One year ago I set out on a quest to find others that share my love of Twilight. Little did I know that once I entered the realm of fan fiction I would find a virtual library filled with missing moments and multiple pov’s. Angst, laughter, hope, love … it’s all there. Each story is filled with the Twilight characters yet as different as the many authors. I had found a whole new world. I had found a new way to read. I had found Twilighted.
Subtlynice inspired my first reviews with the beauty and purity of her stories. I became a faithful reviewer … Great Story., Hope to read more soon. … not very creative. That changed when ObsessingOverEdward gave us Lady of the Knight. For the first time I found myself sharing my thoughts and questions with an author and it was fun. In essence she forever changed the way I review.
Jandco. The Teenage Angst Brigade ~ Raw. Cutting Edge. Fan Fiction with an attitude. This was my first Jandco story. One author, one story inspired me to read outside my cookie cutter comfort zone and “walk on the wild side”. I am reading stories that I would have never read otherwise. What a liberation!
Late one October night curiosity got the best of me and I read the first five chapters of Jfly’s Sanctuary. By using the review and response system Jfly has taught me how to sift through the layers of a character, she’s special like that. I find Father Edward to be such a beautifully complex man and Sanctuary is so much more than a story. Sanctuary is a journey to places we wouldn’t normally go and Jenny is a master story teller.
Jandco’s inspiration and Jfly’s lessons in “character study” led me to read Consequencia’s by Gustariana. I am in awe of Gustariana's brilliance as the depth of her characters bring this story of love and lust and consequences to life. To have never read this story would truly have been my loss.
In the past year I have read hundreds of stories, some in the box, some not. I’ve enjoyed them all. I’ve cried, gasped, sighed, smiled, and laughed – a lot. But in the end the best part of the journey has been the people. Readers, that review just like me, fill the forums with laughter and questions and encouragement. They motivate the writers and many become writers themselves. The writers, ah yes the writers, they keep the fairytale alive. These beautiful, brave souls expose themselves with every word they share. My reviews are my way of sharing with them. A sort of tit for tat. And in the end, when the story is complete, I smile as I write my final review and sing with the great Louis Armstrong …”And I think to myself what a wonderful world”.
~mscope~
Author's Blurb by Gustariana
Imagine being a first time writer. An unknown. Unproven.
Imagine picking out a topic that you know will attract attention, but that can easily get out of hand and run away from what you had planned.
Imagine trying to make that topic about everything else BUT the actual topic. (Confusing, I know. Try living inside my head for a few minutes.)
Now imagine the crazy butterflies that only attack when you are seconds away from posting a new chapter.
Imagine the "not knowing". Not knowing if anyone still reads because you have a gazillion hits and only 1% of those turned into feedback in the form of a review.
Not knowing how many people won't like what you write on this latest update.
The constant reminders that you are too slow when you write, and that you do not have enough (smut/romance/suspense/add your favorite adjective here) written into your story.
Now rinse and repeat. For every single chapter you post.
I guess someone forgot to tell me that writing fan fiction did not involve eating seedless grapes off the fingers of some cute Rob look-alike while he praises your amazing writing/wit/imagery. Maybe he is shirtless too.
But what everyone did tell me was that I would become addicted to reviews. That I would love them. I would count them, nurse them like they were my babies and compare them to other authors like they are a brand new set of hooters.
They were partially right. I absolutely love getting feedback, but like many things in life I quickly learned that it is not about the quantity but the quality.
Mscope is one of the best examples of quality as far as reviews concern.
I mean, I thought I had it awesome with my reviews and then one day I got a review from her. I sat in front of my computer and I read, and quickly looked out my window wondering if she was watching me. But not in a creepy "I know what you did last summer" kinda way. But in a "OMG she knows what I am thinking" way.
Mscope, or lothlorien as she is known on the Twilighted forums, just gets it. She doesn't just read a story and comment on the easy stuff. She dives deep and puts a lot of thought into the feedback she gives. Her reviews are mature, extremely detailed and most of all inspiring.
Getting a review from her is like having Santa stop at you house after every update you make. Mscope and the way she dissects each chapter really help me make sure that I hit all the major points I wanted to make. It is like getting a critique from a newspaper or something similar. It touches on the good, the bad and presents it in a way that helps me improve for the next chapter.
Let me tell you one thing, I absolutely ADORE all my reviewers. I appreciate every single review I get, mostly because I am still amazed that anyone reads my stuff. And I really, I could write a little blurb for everyone, but since they would drop me out of this blog business like a hot potato for posting 1372892091 pages of "OMG! Gracias! I love you! Thanks for taking the time to read my story!" I had to pick one person and mscope is a great example of an awesome reviewer and loyal supporter.
Querida mscope, gracias from the bottom of my little spicy heart. I love you and your reviews! Mwah!
Subtlynice inspired my first reviews with the beauty and purity of her stories. I became a faithful reviewer … Great Story., Hope to read more soon. … not very creative. That changed when ObsessingOverEdward gave us Lady of the Knight. For the first time I found myself sharing my thoughts and questions with an author and it was fun. In essence she forever changed the way I review.
Jandco. The Teenage Angst Brigade ~ Raw. Cutting Edge. Fan Fiction with an attitude. This was my first Jandco story. One author, one story inspired me to read outside my cookie cutter comfort zone and “walk on the wild side”. I am reading stories that I would have never read otherwise. What a liberation!
Late one October night curiosity got the best of me and I read the first five chapters of Jfly’s Sanctuary. By using the review and response system Jfly has taught me how to sift through the layers of a character, she’s special like that. I find Father Edward to be such a beautifully complex man and Sanctuary is so much more than a story. Sanctuary is a journey to places we wouldn’t normally go and Jenny is a master story teller.
Jandco’s inspiration and Jfly’s lessons in “character study” led me to read Consequencia’s by Gustariana. I am in awe of Gustariana's brilliance as the depth of her characters bring this story of love and lust and consequences to life. To have never read this story would truly have been my loss.
In the past year I have read hundreds of stories, some in the box, some not. I’ve enjoyed them all. I’ve cried, gasped, sighed, smiled, and laughed – a lot. But in the end the best part of the journey has been the people. Readers, that review just like me, fill the forums with laughter and questions and encouragement. They motivate the writers and many become writers themselves. The writers, ah yes the writers, they keep the fairytale alive. These beautiful, brave souls expose themselves with every word they share. My reviews are my way of sharing with them. A sort of tit for tat. And in the end, when the story is complete, I smile as I write my final review and sing with the great Louis Armstrong …”And I think to myself what a wonderful world”.
~mscope~
Author's Blurb by Gustariana
Imagine being a first time writer. An unknown. Unproven.
Imagine picking out a topic that you know will attract attention, but that can easily get out of hand and run away from what you had planned.
Imagine trying to make that topic about everything else BUT the actual topic. (Confusing, I know. Try living inside my head for a few minutes.)
Now imagine the crazy butterflies that only attack when you are seconds away from posting a new chapter.
Imagine the "not knowing". Not knowing if anyone still reads because you have a gazillion hits and only 1% of those turned into feedback in the form of a review.
Not knowing how many people won't like what you write on this latest update.
The constant reminders that you are too slow when you write, and that you do not have enough (smut/romance/suspense/add your favorite adjective here) written into your story.
Now rinse and repeat. For every single chapter you post.
I guess someone forgot to tell me that writing fan fiction did not involve eating seedless grapes off the fingers of some cute Rob look-alike while he praises your amazing writing/wit/imagery. Maybe he is shirtless too.
But what everyone did tell me was that I would become addicted to reviews. That I would love them. I would count them, nurse them like they were my babies and compare them to other authors like they are a brand new set of hooters.
They were partially right. I absolutely love getting feedback, but like many things in life I quickly learned that it is not about the quantity but the quality.
Mscope is one of the best examples of quality as far as reviews concern.
I mean, I thought I had it awesome with my reviews and then one day I got a review from her. I sat in front of my computer and I read, and quickly looked out my window wondering if she was watching me. But not in a creepy "I know what you did last summer" kinda way. But in a "OMG she knows what I am thinking" way.
Mscope, or lothlorien as she is known on the Twilighted forums, just gets it. She doesn't just read a story and comment on the easy stuff. She dives deep and puts a lot of thought into the feedback she gives. Her reviews are mature, extremely detailed and most of all inspiring.
Getting a review from her is like having Santa stop at you house after every update you make. Mscope and the way she dissects each chapter really help me make sure that I hit all the major points I wanted to make. It is like getting a critique from a newspaper or something similar. It touches on the good, the bad and presents it in a way that helps me improve for the next chapter.
Let me tell you one thing, I absolutely ADORE all my reviewers. I appreciate every single review I get, mostly because I am still amazed that anyone reads my stuff. And I really, I could write a little blurb for everyone, but since they would drop me out of this blog business like a hot potato for posting 1372892091 pages of "OMG! Gracias! I love you! Thanks for taking the time to read my story!" I had to pick one person and mscope is a great example of an awesome reviewer and loyal supporter.
Querida mscope, gracias from the bottom of my little spicy heart. I love you and your reviews! Mwah!
I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition than mscope. You worded it perfectly: she's father christmas, the easter bunny and Edward Cullen all rolled into one! I can't begin to explain just how wonderful she is, but her reviews always leave me reeling from the generousity and sheer dedication she puts into her words. She takes the time to understand the story and always has something wonderfully astute to say.
ReplyDeleteReviewers like mscope are an inspiration to fanfic authors and readers alike! I know that since reading mscope's reviews, I've been encouraged to leave longer, more thoughtful reviews on the stories I read, and as an author, brilliant reviews always bring bigger and better ideas for new stories.
So as a reader and writer, I am so very thankful to mscope and her reviews which never cease to touch my heart.