Getting slammed by anonymous critics

[BonnevilleFlats]

The anonymous e-mails that bug me are the ones where they ask questions I'd like to respond to--but give no way of responding.

Yes, that annoys me as well.

I do value good feedback but I understand how the nature of this site would keep people from wanting to leave too many tracks that they were here. The lack of feedback forces us to try and interpret our scores and favorites. I had a story that posted about eighteen hours ago. My score has been around 4.15 - 4.20 most of the day but the story received more favorites than the others that were posted in the same period, even one that was averaging more than a 4.50 all day. I can only conclude from the score and the favorites that people either like the story a whole lot or hate it with very little in between. Because I only had one comment all day I have very little else to go on.

My goal when I write is not to have the highest scores or the most praise. It is to write the best story I can and be true to my vision of it. But the feedback, scores and favorites do help me as a writer and I appreciate the people who write something, even the negative comments. I just wish the readers were less intimidated by the site and would interact with the writers more.

 

[sr71plt]

*Sigh* The readers aren't intimidated by the site. It's not a critique site and is set up entirely neutrally in that regard. There is absolutely no Web site pressure on readers to either comment or vote. Readers are given no obligation to react to the story and authors are given no suggestion that they can expect reaction. Most readers come to get turned on and then to move on. Any author who can't get beyond the frustration of not getting a lot of reader response is just posting to the wrong sort of story site. One of the sites I post to doesn't provide for votes or comments at all--or give any indication how many have opened the story. This one at least provides the opportunity for comment and voting.

 

[SuperVC10]

I don't know why these anonymous "critics" post any comments. All they do is snipe. If you have nothing constructive to say then don't say it.
I really despise persons those who spew tripe, as it seems they're simply failures at whatever they do and are lashing out at someone who is creative. If said "critics" had balls they'd post their names instead of using anonymous.

 

[SuperVC10]

Anonymous Critics

I don't know why these anonymous "critics" post any comments. All they do is snipe. If you have nothing constructive to say then don't say it.
I really despise persons those who spew tripe, as it seems they're simply failures at whatever they do and are lashing out at someone who is creative. If said "critics" had balls they'd post their names instead of using anonymous.

 

[BonnevilleFlats]

I don't know why these anonymous "critics" post any comments. All they do is snipe. If you have nothing constructive to say then don't say it.
I really despise persons those who spew tripe, as it seems they're simply failures at whatever they do and are lashing out at someone who is creative. If said "critics" had balls they'd post their names instead of using anonymous.

But most of the writers here don't post their names either. I can assure you that I am not Rascal's half brother Bonneville.

I don't care about nasty anonymous comments in the comments section at the end of the story. I would only consider deleting any that were overtly racist, homophobic or potentially offensive to someone other than myself. I do not like the fact that an anonymous poster can send something to my personal email box. Yes, I know that sending me an email in my personal box is essentially no different than posting something underneath a story but it does feel like a boundary is being crossed. The only person who should be able to send something through my email, IMO, is someone I can reply to. It is an issue of etiquette.

Constructive comments from other writers are helpful. I also enjoy comments from readers who are not also writers and their comments may be even more helpful. I like to know how well they are able to follow the story and if something I put in their was inadvertantly a boner killer.

 

[MichaelWest]

Constructive comments from other writers are helpful. I also enjoy comments from readers who are not also writers and their comments may be even more helpful.

I rarely write purely for the art, I write because I like telling stories. I enjoy feedback, not merely for ego, but to grow. I enjoy any feedback so long as it has a constructive intent.

All feedback is like dirt, you sift it for the gold, no one cares about the dirt that is not gold. I am fortunate, I feel I get way more gold than dirt with every story submitted.

The anonymous shit throwers only provoke my amused chuckles. They are irksome yet ultimately as impactful as a transitory fart. I assume they think they are leaving some mark on me, but I know that if I irritated them enough to cause their ire then it is I who pooped in their yard after all.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I don't know why these anonymous "critics" post any comments. All they do is snipe. If you have nothing constructive to say then don't say it.
I really despise persons those who spew tripe, as it seems they're simply failures at whatever they do and are lashing out at someone who is creative. If said "critics" had balls they'd post their names instead of using anonymous.

I'm guessing this depends on content and category, but I haven't had this trouble with anons (touch wood). I've had dozens of anon comments on my stories and only one was sniping. The rest were all encouraging, including one who pointed out a continuity error that had made it past my beta readers.

 

[sr71plt]

I didn't get any sniping on my stories until recently when I was getting very similar sniping in stereo here on the forum. I've always assumed those would be coordinated.

 

[lovecraft68]

I suppose the "snipers" also remove vote totals and view totals leaving you below the average in your category.

Those trolls must be damn good to do that.

 

[BonnevilleFlats]

I suppose the "snipers" also remove vote totals and view totals leaving you below the average in your category.

Those trolls must be damn good to do that.

They also sneak in at night and make my attractive characters butt ugly. I don't know if they are trolls or gremlins. All I know is that last night the mother in my current submission -- http://www.literotica.com/s/triangled-up-in-blue-ch-02 -- was a skinny 37 year old skinny blonde woman with a perfect ass and DDD tits. When I woke up this morning she was fifty and weighed over 300 pounds. It is a conspiracy, I tell you. All to lower my scores and incite people to leave nasty comments in my inbox.

 

[sr71plt]

I suppose the "snipers" also remove vote totals and view totals leaving you below the average in your category.

Those trolls must be damn good to do that.

There you go again showing who's competitive, who has to be seen as better, and who is obsessed with who.

No, my GM stories get a comparative low number of votes and views here because of the nature of who reads on the Web site.

 

[sr71plt]

They also sneak in at night and make my attractive characters butt ugly. I don't know if they are trolls or gremlins. All I know is that last night the mother in my current submission -- http://www.literotica.com/s/triangled-up-in-blue-ch-02 -- was a skinny 37 year old skinny blonde woman with a perfect ass and DDD tits. When I woke up this morning she was fifty and weighed over 300 pounds. It is a conspiracy, I tell you. All to lower my scores and incite people to leave nasty comments in my inbox.

Don't worry about it Bon. LC was making a personal dig at me.

 

[BonnevilleFlats]

Don't worry about it Bon. LC was making a personal dig at me.

I am worried about it. When I submitted the story the mother had lesbian porn stashed in her nightstand that she read at bedtime with her son. When it was posted somebody changed it to gay male porn, a total boner killer for the incest genre. It is a conspiracy, I tell you!

 

[sr71plt]

I am worried about it. When I submitted the story the mother had lesbian porn stashed in her nightstand that she read at bedtime with her son. When it was posted somebody changed it to gay male porn, a total boner killer for the incest genre. It is a conspiracy, I tell you!

But it probably turned out to be a better story, in terms of quality, and if it got posted to GM rather than Incest, you probably had more intelligent readers.

 

[BonnevilleFlats]

But it probably turned out to be a better story, in terms of quality, and if it got posted to GM rather than Incest, you probably had more intelligent readers.

Maybe. But those little gremlins couldn't resist putting feederism and frottage in a mother/son story with a femme protagonist who everyone thinks is gay but isn't. Well, maybe he's a little gay.

 

[eWoman]

Italic is harder to read as a rule. It might be better just to boldface wording outside of the story, ie text messages. But maybe that's more trouble than getting the italics included.

 

[lovecraft68]

But it probably turned out to be a better story, in terms of quality, and if it got posted to GM rather than Incest, you probably had more intelligent readers.

I'd say it is pretty arrogant as well as using a very broad brush to state the readership of one category is more intelligent than another, but then I saw who posted this and figure its not worth taking seriously.

 

[sr71plt]

I'd say it is pretty arrogant as well as using a very broad brush to state the readership of one category is more intelligent than another, but then I saw who posted this and figure its not worth taking seriously.

Great, you managed one day without rolling your hate campaign out. Oh, that's right, you were off on the "my best writing" thread telling us all how wonderful your stories are.

 

[BonnevilleFlats]

I'm working on a Loving Wives story. I think that one will really bring out the haters.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm working on a Loving Wives story. I think that one will really bring out the haters.

Lovecrat68 comes out for Loving Wives?

 

[Lord_Gro]

I'm just amazed at the lunacy of some of the comments. My first story hit LW earlier this week, and the weirdest comment was one of the Anonymous siblings complaining that an 850-word story had no plot.

And given that I posted it to LW, I'm embarrassingly gratified at the number of positive comments, considering that I didn't end the story by serving up diced spouse au blut.

I thought about posting it to "Non-Erotic," but decided that jumping right into the deep end might just be a better approach, given that after reading stories here for several years, I KNEW what the LW commenters are like.

 

[Eros5150]

Problem with Internet generally and these Anonymous posts specifically is that we have created a culture that thrives on bashing people without accountability. It is perplexing that people whose identity is concealed with a screen name still feel need to post anonymously. Own your comments and opinions, or shut the fuck up!

 

[Erosfan]

Problem with Internet generally and these Anonymous posts specifically is that we have created a culture that thrives on bashing people without accountability. It is perplexing that people whose identity is concealed with a screen name still feel need to post anonymously. Own your comments and opinions, or shut the fuck up!

I like your attitude.
You are exactly right.

 

[MatthewVett]

I'm just amazed at the lunacy of some of the comments. My first story hit LW earlier this week, and the weirdest comment was one of the Anonymous siblings complaining that an 850-word story had no plot.

And given that I posted it to LW, I'm embarrassingly gratified at the number of positive comments, considering that I didn't end the story by serving up diced spouse au blut.

I thought about posting it to "Non-Erotic," but decided that jumping right into the deep end might just be a better approach, given that after reading stories here for several years, I KNEW what the LW commenters are like.

My first LW story got a comment about how one character was a queen for drinking a specific Belgian beer. I didn't really get it... But then again, it's LW.

 

[Graf_Severin]

Ahhhhh, so this makes me feel better for some of my own writing...

Sort of.

loving wives is famous for that.

I read 'getting slammed by anonymous' and got a little excited...