Subject: Getting a response
From: "Richard D. Lawson" <sterman@sprynet.com>
Date: 6/21/1996, 12:18 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

Don Wang writes:

BTW, I'm just wondering that since your "Thy Inward Love" has 
been the popular fanfic lately, how much C & C did you get on 
each part?  I noticed that there is a lot of responses to it but 
most of it isn't really C & C, like the stuff on Japanese grammar 
and the following debate over Akane.  Just want to know what should 
be the "normal" number of C & C on a Ranma fanfic.  I don't know.  
I don't expect much c & C, but I figured that 2 responses isn't 
really much of C & C at all.  Therefore, I wanted to gather some  > statistics and see how enthuastic are the FFML and whether they're 
just ignoring me or the whole list altogether.

For my nine pieces of "Thy Inward Love", I've received about 100 
replies.  Before you think that's a lot, I should mention that one 
person accounts for 40% of that - she has a habit of reading a line and 
sending me an immediate comment on it.

I think these rules cover fanfic response:

1)  Ranma gets responses.  If it's about Ranma, people will read it.

2)  Ranma and someone/something generally well known gets responses.  
Like Ranma and werewolves, or Ranma and Batman.

3)  Ranma and someone you don't know about may not get responses.  I 
think your Chrono Trigger suffers from this.

4)  Original fanfics may or may not get a response.  Usually not; you
first couple of paragraphs better draw them in, of they click on the
delete button awfully fast.

5)  Fanfics based on other Anime characters may or may not get a 
response.  BGC seems safe, and SM, but 3x3 eyes may get you only one 
comment.

You'll notice that none of the above *mentions the quality of the fanfic 
at all*.  You might write the most moving piece of fanfiction ever, but 
if it's based on My Blue Earth, no one may read it.  Same thing on a 
Ranma/One Pound Gospel crossover; very few people may have read OPG, so 
they may not be interested in how in fits with Ranma.

Now, if you write a category 1 or 2 fic and get no response, *then* you 
should worry; it usually falls into the Thumper method of response:   
"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

So, that's my (admittedly limited) experience with this ML.  If anyone 
has something else to say, I'd love to hear it.'