Reading with the Writer in Mind

by nikki

note- this article consists of the notes used for a panel discussion in discord. To read the included memes and discussion, please join the OF discord and check out the archived channel for OF Day 2021

I’ve prepared some detailed thoughts to share, so there will be some blocks of text to read. BUT interspersed between my points, there will be Discussion portions kicked off by Questions for the audience. These will be the easiest times during the panel to interact or respond.

The outline of this panel will be as follows:

Intro

1)Give Attention

2)Give Understanding

3)Give Comments

4)Give Feedback

5)Give Recognition

Conclusion

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Intro

Writing RPGs obviously implies that we have to be Writers, but the unspoken corollary of being Writers is also true: We have to be Readers. In fact, on an active sim, we need to be reading multiple times more posts than we write.  Sometimes we tend to overlook what it means to be a Reader of our sims. Instead by default we assume something of a passive role when we scroll through the incoming posts. But we can do more, a lot more, as Readers!

1- Give Attention

By give attention, I primarily mean: actively keep up with reading the posts. I often do this imperfectly, but I've learned to try to read posts as soon as they come in, the same day or the following one. It’s demoralizing to get very far behind, so I will steal little times in waiting rooms or in the moments between commitments, reading posts on my phone. When I do get behind, I try to find an evening, make a hot tea and read a chunk of posts at once. The biggest thing, I think, is just not to get intimidated if you get behind on reading posts.

Q1: How do you keep up with reading the posts on your sim(s)? What do you do when you get behind on reading? 

Q2: Does your sim somehow keep players up to speed on relevant events to help mitigate this? (ie regular post summaries, or some kind of tracking system?) If so, please share how your sims manage keeping players up to speed!

DISCUSSION TIME

2- Give Understanding

As Writers, each one of us comes from a different place or are at different stages in our winding journey. It helps to contextualize where a Writer is at and to make the proper allowances for that in order to have fair expectations and enjoy the post for what it can offer. This is not exactly the same as having low standards as much as it is about being considerate towards others. Here are a few examples of conditions to account for as you go into reading posts:

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How long has the Writer been simming in this style? How much education and life experience do they have to draw from? How new are they to the social circle or do they have established friendships with their co-writers? How much free time do they have the leisure to spend on the sim? Are they fairly stable right now or going through difficult times? Do they have a craft mentality towards writing or are they just happy enjoying it for role play alone? Do they have a certain gift for a certain set of genres, topics, or styles as compared to other ones? Are they playing to their strengths or are they diving into new waters and experimenting? Is the language the sim in the first language of the writer? What are their philosophies and goals concerning characters and storytelling?

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There are of course, many other things that can be taken into account, but from this list you can get an idea of how to contextualize another Writer as you follow their posts. Adjusting your expectation for each individual will set you up before you even open the post to give the right kind of attention to the post and to prevent the feeling of aggravation that it doesn’t meet some unreasonable expectation that you have but which the writer never even had in mind to begin with.

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A Wise Reader can hold two yardsticks in their head at once as they read: The gold standard of writing for which they maybe have a connoisseur's palate for, AND the reasonable, tailored-to-the-writer gauge discussed above. In other words, the Reader doesn’t have to be judgmental or harsh— you can read and keep unsolicited criticism to yourself while *at the same time* choosing to cheer on the achievements of a fellow writer who is working within their own expectations and wheelhouse. 

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Q: Do you reach out and get to know the people you sim with? Do you think it makes a difference in your perspective as a reader? Do you think talking ooc improves the writing on the sim and if so, how?

Sim writing isn’t a competitive sport. But it is an opportunity to build one another up. I think this kind of understanding between simmers builds trust, confidence and camaraderie. DISCUSSION TIME

3- Give Comments

We are Writers and we are actually publishing when we hit post. When no reactions or responses come through we can be left wondering how we’re really doing, or if our messages are ever really received out there in the wild blue yonder. As a Reader, you can make a very big difference to your fellow Writers by one simple act: commenting. You don’t even have to like a post to find something to comment on. Simple comments might look something like these: “It’s funny how he doesn’t notice the whole time that his shirt is on backwards.” “Ah, I know that feeling of a fresh cup of tea in the morning.” “Makes me wonder if they’ll make it out in time!” “ooh I love that word choice”

A good Reader can find something to comment on and even avoid the uncomfortable like/ dislike dichotomy by finding at least one thing in the post that rings true or offers a plot point or a character insight, or even just point out an interesting style or wording. Just knowing you read it attentively and had a thought as you did is bolstering. But the Writer won’t know that unless you say something.

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Most people who sim for fun are NOT looking for criticism. It’s not exactly that they are looking to have their ego inflated either, though. If anything, they are seeking validation, which is to say, they are calling out into the dark to see if someone else is there with them. As a Reader, you can do that for them and find a camaraderie in offering that desired validation.

Just read and comment to show that you’re paying attention. Nine times out of ten, this is as far as the Writer/ Reader relationship goes. Sometimes the Writer you encouraged will follow up your comment or reciprocate concerning your posts but sometimes not. Either way, you can enjoy knowing that someone else likely feels a little boost because you noticed them.

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Q:  How does it make a difference for you when you hear a specific positive or engaged comment on your work? 

DISCUSSION TIME (HALF WAY POINT)

4. Give Helpful Feedback

What if someone actually wants…. “Feedback”.

What is feedback?

Many times people mistake the notion of feedback for the concept of critical critique. As consumers of media, we are very used to reading critical reviews that breakdown or tear apart the media we experience. BUT if we then take that consumer critique method to our friends’ posts (or any other creative pursuits our friends have) and slash through their work, looking to “help” them with “honesty” we’ll quite possibly leave a trail of discouragement carnage in our wake. Real feedback isn’t about any of that.

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Instead of criticism, real feedback is actually about being an observable audience member.  Allow me to explain what I mean.

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When a comedian or an actor or a musician or a speaker performs, they can see immediately the effect that their performance is having on an audience. They get feedback live-time. Or if you’re a playwright, you can see the reaction of the audience to the way the script is played out and then you know right away if your pacing is too slow or your dialogue too on the nose or if your suspense is suspenseful and your comic moment lands, because you can see it in the faces of the audience. 

When we write posts, we are so very distantly removed as Writers and Readers, that the Writer just sends out a post into the ether, and then later on— hours, days, weeks— someone might read it. The Reader might enjoy it (or not) and then file it away. Even if the reader sends the writer a “nice job, dude” response by email or in chat, the Writer is still left lacking any real understanding of their performance. They can never have the feedback that the playwright can. Or can they? Maybe… if we help them.

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To give the most helpful responses as a Reader, imagine that as you are reading the post, the Writer of the post is standing right there watching you read it. Narrate for him what is going on in your thoughts and feelings as you read it.

Examples of these kinds of thoughts:

-Huh, the introductory paragraph poses an interesting question. Are they really trapped or do they just think they are?

-When he kept repeating the line about the missing component to the device, I started to think he was going to lose his temper. It made me edgy.

-After they meet those strange creatures, I thought they were going to find out they were sentient. I guess it was the way they were communicating with each other. I still am left wondering about that.

-Is Emily Jack’s sister? Or are they just long time friends? I’m not clear.

-I missed the part about them being late to the event; I get it now that I read back, but out of context it seemed kinda out of left field that everyone was staring at them. I was just confused for a second.

-That situation was hilarious. The guy was like a used car salesman. I wonder if he’ll show up again later.

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These kinds of comments are ACTUAL feedback. Notice that they are NOT purely like/ dislike statements, or statements about quality, or ego strokes or strikes. Neither are they about story mechanics, or craft structure, or copy editing. They don’t cross out any sentences or put any red ink anywhere. They simply report the Reader’s thoughts and feelings. They are neither good nor bad, right nor wrong because when you give actual feedback, you recount your actual experience of reading the post. And an experience is neither right nor wrong. It just is. The Writer doesn’t need to answer the questions posed in this kind of feedback. Rather, any question posed helps the writer understand what the reader is pondering. Was that the reaction the Writer was looking for? 

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ie Maybe the Writer DID want you to be uncertain if the characters are trapped in that first example. Then the Writer is affirmed by that feedback. Or maybe it makes the Writer realize that there needs to be a clarification, since that’s not what the Writer wanted. That part is in the Writer’s court.

Only the Writer can decide what to do with the Feedback, but as the Reader, specific reactionary feedback is the best data you can supply for the Writer to try to suss out what is happening when his piece is digested.

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A footnote: When to help, and when to not to help….

A Writer can do a lot more with real feedback than they can do with validation statements. It’s my strong belief that everyone who goes after writing as a craft has been longing for this kind of feedback since we were in middle school.

I don’t mean you should never give validation or affirmation. Quite the opposite. Most of the time attaboys are all people want, and sometimes we switch between wanting feedback and wanting encouragement. 

Self-aware creators know what kind of response to solicit a friendly Reader to give them, but most of us are not aware of which kind of response we want (validation vs feedback). It helps if the Reader starts with offering comment/ encouragement/ accolades, and only moves to more detailed feedback if invited to. But if you ever sense a fellow simmer is wanting actual feedback, first ask them if they do. If so, then tune into your thoughts and feelings as you read their post and report your experience more closely.

Q: Have you ever experienced unsolicited criticism? Conversely, have you ever experienced responsive feedback? Can you sense the difference in these approaches? DISCUSSION TIME

Probably the one thing you can do for a person who asks “do you like my post?” or “would you give me some feedback?” is to ask what they want to know more specifically. No creator in any medium is really able to focus on improving everything in their craft all at once. So for instance, they may mostly want to know if you lost track of the plot, or if it feels too rambling in the description, or if the characters are distinct. If the Writer just hasn’t been able to articulate their question, sometimes it helps for the Reader to prompt the Writer by saying something like “Is there some aspect you’re really working on or wondering about?”

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Of course, the exercise of being a more active Reader will help you be a more aware Writer too! It will help you think up the questions you have about your writing that you can pose to your Reader. You may not care to be overwhelmed with uninvited feedback, but you may have more specific questions like: did the dialogue flow okay? Did the villain make you feel sufficiently uncomfortable that you believed he deserved his fate? Are the descriptions slowing it down or are they lending the right amount of detail? Did you get confused about any of the characters in the team or were they distinct enough? Being an aware Reader for others will help you learn how to hone in on questions for yourself too.

Q: What kind of questions do you find yourself wondering about your own posts that you would be interested in knowing how a reader feels or thinks about? DISCUSSION TIME

5: Give Recognition

It’s Obsidian Day, which means there’s an awards ceremony later that we’re anticipating!

Q: Awards are one way to give people feedback and accolades about their work. Some GMs lay them on thick, awarding people for participation at every chance they get. Others prefer to reserve ribbons for work that they feel is truly exceptional. Which approach do you tend towards and why?

Q: Sometimes all the awarding is left to the CO of a sim. But do you often see players commenting or nominating one another? If your sim has ways to encourage this, please tell us about it!

Q: Does your sim have sim level ribbons, regular accolades or recognitions, or mini challenge awards? How are they applied? Is it a successful program? (feel free to share links if you have any)

DISCUSSION TIME

Spotlight on Spotlights

Apart from Units of Merit and the  OF Day awards and the End of the Year recognitions…. Obsidian Fleet has an opportunity I feel is very underused! That is the “Spotlight” series:

Sim Spotlight

Character Spotlight

Post Spotlight

Every time I submit one of these I feel like a kingmaker. Basically anyone at any level in the fleet can nominate. All you do is write up a paragraph introducing what you want to spotlight, and give a few example links! If you have access to the website you can submit one yourself, or you can DM someone in the Communications team to get it into the announcements! These spotlights post to the OF Site, and also go out on the Fleet social media and are generated in Discord and in the news sections of each ship that generates the OF announcements. It’s a great way to share and a great way to encourage a fellow player and it can be pulled together in just a few minutes.

When you see something noteworthy, jot down what it is that impressed you and then share it! Also don’t let modesty get in the way. While it’s good not to go around stroking your own ego generally, don’t be shy if you’re a member of the sim or a contributor to the post that you would like to share. Share it anyway so the others in the post and the Game can be appreciated! How else will we know about it if you don’t tell us?

Q: I’m coming to the conclusion- any final thoughts?

DISCUSSION TIME

Conclusion

Thanks for participating in this panel. I hope you found something either affirming or challenging as you attended today. As with all advice, take what you find helpful and leave the rest behind!

If you’re interested in more on these trains-of-thought, the ideas I’ve cultivated about Reading Posts with the Writer in Mind are a sequel to my February 2021 Khitomer talk Writing Posts with the Reader in Mind, an archived transcript of which can be found at this link: https://www.khitomerconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/8B_-Writing-Posts-with-the-Reader-in-Mind.pdf

And going further back, these thoughts about reading for others are expansions on something I summarized in an article titled How to Cultivate Wise Readers which I based on an idea shared by Orson Scott Card in one of his writing manuals. My article can be found on my personal website at: https://nikkidreamer.com/2020/01/27/wise-reader/

Now go out and encourage each other!