To delete or not to delete...

[oggbashan]

...public comments, that is.

Or should it be the story?

My latest, 'Trapped' was written for a nylon fetish group on Yahoo. I should have put it in 'Fetish' or probably I would have been wiser not to post it at all on Literotica.

Three comments so far, all against the story. I won't say they are 'negative' comments because they are reasonable statements and not unrealistic.

If I were to delete them I would be deleting genuine criticism.

I'm inclined to leave them as reminders that I do, from time to time, write crap and 'Trapped' is one example.

What would you do if you had written a bad story?

Vote now, please.

Og

 

[Guest]

I voted that I never write a bad story, which is not true. Rather, I would not post a bad story.

I would delete any truly negative comments w/o value to me.

Perdita

 

[NoJo]

I haven't posted any stories since Literotica introduced public comments. But I'd probably leave them, and bribe a few sympathisers to swamp the negative comments with good ones.

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

Jose, you can turn PC's on for your stories; all of mine had been posted before the new feature arrived. P.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

I'm still a novice here, but I would consider the source of the criticsm. Writing is like painting, or any other artform, some people are going to like it, others will not.
Some times you need to be thick skinned. If it is a constuctive criticism fine, but if it's a jackass with no concept of writing quality, I would ignore it.

~A~

 

[oggbashan]

'Trapped' is no. 8 in the number of public comments for last 24 hours so its badness is highly visible.

Thanks, Lime, for the comment that I take risks. The story is really a simple morality tale for a specific audience. The risk was exposing it on Literotica.

So far, I'm inclined to leave it. It can join Donna and White Scut among my stinkers (in Lit terms). Stag Party is the REAL stinker but my excuse is that it was an early work before the post-graduate education in the AH.

Og

 

[Boxlicker101]

I would not delete genuine criticism. If it something like: "This story sucks", I might delete that because it doesn't mean anything but if it is valid, constructive criticism, I would leave it. If it's a personal attack or a complaint about the subject matter, I would delete that.

 

[oggbashan]

I think that this criticism IS genuine, and deserved in context.

Whether I set myself up for it?

I'm still thinking.

Og

 

[oggbashan]

Here are two of the comments...

What was that shit?
04/07/04 by Anonymous in USA
For one thing, the obvious category for this was Fetish.

Secondly, while he was an ass, despite what she said, she was the one who was acting like a child, throwing the equilvalent of a temper tantrum.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weird...
04/07/04 by Anonymous in ATlanta Underground
Interesting in a very weird sort of way. But it all came from absolutely no where. The man's insistence on sex was boorish, but there is nothing in the story to suggest his wife would retaliate in such a bizarre way. The offense might merit a cold shoulder and a week of abstinence...tops.

And what's with all the nylon? Again nothing in the story suggested the wife had a nylon fetish.

Weird...I continued reading only because it was so weird I thought it might be explained. It wasn't. It just continued to be weird.

In most cases like this, the author has some scene they want to write out, but they are too unmotivated or too lazy to spend the time setting the scene up. I've been guilty of it myself.

 

[NoJo]

Jose, you can turn PC's on for your stories; all of mine had been posted before the new feature arrived. P.

I did not know that. I shall, nevertheless, remain blithely idle regarding remediation (excuse me, must be static interference affecting the language centre in left temporal lobe)

 

[Guest]

blithely idle

What a lovely little duo. That static does wonders, eh? P.

 

[McKenna]

.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I have to agree with what Mac said. As for the criticism, I would call it valid although I might not agree with it. (I haven't read either story.) If you can, I would remove the first line of the first one because that is just crude but I would leave the rest, as a matter of integrity.

If you choose to delete the stories, then, of course, delete the PC also.

 

[CharleyH]

i had posted a story that got shuffled to lesbian, where it did well ratings wise, but had Laurel change it to Voy/ex, where it is lower rated. I understand why it would be, not because I'm not an amazing writer, but the subject matter. I wanted to see a) how it might rate in that crowd and b) if anyone from that crowd had anything bad to say about the subject.

I have not received any bad PC's, and if someone wrote genuine criticism that I felt deserved to be there, even if I might not agree, or if I understood on an intellectual basis - then yes - i would leave it.

However, anything beyond that - like assholes posting their brain farts . . . well - I would remove that since I have no interest in IQ's below 90

 

[Edward Teach]

...public comments, that is.

Or should it be the story?

My latest, 'Trapped' was written for a nylon fetish group on Yahoo. I should have put it in 'Fetish' or probably I would have been wiser not to post it at all on Literotica.

Three comments so far, all against the story. I won't say they are 'negative' comments because they are reasonable statements and not unrealistic.

If I were to delete them I would be deleting genuine criticism.

I'm inclined to leave them as reminders that I do, from time to time, write crap and 'Trapped' is one example.

What would you do if you had written a bad story?

Vote now, please.

Og

Og,

You are donating your time and talents to write for Lit, regardless of your personal reasons for doing so. Whether the story was an experiment, you didn't spend enough time on it or whatever caused it to turn out less than you may have liked, you don't deserve nor should you have to take getting beaten up over it, particularly in public.

Negative Public Comments generate more negative comments and negative votes. A "delete" ability was put into the PC feature, I'd use it. Delete all of them. Fuck 'em.

If you want to delete the story, fine. If you want to edit the story, fine. If you want to leave it as is, fine. It is your story and I don't think you should have to feel bad about it regardless.

Teach

 

[gauchecritic]

I think they are really useful comments Og, useful in the way that Beneton use ads. They draw attraction to the product whether good or bad, the only sort of comment I'd delete would be "Nyeah, it was ok I suppose."

Gauche

 

[English Lady]

I'd just leave any of my stories where they were and ditto for the comments unless they were completely and utterly nothing to do with the actual story i'd leave'em be. but then I am very laid back*L*

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I delete bad public comments. thus far they have all been from Mr. Anon and have all run counter to the other comments the story is getting.

In my view I wrote the story, I put in the work, I went through the trouble of editing formatting and submitting. Why should Mr. annon get a free ride and use my work as a vehicle to display his wit & charm to the world?

If the PC isn't annon and raises good points I would be inclined to leave it. I do not feel my work is in any way beyond reproach. I would tend to believe a thoughtful PC that points out weaknesses should be kept, just as thoughtful bad feedback is. Thus far that hasn't been the case.

-Colly

 

[sweetnpetite]

I read the story ogg, and I liked it. I left some comments. they weren't very nice. Well, they were nice to you, but not nice to the other comment leavers (so I didn't leave my address). Sound like a bunch of whiny guys who don't like the way the husband got treated.

If you want to change the category, all you have to do is resub it as REVISED and change the category,and just to be safe put why you are resubmiting it in the notes feild (resubmiting in order to change category)

I leave all my stories up, good or bad. Someday I might try to make some of them a little better. Even if I don't, it sorta tracks your progress. I wish the stories were listed cronalogically instead of alphabetically. Oh well.

Your pretty much used to being misunderstood and unappreciated aren't you? Leave or delete the comments, but ignore them. And leave the story.

-Sweet

 

[shereads]

What would you do if you had written a bad story?

I'd be so proud that I had written and posted a story. Then I'd lie awake all night, fighting the urge to proofread it after the fact, which would turn up a hideously obvious error. Then I'd take an ambien, miss a day of work, and eventually find out how to delete the story. The fact that someone had read it and commented before I got there in time would haunt me for weeks, whether I deleted the story or not.

But og, really - the nylon fetishists? They're notoriously disloyal.

One little snag, and they run.

 

[oggbashan]

Thank you sweetnpetite.

'Trapped' was reasonable for its intended audience - not good; but acceptable.

The same is true of a few of my stories that I wrote for a specific audience. What hurt and made me start this thread is that the public comments and critical feedback are valid and apparently from people who like some of my other work.

I don't think anyone could like ALL of my stories because some of them are exercises in writing for a particular audience. Some are written as a deliberate experiment.

I take comfort in the realisation that 'Trapped' was my first flop for some time. My four Earth Day stories (including the one written as Jeanne_d_artois) are all apparently liked even if they won't win or (curses) not come last.

Even some of my flops have fans. I still think that it is wonderful that I and other authors on Literotica can write stories that get read by so many people all over the world - and we get such immediate feedback on our stories. It is an education that authors of even 10 years ago would envy.

Og (back to writing the next story)

(edited for PS) I made a bad error with Jeanne's latest episode of Pantomime Dwarf. I wrote it at high speed when the Muses were being cooperative but... my printer was out of ink and I hadn't got a hard copy of part 2. After I'd submitted part 3 I changed the printer cartridge and printed parts 2 and 3. Then I found that in already posted Part 2 I'd invented names for the minor characters who didn't actually appear until Part 3 - but now they all had different names. Luckily it hadn't been posted and I had cut and pasted, so I revised the names in a hurry. Perhaps it was a 'senior moment'.

 

[shereads]

Re: Re: To delete or not to delete...

Having read the comments...Good lord, og. Why give these people any power at all?

As Teach correctly points out, you write stories that people get to read for free. From a reader's perspective, I still can't understand how someone could become so involved with a story that they feel compelled to comment, if they disliked it so thoroughly.

Don't forget, og, for every reader who trashes a story there are others who just don't post comments to most of what they read. I'd delete the comments that aren't worth respecting, before I'd give these people the satisfaction of having had their trash noted and acted upon.

If you delete the story, you make these people partners in directing your work. They haven't earned it.