May 12, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin, Jackie Dana, Chevanne Scordinsky
Sometimes I ask story specific questions.
You're absolutely right about people talking about themselves. I try to relate the questions ( when I ask them ) to readers' personal experience on the topic.
Generally though, I've just been comment begging like one of my characters on a freeway offramp.
This is brilliant and I will be incorporating some of this into future posts! I see the value when writing articles and stories, but how do you (anyone) feel about questions in long form serialized fiction, like at the ends of chapters? That feels like a dead zone where it’s more difficult to generate discussion (and maybe it doesn’t need to). Does the same apply? I’d be curious to hear what others think.
I like to comment on things I find interesting or want to share (as far as insight or a personal related story). It’s great to like a post but I love engaging with my audience about their perspective on things. It’s a richer experience.
I’ve started asking questions at the end of posts and hope to see it pay off in later newsletters as more people join in.
May 12, 2022Liked by Geoffrey Golden, Michael Estrin, Jackie Dana, Chevanne Scordinsky
I'm more likely to comment overall on other Substacks because I like engaging with the writers and I know that they likely appreciate the comments!
I appreciate when people take the time to comment on my posts/chapters and I always respond to their comment.
I've been doing a monthly open thread where I've invited people to introduce themselves and what they're currently reading, which has had limited success. And I started putting questions at the end of my serial chapters to get some book club-ish discussion going to crickets (so I stopped).
My examples of good Substack conversation starters are Geoffrey Golden, who you already mentioned (his game debrief questions are always great) and 3W3M (https://3w3m.substack.com/). They do a semi-weekly Q&A where they answer questions left in the comments along with livestreams where they answer subscriber questions.
Has anyone seen my question format? It's been stolen!!! 😱
Happy to help, Michael. I feel great when people comment on my posts. I love that they took the time to not only read my writing, but to engage with me and other readers. It makes my newsletter feel more like a Cool Hang Zone (CHZ).
I think it's harder to get people to comment on fiction than on non-fiction. The few comments I get tend to be along the lines of "I really liked this" which is very cool, but not really a conversation starter. I've never tried asking story-specific questions, but I'm also a bit hesitant to do so cause it's weird talking into an echo chamber LOL.
I mean, I also post one non-fiction post per month, where I sometimes try to ask questions. I asked a very specific one a while back that I was sure would get some responses, but I only got crickets. So now that page looks weird, you know? with the question in the text and then nothing underneath...
It doesn't really make me want to try more stuff like that LOL.
Thanks for taking the time to write this and share your experience with us!
I’ve used a variety of approaches with different levels of success. I used to add writing prompts after each story I wrote that tied in to the story thematically, I’ve asked questions about my readers’ life experiences/personal connections, etc. I tend to experiment a fair amount, I guess!
I look forward to trying out some of your approaches. Thanks again for this helpful resource!
You said, "If you don’t ask, you don’t get. So, if you’re not already asking your readers to comment, you should start!"
My experience has been different. I don't ask and I get comments on every newsletter. With the exception of my previous long-running serial fiction which I was writing live. Those were hit or miss. And oddly (or not), I asked for comments on those.
When I read a newsletter and the writers adds "If you like this story, hit the like button, comment, and share." It makes me not want to do any of those. 😂 I may be weird (wait, I know I am weird,) but it is off-putting to me. It feels bossy. Your wording of "I love hearing from readers" is infinitely better. That wouldn't turn me off.
I used to put "Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun." in my email footers. But I quit doing footers altogether, as they usually get ignored after you have seen the same thing a dozen times. And now, Substack app readers don't see them anyway.
I have done a few threads, where I wrote a post and then asked a question related to the post. And I feel alright doing those ocassionally, but I don't want an assignment at the end of every post. And I definitely agree, ask readers about themselves, not the post.
I can't tell you specifically why my readers comment. I like to think it is because of the content of the newsletter, not a call to action.
I do respond to every comment. I am sure that helps. Those often turn into more comments (conversations.)
I suppose different things work for different writers (and readers.) No harm in trying things to see what works.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Mark! I’m glad you’re getting comments even if you don’t have to ask for them. That said, I wonder if you might get more comments if you asked. I got comments before I asked for them, but the quantity of comments increased when I began asking and the quality of conversation picked up too.
I just started out as a Substack publisher, so I'm still learning. Some of your ideas and the comments sound great, so I'll try them out and see how it goes.
Jun 17, 2022·edited Jun 17, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin, Jackie Dana
Nice work. You have more comments than loves. Bravo.
Comments are, or could be, the lifeblood of digital writing. Back in 2007, when I started making (Drupal) digital classrooms for public school teachers, I helped them build commenting into the curriculum (no grading, pleeeeze) and then developed a widget for students to ‘sprout’ their own story triggered by what they read (highest rung) that would be forever linked to the original and any other ‘sprouts’ that classmates made.
I then developed a widget for them to record audio comments for those who had difficulty typing (and anyone else) who were feeling a bit intimidated about commenting. We had each class establish their own guidelines for engagement built on a foundation of the word ‘respect.' The goal was for them to articulate what they noticed about a piece in a way that was well received. Invariably their rules mirrored what rules the teacher would have adopted but since they were the kid’s rules, it was up to them--not the teacher--to police them.
Not that they had to. Their civility was only slightly less astonishing than the fact the bullies became leaders on the theory that positive attention is a whole lot nicer to get. And than the fact that bullying in the classrooms--vanished.
So, yah. I love comments. And in my Masters classes teachers practiced modeling commenting and then, in school, wrote and commented alongside their students who took ownership of the sites and wrote madly after school.
Commenting builds community and trust. It affirms and encourages creative risk. It helps the commenter see what they liked and what worked and to look at their own writing in the same way. It taught the writer how others saw what the wrote and helped them understand the connection with audience.
So, yah, I like comments. And I wish adults operated the same way as kids.
But this caveat with it all: Commenting takes effort. Time and thought. Most people would rather just click "Love" or "Like." It's much easier.
Thanks for getting me rolling. Consider this a sprout, a higher order of response.
About 9 days ago, all three of the people making daily comments stopped. What did I say? What did I do? Was it the stories? They still hit like button, but their comments stopped.
Thanks for reminding us that yes, this is a social media platform as well and we as fiction writers need a little better social skills to engage.
This was really helpful, thank you! I am terrible at small talk and like to dive right into the deep stuff. I guess I need some more "low hanging fruit" on Substack and probably in real life too, ha ha!
Sometimes I ask story specific questions.
You're absolutely right about people talking about themselves. I try to relate the questions ( when I ask them ) to readers' personal experience on the topic.
Generally though, I've just been comment begging like one of my characters on a freeway offramp.
This is brilliant and I will be incorporating some of this into future posts! I see the value when writing articles and stories, but how do you (anyone) feel about questions in long form serialized fiction, like at the ends of chapters? That feels like a dead zone where it’s more difficult to generate discussion (and maybe it doesn’t need to). Does the same apply? I’d be curious to hear what others think.
I like to comment on things I find interesting or want to share (as far as insight or a personal related story). It’s great to like a post but I love engaging with my audience about their perspective on things. It’s a richer experience.
I’ve started asking questions at the end of posts and hope to see it pay off in later newsletters as more people join in.
Thanks for the tips!
I'm more likely to comment overall on other Substacks because I like engaging with the writers and I know that they likely appreciate the comments!
I appreciate when people take the time to comment on my posts/chapters and I always respond to their comment.
I've been doing a monthly open thread where I've invited people to introduce themselves and what they're currently reading, which has had limited success. And I started putting questions at the end of my serial chapters to get some book club-ish discussion going to crickets (so I stopped).
My examples of good Substack conversation starters are Geoffrey Golden, who you already mentioned (his game debrief questions are always great) and 3W3M (https://3w3m.substack.com/). They do a semi-weekly Q&A where they answer questions left in the comments along with livestreams where they answer subscriber questions.
I'm just writing a post about wanting my writing to start conversations, so your post is very timely!
Has anyone seen my question format? It's been stolen!!! 😱
Happy to help, Michael. I feel great when people comment on my posts. I love that they took the time to not only read my writing, but to engage with me and other readers. It makes my newsletter feel more like a Cool Hang Zone (CHZ).
I think it's harder to get people to comment on fiction than on non-fiction. The few comments I get tend to be along the lines of "I really liked this" which is very cool, but not really a conversation starter. I've never tried asking story-specific questions, but I'm also a bit hesitant to do so cause it's weird talking into an echo chamber LOL.
I mean, I also post one non-fiction post per month, where I sometimes try to ask questions. I asked a very specific one a while back that I was sure would get some responses, but I only got crickets. So now that page looks weird, you know? with the question in the text and then nothing underneath...
It doesn't really make me want to try more stuff like that LOL.
Thanks for taking the time to write this and share your experience with us!
I’ve used a variety of approaches with different levels of success. I used to add writing prompts after each story I wrote that tied in to the story thematically, I’ve asked questions about my readers’ life experiences/personal connections, etc. I tend to experiment a fair amount, I guess!
I look forward to trying out some of your approaches. Thanks again for this helpful resource!
You said, "If you don’t ask, you don’t get. So, if you’re not already asking your readers to comment, you should start!"
My experience has been different. I don't ask and I get comments on every newsletter. With the exception of my previous long-running serial fiction which I was writing live. Those were hit or miss. And oddly (or not), I asked for comments on those.
When I read a newsletter and the writers adds "If you like this story, hit the like button, comment, and share." It makes me not want to do any of those. 😂 I may be weird (wait, I know I am weird,) but it is off-putting to me. It feels bossy. Your wording of "I love hearing from readers" is infinitely better. That wouldn't turn me off.
I used to put "Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun." in my email footers. But I quit doing footers altogether, as they usually get ignored after you have seen the same thing a dozen times. And now, Substack app readers don't see them anyway.
I have done a few threads, where I wrote a post and then asked a question related to the post. And I feel alright doing those ocassionally, but I don't want an assignment at the end of every post. And I definitely agree, ask readers about themselves, not the post.
I can't tell you specifically why my readers comment. I like to think it is because of the content of the newsletter, not a call to action.
I do respond to every comment. I am sure that helps. Those often turn into more comments (conversations.)
I suppose different things work for different writers (and readers.) No harm in trying things to see what works.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Mark! I’m glad you’re getting comments even if you don’t have to ask for them. That said, I wonder if you might get more comments if you asked. I got comments before I asked for them, but the quantity of comments increased when I began asking and the quality of conversation picked up too.
I just started out as a Substack publisher, so I'm still learning. Some of your ideas and the comments sound great, so I'll try them out and see how it goes.
Nice work. You have more comments than loves. Bravo.
Comments are, or could be, the lifeblood of digital writing. Back in 2007, when I started making (Drupal) digital classrooms for public school teachers, I helped them build commenting into the curriculum (no grading, pleeeeze) and then developed a widget for students to ‘sprout’ their own story triggered by what they read (highest rung) that would be forever linked to the original and any other ‘sprouts’ that classmates made.
I then developed a widget for them to record audio comments for those who had difficulty typing (and anyone else) who were feeling a bit intimidated about commenting. We had each class establish their own guidelines for engagement built on a foundation of the word ‘respect.' The goal was for them to articulate what they noticed about a piece in a way that was well received. Invariably their rules mirrored what rules the teacher would have adopted but since they were the kid’s rules, it was up to them--not the teacher--to police them.
Not that they had to. Their civility was only slightly less astonishing than the fact the bullies became leaders on the theory that positive attention is a whole lot nicer to get. And than the fact that bullying in the classrooms--vanished.
So, yah. I love comments. And in my Masters classes teachers practiced modeling commenting and then, in school, wrote and commented alongside their students who took ownership of the sites and wrote madly after school.
Commenting builds community and trust. It affirms and encourages creative risk. It helps the commenter see what they liked and what worked and to look at their own writing in the same way. It taught the writer how others saw what the wrote and helped them understand the connection with audience.
So, yah, I like comments. And I wish adults operated the same way as kids.
But this caveat with it all: Commenting takes effort. Time and thought. Most people would rather just click "Love" or "Like." It's much easier.
Thanks for getting me rolling. Consider this a sprout, a higher order of response.
Very good. I definitely need to do better.
About 9 days ago, all three of the people making daily comments stopped. What did I say? What did I do? Was it the stories? They still hit like button, but their comments stopped.
Thanks for reminding us that yes, this is a social media platform as well and we as fiction writers need a little better social skills to engage.
This was really helpful, thank you! I am terrible at small talk and like to dive right into the deep stuff. I guess I need some more "low hanging fruit" on Substack and probably in real life too, ha ha!