Frustrating commentors.

[Cruel2BKind]

Right now I have a guy who is tearing through my stories, and leaving comments on them. A lot of the time, it is constructive criticism, he is catching grammar mistakes that I'm making, and so on. I have a thick skin, I can handle people telling my that my grammar is not the best.

But what he is doing is condemning the level of violence in my stories. Every comment is raling on the violence in my stories.

I can't change that! He obviously likes reading my stories, or he wouldn't have already gone through two of my longer series. All he ever does is bitch and moan about story elements that I am not willing to change.

I'm going to leave him up, because the only comments I've ever deleted were double-posts, but he's frustrating.

Any of you have commentors that get you angry?

 

[sr71plt]

If he bothers you that much, just delete the comments. You can use the constructive parts of what he posts without leaving the comment there with the parts he harps about that is part of your writing style/themes that you don't intend to change.

You could try first posting to one of his comments directly, telling him thanks about the constructive criticism but that a element he harps on is something you purposely write for your targeted audience and that if he doesn't stop harping on that, his comments are history. And then follow through if he doesn't stop.

 

[annanova]

I've been pretty lucky *knock wood* with the comments I get. At the same time, I've read plenty of stories where I've seen commenters that really go overboard. I get annoyed with the (always) anonymous idiots who attack the writer personally.

 

[LaRascasse]

Been there... people somehow don't like it when you deviate a bit from the lovey-dovey good stuff. Although I sometimes take it a step further and kill someone off.

Take this comment for instance

by Anonymous
11/10/12

NOT GOOD

if i want violence i would watch reality tv or read the papers keep the garbage out of the incest area. this belongs in the NONEROTIC area.

 

[TxRad]

That's all he wants is to get under your skin. He has his own agenda and that is that. If you ignore people like that, most of the time they get tired of no response and move on.

 

[lovecraft68]

My opinion is you just let it be. YOu said some of his stuff is constructive right?

So to me he's not a true troll.

In fact I would find it a little flattering that he takes the time to make the remarks and as far as story elements, that tells me he is into your story enough to think "I think this would have worked better"

I'll give you my example. The movie se7en? Loved it. But I always went back to where they almost had John Doe in his apartment and kept thinking, "It could have been so much cooler if..." but I would not have done that if I didn;t enjoy the movie.

Someone has to be invested in your writing to take it that seriously so I don;t think he has ill intent.

Coming from someone who deals with a lot of "you fucking sicko" I wouldn't mind a troll like him.

My take would be to not let it get to you, I think they mean well.

But that is only my opinion, you're the writer

 

[sr71plt]

That's all he wants is to get under your skin. He has his own agenda and that is that. If you ignore people like that, most of the time they get tired of no response and move on.

There's a type of really crazy Internet nut who never "just moves on." You are, I'm sure, quite aware of that. Just put them on a version of ignore--and remind them occasionally that that's where they are in relation to you.

 

[TE999]

Methinks you have either a Cyberstalker or a really obsessive fan. There are countless millions of people out there with no lives outside of the internet and he would seem to be one of them.

You should keep the constructive comments and dump the rest (unless they amuse you).

IMO anyone who posts negative comments on a story as 'Anonymous' is either ashamed to be seen on a porn site or is a sniveling coward.

 

[sr71plt]

IMO anyone who posts negative comments on a story as 'Anonymous' is either ashamed to be seen on a porn site or is a sniveling coward.

And, therefore, that an author can feel to dump for whatever reason they want to.

 

[TimothyM]

Well, it's tricky that question. Quite a few authors here have signature styles, meaning that they have key elements in their writing which almost always appears. And very often those elements are a large part of the attraction - part of the reason why we find the story fascinating.
So yours is violence / cruel circumstances, robcub32 is known for the nerd/bear setup, red likes hairy arm pits and so on (just to quote some GM examples
And you get someone complaining about the violence, and robcup have readers grumbling about how it annoys them that the little guys are always crying and weak. I'm sure other writers are also confronted with the paradox of readers liking their stories but then getting turned off by some of those things that are almost the reason you know it was written by a certain author.
Maybe it's a matter of too much of a good thing
but I have to admit some of your stories make me shudder too. I just try to accept that in order to read them and enjoy the good parts, I have to live with the horrible bits - which do make the tender loving nuggets stand out more. And the relief when there actually is a happy end !

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Well, it's tricky that question. Quite a few authors here have signature styles, meaning that they have key elements in their writing which almost always appears. And very often those elements are a large part of the attraction - part of the reason why we find the story fascinating.
So yours is violence / cruel circumstances, robcub32 is known for the nerd/bear setup, red likes hairy arm pits and so on (just to quote some GM examples
And you get someone complaining about the violence, and robcup have readers grumbling about how it annoys them that the little guys are always crying and weak. I'm sure other writers are also confronted with the paradox of readers liking their stories but then getting turned off by some of those things that are almost the reason you know it was written by a certain author.
Maybe it's a matter of too much of a good thing
but I have to admit some of your stories make me shudder too. I just try to accept that in order to read them and enjoy the good parts, I have to live with the horrible bits - which do make the tender loving nuggets stand out more. And the relief when there actually is a happy end !

Thanks

I can't help it. When I try to write sunshine and rainbows, not very much happens. My contest story (stars sulfur, taste of ash) and my shy jared series are really the only ones without a terrible amount of violence or ostracism. I hope that my squeamish commentor finds them and leaves me alone.

The problem is, that it's all one comment. He gives me a nugget of advice and then suggests that I get off on violence and tells me I'm a horrible person.

 

[TimothyM]

The problem is, that it's all one comment. He gives me a nugget of advice and then suggests that I get off on violence and tells me I'm a horrible person.

Oh, no, no, no. You are NOT a horrible person. If you wrote your stories so that the violence itself was the point - or even the thing that got the characters or the reader off, now that would be bad.

But you clearly have such compassion and care for the characters in your stories. Yes, they suffer and are hurt both physically and emotionally, but you make us feel sorry for them and hope that they will find love and happiness.

In fact, that may be part of the problem: the way you describe your characters attract readers who emphasize with them - and some will be put off by the bad stuff. And it's fair enough to say so, but not to suggest that you are horrible or should change the way you write.

Cheer up, I'm sure all your fans will rally to your defense in the comment section, when they see this. Any particular story you would like me to go to and bash the nasty guy ?

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Cheer up, I'm sure all your fans will rally to your defense in the comment section, when they see this. Any particular story you would like me to go to and bash the nasty guy ?

Thanks again, but please, don't worry about it.

this guy just managed to get under my skin a little. It will be kind of enjoyable if anyone gets all huffy at him. I know that in my tenderness series, one guy said that the romance was moving way too slowly, and two or three people said he was a dick. It will be fun to see if my reluctant admirer gets any flak.

 

[glynndah]

I had one commentator who bewailed my "taking the Lord's name in vain". Ever since, I've hesitated a bit when writing blasphemy.

 

[sr71plt]

I had one commentator who bewailed my "taking the Lord's name in vain". Ever since, I've hesitated a bit when writing blasphemy.

Spell it "gawd" and "jezuss" and it will do fine. It will go right over their heads.

 

[Darkniciad]

Spell it "gawd" and "jezuss" and it will do fine. It will go right over their heads.

Dropping the capital G ( unless it starts a sentence ) works as well.

 

[sr71plt]

Dropping the capital G ( unless it starts a sentence ) works as well.

Agreed. Although this gets a little subtle for the true fundamentalists--the ones just itching for a reason to bitch.

 

[lovecraft68]

I had one commentator who bewailed my "taking the Lord's name in vain". Ever since, I've hesitated a bit when writing blasphemy.

You could just have a Spanish character named "Jesus" and say they're reading it wrong.

 

[lovecraft68]

My worst harrassing one-he followed me through several chapters of SWB- was a guy who repeatedly called me a racist because I had a character use the word "nigger"

He was fighting a black man and called him that to piss him off and get an edge. A common tactic in a street fight. I even have the character who was watching the fight (it was her pov) have the thought, that that was why he did it.

Guy harassed me through lit feedback for awhile. I did try to explain it as he did send an e-mail to respond to, but he wouldn't let up, even sent me links to supremacist web sites and ask if they were my friends.

I just ignored him and he eventually went away.

His first comment was the only one I have ever deleted because he called the site out for being racists themselves for allowing me to use that word, so I ditched it out of respect fro the site.

 

[xelliebabex]

Agreed. Although this gets a little subtle for the true fundamentalists--the ones just itching for a reason to bitch.

True fundamentalists reading porn and God has not smote them? (smote/smited)

What are the Gods coming to these days.

 

[3113]

True fundamentalists reading porn and God has not smote them? (smote/smited)

It's fine so long as the couple is married and the sex leads to kids (or so the true fundie would likely say)

 

[sr71plt]

This message is hidden because lovecraft68 is on your ignore list.

 

[TE999]

It's fine so long as the couple is married and the sex leads to kids (or so the true fundie would likely say)

Worse yet, the sex might lead to dancing.