was never resolved even though it appears all danger has passed??? Do I keep it real like that or do I slap an actual tidy clean up ending on it cause that's usually what people expect out of a story??

[robot-yuri84]

FEEDBACK QUESTIONS 💖

I asked on Ao3, but I also wanted to ask here. You don't have to answer all 3 questions if you don't want to. Answering one or two is also fine and still helps me out a lot 😊 this is in regards to all my work but if you'd like to point to a certain fic, I'm all ears too!

What can I improve on? (For example, being more descriptive, avoiding repetition, longer or shorter fics, more dialogue, phrases seem awkward or unclear, inconsistent storyline, author notes, etc. There's a lot more but I'm struggling to think rn)

What would you like to see from me? (There are topics I do not feel comfortable writing but am curious if there's prompts or requests you'd like to see me write. And it doesn't have to be skystar either. It could also be other pairings, though I make no promises I can get to them or that they'll be a priority 😔)

What do you like from my writing? (I'm leaving this incredibly open-ended.)

I do try to self reflect on the direction I'd like to take my writing every so often and have my own answers for the questions above. I can also acknowledge that I might have a narrow view and, therefore, might overlook some flaws or ways I can improve.

Please don't be afraid to comment or if you'd like to send it anonymously through my asks, over messages, on ao3, wherever you're more comfortable or able to, you're more than welcome to do so. There's no right answer here. Honestly, I appreciate any feedback and it also helps me be less shy about sharing my stuff. And of course, be a better writer too 😂 I almost forgot that part.

Thank you!

[danielbetaread]

Hello authors,

If you need a beta reader who will give honest and useful feedback on your manuscript, I’m here to help. I review plot, pacing, characters, and readability. Send me a DM to get started.