Has anyone else drawn the ire of story critic Stacnash? 🤣

[AG31]

I'm my own biggest fan. Simply because I write exactly what I want to read. And I reread most of my own stories quite regularly. And you know what? Usually I'm quite impressed.

Me too.

What tickled me about Stachnash's mixed review of my story was the number of times they "heard" what I was trying to say.

 

[iwatchus]

How come I get "This site can't be reached" when I click on your Floggings link?

The link was entered invalidly. I think this is what @Actingup meant The Floggings Will Continue

 

[AwkwardMD]

The link was entered invalidly. I think this is what @Actingup meant The Floggings Will Continue

You have given AG31 a fish, and now she will eat for a day.

 

[Voboy]

I was going to say that I write for the pleasure of putting words to my fantasies, but Voboy explained it better:

I am hoping to find like minded people. So far I haven't. I've found a lot of interesting people, for sure, but not erotically like-minded.

"find" is not really what I meant, if you mean connecting with individuals here; I'm not "looking." But I assume every 5* vote or positive comment on any of my stories means I've stumbled on someone with the same taste I have.

The same taste in Lit stories, that is, not in terms of sexual interest or compatibility.

 

[StillStunned]

You have given AG31 a fish, and now she will eat for a day.

Unless she gives it to a cat, in which case she'll have snuggles for about fifteen minutes.

 

[Actingup]

The link was entered invalidly. I think this is what @Actingup meant The Floggings Will Continue

Thanks - I've corrected the link in my post as well.

Unless she gives it to a cat, in which case she'll have snuggles for about fifteen minutes.

Or a Labrador, in which case a thumpingly enthusiastic wagging tail and lifelong devotion. You can go a long way with the right recipient.

 

[SimonDoom]

It took some reflection to realize that they didn't understand because I didn't do a good enough job of making them understand. Once I did, I became much better at taking criticism, and learn to use it to improve, and having, improved, I got far less negative criticism.

My experience is somewhat different. For the 8+ years I've been publishing stories here, and until this day, I've had readers who sing the praises of my stories and readers who tell me they don't like them. I've come to the conclusion that both types of readers, and all the ones in-between, are "right." There's an inherently subjective element to how one reacts to a story that can't be argued with or disputed. It's neither right nor wrong. I don't strive to minimize bad comments, and I don't feel chagrin that I still get them. That's not to say that I dismiss negative criticism. When somebody says something negative but in a constructive way I try to file it away in my memory with the idea that I'll do better next time.

The one thing that sticks in my craw a bit (I emphasize: a BIT, not a lot) from a reader comment is when it is of the "this is how my gut responds" type, but it pretends to be something more objective and weightier. This is my objection to the Stacnash reviews, because I think they are VERY much of the "this is how I, Stacnash, feel" type, but they're dressed up as something more.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Fair 'nuff.

I had to learn to accept criticism of my writing. I got kicked around a bit in Story Feedback early on, and my response was "Well, these people just don't understand what I'm trying to do..."

It took some reflection to realize that they didn't understand because I didn't do a good enough job of making them understand. Once I did, I became much better at taking criticism, and learn to use it to improve, and having, improved, I got far less negative criticism.

Great point. There is the message we are trying to send, and there is the message the audience is receiving.
Good feedback allows us see things from the audience's perspective.

 

[iwatchus]

Unless she gives it to a cat, in which case she'll have snuggles for about fifteen minutes.

And awful cat breath in your face.

 

[MelissaBaby]

My experience is somewhat different. For the 8+ years I've been publishing stories here, and until this day, I've had readers who sing the praises of my stories and readers who tell me they don't like them. I've come to the conclusion that both types of readers, and all the ones in-between, are "right." There's an inherently subjective element to how one reacts to a story that can't be argued with or disputed. It's neither right nor wrong. I don't strive to minimize bad comments, and I don't feel chagrin that I still get them. That's not to say that I dismiss negative criticism. When somebody says something negative but in a constructive way I try to file it away in my memory with the idea that I'll do better next time.

The one thing that sticks in my craw a bit (I emphasize: a BIT, not a lot) from a reader comment is when it is of the "this is how my gut responds" type, but it pretends to be something more objective and weightier. This is my objection to the Stacnash reviews, because I think they are VERY much of the "this is how I, Stacnash, feel" type, but they're dressed up as something more.

Sometimes a reader critiques an authorial choice as if they have a better idea, when they don't have the information or perspective to know why you made that choice.

For example: There is a scene in an early chapter of Mary and Alvin, in which they are returning home from a night out that ended with them having a tough serious talk about where their relationship is going.

On the way home, a song comes on the radio, and Alvin, who is a Maine guy and so is reluctantly to bare his feelings, sings along softly to himself, just loud enough for Mary to hear.

Recently, a reader commented that I should have had him singing Jimi Hendrix' The Wind Cries Mary. I assume just based on her name.

The song I used was Elton John's Tiny Dancer. Why that song?

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady...

Mary is from Los Angeles.

Ballerina, you must have seen her...

Mary took ballet lessons when she was young.

Hold me closer, tiny dancer...

The word tiny is key here, because Mary has some serious Daddy issues and Alvin is significantly older than she is. And among those issues? The fact that her father had no interest in her as a child, and never went to any of her dance recitals. Years after the fact, Alvin is subconsciously giving her the approval she never got from her father.

Count the headlights on the highway...

They are literally on the frickin' highway in the scene.

I don't doubt that the reader considered their comment to be friendly. Like, "Ooh, what if?" But, while they had no ill intent, it is sort of demeaning. Look at how much effort I put into aligning the story and the song. I didn't just come up with a song that had the right name in it.

I think a lot of critique is like that, from other authors as well as readers. I said earlier in the thread that I came to accept that if I am misunderstood, the onus is on me to be a better explainer. But sometimes, people aren't going to get your choices, because they just ain't you. And you have to be good with that as well.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

This ain't a site to be publishing literary master pieces. It's an EROTIC site for primarily sex stories.

That is probably true, although I am sure there are authors who will disagree.

This is an interesting topic, but before we can meaningfully talk about whether there are masterpieces on Lit or not, we need to define what a masterpiece is. It seems to me that many people miss the fact that this is mostly a matter of frame of reference.
If we are to compare "best" Literotica stories with the stories of some great writers of mainstream literature, then yeah, it's hard to believe that there are any masterpieces here. I've never read a Lit story that comes anywhere close to being compared to what great writers managed to produce.

But what if we compare Lit stories against themselves? It stands to reason that some stories could be true masterpieces in that frame of reference, because the average Lit story is actually a pretty weak piece of literature. Now, to be honest, I've read Lit stories in the range from terrible to excellent, but I can't say I've ever read a story that I would call a masterpiece. So even in this frame of reference, I couldn't claim that there are masterpieces. But also, logic implies that there could, and maybe even should be some.

Once again, my main point is that when we want to answer the question about the existence of masterpieces, we need to be clear about the frame of reference, about the stories we are comparing them against. The reason why I find a story to be a masterpiece and you don't, might not be because we disagree about the quality of the story but because we are using different frames of reference.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Posting stories on a free site like Literotica, can be both edifying, and painful. Sometimes those emotions are only minutes apart..
To create something, and put it out attracts criticism, and praise.
Some will like, and some will hate.
"You cannot have a thin skin and post. You will get flayed alive...
Critics are everywhere...
IMO, accept the fact you will not please everybody.
A critics opinion, is only that. The voice of one person.
An open mind is the most important tool when reading a critique. You don't have to accept it... It is only one opinion, in an ocean of differing perspectives...
There's an old adage about not laughing at others until you can laugh at yourself.
Criticism, might be like that. If you want flattery, expect some scathing criticism...
There is no right or wrong in creating anything, merely differing view points...

Am I right??? Fuck no, it's just another shitty opinion.

Cagivagurl

 

[Djmac1031]

So as an experiment, (although I suppose some will simply call it an unabashed attempt to get someone to read a story, and they might not be wrong,) I'll post the link to the ONE story Stacnash reviewed that led them to determine I am a Three Star Author. NOT that the story itself is just three stars, although that's what they rated it, but apparently my entire catalog.

https://www.literotica.com/s/in-plane-view-1

Now, as i mentioned in earlier comments, I didn't ENTIRELY disagree with some of Stac's comments. So in the interest of transparency I'll try and break down exactly what I do or don't agree with and why.

Their review will be in quotes.

I thought this was pretty average, which is perfectly fine. I wouldn’t say that there was anything dreadful about it.

It’s a shorter piece, so you opened with a nice hook and placed us straight into the action. But I felt like your descriptions were a little dry and unimaginative, which didn’t help set the table for what you had in store later on.

“Dry and unimaginative” - they say this without providing a specific example, so it's really hard to take seriously. Which descriptions? The ones of the characters? The setting? Both?

For me, any piece that uses language like “labia” and “vulva”, while referring to “her sex”, moves into a territory where you’re sacrificing heat and sensuality for clinical descriptions more befitting a biology class. That was the biggest issue for me, in that you struggled to generate any heat that would get me invested in what Jess and Bradley did together.

This part I took to heart. Because I agree, word choice in a sex scene is key to getting the desired result (arousing readers) and if it's too dry, too clinical, then the emotions and feelings can get lost.

I've strived to improve in this area.

On top of that, you struggled to build any chemistry between the pair. I noted that she played with herself, unashamedly, while letting him watch, but she got embarrassed a few times with her actions. For a successful adult content creator, Jess would’ve benefited from being presented with more confidence and a willingness to take charge of Bradley, a regular civilian, who was out of his depth.

This is reader interpretation and I cant argue it either way.

I also felt that there was a clash between the spice of Jess’ profession and her husband’s terminal illness that did you no favours when trying to seduce the reader. The themes clashed and it was just too difficult to find this arousing.

Its fascinating to me that readers enjoy stories about sex workers but have issues when we authors attempt to humanize them and give them real world problems.

In the main, this is a well written piece from a structural standpoint, but there were a few issues with messy punctuation and grammar at the start.

Fair enough, we all do that even after endless editing passes. But again no examples.

Also, and this is just my opinion, but you spent a lot of time describing Bradley sleeping and feeling tired. In a short piece like this, front-loading your work with talk or sleep and fatigue makes me feel tired just reading it. I’d recommend aiming for the opposite in your future openings.

This made me laugh, because yeah, in my best Dude impersonation, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

So overall, it's not a brutal review, nor does it feel personal. And I did not take it as such.

My only REAL objection, as others have pointed out, is being included in a list of “Three Star AUTHORS” on the basis of ONE story.

 

[MelissaBaby]

My only REAL objection, as others have pointed out, is being included in a list of “Three Star AUTHORS” on the basis of ONE story.

You don't know that, though. She may have read a number of your stories and chose to write about one she thought is representative.

She reviewed one of my Halloween stories, which is neither one of my highest or lowest scored, viewed or commented, but somewhere around the middle. Why that story, unless she thought it was around my "average".

 

[Djmac1031]

You don't know that, though. She may have read a number of your stories and chose to write about one she thought is representative.

Possibly. Although they strike me as the type that wouldn't be able to hold back their comments on ANY story they read.

As for the "averageness" of my catalog, I'll just say most other readers disagree and at least LIKE my stuff.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Possibly. Although they strike me as the type that wouldn't be able to hold back their comments on ANY story they read.

As for the "averageness" of my catalog, I'll just say most other readers disagree and at least LIKE my stuff.

It could also be that she just read one, and chose it based on some unknown criteria as to why she was representative of your work.

Not pointing at you in particular, but when the subject is Stacnash, this forum turns into the Lit version of one of those early Christian synods debating endlessly about the nature of the trinity or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

 

[Djmac1031]

It could also be that she just read one, and chose it based on some unknown criteria as to why she was representative of your work.

I think Stacnash's Lists would be better served... and more accurate... by being lists of Five Star to One Star STORIES, not AUTHORS.

After that, while it can be interesting to discuss when the subject comes up, I don't spend much time weeping or gnashing my teeth over one review that honestly wasn't that terrible.

 

[StillStunned]

how many angels can dance on the head of a pin

One, assuming that he has a partner who knows the gavotte, and of course is also able to dance on the head of a pin.

 

[MelissaBaby]

One, assuming that he has a partner who knows the gavotte, and of course is also able to dance on the head of a pin.

Now we will have to fast for a week while we contemplate whether you have posited the presence of a second pin.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

You don't know that, though. She may have read a number of your stories and chose to write about one she thought is representative.

She reviewed one of my Halloween stories, which is neither one of my highest or lowest scored, viewed or commented, but somewhere around the middle. Why that story, unless she thought it was around my "average".

Oh, come on, let's not make up ways to give her credit. I checked those lists quite thoroughly and read the comment/review she left for each story in the list. In every single case, the score she gave the story perfectly corresponds with the star rating of the author. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is rating authors based on the score she gave to the one story of theirs she chose to review.

 

[StillStunned]

My story Bound to the Blade has a demon fighting a poison in a human's bloodstream, and eventually overcoming it by fucking it. It makes sense in the story.

For the sequel, I'm going to have to have the demon fucking on the head of a pin.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Hmmm, should I dissect their criticism of my story and point out where I agree, disagree, or don't quite agree and post it here?

 

[KittyOfSteele]

After reading this thread since it started, and seeing how active it is, I have to ask the public:

What is worse? Stacnash LARPing as Pisanus Fraxi on Literotica? Or the huge division that someone LARPing as Pisanus Fraxi has done? Because at some pages this doesn't feel about Stacnash anymore...

 

[Djmac1031]

Hmmm, should I dissect their criticism of my story and point out where I agree, disagree, or don't quite agree and post it here?

I did. Why not?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

After reading this thread since it started, and seeing how active it is, I have to ask the public:

What is worse? Stacnash LARPing as Pisanus Fraxi on Literotica? Or the huge division that someone LARPing as Pisanus Fraxi has done? Because at some pages this doesn't feel about Stacnash anymore...

Like many threads in the AH it's taken a life of it's own. I'd say we're having a good time and a productive discussion of our various perspectives on feedback.

Overall I consider that a good thing.