i just wanted to see if i could goad you into writing something in Welsh. as for not writing, even writing tires me out right now. i'm still working on sitting upright. when i DO get going again, hopefully, i have lots of stuff bottled up inside to spew onto the page. :)

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Bitches in the Basement on Amazon by our own Dancing Doll

sorry about that. drinking and story modding don't mix, obviously. Nicola had a stern talking to me that evening, if it helps!

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Bitches in the Basement on Amazon by our own Dancing Doll

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I'm really glad you asked this question. Being trained in cognitive behavioralism, I think negative comments are motivated by different things (and often take different forms).

The first type (which is inherent to any site that allows registered users the ability to remain anonymous) are borne of pure ill-intent. Some people enjoy the apparent free-license that anonymity provides, and they abuse it. These people tend to be complete "losers" in real life. They are often absolutely asocial (if not even harboring antisocial tendencies), and sites like this provide them the opportunity to symbolically punish all the people who've ever "wronged" them. TROLLS, in internet speak. They are the bottom feeders of society. Rather than look introspectively, they seek to insult and degrade others in a misguided effort to make themselves feel better. They suck.

Then there are people who just have a (compensatory) inflated sense of self and feel they have the right to be critical of others because they feel they are somehow intellectually superior. It's the product of true narcissism (which occurs when someone is so deeply insecure that they spend all their energy trying to overcompensate by convincing themselves they are so much better than everyone else). You tend to see these types often go around offering criticism under the pretense of being helpful, but the funny thing is: they've either never posted anything, themselves (ironically, often due to their fear of receiving negative feedback) or, if they have, they aren't any better at writing than anyone else. Those people also tend to have some asociability to their personalities, and they hide behind their intellect when dealing with others because they feel inferior, otherwise. The same goes for people who envy the writing abilities of others and are too insecure to appreciate a great piece simply because they didn't author it. It's juvenile and silly, but there are some silly, juvenile people out there, so it's to be expected at times.

True constructive criticism, honestly, is better offered only when solicited. One might argue that, by virtue of posting a story with comments enabled, you are de facto asking for constructive criticism, but I don't know that this can be assumed. As a general rule, if I cannot find a reason to rate it better than a three, I will often just not vote.

If I feel someone has great potential as a story teller, but see one glaring (and easily correctable) issue with their writing, I might offer them a polite suggestion if I feel they are open to it. I prefer sending a personal message about it rather than posting it publicly, and I ALWAYS offer great praise with regard to what they've done well.

A great rule of thumb (taken from the laws of management) is that, before you consider leaving feedback that might be construed as critical, find some good things to say about a piece, and never be stingy with compliments. As the (paraphrased) saying goes, "Be most generous with compliments, and most stingy with criticisms." Great advice from which everyone could benefit.

At the end of the day, once you factor out the trolls and flames, what you often end up with are remarks from people who are generally kind-hearted and well-meaning, and have taken time out of their busy day to read your work. Something about what you've written speaks to them enough to compel them to leave a comment and, to me, that's always worth appreciating.

As far as receiving criticism goes, I think it does us all good to consider its origin and, once you have determined what TYPE of negative feedback you've received, you can take it or leave it. If all someone does is offer negative feedback, ignore it. If they couldn't take the time to find something nice to say about your work, they are probably insincere, anyhow. Don't waste your own time worrying about their opinion.

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All of what you wrote was worth reading, naughtiestmommy, but that part was worth quoting.

I received a criticism that I deserved once, not because I think it was accurate, but because I tried something tricky and it didn't work. The complaint was along the lines of "It seems you got bored/tired of writing. It was less detailed." I was trying to convey that my character, the narrator of the series was getting bored with telling of the exploits of the couple. Probably one or two sentences would have helped that reader to distinguish between the character/narrator and the writer, but I failed to recognize that need. My bad.

I received another criticism along the lines of "I was disappointed. I'm just not into the whole bbc thing, but it was well written anyway." That comment later got pulled. It was as if the commenter felt betrayed that the series had taken a turn away from where he wanted it to lead. I didn't let that bother me.

I find it very challenging and enjoyable to write stories that readers aren't sure why they keep reading them, but they can't stop. So if I get low scores, I can chalk that up to the reader feeling conflicted about the value of the story, not the quality of the writing, unless I get a comment that is relevant to the quality of the writing. That makes a difference for me. I rite the story because I want to achieve a certain result with a certain set of readers. I try to write it well, because otherwise, what's the point?

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Sensei's altimeter is reading 9000'. Suddenly the engine noise level drops a lot. The engine on the door side of the plane is quiet.

We hear, "Shit! Fuck me!" from the cockpit, then the pilot yells, "Everybody out! Now!"

Airgasms Induce Orgasms

I've not gotten any negative comments yet, but I did get a 2 with no comment. I'd have liked to know what they didn't like so much that they voted it so low.

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My novel, The Society, is available now in the Kindle Store: http://www.amazon.com/The-Society-ebook/dp/B00BPF9U2I

Since leaving and coming back my stories are not in my profile.
I feel this is a place to have fun and write what comes to your mind. I am not a pro I just have fun with it all. I try to ignore the rough comments. And people should not be so hard on people. I had one guy who would always comment great story but needs more sex. I guess he wanted every sentence with some kind of sex scene in it.