I'd tend to try and finish it. If it's four months instead of three because you play with some others things, that's okay, but if you don't finish it and in six months the fandom swings back your way, you'll get an e-mail that says 'I liked the first half of this, when's the rest coming?' and you'll kick yourself. Or that's what would happen to me.

Am-Chau, insent back atcha.

Suela, if you got 1400 hits surely someone's reading it?

One would hope so.

Hits without emails are kind of like sending out presents without getting thank you notes back. You know they like it, but would a little note be so hard? And yes, I seem to be channelling my grandmother.

I very rarely send feedback - I can count the number of times I have on one hand. It feels either intrusive or arrogant (if there's any criticism) or intrusive and pointless (if it's just "gosh, I really liked this.") I mean, I don't know that person, you know? And I have a lot of good old-fashioned Yankee interpersonal boundaries.

Just FWIW. I'm sorry that it's frustrating, and I do go through occasional bursts where I promise myself I'll feedback pieces I really liked or admired, but... I'm shy.

And a hit doesn't mean much -- there's no way of knowing if they liked it, if the big words or the length scared them away. If they opened it and said, "ew, these people are dirty and unhappy and scared! Don't wanna read it!"

BOFQ? Absolutely.

I have a rant brewing about people who call it "out of character" when a character in fanfiction does something unlikeable. Even when that particular behavior is (a) supported by canon, or (b) supported by the story history itself. Some people simply cannot bear to have their fantasy objects behave in a less than perfect way.

Drives me bugfuck.

Katie: SEND FEEDBACK.

Published writers get royalty checks and reviews in newspapers. Fic writers get nothing.

It's neither intrusive nor unwelcome (unless the writer's a complete freak). It's a marvelous way to let people know what worked and what didn't, and a great way to make new friends. My first two betas came out of feedback mail that turned into conversations.

But Suela, you get the Joy of Having Written! Surely that's enough.

(I'll try. I promise.)

Oh, and RE the Farscape con report: I've never pictured you as blonde. I decided this is because a "Consuela" is definitely not a blonde - but I can see how your fic handle might be.