#Feedback Process

[ancientroyalblood]

The Importance of Beta Readers: Getting Feedback for Improvement

Writing is often a solitary endeavor. As authors, we pour our hearts and souls into our work, crafting stories that we hope will resonate with readers. However, there comes a point in the creative process where a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective are invaluable. This is where beta readers come in. In this exploration of the importance of beta readers, we will guide writers on how to…

[reasonsforhope]

Given the misinformation that's been going around and will be going around, thought this might be helpful to some people

For a lot of reasons, I'm very good at this/at searching, to the point where I have worked as a professional fact-checker for two different publishers. So, here goes:

My Article Fact-Checking Protocol

Thorough Version

Read the full article. Keep an eye out for emotionally loaded words, and all-or-nothing language

Keep an eye out or anything that sounds too good to be true, and in contrast, anything that sounds so awful it must be true

Run the website/source through the amazing Media Bias/Fact Check. They'll tell you about a publication's bias and history of accuracy

Go to the website's home page and read through the headlines. Look at what topics they cover/prioritize, sensationalist headlines, and whether they're framing anything in a way that feels odd/off to you

Do a search related to the topic. This can be keywords, a question, or even just copy-paste the article title (Recommended: use DuckDuckGo so the results don't change based on what Google thinks they can sell you)

If multiple highly credible sources that say the same thing pop up, and there's no major societal biases that might affect the coverage of the topic in those sources (e.g. anything related to the Israel-Palestine conflict/Palestinian genocide, no matter which side), then I'm done!

If there are major societal biases, or I can't get a consensus of sufficiently credible sources, then I do some combination of:

(1) search the topic again + the words "controversy" and/or "fake"

(2) search the opposite of the topic, or do some sort of other filtered search

(3) look up a sufficiently credible news outlet with the opposite point of view of my source, and see what they have to say

(4) if it's a big enough topic, start by looking up 2 of the top national papers and 1 major paper for your region (I usually do the ones in the US, because that's where I am In the US: the LA Times, the Washington Post, and the NY Times)

Adjust "news" to "relevant type of source, e.g. tech, environmental" as relevant for all of the above options

If no red flags come up, and it's a topic I understand enough to smell huge bullshit,

Then I'm usually done!

If there are red flags, or I actually need a certain amount of detail/understanding, then it gets more complicated, but that would be a whole other thing to break down and such

or

tl;dr

Quick Version

Read the full article. Keep an eye out for emotionally loaded words, and all-or-nothing language

Keep an eye out or anything that sounds too good to be true, and in contrast, anything that sounds so awful it must be true.

If I don't know the website:

Run the website/source through the amazing Media Bias/Fact Check. They'll tell you about a publication's bias and history of accuracy

If I trust the source, but something else pinged my radar:

Do a quick web search to verify anything that sounds suspicious or too good/bad to be true (Recommended: use DuckDuckGo)

[grogumaximus]

[capefoxalix]

A Map of Strictland and the areas around

No one ask me how long this took to make.

[xfreischutz]

I think its interesting that we tell people to "make art only for yourself!" but then also expect them to present it to a silent and (seemingly!) uncaring world. Like I have several fic ideas and at the moment, I *am* only "writing it for myself" which means it stays firmly in my brain because what's the point in pouring my heart into something to share if nobody cares? My fic is perfect and Just for Me in my mind with no risk of ever becoming lesser via attempts to distill it into something "real". People create and share art because its personal and part of a conversation with the viewer. It important to be the active participant in consuming the art, even if all you ever do is give it a like!

yeah! it's the commodification of work and effort into ✨content✨ and i'm not here for it (though i will say i am not immune to thinking about the algorithm and current markets when it comes to fanart/merch). i don't like that people are expected to create to have works available for perusal, my friend said that getting pageviews but no interaction is like having a booth and people looking at your stuff and just leaving...and they are Right

it feels like the culture of overconsumption and excess has reached fandom spaces. also this sentence feels very snooty and edgy like it's probably not that deep (but it sure feels like it to me)

i think there's something to be said for having an idea in your mind that can be perfect because it is never tangible/present in our world, and there's also something to be said for enjoying the process of trying to capture it to put it into the world. it just depends on what you think your duty to yourself is, and what you enjoy, and what you have the time and energy for.

but yeah shared artwork is a communication, especially in fandom and other community spaces. even if it's a like/kudo/upvote it's something! if someone treats you to a good meal the least you can do is say thanks for the food

[ehlihr]

my kind of reductive opinion of inside out is that its a totally acceptable character design exercise that was taken too far

[muffinlance]

Crochet Pattern: Rollable Isopuppy (Giant Isopod Dog)

Crochet an isopuppy! As cuddled in Salvage; story and pattern both by me. Whether you’ve read the story or not, treat yourself to a Very Good Dog. You deserve it. <3

>>> Get the pattern here! <<<

[id: Photos of a crocheted isopuppy (giant isopod dog) from various angles. It has the head and tail of a dog, with isopod legs, shell, and antennae. It is a very Good Boi. End id.]

Also that is now my site for patterns, both sewn and crocheted (Dragon Zuko is also up there), so. Subscribe if you're interested in that. If you're interested in my writing, that's at this site. Also I'm on Ravelry now.

>>> Isopuppy Pattern! <<<

[ebonytails]

Hey everyone! this is where the zebra is currently with the design.

It has knee braces!! I will most probably be drawing the zebra usually with them on, but it’s no requirement, for example if anyone else wants to draw the zebra :-]. I always like to make sure an animal design has official colors underneath any clothing and accessory anyway. I think this will be final! thank you everyone for your feedback!

As a reminder, aside from why the zebra was requested for this flag, this is also just a zebra with the disability pride flag on it. It’s just a deisgn to fit the flag, with input from other disabled people in our community. It doesn’t mean other animals can’t have designs with these colors, too! I don’t mean this design to be the only mascot for all disabled people. It’s just a silly series i do of pride animals, and at the time, during disability pride month, I wanted to see what everyone wanted me to start off with for this flag!

the goal with my pride animals is to take requests and make people feel happy and seen.. that’s all <:-)

[calanmine]

How long did it take all of you to work on/finish Calanmine?

Ufff, Copy made a very basic concept of it in August last year to show that we can totally do it. And ever since then we have been somewhat working on it. The writing took the longest (a lot trickier than you'd think!) and ever since February me and Copy (ESPECIALLY Copy) have been drawing non-stop to get the game out in time. Keep in mind that Copy also wanted the Picrew done for the beginning of Tamlin Week, so it for sure was a struggle. We added the name easter eggs dialogue like a week before release. That's why they tend to have more typos. lol

Here's some screenshots from the first/placeholder version of the game, because it was hilarious:

[ask-the-invincible-crew]

It's the thought that counts... Merry Christmas from the crew leads!

[thethirdamell]

The upcoming launch of Veilguard definitely seems to have reinvigorated the Dragon Age fandom and garnered me a handful of new readers, and maybe I'm just old and exhausted, but it feels like comment etiquette has evaporated / people have forgotten the "if you have nothing nice to say-" adage, because a non-zero number of these folks apparently felt compelled to inform me that they don't care for the abuse in the dark horror story about recovering from abuse.

[a-confused-spoon]

Silly question but uhm, would anyone be interested in a Sorvus fanfiction taking place in between book 3 and 4?

The canonical events taken into account would only be the ones of act 1 and some of the short stories from the 'Reflections' collection, but not Through the Moon (so Rayla's around 🙂). I was thinking along the lines of the "slice of life" genre 'cuz I wanted something chill, if not for the fact that the "life" in question is of two guards in a fantasy setting dealing with the first attempt at peace being led by the child ruler they're supposed to guard after centuries of war, so how chill can that actually be...

I've been working on the layout for a while and I don't really have many chapters yet- and by that I mean I barely got the first one done (as in, I don't), but the more ideas pop into my head the more I want to work on it in spite of English not being my first language and uni taking my soul away 👉👈

If I was to go on with it, the platform would be ao3 (duh)

[ajmonarch]

I just got this comment on my art on tiktok this morning:

"I wish I could be a little mouse in your corner and watch you creating" ✨️

I thought I'd start sharing my favourite feedback that I've had about my art and my writing because some of them are so poetic, and I want to save them.

[peanut-with-wifi-access]

I DON'T CARE IF I DON'T UNDERSTAND A LICK OF WHAT'S BEING SAID, I'M WATCHING THE EPISODES!

[acespacedweller]

crazy that people are saying it "took them too long" to respond. it was two days yall 😭 the internet is ruining your sense of time and it shows

[kaurwreck]

y'all stop saying fyodor has never looked so sincerely angry before. he has.

I know this because, and this is not an exaggeration, the vast majority of my manga revisits are to enjoy his expressions of anger, disdain, and malcontent. i shit you not, several of my bsd meta posts wholly unrelated to fyodor were written because I happened to notice something else while flipping through to imbibe fedya's hissy fits. I don't reread the manga when I do this, just those scenes, unless something else catches my attention.

anyway, stop disrespecting my beloved pastime.