Taking the good out of the bad.

[lovecraft68]

It amazes me how many threads there have been in the last few months bemoaning the negative comments we get. First of all run up and down your comment boards. Except for LW stories I will lay money on the fact most comments are positive. So you can't enjoy the good without taking some bad.

Second, and the point of this thread, Although never known for my optimism in real life or here for that matter, I have from day one decided to try to take something good from any comment I receive that is beyond "fuck you you suck"

Here is an example, from last night.


I swear to god I thought this was humor.
"A lot better than a banana."
"One thought: Blow Job!"

That's some damn fine literature right there. Oh, and: "My mind raced."
I'm sure there's a furrowed brow in there somewhere. This is downright crap!
The sex scenes good god. Labored, tortuously overwritten. Obviously written to give the sense of "being there" for people who never have been or lack the imagination themselves. Never had a blow job? Read this!
Not to mention this has ZERO to do with Earth Day. In fact the whole opening signifies the author's total contempt for the theme. It's insulting to anyone with an IQ over 10.
This story seems to be written by and for someone who still thinks fart jokes are the funniest thing going. Which would be the same group of people who need a million word description if a blow job to feel like they're experiencing one. Omg just watch some porn.
What an absolute joke!

Yeah, pretty insulting I suppose. But....

The top two lines do not appear back to back as listed in the comment. They are in the front and end of the story.

But the posters remark that they are stupid and immature and for someone who still thinks fart jokes are funny?

Well guess what, Mr. Troll? Mission accomplished, thank you. The story was written from the perspective of an 18 year old boy and a girl of the same age.

So to me, literary writing or having "Justin" think and act and react like a guy my age with sexual experience would have been a bad job of writing, not immature statements and a young guys "Blow job!" the first time a girl gets between his knees.

So my point here is I consider this comment a compliment even though it obviously is not supposed to be one.

Even the "written so you would feel like you're there" Yes it was, thank you again, I like my readers to feel that way. And again it is seen through the eyes of someone getting sex for the first time, wouldn't each single simple act stand out to you?

So just an example of things like this are all how you look at it if you look close enough you can usually find something of value even when you are being insulted.

And what the hell since its rumored starting threads to discuss comments feeds the trolls?

In the future mister troll when trying to insult me please think about what you're writing because you did a lousy job of it in this one.

And one more thing; if you are going to rail away about immaturity? "OMG"?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Fart jokes ARE funny, hater!

 

[oggbashan]

The bad?

There are critical comments and hurtful comments, both particularly painful if they are true or based on reasonable argument.

I can understand comments that object to femdom. The writer seems threatened by the idea that a woman could be powerful, cruel, insensitive and sometimes nasty. The comment often suggests violence towards the character. But why should I object to such a comment? The reaction indicates that I have made the reader believe that the woman exists. That is a compliment, even if he dislikes her.

I can also appreciate comments that complain about the situation. They wouldn't want to be the hero/heroine, nor experience their actions. Again, I have managed to get the reader to suspend disbelief and react as if the people were real.

But there are also comments that are just abuse with little or no reference to the story. There are some comments that are just rants aimed at anyone.

Only the abuse and the rants are really the bad comments.

 

[Saxon_Hart]

Fart jokes ARE funny, hater!

JBJ Thanks for the laugh.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Bottom line: if nobody hates you, then you're not distinct enough. There is nothing so distinguishing as the unbridled loathing of a complete stranger. Passion is potency. If someone can hate you, someone else can love you.

 

[LadyVer]

I read a story the other day that only had two comments, both negative. I thought the story was good and erotic. I found the comments strange for a porn site.

One comment criticized how real, loving relationships don't have porn. The other comment called the story trash, that it's too full of porn. I was left wondering what these two commenters normally read on Lit. Maybe it had to do with the author being female. Nothing like putting a woman in her place to make some men feel they've conquered their world that day.

 

[SecondCircle]

I kinda weigh all the comments (what few) I get on a story, good and bad, to form a general idea about the reception of that story. I'm not a very literal guy, I usually read between the lines, so a comment like that one would sort of just boil down to differences of taste. I mean he's claiming the story sucked and wasn't written well, but for me that comment translates to "I didn't like the story and this element or that element." Which would be fine if it was phrased that way. Instead it's kind of, "I didn't like it so it universally just sucks and the author must be told!"

But people are weird.

Sometimes you can look at negatives and find silver lining.

 

[Acktion]

... And one more thing; if you are going to rail away about immaturity? "OMG"?

All the way through that, I kept scrolling back up to check that yes, indeed, it WAS lovecraft68 who posted it.

Then, at the last line, right after the eyeroll, I heard Alicia Silverstone circa "Clueless" say "As if!" And completely lost it for a bit at the image of that coming out of LC68's mouth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpVoUvLdErw

Now that I can breathe again, though, I have to admit that there is a very valid point. If a surprising source. (Sorry, LC. But, even you would admit that you are not the very model of a modern major Pollyanna.)

For myself, frankly, I have not yet received a truly... mmm... I started to say "insulting", but I think I prefer "mean spirited" comment that wasn't obviously way out from left field indicating that they had not, in actuality read it.

This is not to say that all of the comments I've gotten thus far are kudos. Far from it. Nor, on mature reflection, do I often agree with the ones who praise or disagree with the ones that point out problem areas.

As for the ones that call me names. Meh, I've been called them before and they usually have a point. I generally was those things to somebody at some point.

However, I absolutely adore the ones that identify a character to vent their spleen on. How, after all, could they hate a fiction character with such passion if I hadn't managed to portray said character so well that they saw themselves in it somewhere.

(And yes, all of my works are fictional. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. At least 'til the statute of limitations runs out.)

Kudos for finding the silver lining LC. And for breaking it down so that maybe a neophyte such as I consider myself to still be will stop fretting about their own negative remarks and examine them for some worthwhile content.

 

[patientlee]

The Pirates of Penzance thread is in FAWC4, Acktion.

All the way through that, I kept scrolling back up to check that yes, indeed, it WAS lovecraft68 who posted it.

Then, at the last line, right after the eyeroll, I heard Alicia Silverstone circa "Clueless" say "As if!" And completely lost it for a bit at the image of that coming out of LC68's mouth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpVoUvLdErw

Now that I can breathe again, though, I have to admit that there is a very valid point. If a surprising source. (Sorry, LC. But, even you would admit that you are not the very model of a modern major Pollyanna.)

For myself, frankly, I have not yet received a truly... mmm... I started to say "insulting", but I think I prefer "mean spirited" comment that wasn't obviously way out from left field indicating that they had not, in actuality read it.

This is not to say that all of the comments I've gotten thus far are kudos. Far from it. Nor, on mature reflection, do I often agree with the ones who praise or disagree with the ones that point out problem areas.

As for the ones that call me names. Meh, I've been called them before and they usually have a point. I generally was those things to somebody at some point.

However, I absolutely adore the ones that identify a character to vent their spleen on. How, after all, could they hate a fiction character with such passion if I hadn't managed to portray said character so well that they saw themselves in it somewhere.

(And yes, all of my works are fictional. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. At least 'til the statute of limitations runs out.)

Kudos for finding the silver lining LC. And for breaking it down so that maybe a neophyte such as I consider myself to still be will stop fretting about their own negative remarks and examine them for some worthwhile content.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Bottom line: if nobody hates you, then you're not distinct enough. There is nothing so distinguishing as the unbridled loathing of a complete stranger. Passion is potency. If someone can hate you, someone else can love you.

I came to the same conclusion and am doubling down on provocations that always elicit scorn from readers, and if it doesn't work I'll slap faces and twist ears. Be the villain they say I am, and mock them.

 

[lovecraft68]

Wait, Alicia Silverstone is in my mouth? Is she wearing the batgirl costume?

 

[Acktion]

A "hawt" chick in black leather with a big yellow bat emblazoned where it will draw the most attention? Yes, I could see that easier than the preppy with her yellow plaid jacket.