I am not my characters

[Ray Dario]

I have just recieved a disturbing feedback. It seems that the excellent person who unselfishly took the time to give me her opinion believes that I have the same views as the characters in my stories.

I do not portray my stories as true, they are fiction and I write from many points of view. I often use the point of view to help define my characters. I have written a story, not posted here because of it's intensely graphic violence, where the main character was a horrid murderer. What would happen if the FBI or the Texas Rangers, the law agency not the baseball team, were to decide that, since I wrote that story from that point of view, I must be that character.

Let me assure you I would have an entire regiment of police type people bursting through my door at 2am with guns blazing.

I hope this does not happen.

Please people as you read these stories, please realize that the writers are not the characters, at least most of the time we are not. I am never my characters. I am far to closed personally to give even the briefest glimpse of myself in my writing. What I do is sit and think of a character. I decide what makes him/her different, unique, and interesting. Then I write about that fictional character, sometimes from their POV sometimes from another persons POV, sometimes I even switch POV during the story. My stories are never about me, ever! Hell I'm so dull no one would read them if they were!

Maybe I am ranting but I've had a tough couple of days. First my email box gets targeted for a DOS attack because I dared to spout my opinion on the board here and now this. I think I shall go crawl in a hole somewhere and wait for Armegeddon.

Ray Dario

 

[KillerMuffin]

That sucks man. I got a lot of fallout when I posted Tango and the two Lusty's. Tango is a rape story, and believe it or not someone bitched me out because I had a gun involved in the story and guns are awful things. *rolling eyes* Jeez, the main character was a killer, play-doh isn't exactly going to be her thing. And the Lusty's are about a Daddy doing his two daughters. Oy vey, it's fiction. Hell the two girls are named Baby and Darling, how much more implausible can you get?

Color me a sick twisted bitch cause I can write a story well enough for people to believe it came straight from the National Enquirer.

Got room in that hole?

 

[Ray Dario]

Sure KM, climb on in and we'll wait for the sky to fall together. Mmm, mind if I cuddle a little while we wait

Ray

 

[BlackDarwin]

I hear that.

I've gotten a few nastygrams from readers claiming I am my character or I wish I were my protagonist...and I guess that's the price for touching on a sensitive issue and something to be expected.

Folks who don't "get the joke" should realize that, at least in my stories, the user is really being used...but from the narrative standpoint, that's hard to tell. First-person stories are more likely to evoke this false association readers have.

I DO expect protest from women claiming objectification and abuse are not appropriate subject matter for erotica. But then, its sort of like Christians promoting intolerance from the pulpit...a contradiction that is natural in the environment. But jeez...the guy's talking about boffing a cartoon. A little perspective is necessary here. What's weirder?

 

[HotandCold]

As a new member and a lowly reader I can only reassure you all that not all of us are unable to separate Fantasy from Reality.

I loved both "Caught" and "Tango". Very different perspectives but both make me shiver! I do hope you don't stay in that hole - not unless you have all the ammenities to write some more!

 

[Ray Dario]

HotandCold,

Thank you for your kind words.

Please let me assure you that I do not consider readers "Lowly". Quite the opposite. I consider my readers to be my customers, the people I am trying to entertain. I hold all of my readers in the highest esteam. I tried to make sure I voiced this in my first post on this thread. I really hope that my words were not taken as sarcasm. That is NOT how they were intended.

That reader was kind enough to write to me expressing her opinion. While I am saddened and dismayed by her opinion it does not diminish my respect for her. I just wanted to plead with my readers to not judge me by what the characters in my story do or say. I had no intention of belittleing my readers.

To my readers, and the posters here on this board, I say. Thank you so much for reading my stories, and know this. If you send me feedback you will always have my gratitued, no matter the content of the feedback. If you are kind enough to share your email address with me, I will try my best to always reply to your feedback graciously.

Ray Dario

 

[CAT~~]

I think that sometimes people get too caught up in the stories. I'm not sure why reality and fantasy lines get so blurred on this site.
You don't assume that fiction authors are actually detectives, aliens or serial killers just because they write about them. I'm not sure why it happens with erotica. Maybe wishful thinking or maybe they want someone to relate to.
Be assured that there are people who read your stories and appreciate them for what they are.
Cat~~

 

[The_old_man]

I am,so far, a reader. I have stoeies that I would like to submit but,to tell the truth, I am a bit scared they may not be good enough to make the webmistress cut. All of the stories I have read on this site have been excelent.

As to negitive feedback: there are those who look for things to complain about. Most censores are this type. Ignore them, that makes them even mader. If you get them mad enough maby they'l have a heart attack and leave the resat of us alone.

 

[Ray Dario]

Man,

If you have stories to share, then I'm sure that I'm not alone in saying. "Please submit them."

If you feel that they still need some work, you can always use the volunteer editors here. They are very helpful and I have never had one of them be discourteous.

We would all love to see your stories so submit away.

Ray

 

[Guest]

blurred reality

Ray,

Do you write in the first person voice? Some people seem to automatically believe the author is speaking of personal experiences the second they see the word "I" in the narrative. All my strange experiences have come from my first-person stories.

I have received death threats because someone thought I was the rapist in one of my stories, "A Goth Grrrl's Screams." I could understand a person misconstruing my story to be sympathetic to the rapist--which it really isn't if you read it carefully--but to think that I actually was the rapist? Bizarre?

BUT NOT THE MOST BIZARRE! I wrote a time travel story (which I won't post here, because most of the characters are high school seniors and under the age of 18.) But anyway, in the story, an unhappy man returns to the mid-1980's and occupies the body of his high school self. I had a fan who wrote me to tell me how amazing it was that I did it, and how happy he was for me that it "all worked out the second time around!" Another wrote to tell me that it was not scientifically possible to journey back in time! Thanks, guys.

Sometimes the errors are more understandable. I wrote "Erin" in the first person, and it is a pretty straight-forward romance. I have had people ask if Erin and I got married, or if we are still together. Understandable.

Still, there are days I'm quite glad that career concerns lead me to post under a pseudonym. It might actually save me from some pretty strange people. Especially since I often write pretty dark stories.