Unhelpful criticism

[IWroteThis]

I judge intent from simple observation of their actions, which are clear here. Saying a story is just nasty can't come from good intentions. That's not possible.

So, by that amazing logic, saying a comment is shitty can't come from good intentions.

Therefore, you are exactly what you are ranting about.

 

[Stanfield2025]

So, by that amazing logic, saying a comment is shitty can't come from good intentions.

Therefore, you are exactly what you are ranting about.

Not really, because the context is completely different. My intentions are to support the OP by making a point I believe. I find those intentions to be good, because I'm helping OP understand that the comment is not to be taken seriously. This is different from the comment's intentions. So no, the "you are what you're ranting about" doesn't apply at all.

Even if my intentions weren't good, that's completely irrelevant to the conversation anyway. I've no idea why you're trying to make it about me.

 

[Actingup]

It doesn't matter whether he sincerely believes it. It's not meant to help the author. Maybe it's not bad faith, but it's shitty. Therefore I have no respect for it. And the author ought to have no respect for it. There aren't good intentions behind it, therefore it's a comment worthy of dismissal.

One of the good things about posting a story in LW is that it helps you toughen up. The comment in question is very mild in relative terms and also tells you clearly what a dedicated reader thought of the story. I’ve had very negative and very positive comments from him and happy to see either. Often he will go into more detail.

Just treat it as a data point, which in itself can be helpful. Lots of people have said ‘meh’, and this one took the trouble to write to you. Be grateful for his time.

 

[Stanfield2025]

One of the good things about posting a story in LW is that it helps you toughen up. The comment in question is very mild in relative terms and also tells you clearly what a dedicated reader thought of the story. I’ve had very negative and very positive comments from him and happy to see either. Often he will go into more detail.

Just treat it as a data point, which in itself can be helpful. Lots of people have said ‘meh’, and this one took the trouble to write to you. Be grateful for his time.

Can't disagree. Like I implied, I am grateful for the shitty comment in my story because it was a useful data point, even if I don't respect the comment or the person who left it.

 

[IWroteThis]

Not really.

Yes, really. You don't get to excuse your own bad behavior just because you feel entitled to make up the rules.

My intentions are to support the OP by making a point I believe. I find those intentions to be good, because I'm helping OP understand that the comment is not to be taken seriously.

Well, while you might feel that you are entitled to determine the intent of both yourself and everybody else, it doesn't actually work that way. It's kind of sad, actually, if you really think you're helping the OP.

This is different from the comment's intentions. So no, the "you are what you're ranting about" doesn't apply at all.

It's really not any different. The intent behind making a comment is the intent behind making a comment, no matter where that comment is made. So, yes, it does apply.

Even if my intentions weren't good, that's completely irrelevant to the conversation anyway.

That's funny, as you are the one who claimed that intentions were important.

 

[Stanfield2025]

Yes, really. You don't get to excuse your own bad behavior just because you feel entitled to make up the rules.

I didn't make up any rules, I simply stated my opinions.

It's really not any different. The intent behind making a comment is the intent behind making a comment, no matter where that comment is made. So, yes, it does apply.

I get your point here, but the context is still completely different. My intent is pretty obvious in the remarks I've made. I've taken the time to explain specific things. I've justified my positions. But if it's less obvious then those people can feel free to say I'm shitty. Doesn't really bother me. In response, I can clarify my position and intentions. To be a bit more specific, it's the disrespect inherent in the comment that matters. If I was to make a comment under an author's story saying that their story is worth less than toilet paper, there is no world in which that's respectful. We all are obligated to be respectful toward each other unless there's an extremely good reason not to be.

Like I said, I've expressed my dislike for stories in a respectful manner, even if it didn't make the author feel good. I've had people express dislike for my story in a way that didn't feel good but I could recognize that the reader was being respectful. So I respected them. I hope that as an author, you're not just accepting basic disrespect from unpleasant readers or thinking you deserve the disrespect. It would unironically make me sad if you are.

That's funny, as you are the one who claimed that intentions were important.

The comment's intentions are important because that's the original topic of this conversation. My intentions are less important because that's not the original topic of the conversation. Whether I'm a shitty commenter is a different conversation.

 

[IWroteThis]

It's not meant to help the author.

I know this one trips up a lot of people, so let me remind you that comments are not just for the author. If they were, they wouldn't appear on the public version of the story. Instead, they would only be visible in the author's control panel. The same is true for ratings. They are displayed publicly because they are intended for the public.

There are more who use the ratings, but there are still a lot of people who check the comments to decide if a story is worth reading. So, a comment that informs those potential readers is useful, even if it doesn't help the author.

 

[SimonDoom]

It took him four dogged years to track down one of my tales and finally deal it a lethal blow.

by 26thNC on 04/25/2020
Jim the cuck enjoys his whorewife after her gangbang. Lowest of the low.

by You on 04/26/2020

Endorsed!
Finally, four years later, my story gets dissed by 26thNC. The stamp of quality...

You must be proud!

 

[RetroFan]

If you create fiction of any kind and put it out in the public domain, then you have to accept that you are going to receive criticism and that some of it is going to be negative. Or that your work might simply be overlooked and flop.

This reminds me of an awful trend in the past decade, where creators of or producers, directors and actors from movies or TV shows that rated poorly or received adverse feedback go onto social media or during interviews respond negatively back to critics and audiences who have given these works negative reviews or simply did not bother watching them. What a great business and PR strategy. Box office bomb Supergirl was a good recent example of this and there are too many others to list here.

So while it might be disappointing to work hard on a story but for it to be met with negative feedback my advice is you do not respond negatively back to the readers who left them, learn from any criticism that might be valid, suck it up and move on.

 

[Stanfield2025]

It took him four dogged years to track down one of my tales and finally deal it a lethal blow.

by 26thNC on 04/25/2020
Jim the cuck enjoys his whorewife after her gangbang. Lowest of the low.

by You on 04/26/2020

Endorsed!
Finally, four years later, my story gets dissed by 26thNC. The stamp of quality...

Y'know, if I got a comment making fun of my main characters I wouldn't even see it as a diss to the story. That commenter sees Jim as the lowest of the low. That's a strong opinion on a character, which implies intense engagement even if it's not the opinion you hoped the reader would have. Unironically I'd want to get a comment like that.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Never lose sleep over a comment from somebody from whom you wouldn’t have asked for an opinion in the first place.

Putting it another way, even Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel brought criticism.

Or, in the world according to Garfield, “It’s not he jumps in the road of life I find annoying, it’s the dips.”