As a reader, when I read a story description that tells me to 'Follow', 'Join', 'Share' etc, it feels like an order and I find that annoying. Yet quite a few authors employ that technique. Does it actually work or does it discourage more readers than it attracts?
AJ
Makes no difference to me. I completely ignore it. I don't follow any authors here on SOL nor do I use any social media. I read what I think is interesting and finished.
It kinda annoys me too, but not because it's an order, but because it feels like the author is talking down to their audience. It makes me suspect that their voice as a storyteller is going to grate on me, and I'm less likely to try the story, or at least be more willing to give up on it.
I've no idea how many readers are bothered by it, though.
Can you give an example of how you feel it is an order?
It's telling the reader to do something.
I don't want to fat-shame, but if you use your browser's search facility on the SOL home page looking for 'follow', you'll find a couple of examples.
AJ
What the hell!? I did as you suggested and my recent story comes up as one of the four hits! And I could stand to lose a little weight too!
I did as you suggested and my recent story comes up as one of the four hits!
Obviously my snapshot will erode as the SOL Home Page evolves. Your story description uses the word 'follow' but not as an instruction to the reader.
AJ
but if you use your browser's search facility on the SOL home page looking for 'follow', you'll find a couple of examples.
I find three hits.
"We follow in this first book the adventures of Ben, architect."
"Now free to follow its own destiny, humanity races to rebuild and expand civilization while preparing for the arrival of the enemy fleet."
"Trouble follows them in the many places they visit, even when they return to Atlanta."
None of these are commands directed at a potential reader.
ETA:
Using advanced search to search for "follow" in the description and sorting the result by date, I find only 6 instances that might fit what you are complaining about, but they are spread over the last 6 months.
Your home page is over 5 hrs fresher than when I tried it.
Since there were a couple of instances in the last day or so, 6 in 6 months sounds a little on the low side.
AJ
Since there were a couple of instances in the last day or so, 6 in 6 months sounds a little on the low side.
There were only one or two in the last couple of months. The rest were clustered at the older end of the six months worth of results I looked at.
Nothing else was even remotely close to a directive statement aimed at the reader.
There were only one or two in the last couple of months.
Since there were two in the last day or so, you should definitely have found more than one in the last couple of months.
AJ
Since there were two in the last day or so, you should definitely have found more than one in the last couple of months.
Or you are imagining things that weren't there.
You don't have specific quotes, you don't name specific stories..
You don't have specific quotes, you don't name specific stories
Good. I don't want to explicitly fat-shame authors. Unless they volunteer, like StarFleet Carl ;-)
AJ
I don't want to explicitly fat-shame authors.
Hey, I work hard to maintain my trim and girlish figure. I'm in shape! Round is a shape, right? I'm on a sea food diet, after all. I see food, I eat it. (But only brussel sprouts when they've been prepared the way they do at Red Lobster, crispy, with brown and white sugar, soy sauce, and then a touch of ginger.) Last time I saw my doctor, he told me that he could now consider me morbidly obese. I raised my hand and said 'yes', one goal complete.
(Oh, and for the record, I'm 6'2", weight 300 - and I weighed 270 when I graduated college back in 1985.)
But only brussel sprouts when they've been prepared the way they do at Red Lobster, crispy, with brown and white sugar, soy sauce, and then a touch of ginger.
You do realize that adding the sugar is just to hide the undercooked sprouts? 'Crispy' sprouts are bitter and the sugar covers that. Correctly cooked Brussel sprouts are just short of melting on your tongue :) And definitely without sugar, just a little nutmeg.
Correctly cooked Brussel sprouts are
Rabbit food. :)
People
Eating
Tasty
Animals
Very good side dish for a nice juicy steak;)
Still rabbit food.
-Carnivores R Us.
I'm a vegetarian. I simply allow cows, pigs, and chickens to pre-process the 'rabbit food' for me. 🤪
So, yes, it's a veggie burger! It's just been processed by the cow into something much tastier than the veggie burgers they sell in the stores!
So, yes, it's a veggie burger! It's just been processed by the cow into something much tastier than the veggie burgers they sell in the stores!
LOL :)
I'm a vegetarian. I simply allow cows, pigs, and chickens to pre-process the 'rabbit food' for me.
That's one way of making sprouts palatable.
However wokelings won't approve because sprouts are a 'gassy' vegetable and will increase those deprecated cow gaseous emissions.
AJ
"follow" query resulted in more than 1000 titles ...
Many by EB, Ka Hmnd, rlfj"s Grim Reaper, Lazlo Z, Mysterywriter, Al Steiner, Uthyr P., Mist World, Tefler's 3SM, Xalir's Journeys, SFCarl, MisguidedChild, M Gander, Uncle Jim, HDKnt ...
in only the first 10 pages ...
"follow" is used in too many ways to limit it to just an order ...
"follow" is used in too many ways to limit it to just an order ...
That's true, but there are other author instructions to readers than just 'follow' eg 'join', 'share' etc.
AJ
That's true, but there are other author instructions to readers than just 'follow' eg 'join', 'share' etc.
In the Author Notes at the end of my stories, I mention my discussion group where I announce new stories and say, "It's free. To join, go to…" I'm not ordering anyone to join the group.
You didn't use 'join' as an imperative.
Compare: "Join my group. It's free. Go to ..."
That's an imperative.
AJ
limit it to just an order ...
Follow Martina Grize', the Dragonborn, from her entry into the realm of Skyrim, as she discovers her destiny, and eventually ... well, you'll see.
How the hell could anyone possibly consider this an 'order?" Oh, it's AJ, never mind.
How the hell could anyone possibly consider this an 'order?"
You used an imperative verb
AJ
As a reader, when I read a story description that tells me to 'Follow', 'Join', 'Share' etc, it feels like an order and I find that annoying.
Sounds to me like you have bigger issues at play if you're taking something like that as an order.
I first heard about imperative verbs when the Motto of the University of Washington was explained to me. It is "Lux Sit" which is Latin for "Let there be Light". Lux is Latin for light and Sit is the imperative for esse the verb to be. I don't claim it makes sense, it is a very foreign language and they do whatever they want. English also has its quirks. If someone who speaks Latin wants to claim sit means let there be, I am not going to say anything that maligns their intelligence.
I do question if all imperative statements are orders. Let there be light isn't something that most people could do, unless of course they are standing by an electric light switch which is currently set to off. Most of the time if someone said Lux Sit to me I would ask when they attended the UW. Or were a Husky.
It is "Lux Sit" which is Latin for "Let there be Light". Lux is Latin for light and Sit is the imperative for esse the verb to be.
The sense of lux sit is allegedly passive, meaning that the light should be allowed to continue to be. (ie don't switch the light off)
Fiat lux, on the other hand, is more in keeping with the biblical meaning where there is to be light where there was none before.
(ie switch the light on)
AJ
When I was a member of the "Keiner-Husky" ROTC Battalion, I was told that the original "Latin instructor" at the UW was a fraud!
Supposedly, the founders of the UW wanted a motto implying (we) "are the Light of Knowledge"
Actually, "Fiat Lux" would have been better than Lux Sit which is a passive "light is"
I was told that the founders were Pissed when they found out what the adopted motto actually means... but they had already had it (literally) Chiseled In Stone!
Too many of my professors at the UW were wacky for me to be a fanatical Husky. Also, I have attended University of Maryland, Texas University, Texas A&M, Duke, Fayetteville Tech, Pacific Lutheran University, etc. during my Army career.