Off-Topic Posts from: Official Review: The White Orchid an...

[ireakhavok]

There aren't as many errors in this book as the reviewer makes it seem like. I disagree with this review entirely. It doesn't take away from it's readability.

-- 06 Aug 2015, 15:35 --

This review is horrible compared to the actual experience. The reviewer only provided a surface evaluation and didn't take enough into account. This reviewer read the novel too fast and didn't get a good experience of the novel. They didn't understand the novel, at all.

-- 06 Aug 2015, 15:38 --

"the lore is there, the plot is intriguing and the imagery is so vivid. It will satisfy readers who are looking for a tale of morality and the winding paths one must take to come to terms with it. It’s about coming out of the shadows and embracing your time in the light." scifibloggers

This person understood the novel much better. The reviewer didn't understand the point of view of the novel, and didn't read between the lines. I didn't expect a reviewer to be as inexperienced in the nuances of writing a story.

-- 06 Aug 2015, 15:54 --

It is written in third person limited. He didn't take into account character development and understand any of the conflicts.

Third person, limited narration is similar to omniscient except that the narrative describes the story from the main character's point of view. The reader only knows what the main character knows or perceives, and is privy only to the main character's thoughts and feelings. Anything going on in the heads of other characters can only be inferred from what the main character perceives about them (their speech, actions, facial expressions, gestures, etc.)

In Third person Limited POV - the POV character and the narrator are not the same.

This fact was not understood. Step one in understanding the novel.

-- 06 Aug 2015, 16:00 --

The past or present tense of verbs shows who's perspective is being viewed at that moment. The first paragraph uses imagery and foreshadowing to try and help explain that the perspective of the novel is extremely important in seeing the "hidden artistry".

[littlebafoon]

I agree with ireakhavok. The review didn't touch on what made me enjoy it so much! Creyton, the main character, has so much on his mind. The word choice shows what the character is thinking. For instance:

"... The air had become cold and the slowly growing diminishing light created an uneasy feeling that crept up his spine. In the faint light he looked at his hands, slashed and bruised. He clenched them until his knuckles were white. The dark mysterious trees looming overhead felt like eyes looking over his shoulder. The thick roots sprawling across the ground kept him from being comfortable as he prepared to light a miniscule fire..."

- in this example there is not a single word that could be used as comfort. A distressing thought. The main character still keeps his resilience, though.

Contrast is huge with this author. Describing and portraying the same area of land with completely different words keep the story new. The word choice from the beginning half to the second half is quite contrasting. The first paragraph is quite different from the second and third time he is by the willow. It is an indication to what his state of mind was at that moment.

He had a lot of appreciation for the tree at first, then

"...Instead of the terrain revealing the beauty of the landscape, this time it hid it, and very well. Eliza was never far away, and she let her presence be known, swooping in front of him. He never did however break his gaze on his next step. The willow's leaves brushed on his shoulder as he stood underneath it, shaded from the late afternoon sun. He took in another breath, the first one he had noticed since he left Morvendale. The air was stagnant."

-is an example of his unappreciative viewpoint the second time around. It showed that there was a lot on his mind, and that he was not in an appreciative mood, despite taking a breath near a landmark he had grown to love and appreciate.

The author was consistent in using word choice to portray the mindset of the main character, without getting in the way of the story. Positive and optimistic vs Dreary but Fortified.

I actually laughed out loud during the comic relief, as well. Hard for me to laugh while reading a novel!

There is so much I'd like to say, but I feel it would ruin it for some.

I'm glad the author showed me this post!

[ireakhavok]

There is nothing "wrong" with your review, but I i didn't like it because, you didn't speak about what I worked so hard on. You didn't write nearly enough. You didn't comment on my writing style. I felt that your review was rather templated and not original. The imagery, atmosphere, and other literary devices were supposed to clue the reader into deeper plots. The internal conflicts of most of the characters were the driving force for most of their decisions. The suspense and awe is supposed to come from knowing the characters and seeing their decisions in light of them. The false sense of suspense you received was because you had an inkling to see it, but didn't notice it properly. I felt that you didn't see the character development and foreshadowing, that I purposely hid, but apparently too well. I used a deep POV perspective when the main character was feeling detached with his own thoughts, which contrasted from the beginning. You didn't speak about Daniel, and how authentic certain parts of the story were. I didn't feel moved by your review. I needed quotable material, but got none.

Thank you for your review, but I don't feel it was very reflective of the experience I wanted readers to have. I'm sorry to be upset, but your review was not what I had in mind. I was expecting a way more in depth perspective from someone who wanted to understand every little detail, and maybe read it more than once, just to see how it changes.

I'm frustrated because you liked it, and didn't understand it from my perspective. I hope you would understand when something you spent 8 years writing, is misunderstood. And that is my biggest fear in life... Being misunderstood.

[ireakhavok]

You shouldn't have an opinion on something you don't know bookowlie. Kappy enjoyed the book nonetheless. There are not many errors. Most errors are mainly a matter of opinion. I wrote a couple characters to have a dialect. Extremely insignificant. They probably can't understand eye dialect. Two people have complained. Compared to over one hundred that have bought it. I could care less about what anybody has to say who hasn't read it. And unprofessional? lol there's nothing supposed to be professional about a fiction novel. It's a hobby to satisfy my creative side. So what, there's like 10 actual errors total. I'm not going to pay someone to edit it. I'd rather fix it myself with proper reviews and people who know what they're doing. I'm just just sticking around waiting to see if anybody else will have the courage to read it and get an opinion for themself. Instead of supporting a slacking review that has little substance compared to what was actually written. I'll send a free copy to anybody who will actually read and really review it instead of blindly supporting someone who doesn't need support. I'm wanting to help him see the errors in his reviews. I feel he's lost sight in seeing them as art.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:34 --

Kappy. In future, write more, and make a better attempt to express the literature as art instead of facts.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:36 --

I would have expressed most of my comments privately to kappy, but due to the limitations of the site I couldn't message him personally.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:41 --

If someone could pm escapeartist for me I wanted a review from him to begin with.

[bookowlie]

You shouldn't have an opinion on something you don't know bookowlie. Kappy enjoyed the book nonetheless. There are not many errors. Most errors are mainly a matter of opinion. I wrote a couple characters to have a dialect. Extremely insignificant. They probably can't understand eye dialect. Two people have complained. Compared to over one hundred that have bought it. I could care less about what anybody has to say who hasn't read it. And unprofessional? lol there's nothing supposed to be professional about a fiction novel. It's a hobby to satisfy my creative side. So what, there's like 10 actual errors total. I'm not going to pay someone to edit it. I'd rather fix it myself with proper reviews and people who know what they're doing. I'm just just sticking around waiting to see if anybody else will have the courage to read it and get an opinion for themself. Instead of supporting a slacking review that has little substance compared to what was actually written. I'll send a free copy to anybody who will actually read and really review it instead of blindly supporting someone who doesn't need support. I'm wanting to help him see the errors in his reviews. I feel he's lost sight in seeing them as art.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:34 --

Kappy. In future, write more, and make a better attempt to express the literature as art instead of facts.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:36 --

I would have expressed most of my comments privately to kappy, but due to the limitations of the site I couldn't message him personally.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:41 --

If someone could pm escapeartist for me I wanted a review from him to begin with.

You are way out of line. I posted my comments about Kappy's review, not the book itself. Please refrain from making offensive comments toward the members of this site, including the reviewer.

[ireakhavok]

I'm being misunderstood. Sorry for being out of line, but honestly I don't care what you have to say until I have a reason to listen to you. I want kappy to fix the way he reviews. I'm going to defend what I wrote until I feel satisfied that they understood what I wrote. you shouldn't get so offended. Life isn't about flowers and dasies. If a person is mad, annoyed, or misunderstood, I would hope they can express themself. That's all I was doing.

How do you know that his review was balanced? How do you know that it fully represented the idea? You can't have an opinion of a review, unless you've read the original material.

There aren't as many mistakes as he makes it seem. That is what I'm arguing.

Don't get so offended.

[bookowlie]

There is a way to express yourself without harassing the reviewer or other members. If you have a problem with the review, I suggest you contact Scott, the administrator of this site. Members should feel free to comment on a review without being bashed by the author. The reviewer wrote an honest review and members are allowed to comment on that.

[gali]

You shouldn't have an opinion on something you don't know bookowlie. Kappy enjoyed the book nonetheless. There are not many errors. Most errors are mainly a matter of opinion. I wrote a couple characters to have a dialect. Extremely insignificant. They probably can't understand eye dialect. Two people have complained. Compared to over one hundred that have bought it. I could care less about what anybody has to say who hasn't read it. And unprofessional? lol there's nothing supposed to be professional about a fiction novel. It's a hobby to satisfy my creative side. So what, there's like 10 actual errors total. I'm not going to pay someone to edit it. I'd rather fix it myself with proper reviews and people who know what they're doing. I'm just just sticking around waiting to see if anybody else will have the courage to read it and get an opinion for themself. Instead of supporting a slacking review that has little substance compared to what was actually written. I'll send a free copy to anybody who will actually read and really review it instead of blindly supporting someone who doesn't need support. I'm wanting to help him see the errors in his reviews. I feel he's lost sight in seeing them as art.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:34 --

Kappy. In future, write more, and make a better attempt to express the literature as art instead of facts.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:36 --

I would have expressed most of my comments privately to kappy, but due to the limitations of the site I couldn't message him personally.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 00:41 --

If someone could pm escapeartist for me I wanted a review from him to begin with.

No need for derogatory comments toward the reviewer or others. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and all can commit on a review, even if they didn't read the book. When an author responds to a critical review with personal attacks against the reviewer, and those who merely comment on the review, it adds a ton of credibility to the review. Not to mention that it reflects badly on the author. I thought the review was well written and honest and it was mostly positive after all.

As was mentioned above, If you have a problem with the review, I suggest you contact Scott, the administrator of this site. If you want another review, you should go through the usual channels and re-submit your book for review again. You may ask for a specific reviewer while doing so, but it isn't allowed to privately contacting a reviewer and sending him a book.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Whoa. Kappy's review of your book was 90% positive. If he read your book quickly, it may have been so that you wouldn't have to wait forever for your review to show up.

I am an author, and I have forced myself to accept that you can control what you write, but you cannot control who likes it, or their specific thoughts. Go find my book on the bookshelves--one person gave it 1-star, another gave it 2-stars. A very good friend of mine on this site gave it 3-stars. I'm not offended.

[ireakhavok]

And look at kappys reviews they all sound, feel, and look the same. = template

Oh and trust me. I've contacted Scott, multiple times. He didn't reply at all. That is why I'm so furious. He didn't take any of my concerns into consideration, that I wanted a more in depth review than kappy was able, and that they possibly had the wrong person reviewing it. I needed quotable material and got none. I didn't even want this posted, even before I read it. He posted it anyway. Trust me Scott knows, he doesn't care. He obviously didn't care about even telling kappy. It's a bad feeling being brushed aside.

You offended me saying that it wasn't templated. You said you agreed with him. That it was balanced and a good review. you were discounting everything I had to say. I have a right to defend that what he wrote is not indicative of my story. I want kappy to say "okay, I'll work on making better, more unique and artistic reviews" he didn't write not nearly enough. He didn't take time to carefully read and know the story.

Yet I guarantee, he'll remember my story.

-- 08 Aug 2015, 01:37 --

Thank you escapeartist for your post. I'm just not happy with his review overall. It is way too short and have no understanding to what I tried so hard to accomplish. I'm 25 it's hard for me to have gotten this far all by myself with no help, no direction, and an imaginative mind that won't let me test until I'm understood

[zeldas_lullaby]

OK, let's just take a step back for a minute. Maybe you're right and Kappy writes bad reviews. Maybe you're right that Scott couldn't care less to answer your messages. Just to be hypothetical. You could have good objections, but you're overflowing with anger. I've been there, too many times to count. And trust me on this, being angry is difficult to handle--I know.

Maybe take a breather and try to believe that we're not all out to get you. Kappy's review was positive toward your book, if nothing else. Your criticism of his review may be valid, but exploding isn't going to fix it. As for Scott, I have no idea what's gone down (or hasn't) between you two. But Scott is only human, like any of us. So just take a deep breath, and we can try to figure all this out tomorrow. It's OK. Your book looks good, it really does.

[ireakhavok]

Your right Zelda, I'm too close for comfort. I need to take a break. It's just so hard for me. And I hate being miss understood, which Is why I'm so angry. I'm sorry anybody if I offended you.

I'm sorry owlie, I do need to apologize to you.

[zeldas_lullaby]

No problem!! Glad I could help! PM me anytime--I'm always here.

[ireakhavok]

If I could pm Zelda, we wouldn't be in this mess, haha.

[Levi]

I understand your frustration sir, but as everyone has already stated, this is not the way to go about getting your point across. I have read kappy's reviews and find no common thread. That being said, as Gali stated, you can go about getting the book reviewed again, if you wish. If Scott did not respond, it's because he is very busy, and if he did respond, it would be to say that we don't change reviews whether positive or negative. That is to protect the review process. Otherwise, a positive review could also be turned negative for some minor reason as well. If you want positivity, be positive. I appreciate your passion, but it must be directed in the right direction.