I'm just curious if others authors have recently been receiving fairly long feedback messages attempting to discourage them from. Writing/continuing their story?
I feel like the person sending me such messages are disingenuous and perhaps just trying to encourage authors to stop writing? Like some dimly conceived experiment to see if they can get under their skin?
Or perhaps it's just a random troll. I'd be curious to hear from you if you noticed recent messages like that.
Not recently. And messages of that ilk that I've received in the past tend to be very short eg "PLEASE STOP WRITING".
AJ
Not recently. And messages of that ilk that I've received in the past tend to be very short eg "PLEASE STOP WRITING".
In my case, the "PLEASE STOP WRITING" missives are more directed at "You're writing isn't up to my standards, so please take some time to learn better techniques before submitting anything else.
What Eddie was suggested is the "please drop off the face of the earth and leave us bigots the only survivors, so we can reign supreme without question" variety.
No such straight out feedback against the work. A couple of moderate emails asking for a status report on some older characters we had not heard from in "Mayhem in a Pill" in a while. But I had already begun the latest chapter visiting said characters and side story. I took it as a good sign I was right along with a vocal minority of my readers.
But I have run into a few people trying to discourage me from my writing. Their problem was not with my writing but rather where I was writing. I ended up sending specific story names and links to them to test for themselves and they slowly began to understand why I am here and who I am using as an audience.
They have told me they still have a problem with the majority of stories on SOL but I have pointed them toward the superior stories and even onto finestories and scifistories for some more. They had each agreed visiting those is better even though my story is not there.
I have them waiting with bated breath for new chapters and they are now loyal readers of the other two sites... at least that's what they have told me!
But they still think I should change the story to edit out the sex and post on the other sites instead of the main site. I've countered with that is where the readers are congregating.
This has seemed to satisfy them.
--Shinerdrinker
But they still think I should change the story to edit out the sex and post on the other sites instead of the main site. I've countered with that is where the readers are congregating.
So they object to finding stories about sex, on a SEXual Stories site? Some people just can't be bothered reading the sign over the establishments they walk into, expecting everyone to be selling hats instead of phones or shoes.
It is funny how the anti-homosexual faction works. In my current WIP I included a homosexual sex scene. I had announced when I introduced the story in my blog as well as in the story blurb that there was going to be some homosexual content. Once I posted a homosexual scene I lost a subscriber and got hit with some bad scores.
At this point, I don't care. If you refuse to heed the warnings I give then you deserve the butt hurt.
At this point, I don't care. If you refuse to heed the warnings I give then you deserve the butt hurt.
It's funny, but I've always been leery of writing gay erotic scenes, but once I bit the bullet, and pushing an explicit gay erotica story dedicated to my brother's memory, the scores never dipped, and I never received any complaints. I assumed, at the time, that it's a difference between quality writing directed to a specific market, but I now doubt it was entirely the quality, but is rather due to the setting.
If you're writing a story about straights, and suddenly toss in a gay-sex scene, you're going to have to anticipate some flak. Instead, i'd give your readers some advance warning and not just an isolated tag. Thus, introducing the gay characters early, having them make a few pointed comments about other guys, they'll realize that it's a central component of the story, even if it's only a minor character, thus they'll be prepared for it when the scene(s) finally unfold.
But, at this point, that's just conjecture, as I've never tested it beyond that one story. While I appreciate the sentiments, and know more than most other straights about gay life, my muse just ain't into that stuff neither! ;)
It's the only one I've ever written and in this story which is going to be LOOONG there might be two or three more.
I was extremely open and emphatic that there will be a lot of squicks in this story line and that gay would be one of them.
I see your point though, but short of a newspaper ad I don't see how else to communicate that there are things in this story that will upset folks.
I had someone tell me he didn't like a story and between the lines it was because it didn't go the directions he wanted it to go.
I told him I disagreed with his assessment and showed how his ideas would be inconsistent with the characters.
Probably replying more effort than worth but I did it.
A number of people sent me things in response to my story recently that featured a trans character. They were not outright discouraging, but they clearly objected to the content of the story in some way. It was still discouraging, though, that someone would go out of their way to disparage something I wrote.
I did point out to them that I clearly tagged the content, and if they didn't want to read about a trans character, they could simply choose not to read the story. I suspect, though, that they didn't even bother reading it, and instead thought for some reason that I cared at all about their opinion on what I had indicated was in the story.
I did point out to them that I clearly tagged the content
Proper use of codes has been the subject of many threads, and has been beaten to death.
Many authors agree that readers either don't read the story codes or don't seem to accept that the types of content indicated by the codes is actually in the story. There is no way to avoid these types of readers sending you negative feedback.
Proper use of codes has been the subject of many threads, and has been beaten to death.
Resurrected and beaten to death again.
Many authors agree that readers either don't read the story codes or don't seem to accept that the types of content indicated by the codes is actually in the story.
I've had at least one of the latter of those.
I've had at least one of the latter of those.
Heck, I had one that I found funny because the person was upset I did NOT include the MM code. Even though there was no male on male sex, either stated or even implied. I even said as much, and told him to read the chapter again.
Thoe occasional ones like that I tend to ignore. Thankfully have not had any outright trolls here in years.
On top of that, glancing back at my message archive, some of the responses were not to the story, but made in response to the blog post where I announced the story. A blog post where I very much indicated, again, the content of the story (and the impetus for my writing it).
From the rants, I feel like they believed me when I indicated the content; just that they're somehow offended that someone would write a story containing trans people.
Though amusingly, that's also a story that I've gotten a lot of extremely positive feedback from, especially from the target audience. So while the people sending me things about being offended are discouraging...there's also been a lot of encouragement from other people. I guess you have to have some bad with the good, huh?
So while the people sending me things about being offended are discouraging
I usually respond to that form of criticism by telling them that if they don't like what I write, they should stop reading my stories.
I usually respond to that form of criticism by telling them that if they don't like what I write, they should stop reading my stories.
When readers refuse to back down—after trying to drill down to their actual complaint—I'll instead suggest they try another author, writing similar work I think will better fit their &ellips; tastes.
people sending me things about being offended are discouraging
Bear with this, the anecdote requires some setup, but...
A friend of mine was very respectful of books. Always took great care with them whether they were his own or a library's or whatever. One day, I came across a novel I'd read some time before, and thought he'd enjoy the writing. (Not the story so much, but the writing.)
A couple days later, he described how he was reading and then threw the book, as hard as he could, away from himself. I predicted the exact passage he had reached. He felt the author was being cheap and going for shock value. It never occurred to him before I pointed it out that the fact is that the author had been trying to stimulate a visceral response in the reader and that he'd certainly succeeded in my friend's case. (He still didn't like the story, but admitted the writing was skillful.)
(In case you're interested - and have a strong stomach - the book was The Wasp Factory.)
The point is... if you can get a strong reaction from someone, you may be doing something right. (You might also just be going for shock value. Only you really know.)
The point is... if you can get a strong reaction from someone, you may be doing something right.
If your story doesn't generate a response from a reader, then you may as well not write it. A strong physical response is a clear mark of accomplishment, but one few authors ever witness (unless, of course, the reader includes the ashes in the envelope when he mails it to the author. ;)
Only my wife.
She wants me to write novels without the explicit sex.
Friends know about the YA novel I published under my real name and they always ask about my writing. My answer is a vague, "I'm always writing something." They do not know about my alter-ego so they don't know about all the novels I've written.
My answer is a vague, "I'm always writing something." They do not know about my alter-ego so they don't know about all the novels I've written.
Be selective, but for those who seem truly curious, send them a copy of your least objectionable story so they'll learn what you're writing. They can then pursue the other stories, based on any included links (or just the pseudonym), but that's entirely up to them.
If they disapprove, hopefully you'll never hear from them again. If they say something rude, assume you overestimated their ability to care about what others are doing. Either way, they lose, as it's not a personal assault on you, just an indication of their personal limitations.
Or perhaps it's just a random troll. I'd be curious to hear from you if you noticed recent messages like that.
It's neither disingenuous nor random. They don't LIKE the stories that you're writing, whether there's too many word, not enough words, too much sex, too little sex or just the wrong kind of sex. In either case, they're attempting to purge ANY story other than their own personal kind, from ever seeing the light of day.
It's not that they don't like you're writing, it's that they don't think that honest storytelling deserves a home on SOL, that it should either be all smut all the time (though their dislike often extends to your character's attitudes towards other things, like equality, politics, kindness or humility). Whatever else it may or may not be, they're actively trying to discourage you.
The key is, not to let the ignorant peons dissuade you, as they don't don't speak for the majority. SOL is as strong as it is because we have a wide variety of stories and there's something for nearly everyone (aside from the decidedly homophobic slant (receding finally) and the overwhelmingly 'older while male' slant to most stories).
Most acknowledge that there are a multitude of stories here, and check the story codes before reading something they'll obvious dislike, but these whiners clearly disapprove of your very existence on this earth, as it challenges their only remaining feelings of superiority over anyone not believing as they do!
** Flame Off! ** I'll climb off my high horse now, and chuckled at everyone else's observation. But these folk are making NO attempt to be subtle!
Thanks for the honest responses. This turned out to be a good topic.
There are some wet blankets who seem to enjoy writing to an author to discourage them to write about the things they want to write about.
A great example is Tessa's trans story. I wrote a Sissy Summer Camp story (partially autobiographical) about my Aunt teaching me a valuable lesson about what women go through to look good for men.
I knew it would have limited appeal and I didn't care. It was the theme of the story. If someone told me in the middle of the story that I needed to change the character to a 'manly man' who dominates women and takes charge/kicks ass or something I probably would have laughed at them.
They missed the entire point of the story. Not all stories have to feature a dashing main character who gets everything they want with more of it on the way, and is heterosexual etc.
This was a story about vulnerability, discovery, coming of age - but it featured themes that is not going to turn everyone's screws. Most stories don't turn everyone's screws.
I had thick skin about that one.
However, there are other times (like my current story) where the feedback is particularly hurtful and I may be overly sensitive to it. The reader keeps writing long and detailed reponses and calling some of the characters "Hillbillies"
Which they are not. They are trailer trash - very different demographic. They also lead their BDSM lifestyle in a much more open way and that is part of the genesis that sets the main characters into their own journey of discovery. If they hadn't seen an alternative lifestyle they might never have gone down that path. So they were essential to the plot (And probably a little over the top but it was fun to write them over the top - loving life and being trashy).
However, reading this person drone on and on about what they don't like and then seeing them mislabel them as hillbillies didn't infuriate me - it knocked the wind out of my sails o writing.
I shouldn't have responded but I briefly wrote something to let them know that the codes were pretty clear, and that they weren't hillbillies and if this wasn't their thing they probably should have stopped before they got to chapter 30.
I am sure they are the source of a downvote and they wrote back with even more discouraging stuff masquerading as 'constructive' and intentionally mislabelling the characters.
It occured to me that they were probably just fucking with me - preying on my insecurities as a writer.
I wondered if they were doing it to other authors and we could privately exchange names of the author of the emails to be sure. I am sure a troll has dozens of accounts to get around the daily story limits and mass downvote the stories they don't like.
It's almost like they feel if they punish/downvote an author who writes about a subject they don't like we'll go away and in our place will be a NEW author who writes what they like. It doesn't work like that - if we go away the same number of authors that always were going to write will write.
I don't love everything on this site. In fact, 80% of the stories are un-enjoyable to me. They don't spin my top. I don't mind them though. I stubbornly click new and updated stories searching for the few that are going to be worth reading.
There are some stories I thought that would be fantastic IF the author went a different direction with it. It's one reason I asked to do a collaboration story - so that maybe we could play "What if?" and take turns writing a story to see if it could go in a believable direction - but one that even I didn't know would happen.
I hope I never discourage someone from writing if I do give constructive feedback - I'll have to be extra careful not to do another writer what has been done to me.
It's almost like they feel if they punish/downvote an author who writes about a subject they don't like we'll go away and in our place will be a NEW author who writes what they like. It doesn't work like that - if we go away the same number of authors that always were going to write will write.
That is always something that annoys me. However, I also know that the score system matters about as much as the points on "Who's Line Is It Anyways".
As authors we write to tend our own fires. I am quite willing to listen to feedback and evaluate it. Some of the feedback has helped me take my writing to a whole new level.
Yet, when it comes down to it. I write for myself and my own reasons. Peoples opinions of my writing don't matter when it comes to those reasons. I am a writer so I must write.
I love it when people enjoy my work, but I will not stop writing if they don't. I publish my work so that the universes and the people in them won't die when I do. Every person who reads my work keeps it alive whether they love it, hate it, or are just meh about it.
As authors we write to tend our own fires. I am quite willing to listen to feedback and evaluate it. Some of the feedback has helped me take my writing to a whole new level.
Yet, when it comes down to it. I write for myself and my own reasons. Peoples opinions of my writing don't matter when it comes to those reasons. I am a writer so I must write.
And it is largely the same with me. And why I often take breaks while writing longer stories, because I had something else jump into my mind that had to be let out.
It's almost like they feel if they punish/downvote an author who writes about a subject they don't like we'll go away and in our place will be a NEW author who writes what they like.
No...
SOL has had for some time a subset of readers who see themselves as 'gatekeepers'. They'll use both adverse conditioning and positive reinforcement (although they'll put less effort into the latter) to 'convince' writers to write the kind of stories they (and thus, obviously, all right-thinking readers) want to read. Different writers react differently. Some made fun of the generic 'preferable' story, some railed about the unfairness of the voting system, some ignored the trolls, and then some (rache in particular, but a few others) went old-school punk and screamed "fuck you" at the trolls while flipping the bird with both hands and trying to find the most offensive content to write about.
Different writers react differently. Some made fun of the generic 'preferable' story, some railed about the unfairness of the voting system, some ignored the trolls, and then some (rache in particular, but a few others) went old-school punk and screamed "fuck you" at the trolls while flipping the bird with both hands and trying to find the most offensive content to write about.
And a few took their ball and went home.
And a few took their ball and went home.
More like forgot their balls and slunk home.