djrip
Oneirographer
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2015
- Posts
- 1,885
Well I do often award only the highest ratings. Maybe you're onto something here.Regrettably, this is not a mere coincidence. Avid voters, who are predominantly men, exhibit two distinct and irrational tendencies. Firstly, they tend to vote more favorably for female writers, which may be attributed to some form of chivalry ingrained in their lizard brains. Secondly, they vote more favorably for longer works, presuming that the length of a piece correlates with its quality. While there is no objective reason to assume that the length of a work guarantees its superiority, here too, their reptilian brain tends to equate quantity with quality.
Personally, I tend to avoid reading works exceeding 17K words, unless they are penned by an author I hold in high regard. Past disappointing encounters have taught me that, in most instances, such lengthy compositions lack justification and are plagued by extensive and monotonous descriptions of events and details that often prove superfluous to the plot. If I am tempted to delve into a story of this nature, I typically resort to "skimming mode."
I reiterate my earlier assertion: Intelligent readers are less inclined to participate in voting. If they do engage, it is usually only under exceptional circumstances, often awarding only the highest ratings.