"Hit and Run" Criticism

[kinkqueen]

I recently received a truly offensive bit of quasi-feedback, from someone who accused me of deliberately and maliciously posting a story in the wrong Category. The story was about BDSM acts, and the lesbian-style sex acts which accompanied them, among the female faculty and students of an all-girl college. The story was posted in the BDSM category.

Here is the critics' feedback, in its entirety:
"If you are too ashamed to use the accurate catagory of Lesbian for your work you should not write. This site is open to Gay and Lesbian why hide??"

I concede that the story might have been quite at home in the Lesbian slot (no pun intended), but I do not agree that it was more 'accurately' a Lesbian story, and the suggestion that I chose the BDSM label out of shame over the Lesbian label is laughably absurd.

The reason that I called the letter 'quasi-feedback' is that its writer was Anonymous, and left no email or other way for me to reply to it. I don't know if the writer is male or female. It would be easy for me to jump to the conclusion that she is a bitterly militant lesbian who despises any attempt to deny her Cause its full and prominent place in the public Forum, but I have no evidence to support that.

I am open to critical feedback, be it positive or negative, but to make such a vicious attack ("you should not write") while allowing me no way to defend myself is inexcusable. If he/she is unwlling to take responsibility for his/her strong opinions, it is he/she who should not write.

 

[Darkniciad]

This is one of those places where the current limitations for gay/bi/lesbian tales crops up. There's always someone who thinks that *any* story with such content outside the GM and LS categories is "in the wrong place" It sounds to me like this is the case, more than someone offended that a lesbian story is in the BDSM section instead of LS where they expect to find it.

I've heard from the powers that be that new categories and a switch to put more emphasis on tags ( thus allowing greater definition of sub-genres within a category ) are in the works, most notably for g/b/l stories. With a little luck, this will steer away some readers who might not like what you've written once it goes into effect.

Take the feedback for what it is. If the story centers on the BDSM, then it's in the right category. If there's more emphasis on the lesbian aspect, then perhaps the commenter has a point. Always look for anything valid in even the most acidic comment.

Once you've pondered that, you can brush the sniping part of it off with a laugh or a shrug. Believe me, if you write stories in BDSM or with g/b/l content, you're going to get much worse in time. Consider this almost a warning shot to toughen up your armor.

I recently received a truly offensive bit of quasi-feedback, from someone who accused me of deliberately and maliciously posting a story in the wrong Category. The story was about BDSM acts, and the lesbian-style sex acts which accompanied them, among the female faculty and students of an all-girl college. The story was posted in the BDSM category.

Here is the critics' feedback, in its entirety:
"If you are too ashamed to use the accurate catagory of Lesbian for your work you should not write. This site is open to Gay and Lesbian why hide??"

I concede that the story might have been quite at home in the Lesbian slot (no pun intended), but I do not agree that it was more 'accurately' a Lesbian story, and the suggestion that I chose the BDSM label out of shame over the Lesbian label is laughably absurd.

The reason that I called the letter 'quasi-feedback' is that its writer was Anonymous, and left no email or other way for me to reply to it. I don't know if the writer is male or female. It would be easy for me to jump to the conclusion that she is a bitterly militant lesbian who despises any attempt to deny her Cause its full and prominent place in the public Forum, but I have no evidence to support that.

I am open to critical feedback, be it positive or negative, but to make such a vicious attack ("you should not write") while allowing me no way to defend myself is inexcusable. If he/she is unwlling to take responsibility for his/her strong opinions, it is he/she who should not write.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

You story is at http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=360659

Frankly this story would have been a lot better in lesbian. It seems clear that you called this a BDSM story when you posted it. The Editors were left with a toss-up.

The story really isn't a BDSM story, however. It's what we see a lot coming from that catagory, with complaints of how badly the writer was treated by "those people". It's more like a "wannabe BDSM" story. Sorry.

The BDSM crowd is very picky about their catagory. Your language really isn't quite correct, your premis is totally wrong.

I would suggest before you post in there again you read the top 20 stories in that Catagory.

 

[kinkqueen]

Thanks, Jenny

Thanks, Jenny. Your comments are valid and gratefully received, although I maintain that those I griped about earlier were not.

 

[cloudy]

If he/she is unwlling to take responsibility for his/her strong opinions, it is he/she who should not write.

I disagree. Simply because a certain feedback is anonymous doesn't automatically make it worthless. If you truly think that, then perhaps you shouldn't be writing.

While I understand the hurt you're feeling, you really should develop a thicker skin if you choose to continue writing.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

KinkQueen... everyone gets nasty comments. It's all part of the experience of exposing yourself on Lit.

That doesn't mean your story is crap. I think it was somewhat misdirected and no unlike many stories posted by new writers on this site. But that doesn't make it crap. Your writing is good, your style readable.

Lit is a learning place. You learn here how find your niche and write for your audience. That's the only real problem I can see with the story.

Fuck um, if they don't like it.

 

[cloudy]

As a rule of thumb, if a comment is left anonymous anywhere I ignore it, because I'm supposed to get bent out of shape about the opinions of somebody who doesn't have the guts to include their name because...?

See? I don't get this.

Where is it written that because it's left by anonymous that it has less value than one left by, say....me?

You willingly read/leave up the charitable comments by anonymous, yes? Don't you think its a tad hypocritical to say that anything uncomplimentary said by anonymous is worthless?

I do.

 

[cloudy]

Hold up, take a look at the edit. I made a mistake before of saying that all anonymous comments were worthless - if they include some sort of useful criticism or comments, then I'll take it into account; if, however, it's at one extreme of the spectrum - i.e. either "omg i loved thsi story i came so hard" or "FUK OFF U R SH!T @ WRITIN" - I'll ignore it without a second thought. And yes, I do ignore comments of the former nature, I detest sycophantic comments like that and so a lot of the threads in the Playground or the Amateur Pic Gallery Showoff Thing irritate me because they're often not much more than someone posting a picture and a bunch of horny guys with their dicks in their hands going "omg u so hott asl plz".
It's not written anywhere that anonymous comments have no value, they just have less than ones by people who aren't afraid to open themselves up to some retaliatory fire.

That's why a lot of people won't say anything but sycophantic compliments, because of what I've bolded here.

And I still disagree with you.

 

[cloudy]

Because they're afraid of being called out on something stupid they might say, they refuse to say anything of value?

Right. That's not stupid at all, I'm sure.

Just look at the way you're reacting to me here.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Funny how these new people show up and spew their "well-informed" bullshit, then try and pound it down our thoats when they are called on it.

 

[cloudy]

Funny how these new people show up and spew their "well-informed" bullshit, then try and pound it down our thoats when they are called on it.

Indeed.

 

[cloudy]

Yeah, I'm treating you like an idiot. I figure there's no point trying to treat a moron like anything else, so why bother? They won't understand a word you're trying to say and it ends with you smacking your head against a brick wall, so I've skipped that entire phase and am just going for the "jab the troll until she has a bitch fit". It's fun, you know.

Sure its fun, until you realize the "troll" is about twenty times more intelligent than you, and has been around here for a long, long time, and is, in fact, no "troll."

Do your worst, newb.

Why would I bother commenting on your stories at all, since you seem to have some entitlement issues?

eta: anyone that disagrees with you is a "moron troll"? Mm-hmm, I see. Have you had these delusions of grandeur long?

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Yeah, I'm treating you like an idiot. I figure there's no point trying to treat a moron like anything else, so why bother? They won't understand a word you're trying to say and it ends with you smacking your head against a brick wall, so I've skipped that entire phase and am just going for the "jab the troll until she has a bitch fit". It's fun, you know.

That me you talking to, Jenny? Looks like your sig says it all, either my Give-A-Fuck-O-Meter is broken or it's just at zero.

Hmmm... you do have another screen name, don't you, noob? Could it possibly be Annonymous??

 

[cloudy]

Yeah, I can see from the prodigious post count. You must be very proud, you've spent enough time on the Internet to get a pointless number up to thirty thousand. It's almost impressive. But, hey, I've done what I have to - you cited how you've been here longer than I have and thus your opinion is more well-informed than mine. You've defeated your argument better than I could ever hope.

Toodles!

Insults are the last refuge of idiots. You're proving yourself one with every post.

Keep going. I'm enjoying this.

 

[The_Fractal_King]

Hmmm... you do have another screen name, don't you, noob? Could it possibly be Annonymous??

He's probably a better speller than that

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Insults are the last refuge of idiots. You're proving yourself one with every post.

Keep going. I'm enjoying this.

Now, now, Cloudy. To be an idiot you have to, at the very least, me smart enough to find the OFF switch on your computer. This one... ?

 

[cloudy]

Now, now, Cloudy. To be an idiot you have to, at the very least, be smart enough to find the OFF switch on your computer. This one... ?

shhh....I want him to keep going.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

shhh....I want him to keep going.

Wow. Didn't have much staying power, did he?

 

[cloudy]

Wow. Didn't have much staying power, did he?

Apparently, he thinks yelling "neener, neener!" and running off means he "won" something.

 

[The_Fractal_King]

You're both on your high horses and wouldn't recognise logic if it killed your horse with a baseball bat.

But they're right . . .

 

[manyeyedhydra]

Ouch, that was one-sided. I think I just saw a chihuahua launch itself at a mountain lion.

 

[cloudy]

Ouch, that was one-sided. I think I just saw a chihuahua launch itself at a mountain lion.

*snort*

But they're right . . .

thank you.

it's not like I'm going to be reading it as you're both ignored.

Oh, ouch.

well, neener, neener, right back atcha.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

In. Regardless, they're both ignored so they can say what they like for everybody's else benefit.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw

 

[cloudy]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw

you forgot to "neener, neener"

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

you forgot to "neener, neener"

Ok...NEENER NEENER