defies comprehension...

[its Leslie]

Certain things always make me wonder.

Take good deeds for instance; I do good deeds.
Not because mom taught me to, so much as I have seen the profitability in them.

I have never once profited from being mean anti social or just plain nasty. I just can't understand people that are like that constantly and consistently.

I write fiction for here, why? Not an easy answer to that question.
I write so it might amuse another. I do it freely.

If all I wanted was to amuse myself, well submitting a story wouldnt be required. Not to mention I can find a great many ways to amuse myself that are a great deal less work.

Why am I writing this post right now?

Hard to say what I expect to come of it. I know it will attract attention, will it be good responses?

I just cant fathom why some people will send pointless nasty responses, to fictions people have written for submission to Literotica. I feel really sad for those people.
Not the ones getting the hateful email, they just delete them. I feel sad for the poor wretches that can't find anything useful to do with their lives.
It goes equal for people that send hateful nasty remarks on posts for here in the various forums. I feel sad for those people as well.

Oh well I can't cure everything.

 

[Ray Dario]

Why are people mean?

Hmm, well there are many theories, but I think it goes back to one of two things;

1) They are just evil. Jeffery Dahmer fits into this category. He didn't eat people because he father ignored him once too often during his rather bizaare childhood, he did it cause he wanted to.

2) It makes them feel better than the person they are being mean to. Most of the annoymous feedbackers who send such delightfully inspiring emails like "U SUCK!" fit this category. They do it because for a brief moment it makes them feel like they are better than the person they are ridiculeling. They don't realize that the reality of it is that it has the opposite effect.

Just my own personal feelings on this.

The sad part is that these morons are really hurting the site. I've been at Lit for more than two years now and I personally know of several good writers who have packed up and split because of them. I even took a couple of months off a while back. One wonderful woman writer that I had talked to many times on and off the boards has given up writing erotica entirely because of some of the personal attacks launched against her on the boards.

It's sad really and it deminished the site a little. Fortunatly Laurel and Manu do such a great job with Literotica that it flourishes and is a wonderful place despite these imbeciles. And that allows us as writers to have our work put up for all the world to see. And every now and then I get feedback that reminds me that the dipshits are such an extream minority and the wonderful people in the world are such treasures that I am inspired to write again.

And that makes it all worthwhile.

Ray

 

[wildsweetone]

quote

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt

 

[Ray Dario]

Re: quote

Wild;

That is probably true for the majority of pig headed bastards who don't give a damn what other people say. But the truth is you have to have a pretty thick skin to not let negative comments hurt. I'm sure that a "first lady" like Elenor had a very thick skin. She would have had to.

However, for those of us already suffering from severe self-doubt, recieving a constant dribble of excessively hateful email or a few exhuberant tongue lashings on the boards can really make the demons come out at night.

Besides, as one of my friends pointed out:

I'm doing this for free. Why should I have to put up with this kind of crap when I'm not getting anything for all my work.

I'll answer this for myself.

Because when people write to me and tell me how much they enjoyed reading my stories it gives me a super high and that high is worth the smaller downer I get when someone writes and tells me how bad I suck.

Ray

 

[MysteryWriter]

My Answer such as it is...

I know I have never abused anyone in an email, but I might have made comments on the board that seem abusive, if so I am sorry. I truly am sorry too. My daddy raised me to be a scrapper. Sometimes, what I see as defending myself gets a little intense. I might even step over the line. If that has ever been the case, believe me it was not intentional.

I have done just about everything I can think of to defeat the negative vibs... I turned off my votes so i don't see my stories get ravaged for the wrong reasons. I have turned off my anon feedback so I dont have to listen to idiots... I left the site for a short while... I am considering just writing and posting. Maybe if I stay off the boards, it will give us all some peace.

Anyway this thread was needed. Quite possibly I am too insecure to ever ignore the vile bullshit from readers who find pleasure in rediculing those who can do what they can not.

Hell who knows who anon is. It could be the person whose story is beside yours on the board. I would hate to think it is a writer, but then I have begun to wonder lately.

Anyway that is my answer such as it is. Sorry it isnt edited but it is a note to friends.

 

[wildsweetone]

I hope this downward slide isn't a trend... yes, it's right to take notice of all the comments others say to you. but it's your own choice how you use those comments, or how you let them abuse you.

If you choose to leave the site, or at least refrain from posting, then 'they' have won.

Personally, I have battled with lack of self-esteem, lack of self-worth, insecurities etc. anything you can name. It's only been in the last 18 months or so that I've learnt to find a different perspective. No, that different perspective didn't come to me on a platter, I had to work damn hard to achieve it. I've still not quite got my own head around the 'love myself' theory, but I've at least learnt to accept who and what I am. No, I'm not perfect (I never thought I was), but I'm not a bad person either.

You have a choice, you can either let those lousy anon (or not) feedbacks hurt you, or you can read them, learn from them, trash them.

If they hurt you, they damage part of your being forever. If you learn from them, yes, acknowledge that they hurt, know that in the hurting is understanding that there are others around who have equal rights in voicing their own opinions. OK, so most of them don't bother to put their name to their 'work', that is their problem. But know also, their perhaps misguided feedback stems from something other than our work.

We don't need to take on everybody elses problems. We each have enough of our own.

OK and to end this waffling... for each person who leaves these boards because of crappy feedback, those of us who stay will lose something.

 

[Axeltheswede]

defies comprehension

I have only been posting stories for a couple of months. My experience here is limited. But, my experience here has been so overwhelmingly positive I am truly thankful.

I have to compare posting here with freelance writing for magazine and newspaper markets. In that situation, rejection is your constant companion. You can study a publication, think you understand their editorial attitudes, and submit something you think can't miss. Three months later you get a form rejection letter and not so much as a word of explanation. You are left to wonder and beat yourself like a rented mule over what went wrong.

Here at Lit. I can write and post in a short time. A story succeeds or fails based on the ultimate consumer - the reader. What a beautiful thing that is. I've posted seven stories so far. That old Anon only really roasted me on one. That one will make me better. And some feedback emails have been sincerely written with a lot of thought behind them. I have found a half dozen fellow writers that are delightful correspondents. I love it here. The thought that some faceless Anon could drive me away, well, I just refuse to believe that.

 

[Guest]

Judging from responses to my thread I suspect that it is common to worry intensely over the negativity.

I want to establish though I am not myself personally concerned about negativity.

My first email to my first story that was posted suggested I find something else to do essentially.

Hmmmm

At the time I had no pants on and I was quite enjoying writing the story. Following my effort, I quite enjoyed the seriously horny state I was in. Whereupon I masturbated and ejaculated a nice stream of cum onto my usual towel.

Therefore, it is entirely unlikely, that that individuals email had much impact or worth to me eh.

I sat there incredulous that a person had so much daylight available they could waste it sending me that email which was anonymous and as a result quite valueless. It came from a fictional person essentially.
That person's email was worth less to me than the spent sperm cells on my towel.

I hope this is getting through to the people that send nasty emails eh. We the writers are often writing as a way of getting off. Seeking the approval of unknown peoples is VERY rarely of any importance to us.

When I write a story I tell my buddies here on Literoatica about it naturally. I get a lot of input from them. They probably as most friends are inclined to do, give it exaggerated praise. Thats about the end of it for me. My stories are out there on the site. They dont appear to attract any attention once my friends have read them. No surprise there. The site has so many stories posted each day it seems.

If I was serious about writing, actually serious to the point I wanted to profit from it, I would take the material to a commercial source in the first place. I would submit it using the guidelines which can be found through professional inquiries to those sorts of people. And if they never ever received any response. if they were never ever accpeted. I would accept that my stories were not in fact commercially interesting some how.

But I would still enjoy writing them for a place like here. Cause if even one of my chat friends here enjoyed the story, it was worth it. I dont do it to stroke my ego. As I established at the beginning of this post, I do it to stroke my cock. Just thinking some female friend here might remove her panties and masturbate from reading my story.....man the erection I am getting just thinking of that eh.

Soooooo. If you get negative feedback. Ignore it. If you want to write for real. Send it to a real commercial source. The only place a negative response matters is there. And that is only because if you are seeking cash for your efforts, you have to please them to get paid.

Negative responses from people using Literotica have no worth at all. Not one, Notta, Zip, Zero. Unless your friends offer critiques ignore them. After all, that negative person would likely be told to fuck off in person, why not treat them the same here?

 

[karmadog]

rejection is a beautiful thing

All writers must have a thick skin.

No matter who you are or how good you are, someone is going to hate your writing. Get used to it.

My first submission was to the New Yorker. I knew that it wasn't good enough, but I was hoping to get a really nasty reply. Something dripping with spite and discouragement. I wanted to frame it and hang it on the wall as motivation. Instead, I got a 2x4 form rejection on cheap paper.

I've had a little more success since then. I generally get a full sheet now.

 

[Ray Dario]

KarmaDog

There is a huge difference in having a story rejected for publication and receiving an email that says something like

"You are a worthless shit! Your writing is horrible and you write about things that are horrible. If I could find you I'd cut your fuckin' balls off and shove em up your ugly ass! You degrade women and men alike and deserve to die. You scumbag, shithead, fucked up, stupid, nigger lovin, piece of shit!"

An annoymous feedback I actually received for my story "Predator". It goes on, for almost an entire page but I think you get the idea. And other authors I have talked to have received even worse email.

Well anyway I feel like there is a difference.

Ray

 

[MysteryWriter]

here i go again

Well I can understand Karma. I tried to get enough to paper my office wall. The only reason I didn't is that I ran out of postage money.

And the personal attacks are my problem. I had the people who bomb a story just to do it but those I could live with. It is the ones who call you names then tell you they bombed your story just because they could. Those go beyond critic my friend. Those go to pure evil.

 

[its Leslie]

The vote bombers are certainly an unfortunate hassle.

I have voting on with my stories.

I dont know if it accomplishes anything though.

My friends vote to generously, and if I attract a jerk he bombs it.

Maybe it evens out that way.

I read a story now and then.

9 out of 10 votes I give are 3's.

A 3 to me means "keep up the good work nice try".

A 4 means "should you really be wasting the story here, maybe you should try sell it".

A 5 is my way of saying "gee thanks I needed that, excuse me while I get off, god you made me horny. I hope you are getting paid as a writer".

I have not given out a 5 yet though. And only I think 3x 4's.
But I have not read a great many stories.

I dont know if my voting accomplishes much, but it is at least a responsible way of repaying the writer for the pleasure of a quick good read.

 

[karmadog]

Ray

That is pretty rank. What I meant was that there is always motivation to be had from another's negativity. For instance, I would relish offending someone who would actually call me a n***** lover. I would print that and hang it on my wall.

As for publishers, all you can do is keep plugging.

 

[wildsweetone]

?

is it humanly possible to please all of the people all of the time?

 

[MysteryWriter]

no

If i stood on the corner giving away hundred dollar bills, someone would bitch because I didn't stand in the traffic, so that they wouldn't have to get out of the car.

 

[wildsweetone]

well, people will insist on driving on the wrong side of the road.

i could do with a couple of those actually. which corner was it?

would you have the money before you stood on the corner, or after you'd been there a while?

how much is that in kiwi dosh anyways?

geez i think i need a cuppa...

 

[Ray Dario]

9 out of 10 votes I give are 3's.

A 3 to me means "keep up the good work nice try".

A 4 means "should you really be wasting the story here, maybe you should try sell it".

A 5 is my way of saying "gee thanks I needed that, excuse me while I get off, god you made me horny. I hope you are getting paid as a writer".

I have not given out a 5 yet though. And only I think 3x 4's.
But I have not read a great many stories.

I dont know if my voting accomplishes much, but it is at least a responsible way of repaying the writer for the pleasure of a quick
good read.

Actually Leslie, I don't know how many votes you cast but you might consider this.

To get on the first page of the top lists generally requires a vote score of around 4.55 or higher. If the guy has 100 votes with an average of 4.55 and you think his story is very good so you give it a 4 then you have just dropped his score to 4.54 and off the first page and into obscurity goes the story. At this point the reads on the story drops so dramatically that it is unlikely the story will ever recover. Especially when you consider that it now takes 2 5's before his score goes back up to 4.55 and maybe back onto the first page of the top list. And if the poor guy has less than 100 votes the effect is even more dramatic.

Say the story has a score of 4.55 with 50 votes. You give it a 4. It now has a score of 4.53 (with rounding). Now not only have you cost the story it's place on the first page of the top lists but you have also cost it the nifty little "H" beside it and doomed the poor story (that you thought was quite good) to even greater obscurity.

I don't know if this will change your voting criteria or not, but it's something to think about.

Ray

 

[its Leslie]

Been wondering how those numbers worked.

I won't pretend to understand the logic, but it will impact my thinking I suppose.

I am a rolegamer by the way. By that I mean I play rolegames (no not a sexual manner at all). I mean the paper and pencil and funny shaped dice game some friends play at the table (some call it dungeons and dragons...as if that name represents the whole damn hobby).

Well any way the point I am trying to make.
One of my gaming friends insists on having his game session for the evening rated numerically. I happen to know the guys always give him a 9 (a slow game gets an 8, that rarely happens though).
So he gets like 5 nines each game session.

What does that tell him? Absolutely nothing. Beyond the fact that the ratings are pointless. His games are good average and bad. Its only natural. They are not all 9's though. But friends being friends, they like to make him feel good. Additionally, he factors experience awards off the score (can't see the worth of that though).

As I see it, 3 is the median of 1-5. The median is the average. An average story is a 3 therefore. A great story is a 4 and a superb story is a 5.

If I got 5s all the time I would turn off voting as unrealistic and not worth monitoring though. I want input, or at least input that makes sense. Sure it would be cool to get an H beside one of my stories. But I want that H to be a hard won well earned victory.

If my story is a 3 I want a 3. If my number comes out looking like a 3.X to 4.X I will be very happy. Currently I have a 4.6 on a story. I anticipate it going down a bit though. But that rating would be very impressive to me as a 4. It means my material was good.

I can tell the worth when after say 30 votes if it flattens out above 4 I know I was able to accomplish something.

I sincerely apologise if my 3's have in any way done anything to impede a writer friends ratings. I usually like what I read. I have only read a few stories here on Literotica that really did nothing for me. I have read a few that I gave 4s and I was damn impressed.

Personally the rating system needs a greater numercial range though. 1-10 might allow a person greater accuracy.

 

[Ray Dario]

Leslie;

I certainly was NOT trying to say you were doing something wrong. I wish everyone would vote the way you do. It would make the score much more usefull. However we don't live in a perfect world and people don't vote all the same. Such is life. But it relegates the votes to a singular role, placement on the top lists.

Increasing the voting span, I fear, would only increase the problem. Stories that had a 9.5 rating would see their score decreased even more by a 7 vote. And then there are those who vote 1's. Increasing the scale from 5 to 10 would just give them more power. The problem as I see it lies in human nature and is not easily solved.

So vote how you want and don't feel bad about it. I was just throwing out some food for thought.

And about my previous post quoting an extreamly bad feedback I received. I would like to add this:

Those emails are very rare. I receive one or two for each story that I post and I have come to believe they all come from the same person. In fact I believe I know who the person is. But I don't have proof so I won't make any accusations here or take any punitive action. The racial slur, disgusting as it is, I think was more of a way for them to vary their wording than a real opinion of me. Coming up with new hate comments must be quite tiring. Often they resort to the same old tired slams, which is why I suspect it is one or maybe two people. Or maybe those kind of people just have a limited vocabulary.

I receive many more positive feedbacks than negative and I relish those that praise or give constructive criticism so much that I'm not going to let the negative comments keep me from posting my stories.

But, in a way, just knowing that I have made some person so angry that they would do this hurts me. I wish they would let me know who they were and allow me to talk to them about what I did to make them so mad. Perhaps I could apologize or do something to make ammends. Maybe someday they will come foreward. Probably not.

Ray

 

[CHEWEY]

Ratings:

When I read a story on here, I rate it on wetability! If it excites me, I give it a 4. If I am out of control, I give it a 5. Sometimes after reading, ya just gotta stop and whack it! Les, I had the elusive H once! Then someone whacked my story and I lost it but the deal is I HAD IT! Some people get thier H when thier stories come out, some of us have to work for it. I'm still not sure how they are rated H on the same day they are posted. I don't know if it excited whomever was proofing them or one of thier fav writers, dunno. Sometimes I don't think it's about the story at all. We all have our favs so we assume it will be a great story when we see thier names. I have read some with H's and E's on them the same day they came out and yawned all the way through them, just depends on what your looking for. But I have also read other's that did not have the H's or E's , that made want to hide in the bushes in wait for the next unsuspecting fool that walked down my street But usually they deserve the H's and E's, but sometimes I think it's who ya know Have a good day

 

[Hitchhiker]

Fear is only from within.

You have all beaten fear to post your stories.
It took me ages reading stories to pluck the courage to take an exstract from book about my travels (still not finished!) and beating my inner fears post it on literotica.com.

That first attempt "Magic Medicine" now hardly gets read its score is around 4.19 and 7779 reads with 37 votes.
Not much in the sceam of things I know, but hey there was one real positive thing that came from that first story.
One feedback message and wow I did it I hit the button the lady loved what I had written. We have since become friends even though we are 3800miles apart ( best really as I'm happily married!!)

So what am I getting at? I write because I enjoy the challenge I have learnt a great deal and have improved on what I produce I have made contact with some of the people on this thread (hi, Ray) I think his work is really bril extremely clever and requires a certain IQ level to understand. The dicks who slag him off have only just learnt read and progress from photo's so bizzar and new ideas just confuse them.

So before this becomes a book. Remember all of you
YOU ARE THE GREATEST AND THE BRAVEST PEOPLE.
Cause you had the guts to put yourselves up to your peers to critisisum (and I still can't spell)