Non-authorial threads in the hangout

[KillerMuffin]

I noticed that some are starting to pop-up around here.

While I have no qualms with people discussing whatever they want to, I don't want to see this place turn into another Lit Personals and the huge brouhaha that happened when that board had to have the general threads split out of the personals.

I think people come here to discuss author-oriented things and I'd hate to see it come to the point where they can't do that without a lot of frustration.

Maybe I'm getting all revelationistically gloom and doom here, but I do think that the residents of this board should probably come to some sort of concensus on this issue before Laurel's moderation becomes necessary. There is no reason for this board to be moderated and I'd like to see it continue to evolve as it has without moderation.

So, the question is how do you feel about threads that aren't about authorial stuff? Are they on topic or off topic? More to the point, what do you consider to be authorial v. non-authorial?


Note: I'm not a mod here. I have no more influence or anything else than you do. At least in my own mind, I don't.

 

[BigTexan]

A little is fine, but a lot sucks!

I'm new to posting here, but have lurked for long enough to understand what KM is saying.

It tends to ebb and flow with the way off topic posts. I really don't mind threads that are a little off topic, but the WAY off topic threads waste my time. They did even when I was just lurking.

One other thing I have noticed. Non-Authors here.

One reason I lurked, was that I didn't have any stories submitted. I wasn't about to voice my opinion until I contributed to the site. I didn't think I had the right too. But there are some here who appear to not have any submissions. I won't name names, and I'm not putting anyone down. But how do the other authors feel about this?

BigTexan

 

[KillerMuffin]

You're more than welcome here!

The thing is that some people post here under one name and put their stories up under another. People can sometimes get their stories blasted because of the way we post on the boards. There are also people who are authors, but don't give a way for free.

I think that you had every right to post here before you had something submitted. I don't think anyone here is begrudging for the most part.

You will get the lashback of "let's see you submit something and then you can talk to me, you jerk!" whenever there's someone who posts a less than glowing piece of feedback. I don't think most of us are concerned with experience, though.

 

[wildsweetone]

granted you have a good point in general terms KM

i read somewhere that the Author's Hangout is a place where readers and authors can hang out - ask questions etc.

however, the couple of threads i've begun in the last month or so have been extremely enlightening in many ways (for me at least). the topics discussed under the 'laundry' thread and the 'etiquette' thread have been extremely varied (feel free to take a look).

i have to say i dislike very much the threads where people are here simply to pick up possible lovers (watch that term ). i suggest that if that's all you're here for, then go play on one of the other Forums. (perhaps Laurel could add something to that effect on her 'stickey').

i also loathe the nastiness i've noticed in some threads. it sickens me to the stomach to see people disrespect each other in such a manner.

i do like that i can pick and choose which threads i read and which i can post on. i'm learning to avoid the 'cum hither' ones... still learning that.

i do suggest that the thread title is more specific to what the thread is intending to discuss, that saves a whole load of time of reading.

but, it's part of life when a thread suddenly shoots off at right-angles from the original topic intended. as a writer and reader, i enjoy the experience of the way people's minds wander.

i think if a particular thread becomes 'unruly' then it is up to the person who began the thread to at least try to pull it together before things fall apart.

as for my comments on threads begun by others... hmm what can i say? sometimes 'wild' sneaks in and brightens my day. i apologise if that offends anyone, it's certainly meant with no malice or nastiness.

having said all that, there's nothing quite like a bit of spice in life to stir the emotions.

(for americandemon: you didn't piss me off dear. i answered your thread as soon as i came online this morning. i am not generally around over the weekend - my time.)

 

[Quasimodem]

I must say that I agree with WSO.

Having sat through all too many uptight business-oriented "focus" groups trying to "brainstorm" their way to a new insight, please allow me to comment that this seldom works.

I have said it elsewhere and else when, but most of the truly original or effective ideas with which I have been involved, have come out of left field, during the unfettered exchange of some of the most unlike of subjects.

To quote: "Have a question for the author of your favorite story? Need some help writing your own story? Ask in here." But, these instructions fail to disclose what "questions" or "help with writing" is authorized, and which anathema.

Is "Author's Hangout" to become a place for authors to exchange spelling, grammar and punctuation tips? A place to share addresses of Erotica publishers accepting unsolicited MS? To argue over the superiority of third person rather than first person, narrative?

This Forum can not be for the exchange of story plots, or to help developing them, or else what is "Story Ideas" for? Likewise, the exchange of pats, pans, and analytic review is the purview of "Story Feedback" and/or "Story Discussion Circle".


Possibly, the Management would erect another Forum, say" Author's Den" for the untrammelled exchange of anything on, or off-topic, that takes their fancy.

That would leave "Author's Hangout" to become only slightly more productive than "Editor's Forum".



PS To AD: Try to suppress your apparent ambition to perform suttee.

 

[Guest]

annoying?

i do like that i can pick and choose which threads i read and which i can post on. i'm learning to avoid the 'cum hither' ones... still learning that.

I agree wholeheartedly with WSO's whole post... surprise!

Non Author oriented threads will just sink to oblivion if they don't receive responses...

I do think carefully before I post a thread here... higher standard of relevance to writing. Whether everyone agrees that what I am interested in is valuable to writing is iffy, but I have gotten some good ideas to use in stories, along with some good perspectives to remember while writing.

Thanks for the thought provoking thread, KM... As Sophlocles said: An unexamined thread is not worth posting to.... or he would have said it if they had had Lit then...

 

[Guest]

Out of similar literature bulletin board sites, I would have to say Lit is the most orginized and has the most board topics for its posters. Laurel and Manu have offered many different boards from discussing stories and poetry submitted here, to a Q&A for help, to brainstorming ideas for new stories at Lit, and so on.

I've taken a lot of heat in the past and have been called a bitch (among other things), but I feel Laurel and Manu gave us different boards for a reason. I only wish I was still a Mod to the Personals back when it became a "second Gen board". I can certainly say I would have moved those posts to the Gen board long before The Playground was created.

Anyway, I don't see anything wrong with people posting appropriately to the board they are in. Sure, people make friends here, and sometimes it's easy to "hijack" a thread or to post in a board that is not appropriate, but there is nothing wrong with keeping some kind of order at Lit. Laurel and Manu wouldn't have created so many different boards if they didn't care where people posted.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Get a grip AD. I was neither attack nor saying that off topic threads were bad. I didn't define what off topic threads were. This thread isn't about you, it's about the forum. Now grow yourself a spine, stand on your hind legs, and be a worthwhile member of this forum like the rest of think you are.

I just noticed in the past few week a series of threads that didn't have anything to do with writing or authorship showed up and I was thinking that before this blows up into a big brouhaha which I've just witnessed in two other forums over similar things. Nasty fights and hurt feelings aren't what I'd like to see happen here at a regular basis.

I am not saying they should go or they should stay. I am saying that this board should arrive at some sort of general consensus about these threads and how this board should go so everyone can enjoy it here, not just the few who only want to talk about strictly writing mechanics or the few who only want to play and flirt and have fun. I know my preferences, but because I prefer it that way doesn't mean that's the way it should be.

I'd like opinions, not action. It's our board and we should all guide it. We can't do that if we don't discuss it. I just don't want to see a lot of fighting here. I don't think I'm alone in this.

 

[Whispersecret]

I come here to talk about writing. If I wanted to participate in polls about what category turned me on, to giggle over avatars, gnash my teeth over politics or religion, or satisfy someone's need for attention, I'd go back to the General Board.

I consider the Author's Hangout a haven from that sort of silliness. Now, I too have seen a little of this appearing here and there. And I have to admit, I've been a little nervous. Flirting and thread hijacking can flare out of control very quickly, mainly because it's fun. You get a group of people together with common interests. Soon there are inside jokes flying around, people forget the purpose of the forum, and boom, you have a Playground where, in order to find the threads from which you can learn something, you have to wade through dozens from which you can't.

I don't want to be the Fun Police, but I'd certainly like for us to be careful about the balance of topical discussions and fluff. A little fluff is fine. Too much, and we lose something I consider valuable: a place to focus on writing.

To answer Big Texan's question, I think anyone is welcome here, not just authors. I've seen many a post by a non-writer that I valued or learned something from. Readers' opinions are valid too. However, I WILL get peeved if someone who clearly doesn't know jack shit about, say, pov, tries to tell people how it works. Also, the mere submitting of a story doesn't make one worthy of posting on this forum.

Off-topic threads aren't 'bad,' they're just misplaced.

 

[wildsweetone]

hmm

so, should we perhaps define the threads that are 'allowed' in the Author's Hangout then?

does whispersecret's thread about being turned on by one's own writing ( http://www.literotica.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=116929 ) count as an authorial thread or non-authorial thread?

i'm simply asking about this thread in particular because i feel it is indicative of many which appear to require authors to answer very personal questions in this Forum.

i have no problem with what threads are begun in the AH. i am in control of my own mouse and what buttons it clicks on (except when it dives to the left of the screen).

 

[DVS]

Possibly, the Management would erect another Forum, say" Author's Den" for the untrammelled exchange of anything on, or off-topic, that takes their fancy.

Well, Author's Den would be for male authors only, though

 

[DVS]

Overall, I really don't see a problem. But, I have only been around since April.

You oldtimers need to decide this stuff

 

[Guest]

formal?

I have said it elsewhere and else when, but most of the truly original or effective ideas with which I have been involved, have come out of left field, during the unfettered exchange of some of the most unlike of subjects.

I agree with Quasi's assessment... I am wrestling with an idea that came off of his "with dessert" thread... I can almost put my writing around it, but don't want the story to come out "flat"- pun intended...

In general, and I know that this will sound snobby, IMHO the people who hang out in the Author's Forum have a different approach to being here and life in general... Talking shop is great, but the hanging out together and throwing around the conversational ball with people who look at life as writers is good mental gymnastics for me. And I laugh a lot.

There is an edge to the posts and a twist in the humor... not to mention a vocabulary that stretches my "little grey cells". Yes, Quasi, I had to look up suttee....

A big thank you to everyone who makes Author's Hangout a good place to be...

 

[its Leslie]

Well we all know I am incorrigible, but I ain't going to my corner solo heheh.

A certain young lady and she knows who she is, spent an entire evening with me once deliberately seeing how long we could keep our silliness nonsense thread at the top of the page.

She knows who she is

I can try keep my posts more author relevant I guess (I do wander).

But Author's Hangout to me means just that a Hangout for Authors.

Topics are nice if they are useful author topics, but assuming we are all authors, I think as long as we are all interested in seeing the world through writers eyes as relevance enough.

General Forum though, nope, same reason I don't use the General Forum much on a number of other web sites of interest. The threads rarely interest me in any noticable fashion, and they are usually hostile.

And if people think I am mean heheh whoooo boy you need to visit a wargaming forum. Wargamers (old style grognards), combine a strong literacy rate, with an obsession for minutae that would make a lawyer cringe .

 

[ronde]

I watched this board long before I ever submitted anything. I came here to learn from authors who are serious about writing. It is my opinion that the subject matter on this board should remain related to writing, be it the "how to's", the "why's", or the "what happens if's". Since actual writing styles vary considerably, as do the "technically correct" styles promulgated by various texts, a discussion formum like this is very enlightening to a beginning author.

I am still learning from the authors who post here, and although I don't always agree with everything said, I have developed a great respect for those posting their opinions and ideas.

I always attempt to view things with an open mind and a realization that we all have different reasons for posting on a board. It just seems to me that this board should be a safe haven for (mostly) serious discussions on a topic with a very wide range of opinions. I would in no way suggest that it should become an elitist club full of stodgy authors discussing the relative merits of quotation marks and elipses. It's actually quite difficult to imagine most of the authors here as stodgy, and I find their humor to be refreshing.

Other boards exist for the multitude of needs of Lit posters, and it would be a shame if one were required to sift through threads full of one line posts to discover the pearls of wisdom scattered about on this board.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

For what it's worth:

I'm about 100% in agreement with KM on this issue. Freedom of speech is fine but off-topic posts are a pain. I'm a writer, I come to Lit because I want to be a better writer and there are damn few other sites that let you work on love/sex scenes.

My main bitch with the off-topic folks is that there are plenty of other places for them to hang their hats. This spot has just under 20K posts and less than 2K threads. If someone wants to flirt, post photos, flame, even, "toot their own horn," let 'em go to the General Board which has more activity (over 1.6 million posts and 60K threads).

That said, my way of handling those posts is to ignore them, and unless they got so bad the regular writer-type folks quit coming, I'd be opposed to removing anyone's thread.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Guest]

Just a reminder...

The caption under the General board stated:

Want to talk about something not covered anywhere else? Try this board!

 

[Whispersecret]

so, should we perhaps define the threads that are 'allowed' in the Author's Hangout then?

Oh, no. That's going too far. Let's just all exercise our own judgement.

does whispersecret's thread about being turned on by one's own writing ( http://www.literotica.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=116929 ) count as an authorial thread or non-authorial thread?

Actually, people misunderstood my question. I asked "Can a person write a hot sex scene and not be personally aroused by it?" I should have put the word "not" in bold. I haven't been aroused by my own writing in a while, and I was wondering if that was indicative of a "cool down" in my style and whether my sex scenes were becoming pedestrian. I wondered if any other authors had experienced something similar.

But I digress.

i am in control of my own mouse and what buttons it clicks on (except when it dives to the left of the screen).

I admire that strategy, but in practice, it doesn't always work. A few thread-happy people can easily dominate a board, even if hundreds of other people ignore the threads they start.

Yet, this forum isn't the General Board either. The GB teems with goof offs. (At least it used to. I haven't been there in a year or so, so I couldn't say for sure.) The Author's Hangout is mainly a group of intelligent, sane, mature people. Perhaps the danger of being overrun my idiots is being magnified out of proportion.

All I know is that I like to come to a place where people care about improving their writing and the silliness doesn't run amok.

 

[wildsweetone]

just a thought...


the majority of new threads begun in a manner entangled with 'silliness' are threads from newbies. it doesn't take long (when treated with respect and caring) to help them to realise that this Hangout is not the GB.

(i apologise up front for doing this americandemon, but i need a specific example, i hope you don't mind.)

i believe americandemon is a newbie to Lit and to computers. has anybody bothered to find out if he needs help in getting around the Lit program, or his computer?


***
what is it though that keeps us clicking into those daft threads that pop-up? is it part of human nature to peep 'just in case' something interesting occurs? is it not this lack of self control that drives us nuts after we realise we've been tricked by our own selves yet again?
***

thanks WS for explaining what i'd missed... interesting how things can be misread by so many people.

 

[BigTexan]

To answer Big Texan's question, I think anyone is welcome here, not just authors. I've seen many a post by a non-writer that I valued or learned something from. Readers' opinions are valid too. However, I WILL get peeved if someone who clearly doesn't know jack shit about, say, pov, tries to tell people how it works. Also, the mere submitting of a story doesn't make one worthy of posting on this forum.

Whisper, having re-read my post, I realize that what I said sounded, well, arrogant and snobby

Sorry about that. It wasn't what I meant. I just didn't feel right about spouting off my half-assed opinion before I contributed to the site as a whole.

I'll say this: The authors on this board are, for the most part and with a couple of VERY arrogant exceptions, some of the most intelligent, stimulating people I've met. I can certainly ignore a few off-topic posts in order to promote a more open attitude.

On the whole, I agree with KM in that I don't want this becoming GB part 2. But I also agree with WSO that tolerance is our best quality. I don't think the views are mutually exclusive.

A few off-topic posts are inevitable and not at all bad. Too many and it becomes problematic.

BigTexan

 

[its Leslie]

What exactly is an "on Topic" post exactly?

What specifically is being referred to?

Is the Writers Hangout to become a sterile "how to" zone?

Should we refrain from all material save that devoted entirely to the skill of writing? Isn't that what text books are for?

I am much more than a writer.

I am a wargamer, a fan of space sciences, an ecologist, a lover of Japanese anime, a woodworker, a model maker, and a rolegamer. I am all those things.
I won't mind if people ask me to refrain from dragging in each and everyone of my hobbies.

But to me Author's Hangout implies a place where Authors hang out. Nothing more, nothing less.

The only reason for a person having trouble hanging out here (if they are going to have any trouble at all), is if they can't relate to those of us here that like to write.

 

[BigTexan]

What exactly is an "on Topic" post exactly?

What specifically is being referred to?

The only reason for a person having trouble hanging out here (if they are going to have any trouble at all), is if they can't relate to those of us here that like to write.

An excellent question Leslie, couched in a virtual sea of arrogance, but an excellent question none-the-less.

I would think a thread that had absolutely nothing to do with writing in even the most remote manner would be "off topic"

Say a thread that says something like.

"Any chicks want to cyber?"

or

"I'm gonna be in Chicago next week. Any of you hot little bitches want to fuck?"

I'm sure others will have more examples for you Leslie.

BigTexan

 

[its Leslie]

Well I can certainly see that your examples lacked much to do with "writing" per se.

Not sure where you got the "arrogance" in my message though, that's purely your own invention. As for a sea of arrogance?

All I mentioned was a person "might" have trouble hanging out here. For the same reason a person might have trouble hanging out on any forum if the forum was intrinisically isolated in purpose.


As for "arrogant I think you meant something sounding like this perhaps.....

"I don't want any illiterate fucking losers, or uneducated peons in the Authors Hangout, babbling about shit that has no importance to me".

That was of course, just an example of what I did NOT say.

I am rapidly getting to the assumption, that more of the writers in here, need to get good and fucked a great deal more often, so they are not nearly as uptight.

Sure helps me

 

[BigTexan]

Leslie, I think you may have "asshole" and "arrogant" a little confused. I understand that, because many who suffer from arrogance also are assholes.

But I do NOT want this to turn into what it is turning into.

So I'll say that I'm sorry. The comment about arrogance was unnecessary to the conversation and should not have been made.

Point being that if the thread obviously belongs in another forum or is not something that ANY of us here would be interested in, then that post is, IMHO, off topic.

 

[Guest]

What exactly is an "on Topic" post exactly?

Is the Writers Hangout to become a sterile "how to" zone?

Should we refrain from all material save that devoted entirely to the skill of writing?

To me Author's Hangout implies a place where Authors hang out. Nothing more, nothing less.

According to the captioning Laurel (or Manu) placed under the Author's Hangout...

Have a question for the author of your favorite story? Need some help writing your own story? Ask in here.

Laurel and Manu set up their site the way they did for a reason. They wanted some structure and order to their site. They wouldn't have given us so many different boards with destinct purposes had they not.

It's something to think about, at least...