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Ok, so I'm a wannabe author. I have two stories on here, one that almost wrote itself because of my interest, which scored well, and one that didn't do quite as well, and I'm ok with that. It could probably do with a rewrite anyway.
Why haven't I written more?
It's not because I don't have some ideas that I think are good ones. It's not because I can't communicate well in written form. No, it's simply because I'm afraid I'm not good enough. And I also have that fear that others will think the same, and tell me so in very loud and certain terms. Yeah, it's perhaps cowardly of me, but that's the way I feel about it.
Now think of other authors. Those who are more courageous than me. They spend the time. They put in the sweat equity. And they put their stuff out there. They're trying to put something good together - something that will entertain you. But they have egos too, and don't necessarily appreciate unthinking and callous criticism.
Some wind up going away, and the loss of their contributions is keenly felt by their more loyal readership. I still mourn the absence of Cold Creek, for example.
And now Irish Writer is taking a hiatus and may, eventually, come back and post a completed work. In the meantime, his readers lose the benefit and the pleasure of reading his works as he posts them. All as the result of some harsh criticism, much of which, imho, is undeserved.
Constructive criticism? Absolutely fine. Suggestions to the author? Fine! I've done both myself. But I've always kept in mind that the author's works are the author's, and not mine. I can suggest, but I'm not the one doing the writing. It's not my story to tell. And I certainly don't want any author to shut down over criticism.
Yeah, maybe I personally need a thicker skin. Fact is, I don't have one. So I don't write. Most authors' skins are thicker than mine - but not all of them. Please keep that in mind?
I've always enjoyed the Clitorides, and have tried to participate in nominations/votes when I could. I've also found some old stories I'd lost track of in the Clitoride archives, and been able to reread them, thanks to the Clitorides.
This year, I've nominated or voted for several stories, and a few authors. Some stories I've nominated, I know will have no hope to win, but they were still outstanding stories to me, and I wanted the authors to at least have the recognition of being nominated.
One author I was sure would be nominated, wasn't. I finally figured out why - his stories, although imho wonderful, do not have sex scenes. He still publishes on SOL, thank God, but I understand and accept why he will never appear in the voting for the Clitorides.
His name is Banadin.
Thinking on it, there's another author in the same boat - again, one with some wonderful stories on SOL that happen not to have any sexual content.
His name is Refusenik.
Believe me, I enjoy stories with a sexual content. But I also enjoy many that have none.
I'm glad the Clitorides are here, and I fully support it both in concept, intent, and function. Here, I merely wish to acknowledge and express some heartfelt appreciation to two excellent authors whose works will never appear in that forum.
Thank you, Banadin! Thank you, Refusenik! Your works have made the world a better place.
It's so funny!
I didn't expect huge amounts of readership. I'm not a known author and this story has a BDSM theme. It also took a long time for there to be enough votes to register. Interesting results, especially looking at the raw numbers:
SOL Score: 6.33
Votes: 16, broken down as follows:
3x10
2x9
5x8
4x7
1x6
annnnnnddddd
1x1
Throw out one high and one low score, the mean's 8.
I'm guessing the 1 is from someone who hates the idea of BDSM,and believes a 1 is an appropriate score regardless of technical merit, pace, potential value, etc.
I'm not conversant with the SOL scoring system (will have to get better at that), but with a score of 6.33 when only two votes out of 16 (one of them a 6) are below that, it's pretty clear even a single vote of 1 can really skew the results.
Power to the haters, I surmise. Sad.
I just posted what's actually my third writing on SOL.
It's very different from my previous two works. I hope people will read it through to the end with an open mind. It might provide you with a different way of looking at some things.
One type of story I love is one that provides context. To that end, I think one of the most brilliant things Tolkein did in the Lord of the Rings series was to continue the tale to include the Hobbits' return to the Shire and the passing of the Rings of Power. It provided beautiful context. That's also why I included Chapter 3.
I neglected to thank MrKorvette for his wonderful editorial advice and assistance. His help improved this immeasurably. Any mistakes and errors that remain are strictly my own.
I will also admit I'm still a tyro at formatting and other nuances of posting. One long paragraph near the beginning of Chapter 1, for example, should actually be three paragraphs.
Anyway, I hope you like it, even if the subject may not be something you find tasteful. Please let me know your thoughts!
It's been a long while since my first effort here. When I see some of the great stories on this site, I always wonder if I'll ever be able to contribute anything worthwhile. It's actually a scary thought, and the thought of not being good enough actually inhibits my writing.
Further, while I do have a couple of rather grand ideas for a couple of lengthy stories, each of them builds on ideas expressed by others in their own stories. I got in touch with one of the authors years ago and got permission to do so. The other author, Caesar, I've never been able to contact.
Now, I'm finally dipping my toe in. I've written a short story, three chapters in length, that's actually a true story - but I'd really like to find a decent editor to give me an honest opinion, and to get it into final shape.
My first story had no sex, and was a short military story. This one has Dom-sub, bdsm and sexual elements, though. Just giving fair warning. It's been written mainly to entertain, and also to give some idea of what real-life bdsm in the U.S. can be like.
If you're interested, please drop me a line. I'll look forward to seeing what develops!
Sincerely,
X
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