Opinions

[Dar~]

Okay, I had my Reviews and Essays piece submitted, and it posted. My problem is, I am getting bad scores b/c people don't agree with me. I don't mind if people don't agree, I just think it is poor form to score someone lowly b/c their opinion differs from yours.

Many of my comments say "well-written" or "well- researched" but then jab me in the spine with a low score b/c they feel I am wrong.

Is this a good way of scoring? What do you think?

I don't mind being scored low b/c I am not a very expereced write., I mind b/c it is only that our opinions differ that is causing them to score me badly.

 

[thebullet]

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Dar~
You are absolutely correct, IMHO. It's the quality of writing that should be evaluated. If someone disagrees with your ideas, they can write a rebuttal piece -or if they must, include the disagreement in their public or private comments. But if the writing is good enough to evoke an emotional response, either positive or negative, then it's a good piece and should be judged accordingly.

For example, I read your piece and have my differences with it in terms of message. No one can dispute the quality of the writing.

What I missed was in your failure to address the health of the mother. A total ban of late-term abortions insures that some mothers will experience serious adverse consequences. Any decision about late term abortions must allow for some 'breathing room' to account for the special cases where such things are not only appropriate, but necessary.

Other than that, good piece.

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Dar~,
I just wanted to say that it really pisses me off when there is a knee-jerk response to a story based upon the reader's predudices and opinions. This isn't limited to the Reviews and Essays category. Loving Wives, Interracial, Incest, are three others that I can name that generate this kind of knee-jerk response.

I guess what I'm saying is, if you don't approve of interracial stories, you shouldn't be reading them and voting on them. But some of the public criticisms of these stories would make the KKK proud.

And there are people who villify a 'loving wives' story if there is cheating without divorce. No reconcilliation is ever possible. If it happens, then thumbs down, regardless of the quality of the writing!

If the writing is good, then the piece should be rated accordingly. I always have maintained that Ian Fleming could write the phone book and make it interesting. The content of the prose is secondary to the quality of the writing. Period.

 

[English Lady]

People vote with their hearts. As much as it'd be nice to think everyone votes on quality and not for any other reason on a story, you'll always find it's not the case. I don't think there's much you can do about it either, it's just how it is. take salve from the snippets of praise, and don't get carried away with your vote score. It's the only advice I can offer

 

[Dar~]

I am not terribly worried, and I was warned. I just never thought about voting based on my agreement with the subject of the piece. It was a bit of a shock to me.

 

[sophia jane]

There are some who will give compliments along with their criticisms, which exlpains why people will say it was well written and then continue on to express their own opinions. I don't know what kind of scores these people gave you because I can only read your comments, but from the comments it seems that only one or two have been completely unfair in their reactions.

 

[Dar~]

There are some who will give compliments along with their criticisms, which exlpains why people will say it was well written and then continue on to express their own opinions. I don't know what kind of scores these people gave you because I can only read your comments, but from the comments it seems that only one or two have been completely unfair in their reactions.

Those one or two are the ones I am speaking about. I enjoy constructive criticism. It is a way to achieve one of my goals; becoming a better writer.

 

[thebullet]

There are some who will give compliments along with their criticisms, which exlpains why people will say it was well written and then continue on to express their own opinions.

Sometimes you will read a story that has wonderful aspects and glaring errors. Or sometimes there is something in an otherwise good story that detracts from the experience.

Telling the author about it can only help. How can she know what she needs to improve unless someone tells her?

Recently I've seen a number of new authors who have a real problem with grammar or spelling or word usage, and yet their stories are excellent. Heck, if they write 'cereal' and they mean 'surreal' (this happened just last week!), I suggest you break it to them gently.

And of course the standard pronoun misusages: "your" instead of "you're"; "it's" instead of "its"; "there" instead of "their" or "they're" --- some people consider themselves the grammar police, others just complain and mark down. I used to be that way, but now I've reformed. I'll put up with almost any spelling and/or grammar problem if I can speed through it without interupting the flow of the story.

I can sit here and criticize, but then in my next story I'll write "waist" and mean "waste", so everyone is guilty of it. Until Microsoft develops a program that recognizes context, we'll just have to live with their standard spell checker. As for the grammar checker: screw them. No damn computer better tell me how to write.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I don't know, Dar. I haven't read your essay, and the topic is not one I'd enjoy, so I think I'll stay away.

There's a reason that debating teams typically choose very bland, non-emotional topics to debate. It's because they want the jury to concentrate on the form and style, not the content, which is what you're asking for. If you're going to write about either side of the abortion issue--or about welfare, or illegal immigrants, or school prayer, or Iraq, or any of a thousand other emotional issues--people are going to look at your content first. That's just human nature.

So no, I don't think you should be surprised that you're being graded on content.

 

[LadyJeanne]

I don't know, Dar. I haven't read your essay, and the topic is not one I'd enjoy, so I think I'll stay away.

There's a reason that debating teams typically choose very bland, non-emotional topics to debate. It's because they want the jury to concentrate on the form and style, not the content, which is what you're asking for. If you're going to write about either side of the abortion issue--or about welfare, or illegal immigrants, or school prayer, or Iraq, or any of a thousand other emotional issues--people are going to look at your content first. That's just human nature.

So no, I don't think you should be surprised that you're being graded on content.

That applies to sex stories, too. People read erotica (or smut, if you prefer) for content, not form. Form can detract from the content, but it's the content that stirs people.