How do you handle comments?

[TadOverdon]

I don't seem to attract clowns to my writing - I'd never turn anon comments off. Some of my best comments have been from Anon.

I hear around here the worst are in Loving Wives. It may have been the cuckoldry in one story of mine that triggered most of the ones I got.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I hear around here the worst are in Loving Wives. It may have been the cuckoldry in one story of mine that triggered most of the ones I got.

When I first started reading on Lit I wandered into most categories. Wandered into LW, whoa! Never went back there - I simply could not believe the vehemence of the commentary.

 

[TadOverdon]

When I first started reading on Lit I wandered into most categories. Wandered into LW, whoa! Never went back there - I simply could not believe the vehemence of the commentary.

I think some insecure men are afraid the stories are How-To manuals.

 

[gordo12]

I think some insecure men are afraid the stories are How-To manuals.

LOL, got it in one! The LW crowd is the 10th wonder of the world or a terrorist group! I'm not sure which applies more.

And thank you (not sure which one of you) for the kind comment you left on "The Bet." I appreciate that.

 

[TadOverdon]

LOL, got it in one! The LW crowd is the 10th wonder of the world or a terrorist group! I'm not sure which applies more.

And thank you (not sure which one of you) for the kind comment you left on "The Bet." I appreciate that.

Sure, it was clever and well-written.

 

[Nonsense01]

My only writing is autobiographical cuckold stories. I didn't realize it when I started to post, but it seems to really offend people on here.
A few thoughts:

1. I'll never understand why someone would read something they don't like. Especially on a site like this. Reading something you don't like, then taking the time to post offensive comments makes me just think the poster isn't too bright. When I realize that, I do not hold any animosity towards them, because they do not have the capacity to understand how to act rationally. The anger that flows though makes me feel sorry for them.
2. When someone posts something that they would not say to the author (in this case, me) in person is cowardly. It comes across loud and clear that the person is unhappy and also a coward. I do feel pity for them, but a bit less sympathetic
3. My retelling is autobiographical. I try to be as open and honest as possible. I do change some name and other things for people's privacy, but other than that it is just be being open and admitting what I am. People seem to get angry if the story doesn't go a certain way. I guess my reaction to this is the same as #1.
4. The feedback I appreciate the most and if the author of the feedback gets angry with me on it, I respect, is feedback on my typos, grammar, spelling and writing style. I deserve the beating I get there and honestly appreciate it.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I just got an email from my number one fan on Literotica, the guy who posted the nasty personal insults as comment on my first posted story here.

Since I set my options not to receive anonymous feedback, he just sends the stuff using a throwaway email address.

He's an author on the site, seems to have been around a couple of years.

Anyway, here's his latest flattery:



I do struggle with categorizing the very long stories that are broken into chapters, as I've mentioned in another topic here. Been following the best advice I've been given in this forum, and keeping all the chapters in a single cat (most all the chapters at least reference ongoing family relations between the characters). Sadly, no one solution seems to be ideal.

His user name doesn't happen to be dh(something or other)? I had this guy post like that on my stuff, I just deleted it as I found it. On the first one I told him exactly what would happen to each comment I found. He finally quit. He was also that most brilliant of readers where he told me he was giving me zero stars.

 

[Beta_Krogoth]

I haven't really gotten any so far on this site. Not sure if thats good or bad but the ratings have been good so far!

 

[SimonDoom]

How do I think about comments? I don't overthink them. I don't let them get under my skin. I acknowledge that when I publish stories, people will respond to them in ways that I don't expect, and I have no control over that, and I don't ever fret about it.

If I get a positive comment, sometimes I respond to the commenter, if the person has left their name. Sometimes I don't. I enjoy praise, just like everybody else.

If I get a negative comment, I think about it. I think about whether they are right and whether I could have written the story differently. Sometimes I think, "Yes, they're right." Sometimes I think, "This person is a narrow-minded jerk."

I've sometimes been surprised or mildly shocked by negative comments, but I've never let them affect my mood.

My attitude is you just have to keep moving forward, doing your thing, enjoying the good and putting the bad in perspective the best you can.

 

[gordo12]

My only writing is autobiographical cuckold stories. I didn't realize it when I started to post, but it seems to really offend people on here.
A few thoughts:

1. I'll never understand why someone would read something they don't like. Especially on a site like this. Reading something you don't like, then taking the time to post offensive comments makes me just think the poster isn't too bright.

The thing is they DO like it. They're battling a fatal attraction and lashing out in anger over their inability to control their emotions. They're closet cucks in training.

Nobody would be here day after day to read those stories and rant without a serious attraction to the literature.

 

[windar]

My only writing is autobiographical cuckold stories. I didn't realize it when I started to post, but it seems to really offend people on here.
A few thoughts:

1. I'll never understand why someone would read something they don't like. Especially on a site like this. Reading something you don't like, then taking the time to post offensive comments makes me just think the poster isn't too bright. When I realize that, I do not hold any animosity towards them, because they do not have the capacity to understand how to act rationally. The anger that flows though makes me feel sorry for them.
2. When someone posts something that they would not say to the author (in this case, me) in person is cowardly. It comes across loud and clear that the person is unhappy and also a coward. I do feel pity for them, but a bit less sympathetic
3. My retelling is autobiographical. I try to be as open and honest as possible. I do change some name and other things for people's privacy, but other than that it is just be being open and admitting what I am. People seem to get angry if the story doesn't go a certain way. I guess my reaction to this is the same as #1.
4. The feedback I appreciate the most and if the author of the feedback gets angry with me on it, I respect, is feedback on my typos, grammar, spelling and writing style. I deserve the beating I get there and honestly appreciate it.

I understand that your feelings on negative comments may be influenced by the fact that your stories are autobiographical, so it's easy to see them as an attack on you as a person, not just you as a writer. My stories are very far removed from my real life (considering some of the things that happen to the characters, that's a damned good thing) so I can't take them personally. All you can do with that is realize that you've made choices that you feel are right for you. They might not be right for someone else, but your story shoudn't be taken as a demand that anyone live as you do.

As for people reading stuff they don't like, I have a multi-chapter story on here. Almost all the comments were very positive. The one guy who made negative comments made them on several chapters. Now, personally, if I started Chapter 1 of a story and hated it, I wouldn't read Chapters 2-12, but this person did. Possibly a masochist?

 

[Nonsense01]

I understand that your feelings on negative comments may be influenced by the fact that your stories are autobiographical, so it's easy to see them as an attack on you as a person, not just you as a writer. My stories are very far removed from my real life (considering some of the things that happen to the characters, that's a damned good thing) so I can't take them personally. All you can do with that is realize that you've made choices that you feel are right for you. They might not be right for someone else, but your story shoudn't be taken as a demand that anyone live as you do.

As for people reading stuff they don't like, I have a multi-chapter story on here. Almost all the comments were very positive. The one guy who made negative comments made them on several chapters. Now, personally, if I started Chapter 1 of a story and hated it, I wouldn't read Chapters 2-12, but this person did. Possibly a masochist?

I think you're spot on. Thanks

 

[Big4Wheeler]

I understand that your feelings on negative comments may be influenced by the fact that your stories are autobiographical, so it's easy to see them as an attack on you as a person, not just you as a writer. My stories are very far removed from my real life (considering some of the things that happen to the characters, that's a damned good thing) so I can't take them personally. All you can do with that is realize that you've made choices that you feel are right for you. They might not be right for someone else, but your story shoudn't be taken as a demand that anyone live as you do.

As for people reading stuff they don't like, I have a multi-chapter story on here. Almost all the comments were very positive. The one guy who made negative comments made them on several chapters. Now, personally, if I started Chapter 1 of a story and hated it, I wouldn't read Chapters 2-12, but this person did. Possibly a masochist?

Very well said!
For me it is even more personal to write about my fantasy. That really comes close to who i am, more than writing about things i experienced.

 

[Djmac1031]

Depends really. Occasionally I do thank commenters for a particularly kind comment, or respond to a question.

I've rarely bothered to respond to negative feedback unless it was actually given as constructive criticism and not just "this sucked."

Unlike Facebook or Twitter, the comments section here really isn't designed for regular active engagement between author and readers.

I do always encourage feedback and have answered all emails or PMs, even the negative ones...again, as long as it was constructive.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I think you're spot on. Thanks

I read your first story, and I'm a fan of the swinger, sharing, and hot wife stories in LW. (Not a fan of the humiliation.) I just don't bother to read comments, because I know most are negative.

Your story had a lot of distracting inappropriate wording (ie. "As I'm not 57 and Donna is 56," not should have been "now" in that context). As for the content, you don't build the main character with any past or context as to WHY he would react as he did (unemotionally, and just accepting) on his honeymoon when being dissed and humiliated by his wife, and then readily accepting a gay encounter in the middle of the night. Without context, it's just unlikely to happen. It may be a real personal experience. But tell the readers who and why you are.

I was told that with my first stories when received poorly, and two editors pointed it out to me. "WHY are they doing that?" So, I wrote several background chapters, and replaced my first efforts.

As a new writer, I write what I know. And that puts us too close and makes it personal (as Windar pointed out). So, criticizing our characters is personal.

 

[Nonsense01]

I read your first story, and I'm a fan of the swinger, sharing, and hot wife stories in LW. (Not a fan of the humiliation.) I just don't bother to read comments, because I know most are negative.

Your story had a lot of distracting inappropriate wording (ie. "As I'm not 57 and Donna is 56," not should have been "now" in that context). As for the content, you don't build the main character with any past or context as to WHY he would react as he did (unemotionally, and just accepting) on his honeymoon when being dissed and humiliated by his wife, and then readily accepting a gay encounter in the middle of the night. Without context, it's just unlikely to happen. It may be a real personal experience. But tell the readers who and why you are.

I was told that with my first stories when received poorly, and two editors pointed it out to me. "WHY are they doing that?" So, I wrote several background chapters, and replaced my first efforts.

As a new writer, I write what I know. And that puts us too close and makes it personal (as Windar pointed out). So, criticizing our characters is personal.

Thanks Lifestyle66.

This is a great example of good, constructive, and welcome feedback!

 

[Lifestyle66]

Thanks Lifestyle66.

This is a great example of good, constructive, and welcome feedback!

Thank YOU for taking it well.

I took such critique of my first efforts and created three chapters to build JUST my main character, explaining how he became to be a clueless, unemotional geek. I've posted those stories as my "Lifestyle" series. But even now realized I needed to go back and further edit and enhance those. I have (in the works) revisions to even the newly posted ones, which I now need to further expand on the wife's character to show who she is and why she is that way.

This writing seems to be a never-ending revision process for me.

 

[Nonsense01]

Thank YOU for taking it well.

I took such critique of my first efforts and created three chapters to build JUST my main character, explaining how he became to be a clueless, unemotional geek. I've posted those stories as my "Lifestyle" series. But even now realized I needed to go back and further edit and enhance those. I have (in the works) revisions to even the newly posted ones, which I now need to further expand on the wife's character to show who she is and why she is that way.

This writing seems to be a never-ending revision process for me.

It is accurate.

I realize I'm banging away on the keyboard while I'm working most of the time. So, multitasking, plus me not being a writer ads up to typos galore.
I'm trying to get better and seeking someone to review/edit the stories. I realize a bit too late that posting stuff that is laden with errors is really disrespectful to the reader and I don't want to do that.

The postings aren't fiction. The non-typo feedback you give is valid and I need to open up on some of the background more.