An OP-ED for the Aspiring Critic

[SimonDoom]

I think it's really hard to give helpful in-depth advice to another author. I have a particular style, and I can advise you all day on how to write in that style. But authors should want to write in their style, not mine. I've gotten a lot of advice from AwkwardMD on my stories, and ignored most of it. She asked me to advise her on one of her stories, and she ignored most of my advice. Even though the OP writes I/T stories as I do, I couldn't give him in-depth advice as his style is so different than mine.

I think this is very true. The problem is that author/critics tend to want others to write the way they do, and that's not helpful. The trick to making criticism helpful is to figure out what the author wants to do and to try to help the author do a better job of doing that, rather than doing what the critic would do in the author's place.

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

I like to think the reason why I don't get many comments is because my readers are either blown away by my prose or passed out from the orgasm they got from reading my story.

While the OP certainly put a lot of thought into the thesis, I tend to believe that like may who have posted that LIT readers are looking for good, free erotica for whatever purpose they want. And I think they find it here. Whilst I was tongue in cheek in the first paragraph of the response. I suspect that is the aspiration that drives us to write our stories and post them.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I like to think the reason why I don't get many comments is because my readers .... passed out from the orgasm they got from reading my story.

Now if only we got paid for the fluid ounces emitted which our words generated .....

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

Now if only we got paid for the fluid ounces emitted which our words generated .....

Indeed.

 

[lustatopia]

Yes, there is always room for you to voice your dislikes, but your dislikes should never figure into the overall critique, and another nickel's worth of free advice? Do not suggest to the author what he or she should have done.

Hang on a second!

You're an author suggesting to other authors that they "shouldn't suggest to authors what he or she should have done."