Hate Mail

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Thanks Red. I see I have a loooooooooooooong way to go.

You're welcome. You'll get there before you know it.

 

[jeninflorida]

Has anyone received any? Kind of a bummer. Constructive criticism is always better than "your stories suck!" Some people are really angry!

I'm getting ready to post 3 new stories...so we shall see. i hate the ones that say, character x is going to die from aids......

 

[LadyAria]

I had a few emails on my first stories where people I assumed I was a woman (which was funny because I don't think I've ever dated a woman who thought I understood anything about them). In my case they were mostly nice, but it was still kind of weird to have someone guessing what sex I must be to write the way I did. I took it as a compliment.

I get a lot of hate mail (or I did before my last two stories). I still get hate letters on my first two (including my first death threat just a couple of weeks ago . . . I'm so proud). Dr. M said it best, they're just trying to get to you. If you let them know that it bothers you, they'll do it constantly. The best piece of advice I ever got was to never post a comment on your own story. Once they know it bothers you, they'll hit your story endlessly. I'll sometimes delete the emails, or even occasionally answer back with a generic, "Thanks for reading my story." Must drive them crazy.

Yes, I think it is funny anyone would presume me to be a man just because I write violent sex fantasies. Who said men had the dibs on rough & kinky sex?

I do answer all of my emails though if they leave an email address. The haters never give me a email to respond too.

I do have one person who writes me "You make my clit hard and I want to do you emails." The girlie never leaves me an email address. That is MORE frustrating then the negative emails. WTF??

 

[geronimo_appleby]

I got one where I was told I should kill myself because it would make all of female kind better and they continued on ranting at me...it was the most disturbing one I'd ever gotten.

Why???? This was in response to a story I did where I chose a sperm donor sexual encounter instead of going to a lab.

==

I did one in the early days involving a sperm donor. I can't remember which category I submitted it to, but it ended up in LW ...Oh dear.

Another was one telling me how rude my character was to insist the brother of a friend help out at the ranch... ???? He chewed me up one side and down another, ripping me a new one....

This story went on to win the 2005 Author Award for Best Romance

ho ho ho. poetic justice and all that. love it.

 

[limplizzard]

Hate mail

I have recieved more mail from the nice people saying good things than from Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous. Who for some reason are not critics but just nasty sub-humans. If they don't like a story why do they read it.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

I have recieved more mail from the nice people saying good things than from Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous. Who for some reason are not critics but just nasty sub-humans. If they don't like a story why do they read it.

ah, that's the question. 'why do they read it?' also, why slam a story for a particular detail just because it isn't their idea of 'good'? i had someone comment that an incest story was going well, but because there was a cuckold incident it was sick.
they're entitled to their opinion, of course, but it was the story i wrote. too late to change it now.
there is obviuosly no formula for the 'perfect' story. someone is always going to dislike it, and others will enjoy it.

 

[M-Y-Erotica]

ah, that's the question. 'why do they read it?' also, why slam a story for a particular detail just because it isn't their idea of 'good'? i had someone comment that an incest story was going well, but because there was a cuckold incident it was sick.
they're entitled to their opinion, of course, but it was the story i wrote. too late to change it now.
there is obviuosly no formula for the 'perfect' story. someone is always going to dislike it, and others will enjoy it.

It depends on how they did the Feedback of course, and I guess calling something "sick" is an indication that their feedback wasn't very polite or constructive. At the same time, in general, this is the sort of Feedback you might want - where someone tells you what they liked about the story and what they didn't like. I remember a story I read where a 30-something executive had an adventure where she got to flaunt her sexuality in skimpy clothes and it was a lot of fun. And then suddenly at the end, this guy was borderline molesting her. It took the story from fun and almost one of female empowerment to one of danger and unwanted submission. Of course, the author had a right to create exactly this story as he or she wanted. But a reader pointing out that the story was going down one path and then went down another is constructive criticism, isn't it? It's one reader's take on what they liked about the story and what parts of the story didn't work together.

I completely get your main point. For example, I don't like non-consent stories at all. As a result, I don't read them and I don't comment on them. My comments would be useless if I did. I could only say: "It turns me off, but I guess the commas are in the right place." My opinion on a non-consent story is a complete waste of the author's time. So why do so many people seem to spend their days reading entire categories that they profess to hate as a whole? I have no idea. At the same time, if you have 12 pages of lovely romance in the Romance section, and then this shifts to a non-consent story suddenly, well, it's valid for the reader to say they didn't like the shift.

Sigh. I'm not expressing myself well.

 

[spyro1123]

I remember a story I read where a 30-something executive had an adventure where she got to flaunt her sexuality in skimpy clothes and it was a lot of fun. And then suddenly at the end, this guy was borderline molesting her. It took the story from fun and almost one of female empowerment to one of danger and unwanted submission. Of course, the author had a right to create exactly this story as he or she wanted. But a reader pointing out that the story was going down one path and then went down another is constructive criticism, isn't it? It's one reader's take on what they liked about the story and what parts of the story didn't work together.

I totally agree with you, i read this story too. It ended with me suffering a huge case of whiplash. And I think i might have left a message saying i didnt like the ending. I usually try to say "Personally I ...." or "I felt that...." making it clear that i am just expressing my feelings not commenting on whether or not the story itself was good or not.

 

[M-Y-Erotica]

I totally agree with you, i read this story too. It ended with me suffering a huge case of whiplash. And I think i might have left a message saying i didnt like the ending. I usually try to say "Personally I ...." or "I felt that...." making it clear that i am just expressing my feelings not commenting on whether or not the story itself was good or not.

It's funny that you remember the same story. I guess I wasn't alone on that. One thing I always do now if I say anything critical is 1) always give my lit ID, because if I would be embarassed to say it, then I shouldn't be saying it at all, and 2) I only give negative things via Feedback, so it's just for them.

 

[S-Des]

I completely get your main point. For example, I don't like non-consent stories at all. As a result, I don't read them and I don't comment on them. My comments would be useless if I did. I could only say: "It turns me off, but I guess the commas are in the right place." My opinion on a non-consent story is a complete waste of the author's time. So why do so many people seem to spend their days reading entire categories that they profess to hate as a whole? I have no idea. At the same time, if you have 12 pages of lovely romance in the Romance section, and then this shifts to a non-consent story suddenly, well, it's valid for the reader to say they didn't like the shift.

Sigh. I'm not expressing myself well.

Actually, you said it very well. My first story started out with a romance angle between a man and a woman. Suddenly she stumbled into a situation where her boss blackmailed her and (well, you can guess the rest). It was recieved very harshly. People who liked the style I wrote the romance portion with, didn't like the blackmail or the NC sex that followed. Although I saved the story with a decent conclusion, I learned the hard way that readers don't like major jolts in the storyline (at least in the short term).

Their criticisms were most definitely valid and I resubmitted the chapter with a warning so people who didn't like those things wouldn't feel tricked. Although to me, the romance was necessary so you understood why the husband was willing to risk everything to save her, many people felt that it didn't flow. I'm more careful now about mixing genres.

I received a lot of interesting emails and public comments about the story. None I want to share publicly (I'm trying to suppress the memories), but they were quite harsh. Some of the really mean comments I get on my new stories are from the same people who attacked me on the first one. I'm wondering if they've just decided it's important to read and slam everything I do.

To each their own.

 

[temptanddestroy]

Laugh it off

It's funny, so many of my critics throw statistics at me, as if THEY know what the majority of readers are thinking!

The joke's on them though...I kind of enjoy the hate stuff.

The type of stuff I write gets me a lot of stuff about how I must be a 'man-hating feminist'. If they bothered to read my biog they'd see that I am a man (still a feminist, though).

Maybe my name is the problem?

 

[geronimo_appleby]

It depends on how they did the Feedback of course, and I guess calling something "sick" is an indication that their feedback wasn't very polite or constructive. At the same time, in general, this is the sort of Feedback you might want - where someone tells you what they liked about the story and what they didn't like. I remember a story I read where a 30-something executive had an adventure where she got to flaunt her sexuality in skimpy clothes and it was a lot of fun. And then suddenly at the end, this guy was borderline molesting her. It took the story from fun and almost one of female empowerment to one of danger and unwanted submission. Of course, the author had a right to create exactly this story as he or she wanted. But a reader pointing out that the story was going down one path and then went down another is constructive criticism, isn't it? It's one reader's take on what they liked about the story and what parts of the story didn't work together.

I completely get your main point. For example, I don't like non-consent stories at all. As a result, I don't read them and I don't comment on them. My comments would be useless if I did. I could only say: "It turns me off, but I guess the commas are in the right place." My opinion on a non-consent story is a complete waste of the author's time. So why do so many people seem to spend their days reading entire categories that they profess to hate as a whole? I have no idea. At the same time, if you have 12 pages of lovely romance in the Romance section, and then this shifts to a non-consent story suddenly , well, it's valid for the reader to say they didn't like the shift.

Sigh. I'm not expressing myself well.

You expressed yourself very well.

Just to pick up on a point - which I've emboldened in the quote. I have submitted a couple pf pieces to Lit under a particular category, only to have them changed by the powers that be. Not too much of a problem unless the lines go along the ones in your quote. In my case the piece ended up in Loving Wives. Noooooooohhhhhhhhhh!

 

[bandelero]

Just throwing in a newbie voice; I have yet to get my first story accepted and can't wait for any feedback generated, good, bad or even ugly

I have read many stories on Lit in the short while I have been here and have yet to find one that made me want to pour vitriol on the author.
Conversely when I have enjoyed a story I have made sure I commented on it even if the comment contained what I thought were valid crits. I would always show my name and e mail for the same reasons others have given, i.e. if I have left a comment then it is only fair that the author knows who left it so they can either thank or vilify me

Like most people I just can't get inside the heads of people who are revolted by a genre then read the stories just so they can say how vile they are? (or maybe they don't even read them?)
If I know for sure that a genre is a turn off for me, well, nobody is forcing me to read it so I don't.

I think that if my stories were generating particularly vicious hate mail comments on a regular and unwarranted basis I would just drop a line to the Lit staff and point them at the offending posts.

 

[S-Des]

Just throwing in a newbie voice; I have yet to get my first story accepted and can't wait for any feedback generated, good, bad or even ugly

I think that if my stories were generating particularly vicious hate mail comments on a regular and unwarranted basis I would just drop a line to the Lit staff and point them at the offending posts.

If you like response, just post in LW. My last story got 50,000 views and 50 comments per chapter. Luckily it didn't get as much hate as the other ones, so it was more of a fun experience. I get what you're saying about not caring about feedback, but after you've put a couple of hundred hours in on a story and really started to care about your characters, only to get a 1000 word post telling you where you screwed up and how bad your characters are, you might feel differently (I had a guy post a 6000 word critique of one of my stories).

All authors have the option of deleting offending posts, but many of us avoid it because it just lets the trolls know that they bothered us. At the same time if you don't delete them, you worry about it affecting the opinion of the next person to read the story. I actually had a reader email to tell me he didn't read one of my stories because he reads the comments first to see if people liked it (in this case, the comments to Ch1 weren't favorable). If you surf the BB, you'll find a lot of discussion about this because there just isn't a right answer. It pisses everyone off and from time to time, we vent.

If you release a story that gets too much negative feedback, you can always turn off the ability of people to post comments annonymously. It's funny to see the difference in the level of criticism when they have to put their name by their comments.

Good luck on your first story.

 

[AutumnWriter]

It's mostly good

It's usually a pleasure to get comments, either in "Public Comments" or by e-mail. It's nice to get compliments, but civilized criticism works, too.

There are a few that can get aggravating. Fortunately, it only comes up once in a while.

The worst is when the message gets personal, just because the reader didn't care for the story.

Another is when the reader critiizes the story just because it didn't end the way THEY would have written it.

Sometimes a reader will hijack a story's Public Comments space to expound their opinions about a story they just read.

Naturally, the more offensive the comment, the more anonymous.

I very seldom delete comments, because I want readers to know that I don't run away from criticism.

Of course, there are those that write nothing, even anonymously, then ding your story with a one or two, for who knows what reason.

Of course, receiving no fedback at all would be even worse, and to repeat my earlier comment, most of the comments are a pleasure to receive.

If someone doesn't like a story, maybe we refund what they paid us to write it.

Autumn Writer

 

[spyro1123]

It's funny that you remember the same story. I guess I wasn't alone on that. One thing I always do now if I say anything critical is 1) always give my lit ID, because if I would be embarassed to say it, then I shouldn't be saying it at all, and 2) I only give negative things via Feedback, so it's just for them.

It was an easy story to remember, because it was well written and HOT!!!

Right up untill the end, lol.

I think my responce was something like, Wow what a hot story! Loved the way you developed lawer women, it lost me a little at the end but otherwise a great story.

It depends on wether someone else has already made the comment. Usually i will reply to what someone else has already said. I rarely say anything so negative as to feel like i should keep it private, although maybe i should change that policy. If someone really hates what i say they can always delete it.

 

[janiexx]

If someone doesn't like a story, maybe we refund what they paid us to write it.

Autumn Writer

Good comment!!!

janiexx

 

[BellaStone]

I've received a few bits of hate mail and I just delete it.

The majority I get are amazing commentors - amidst the occassional "I'm awesome and your story got me hot... will you fuck me?" feedback ... which I rank up there with hate mail but it's just much less ego denting and yet so much more creepy than hate mail.

 

[jeninflorida]

Yes, I think it is funny anyone would presume me to be a man just because I write violent sex fantasies. Who said men had the dibs on rough & kinky sex?

I do answer all of my emails though if they leave an email address. The haters never give me a email to respond too.

I do have one person who writes me "You make my clit hard and I want to do you emails." The girlie never leaves me an email address. That is MORE frustrating then the negative emails. WTF??

who said you were a man? that only men can write ....
Well, i would take that as a compliment. We all like and enjoy different things and why does one sex have to dominate one category or thing? dont you find a submissive male....sexy? lol

Jen

 

[jeninflorida]

If you like response, just post in LW. My last story got 50,000 views and 50 comments per chapter. Luckily it didn't get as much hate as the other ones, so it was more of a fun experience. I get what you're saying about not caring about feedback, but after you've put a couple of hundred hours in on a story and really started to care about your characters, only to get a 1000 word post telling you where you screwed up and how bad your characters are, you might feel differently (I had a guy post a 6000 word critique of one of my stories).

All authors have the option of deleting offending posts, but many of us avoid it because it just lets the trolls know that they bothered us. At the same time if you don't delete them, you worry about it affecting the opinion of the next person to read the story. I actually had a reader email to tell me he didn't read one of my stories because he reads the comments first to see if people liked it (in this case, the comments to Ch1 weren't favorable). If you surf the BB, you'll find a lot of discussion about this because there just isn't a right answer. It pisses everyone off and from time to time, we vent.

If you release a story that gets too much negative feedback, you can always turn off the ability of people to post comments annonymously. It's funny to see the difference in the level of criticism when they have to put their name by their comments.

Good luck on your first story.

Wow! I just posted a story on sunday, but its more of a femdom story....we shall see what flame mail I receive...and how many views......

 

[jeninflorida]

Yes, I think it is funny anyone would presume me to be a man just because I write violent sex fantasies. Who said men had the dibs on rough & kinky sex?

I do answer all of my emails though if they leave an email address. The haters never give me a email to respond too.

I do have one person who writes me "You make my clit hard and I want to do you emails." The girlie never leaves me an email address. That is MORE frustrating then the negative emails. WTF??

speaking of this subject....light pain....a close friend of ours, well she loves spankings and hard. the harder she was spanked, the wetter she became! i'm not a fan of pain, but this was kinky to watch her being spanked by others!

 

[S-Des]

Wow! I just posted a story on sunday, but its more of a femdom story....we shall see what flame mail I receive...and how many views......

Mine is a combination of people who liked my earlier work and the category (LW is one of the most read on the site from what I hear). Don't be disappointed if your first try doesn't get a lot of attention (and don't be afraid to mention it in some posts or start a thread about it). I've read some really good stories that only had a few comments. No matter what, if you are happy with your writing, you'll find an audience.

Good luck,

 

[kitten6803]

Hate mail

I'm new here and my first sotry hasn't even been approved yet soas of yet I haven't had any hate mail. However, in my opinion, if someone tells you that your story "sucks" with no constructive criticism, then I wouldn't count their opinion as valid. If you want to comment on someone's work you should let them know why it was good or bad. Also, the chances are that the people leaving the "hate mail" are only doing it so to lessen your confidence and make you feel bad - the reason for this being that their own work is probably not up to a standard levelso they want others to feel the same way!

That's my little rant over.

 

[AchtungNight]

Good comments here.

The stories I write, hot celebrity fanfic, sometimes get a special kind of hate mail. Some people are such big fans of the characters in question that they can't stand to see them in any way other than the way they want. Wolverine has to be with Rogue, not Storm, and that's that. Personally, I roll my eyes at such people and remind them who's writing the story. Then there are those who actually provide valid criticism, who are a bigger fan of the celebs or characters used than you are and will gladly nitpick and tell you all the things you got wrong in writing them. I find this kind of hate mail worth reading, provided of course it's right. On one occasion (The Rendezvous), I even rewrote a whole long-as-heck story because of it. So there's good hate mail and bad hate mail. Unfortunately, as people have said, it's mostly anonymous and often not that detailed. Oh well, at least people are reading, right?

 

[alexanderdevalley]

i have been pounded with hate mail from my last submission of loving wife