http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ Web Fiction Guide Forums » Forum: Site Reviews - Recent Topics en Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:15:40 +0000 http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/critique-request-away-from-artenia#post-7739 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:21:39 +0000 Ryphna St-John 7739@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>Hi All,</p> <p>So I am very new in the "WebNovel" thing even though it makes years I write offline, I was wondering if anyone could take a look at our website and story to give us their thought (mostly on the story).</p> <p>I write Away From Artenia with my friend Guy, we are both French Canadian so language is a nice challenge but do far it's been more fun then pain. Our Web novel is a Steampunk Mystery, we started writing it only a few months ago and have now 9 parts published for chapter 1. We publish weekly but hope to publish more often in the future.</p> <p><a href="http://artenia.ryphna.com" rel="nofollow">http://artenia.ryphna.com</a></p> <p>All comments are welcome but please keep them constructive.</p> <p>Thank you very much!</p> <p>Ryphna </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/critique-request-stuck-station#post-7639 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:31:27 +0000 John Crandall 7639@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>Hey folks!</p> <p>I wanted to ask if any of you would give me your thoughts on my story at <a href="http://www.stuckstation.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.stuckstation.com</a>. </p> <p>If you could send me your comments in an email (cranny777@gmail.com) that'd be great, but if you don't want to email me and want to put criticism in this forum post that's good too. </p> <p>I have thick skin, so don't pull any punches. </p> <p>However, I do ask that any criticism be constructive rather than "This chapter sucks" :-P </p> <p>Thanks in advance. </p> <p>John </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/special-people-design-opinions#post-7622 Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:26:55 +0000 Tim Sevenhuysen 7622@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>I launched my new web serial, <a href="http://specialpeople.timsevenhuysen.com">Special People</a>, a few weeks ago. I'd appreciate feedback on the site design.</p> <p>I've kept things really simple. It's the newest default WordPress theme (TwentyEleven), but customized and with a bunch of modified CSS.</p> <p>Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions! </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/new-look-1#post-7440 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:32:47 +0000 Miladysa 7440@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>After reading some of the excellent feedback here with regard to site design I thought I would try and bring my sorely neglected website up to date with a new look: <a href="http://roydss.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">http://roydss.blogspot.com</a></p> <p>I have struggled to get blogger to indent the first line of each paragraph so that I can lose the return in between but with no luck. Should I lose the return anyway or leave it as it is?</p> <p>Is there anything else I can do to make the site work better?</p> <p>Thanks<br /> M </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/review-request-shadows-light#post-5583 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:01:03 +0000 Verydien 5583@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>I've poked around the forums since I first joined about a month ago. My story Shadow's Light was put onto the shelf about two/three weeks ago, and I thought it was about time to try and get more reviews/readers for it. The reviews I'm asking for don't have to be necessarily "official", but if you just want to e-mail me, sign the site's guestbook, or comment on this topic about what your thoughts are, that would work perfectly fine for me. I would be indebted to you either way. It would really mean so much to me!</p> <p>I do want to make one note however about the story before anyone interested goes charging in, I am all for constructive criticism, so please don't tell me how much you hate it/it sucks etc. If you don't like it, I'm quite alright with that, but please explain to me why, and what there is I could do to make it better, don't just tell me how terrible it is. Also, this story was started back in 2005, which means that there probably are a lot of things that are messed up (grammar, some spelling and small errors in plot). This said, feel free to bring problems to my attention, but try not to be too critical (like with the grammar and spelling). A rewrite is already planned in the works after I'm done with the first walkthrough. Nineteen of twenty-three chapters at this point in time.</p> <p>Here's a brief gist of the story:</p> <p>Descendants of the creator of Evil have been cursed with the fate of the Dark Crystal, while the one who opposes its power, carries the Light Crystal. But together, the precious stones create a power that could annihilate the entire universe. So when the host of the Dark Crystal is thrust into the position to choose to fight along side the Light Crystal or join the new unknown enemy in destroying life, which will she choose?</p> <p>Link to listing: <a href="http://webfictionguide.com/listings/shadows-light/" rel="nofollow">http://webfictionguide.com/listings/shadows-light/</a><br /> Link to site: <a href="http://shadowslight.yolasite.com/" rel="nofollow">http://shadowslight.yolasite.com/</a><br /> Link to Chapter One: <a href="http://shadowslight.yolasite.com/chapter-one.php" rel="nofollow">http://shadowslight.yolasite.com/chapter-one.php</a> </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/redesign-feedback#post-7419 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:14:44 +0000 Isa 7419@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>Hello all :)</p> <p>So I'm finally making the time to tackle fluffyseme.com's fugly and inefficient layout. Starting with the story pages naturally ^_^</p> <p>I need some feedback. The two big issues I want to deal with are: readability and increasing the rating response rate. Please keep in mind that this is just a demo layout, it's not fully functional it's just to illustrate the concept.</p> <p><a href="http://www.fluffyseme.com/story/test" rel="nofollow">http://www.fluffyseme.com/story/test</a></p> <p>Really my big concern is about the text size. I've noticed a lot of long-form websites and apps move towards big font to make it comfortable to read for long periods of time. I know I'm forever zooming in to increase the font sizes of my favorite blogs and such ... but I was wondering if the freakishly big type was too much of an eyesore. What does everyone think about that? </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/website-that-needs-some-advice#post-7383 Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:48:59 +0000 LondonIvy 7383@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>To preface: I know very, very little code and am using the tools provided by Squarespace as a crutch. I have bought a domain and will start using it whenever I can.</p> <p><a href="http://dreamingwords.squarespace.com/" rel="nofollow">http://dreamingwords.squarespace.com/</a></p> <p>Obviously I haven't done much with the Website yet, but before I get too far into it I was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback on what can be done to:</p> <p>a.) make my stories readable and easily accessible.</p> <p>b.) make the Website aesthetically pleasing.</p> <p>My overall goal is to make the thing at least usable and be able to have a place where readers can easily access my work. Making it look like the most wonderful-looking Website ever is not my goal. I do at least want it to look pretty, but that's secondary. </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/hi-im-new-and-just-getting-started-does-my-site-look-okay#post-6882 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:40:21 +0000 Mel the Nerdette 6882@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>Hi everyone!</p> <p>I'm new here. I've been lurking for... it can't be almost a month already wow! Anyway, I screwed up the courage, edited just a tad and started posting my NaNovel from this year as a serial. I'm not far enough along in my posting yet to submit it officially, but I will around the end of next month. </p> <p><a href="http://lightsout.nerdettesadventures.com" rel="nofollow">http://lightsout.nerdettesadventures.com</a></p> <p>So, I was hoping I could get someone to check it out? Here's my synopsis/cover blurb as it stands (I'd block quote it, but apparently I don't know how):</p> <p>Amanda just wants a lazy summer before starting college in the fall. Play some video games with her friends, raft down the river, lounge by the pool, and maybe – if she’s feeling ambitious – go hiking or race a triathlon or two.</p> <p>That’s just not happening..</p> <p>She thought the job her mom made her get was bad. Then, one morning at work, all technology fails. The lights go out, cars crash outside, and phones stop working. Even the stove won’t light.</p> <p>When her mom fails to make it home the next day, Amanda and her friends set out to find her and the reason nothing works. </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/warning-to-folks-using-wordpress#post-7287 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:14:17 +0000 Erin Klitzke 7287@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>I'm not sure everyone's heard, but I thought I'd let folks using Wordpress know to check to make sure their installations don't use a php script called timthumb in any of their themes or plug-ins, as it's a major security hole.</p> <p>I just had to basically wipe out the installation of several blogs and start from scratch to clean out this threat (as it had already been exploited on two to three of my installations). I'd love to save anyone else the headaches of that.</p> <p>Just a heads-up! </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/i-gots-a-new-website-_#post-7339 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:21:19 +0000 Isa 7339@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>So over the past two months or so I've been building my ideal author website. Some place that embraces my pro-fanfiction and very silly style as a writer and also integrates my web presence under one resource. Links to all my active serials, ebook releases, various social media accounts, etc, etc, etc.</p> <p><a href="http://www.IsaKFT.com">http://www.IsaKFT.com</a> </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/new-fiction-blog-does-the-layout-make-it-hard-to-read#post-7342 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:11:31 +0000 LeighC 7342@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>Hi! I started a blog recently, where I'm posting a series of short stories in installments (new installment every Friday, each story lasts 6-8 weeks). I'd love to know if the blog looks ok - too much text per post? For some reason, the theme I chose in Wordpress insists on skipping lines between paragraphs, and I'm wondering if that makes the page hard to look at. Basically, I want to know if the layout makes the stories painful to read, and if it is clear that the installment on top is the most recent one, and that new readers should start from the beginning... It is hard for me to evaluate this stuff because I spend too much time staring at it, and all my readers are friends so I don't know if they are being completely honest when they tell me it's great. <a href="http://www.storiesinpieces.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.storiesinpieces.wordpress.com</a> Obviously, new readers would also be great, so if you know anyone who might like to read it...<br /> Thanks so much!<br /> ~ Leigh </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/review-request-small-town-ravaging#post-7307 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:27:10 +0000 SamNye 7307@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>I was recently vetted to be posted on webfictionguide.com and I am most curious to see what readers think. This is my formal request to anyone and everyone... please! Give me some feedback. Chris the editor reviewed it as fairly solid, and if anyone goes to the site to read, feel free to comment on any individual chapters (as opposed to waiting until the whole thing is read.) And feedback at all is much appreciated, as I will be paying out of my own pocket to self publish this title in early 2012. So far I have gotten positive feedback, but not very much feedback overall. Thank you for taking the time to read this.<br /> The title of my novel is Small Town Ravaging, and I post a new chapter every thursday.<br /> Currently 10 chapters posted, each chapter fairly long.<br /> --Samuel Nye </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/review-request-notorious#post-7103 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:46:21 +0000 Robert Rodgers 7103@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>Notorious, a story about a superhero assassin trying to go straight, is now linked on webfiction; I'd love to get some reviews! Or just additional readers! The story takes place in the same universe as the Last Skull (linked in my signature) with some subtle but important changes; nevertheless, reading the Last Skull is not at all necessary.</p> <p>If you're at all curious or interested, here's a link: <a href="http://webfictionguide.com/listings/notorious/" rel="nofollow">http://webfictionguide.com/listings/notorious/</a> </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/review-challenge#post-7175 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:44:29 +0000 Gavin Williams 7175@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>So I took a few months off from reviewing because I was pretty busy with family stuff and my own projects and sometimes you just need a break from reading. Well, as much as sometimes I need a break, I also go on binges because I love books.</p> <p>Mid-way through my binge of reading lately I realized that we have unrated listings going back several pages, and it looks like there are over 90. Some of them are dated 2009, which is just crazy that they've sat there that long with no one reviewing them, while some stories like TOMU have thirty, forty or fifty reviews. Granted, some stories are popular -- but these others don't even have one.</p> <p>I'm going through the first few chapters of as many as I can, just so every writer who has had the courage to share their stories with us has some sort of opinion on their work. I can tell pretty quickly if something is fairly solid or if it needs more work, so I'm going to move fast and highlight the ones that seem most promising. Hopefully I'll find gems like "The Third Person" that I want to read from beginning to end, but we'll see.</p> <p>My challenge to the community is this: I'm going to keep going, until all the unrated stories have at least one rating. Whether I do all 90plus on my own or other people help me is up to you. I think every writer deserves a review, that's the whole point of the site -- but by no means do I think mine should be the dominant opinion on the WFG's listings.</p> <p>However, when only one of the editors has had a review in the last 42 days (because they have busy lives and responsibilities too!) it's up to us as the community to give every writer a fair chance. Just read one chapter of a story a day, if that's all you have time for, and let's get the unrated listings up to date. </p> http://forums.webfictionguide.com/topic/and-then-what-a-review-rethought#post-7184 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:20:35 +0000 Gavin Williams 7184@http://forums.webfictionguide.com/ <p>First of all, let me clear up a misapprehension in case anyone is working under one: I’m not affiliated with the Web Fiction Guide Editorial Board. I was a very minor component of the original team when the site first launched, and eventually didn’t even have time for that. I review now on my own, same as any reader, and speak only for myself.</p> <p>I need to apologize for a recent review of a story called “And Then What?” because I misused the review space to express a personal opinion on a site-wide situation. I discovered that there were 90plus stories left unreviewed by anyone on the site, and felt that any writer who has the courage to share their stories deserves at least one review. However, I was frustrated by the two things: one, that the community was overlooking some of its own members, and two, that some writers didn’t benefit from the experience of other stories before submitting works that could be better polished.</p> <p>If the community worked harder to reciprocate reviews, we wouldn’t have a backlog, and if writers were honest about whether their stories were their best work, we would have a smaller one. I say this from my own experience – I spent seven years on my first novel before I shared it with anyone, and I won’t list one of my current projects because I don’t think it’s as good as my previous two. Until that changes, I don’t want to waste the community’s time.</p> <p>I apologize that I used the “And Then What?” review to rant about my own personal frustration. It has nothing to do with the author, who certainly can’t be held responsible for the 90 other stories that haven’t been read. I recently learned that there are in fact more than 200, but I didn’t know that when I wrote the review. And Chris and Anna have in fact vetted those stories, so it’s not like they’re being ignored. There was simply a crisis in my own “oh my gosh so many people must feel left out!” reaction, and I’m sorry I took it out in my review.</p> <p>My concerns for other writers and my own frustration don’t belong in my reviews, especially when they are for the most part story-specific, and based on stories’ merits. I tend to try to be helpful, and certainly was not in this case. I am making this apology public so the community knows that I am aware of the situation, and that I will take steps to stay more objective in the future, as people have come to expect from the majority of my well-received reviews.</p> <p>I have edited the review in question to be more story-centred, removing my frustrations about other irrelevant stories. However, I stand by my summation of the story itself, that it relies heavily on telling, not showing, and is very expository in its descriptions. However, I intend to read further to see if it improves, as I do with most stories I review. Ongoing series are always a work in progress, and sometimes it pays to check back in. </p>