Question?

[SheDevilShay]

When you go over someone's story (I understand how important technical grammar and structure is...) If someone wants constructive feed back... is there truely a way to please every person? I don't think there is...

I truely think that while one person would love it, another person would hate... and even if you try to find a happy medium... it doesn't always exsist....


Do you feel this is true as fellow writers?

How do you cope with that? What are the methods of dealing with negative critisim, especially if you feel that you don't want to change something for a specific reason.. (i.e. someone doesn't get the same "point" you do, so the story to them is lacking or missing a key factor, but you see it, and other's see it...)

How do you please the masses? whats your goal, your target? how do you find a way to write that will keep the majority happy? How do you know who to listen too and who the majority is???

These are some questions I've put a lot of thought into and have sort of come to some of my own conslusions, i.e. the writer just has to be happy with their work and its a take it or leave it type situation unless they ask for their editor to fix it.....

but, before that editor even exsists...how do you know?

How do you know if its even worth trying? how do you know people aren't just giving you a hard time, or being nice because they dont' want to hurt your feelings? who can you believe? how do you know what to believe and how do you learn to trust your instincts when it comes to your stories and the people you work with?



(I am also asking this because i've had some stuff published but hacked up by bad editors and was always afraid to stand up for myself... and I guess I feel if I am going to look like an idiot, I want to be because i AM a idiot...and its my OWN words that make me that way....)


Anyway this would apply to E publishing and Print publishers as well...

So feel free to answer my quest and sorry its so long.

 

[neonlyte]

My immediate reaction (probably wrong) is if you feel you are writing for 'someone else' find a writing job that pays money.

First I write for myself. Then I write (non-Lit writing) for a small group of people (extended family and friends) whom I can rely upon to give objective criticism. I have used Lit in the past to test ideas, ways of telling tales, and occassionally, to exorcise imagery that intrudes upon other writing I wish to accomplish. When I have used a Lit editor, I've found their comments useful and pertinent serving to improve the technical content rather than the 'story'.

 

[SheDevilShay]

My immediate reaction (probably wrong) is if you feel you are writing for 'someone else' find a writing job that pays money.

First I write for myself. Then I write (non-Lit writing) for a small group of people (extended family and friends) whom I can rely upon to give objective criticism. I have used Lit in the past to test ideas, ways of telling tales, and occassionally, to exorcise imagery that intrudes upon other writing I wish to accomplish. When I have used a Lit editor, I've found their comments useful and pertinent serving to improve the technical content rather than the 'story'.

I am new to literotica, but I run a writers group... the only "suggestions" i've ever gotten is on technical stuff... (rolls eyes)

Which is fine and all.. but I write because *I* love to write.. and I want to become a better writer, which is why I keep plugging away... (I am only speaking from personal experience here as to not intrude or speak for other's experiences with this...)

When I wrote my gaming articles... I'd have someone hack up my work... they'd change it.. put words that weren't mind.. and I could catch 20x the grammar/technical errors that I had...

I guess for me, if I make it pretty, its pretty fix the Grammar issue's and leave it be.. if you don't like the story.. fuck you! don't read it..

unless you have an idea to protray in a way that is helpful and not offensive...

In my limited experience so far, people have been extremely (not on this site, but others) nazi's about grammar.... which is fine and all, but if I ask for feed back on the story itself... don't bring out your red pen just yet... or vice versa....

Here's the thing that bugs me, i've got thousands of books in my house.. (literally.. I have storage unit filled with boxes of books i've read and don't have a garage for at the current moment...)

and the books I don't like.. I just get rid of... I don't think what a shitty fucking author this person is.. (even though I have read some... like a romance story that WAS NOT A ROMANCE story.. ugh... I don't give a shit about the crappy whoreish sex she has.. if I am expecting something and its not what you say it is.. thats horrible to me...)


I write, for my love of writing... so when you write, and your writing for yourself, besides the obvious technical issue's....

who do you listen too when they give feed back on your work?

how do you know hwo's out to help you? and who's just out to be annoying?

(I want to clarify I have not come across anyone like this yet... but from my mother writers group, you guys seem fairly "tame" so far...so far being the key phrase here haha...)

I get the difference between writing for money, and writing as a hobby...

For me, my hobby has "goals" but its not about monetary gain... its about personal satisfaction...


First, because I am new here, I am going to ramble because its a nervous habit.. even online and I am feeling the site out, the people out and the situation out....

I will also say, as a writer, that if its presented in a take it or leave it style, that doesn't come off as offensive or bossy, I take it way better....

If you tell me I suck ass and this is what YOU would have done.. well I feel like.. "fuck you do it yourself than you mother fucker..." (pardon the pun since I am a mother....even though I have baddddd language...)


so, if your going for print publishing... as a goal.. even though its not for monetary gain... who should you be pleasing? who should you listen and take into consideration....?

 

[Sapphire_O]

The first rule of writing for an audience is "know your audience." This can help you weigh your feedback. Is this feedback coming from a member of my intended audience? Yes -- then listen to what they have to say with an open-mind. No? Then what they have to say is not particualrly relevant, so fuck 'em.

As for a "happy medium," my advice is to stay as far away from that as possible. A happy medium is code for middle of the road, average, or unexceptional. Set out to be exceptional -- please yourself as a writer and satisfy YOUR audience.

And that's my two cents.

 

[SheDevilShay]

The first rule of writing for an audience is "know your audience." This can help you weigh your feedback. Is this feedback coming from a member of my intended audience? Yes -- then listen to what they have to say with an open-mind. No? Then what they have to say is not particualrly relevant, so fuck 'em.

As for a "happy medium," my advice is to stay as far away from that as possible. A happy medium is code for middle of the road, average, or unexceptional. Set out to be exceptional -- please yourself as a writer and satisfy YOUR audience.

And that's my two cents.

Makes sense and is a very thought out answer... (I would assume anyways...)

 

[Frank Noir]

I wouldn't say I'm only writing for myself. But I think I'm writing for someone like me. I write stuff that I would like to read myself.

And I'm open to criticism, if I feel that the other person understand what I'm getting at and what I'm trying to acheive.

On the other hand, if they want me to write a completely different kind of story, it's not helpful.