#writing feedback

This is a question I get often. It is also the MAJOR piece of negative feedback I get on the Supernova Series.

So far, I have read the following feedback:

I've had a reader call Serena a prostitute because she has slept with 5 men in her life (she is 25 in my series), and flag that Serena deserved to be called a whore because she's behaved like one.

I've seen a user rant about how much they hate my story because it's all about making Serena a slut.

I've had multiple readers personally reach out to me to justify why my portrayal of Serena is so sexual, because in their eyes, it's not canon to her character in the anime.

I've had multiple readers say they love every element of my story except for the fact that it focuses too much on Serena's sex life.

The short answer to these queries is this: because it's MY story, and Serena is MY protagonist. Therefore, I can do as I please.

I am a woman. I have had a lot of sex in my lifetime. I have been violated many times in many different ways in my life. And I wanted an outlet to explore every single crevice of sexuality that I could in a way that was uniquely my narrative voice. And what triggered me on this journey was rewatching Pokemon XYZ and hearing Serena, one of my favourite characters ever, come to the conclusion that in order to be a better performer, she needed to put her personal needs last and always wear a smile to uplift others. That was her journey on the show. And it dawned on me that telling 10 year olds to put their emotional needs last in order to be the best performers was kind of messed up.

So I wandered how that would impact their psyche in other facets of their lives. And I came to the conclusion that it would make them sexually vulnerable and lead to unhealthy sex lifes. And I love Serena. I wanted something different for her.

So yes, my Serena is wildly sexual. She has been violated and traumatised sexually and emotionally in so many ways, and yet, she comes out the other side authentically as her sexual self. She reclaims her needs. Her desires. She plays. She explores. She supports her girlfriends. And she has sex. A lot of it. Just like I have in my life. That is a powerful arc to take a protagonist on.

And yet, because it's a sexual arc, it's deemed as cheap. Easy. Not to be viewed through a lens of pride. So much so, that when the man she loved for almost two decades called her a whore, certain readers felt it was justified.

Any time a female goes on a sexual journey, it is not viewed with the same power or authenticity compared to going on an emotional journey, or a physical adventure. And don't even get me started on the double standard of female writers writing female desires and it being labelled as cheap smut versus male writers writing "fantasy".

But sexual autonomy, reclamation, agency, exploration and discovery are all valid components of the human experience, and deserve to be deep dived into, rather than seen as an annoyance because god forbid a character has sex with more than the one person you ship them with.

Anyways, no matter how many times this discussion comes up, I will continue to proudly stand on this hill, because Serena is allowed to have a sexual journey that isn't just "she got with Ash and only ever had sex with him and they lived happily ever after", and still be perceived as a valued, authentic character with strength, power, and complexity.

And, as always, no one is forcing you to read a fic. Fanfic is provided to you for free. Let authors write their truth and their wild fantasies. If you want a specific story or characerisation, get out a writing app and write it yourself :)

😤…

🫱🏻🫱🏻 UNconscious = A state of unresponsiveness

🫲🏻🫲🏻 SUBconscious = Underneath, below consciousness.

Unconscious SUBconscious bias. SUBconscious habits. SUBconsciously.

When you are UNconscious, you are not doing anything except having fainted, or being in a coma. Apparently, specifically brain death counts too. It is used most often and correctly in medical settings. You are not actively doing ANYTHING that involves bias or habits because you are NOT LUCID. You are the OPPOSITE of conscious.

When something is SUBconscious, it is a habit or opinion that you are awake to perform, but you are not aware that you are doing it, or you are not aware that it harms people.

When something is subLIMINAL, it is communication meant to bypass one’s immediate consciousness. It is BELOW your awareness. You see it in logo design a LOT, but importantly, *shakily grips your shoulders* YOU ARE AWAKE to INTERACT with them.

IT’S SUBconscious. SUB-!

I’ve got to admit, I wish I was one of those beatific saints that could take critique with a grateful smile. Instead, I am constantly suppressing a horrible little gremlin at the back of my head hissing at anything from legit plot critiques to grammar corrections. I’m well aware I used that comma wrong, GOD.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very good at suppressing that gremlin, but the little bastard is still there. He exists because even though your brain knows critique can help, it also knows you worked damn hard on the thing being critiqued, and goddamnit, isn’t that enough???

Anyway, here are some tips on getting that gremlin to shut the hell up.

It is okay to be upset. You worked really hard on this thing, and now someone’s gone and pointed out all the things that suck about it. You cannot control how you feel about one thing or another, but you can allow yourself to feel that way and let it pass through you. Let your critique partner you’re taking time to reflect on it, and go for a walk. Do something else. Let those feelings pass through you before you get back to the page.

Give yourself time. Don’t feel like you need to correct things right away (unless they are minimal grammar tweaks). Some pieces of feedback might take awhile to sink in, especially when you’ve got a whole novel to wrestle through. Set it aside, think about something else for a week or so, and get back to it when you’ve reset.

Get a second opinion and/or ducky friend. It can be very hard to tell the difference between good and bad feedback sometimes. Someone who means very well could give feedback that just doesn’t work for you, and someone who doesn’t give two shits could have spotted that fatal flaw right away. You can bring in a real third party or just make use of the old rubber duck technique, where you talk through the issue with a friend or a Naruto poster telling you to Believe it. Working it out out-loud is a really effective technique to figure out what needs fixing and what doesn’t.

Guide critique-givers toward the feedback you want. I, a person who prefers straightforward fantasy and sci-fi, cannot give the fine-tooth points on how a romance novel should work. However, I can give feedback on what works for me and what doesn’t story-wise. Giving your beta reader or critique partner a list of questions to look for will help avoid vague feedback based on how they don’t like the genre. There are many ways to do this, but consider using the following as a base to tailor your own questions:

Did you get a good sense of the setting? Did the worldbuilding make sense to you?

Was this story clear? Where there any parts that seemed confusing?

What characters did you like and why? What characters didn’t you like?

Did any parts of the story feel slow or repetitive?

Did the beginning draw you in? Did the middle keep you engaged? Did the ending feel satisfying?

If you were to write [insert plot point here], what would you do differently?

Again, all of the above questions are up for debate depending on your goal, but we are rarely taught how to give good feedback, and a guided feedback session would work better for you than a free-for-all.

Figure out what kind of advice doesn’t work for you. It is really hard to give good feedback sometimes, even with guided questions. It can also be really hard to figure out why some feedback doesn’t click with you, and that’s a matter of digging deep to figure out what you really want. You may lean toward characters who are horrible fuck-ups, but your partner prefers more steady characters who always strive to do the right thing. Your characters, therefore, may never click with this person, no matter how much they want to help you. And that’s okay! Figuring out where your critique partner is coming from can help you figure out what parts of their feedback isn’t working for you. Sometimes the only thing you can do is thank them and move on, but you might also want to guide them to focus more on the plot or the worldbuilding when looking at your work.

And last, don’t focus on grammar. It’s great if they point that out, but if you end up changing everything, trying to fix that first is a waste of your time. Grammar tweaks last, plot points first.

okay so. i’m officially soft-launching my beta reader + editing service and i want to offer a few free 5-page critiques to test things out!

📂 you send me the first 5 pages of your manuscript 🖋️ i send you a 3-page feedback letter with: — analysis of voice, hook, pacing, flow — advice on revision + clarity — thoughts on your opening vibe and strength as a writer

💌 it’s free. just fill this form → right here 🧪 i’m only choosing a few, so if you’ve got a WIP you wanna polish, send it in!

Yeah- what the title said. In November, I wrote the first draft of a novel. I am currently doing prep work for my second draft, which will be a complete rewrite with (hopefully) improved pacing, plot, and characterization.

That’s where YOU come in! I want you to read my book. And then give me feedback on the pacing, plot, and characterization. I also want stuff on character arcs, motivations, plot holes/inconsistencies, etc. etc. the big overarching stuff. I don’t want tiny nitpicky details right now, I’m waiting for draft 3 to do that.

so, what’s my book about? I don’t have an ‘ooo professional pitch.’ I have a tumblrized pitch though?

1870s closeted transmasc guy accidentally convinces barons son he is a cis guy, and they team up to solve murders the town blames on a monster as m/c turns into a bird monster.

it’s historical fiction / psychological horror / body horror / QUEER / slight romance

Hey writers, I’m opening a few spots for beta reading, and if you need someone to go through your chapters with care, patience, and real curiosity, I’m around.

I love getting lost in stories, catching the little things, pointing out moments that could hit harder, and cheering for the parts that already shine. I give honest feedback, but always with respect for your voice and the work you’ve already put in.