Write a controversial opinion

[onehitwanda]

Coke or Pepsi? Which is better? For my money both are slop. Rootbeer is the ONLY soft drink worth a damn.

Comshaw

Root beer tastes like cheap and shitty toothpaste.

The "best" soft-drink is Fentimans naturally-fermted ginger beer. The second best is San Pellegrino Limonata.



for our deprived brethren and sistren across the pond - sucks to be you

 

[AwkwardlySet]

After decades of writing and dozens of submissions, one can no longer hide behind the immunity of being an “amateur.”

For many authors here, this delve into writing smut was their first attempt at writing altogether. It was so for me too. It takes time to hone the skill, and this is only a hobby for many authors. Being an amateur isn't an excuse; it's the truth for most of us here.

The one thing I do mind here is the excessive praise with which some people shower each other on the forum. There's being positive and supportive, and then there's the AH over-the-top praise that completely loses its point. We ARE amateurs here. There are good stories here, but they are not THAT good.

The reason I criticize such an approach is because when you do nothing but praise and praise and praise, it all loses its sense and potency. There have to be some mediocre or simply decent authors and stories, too. There's too much coddling here that kills the critical word.

I would understand it if this were the place for teenagers, like AO3 is in good part, but the median age here is 50 at least. Why do senior adults need so much coddling and ego stroking? The teacher in me can't support such an approach, even if I'm mostly resigned to the reality of AH.

 

[TheLobster]

Would he be begging to differ before or after he’s screwed the fancy rich lady in first class?!

Before; he had his French girls, after all.

 

[AwkwardMD]

For many authors here, this delve into writing smut was their first attempt at writing altogether. It was so for me too. It takes time to hone the skill, and this is only a hobby for many authors. Being an amateur isn't an excuse, it's the truth for most of us here.

The one thing I do mind here is the excessive praise with which some people shower each other on the forum. There's being positive and supportive and then there the AH over-the-top praise that completely loses its point. We ARE amateurs here. There are good stories here but they are not THAT good.

The reason I criticize such an approach is because when you do nothing but praise and praise and praise, it all loses its sense and potency. There have to be some mediocre or simply decent authors and stories too. There's too much cuddling here that kills the critical word.

I would understand it if this were the place for teenagers, like AO3 is in good part, but the median age here is 50 at least. Why do senior adults need so much cuddling and ego stroking? The teacher in me can't support such an approach, even if I'm mostly resigned to the reality of AH.

Glad to see this change of heart.

 

[GuiltyCowboy]

Before; he had his French girls, after all.

And I suspect he would have uploaded his drawings to the Visual Artists forum.

But, to be po-faced, Titanic is another story in which the wealth enables the sex. No rich lady, no sex! He didn’t tell the story of Jack with the French girls.

 

[iwatchus]

There's being positive and supportive and then there the AH over-the-top praise that completely loses its point. We ARE amateurs here. There are good stories here but they are not THAT good.

The overall quality here is worse than the overall quality of books for sale say on Amazon, without a doubt. But they are not disjoint sets, quality wise. The best of the stories here are easily better than many of the schlock that gets sold. On Amazon or in your local bookstore or especially grocery store. I don't think anyone on here is in any danger of winning a Pulitzer prize. But there are several good writers on here, without any need to grade on a curve.

For amateur writers or hobbyists, they are great writers. And many of us who are not good writers in an absolute sense or even for hobbyists, are still learning and improving. Life and crappy comments beat us all down at times, the praise we give to each other is a balm against those injuries. In my mind, it is an important function of this forum to keep each other going.

I am one who can be effusive with praise for writers who I think deserve it. I guess that comes from my style as a college professor. I have always been considered a hard professor and I know some students avoid classes with me because I will make them work, harder than they want to. And I will give honest feedback on their work, which can be disheartening. But I give effusive praise when it is earned and that is a big help to students when I have them feeling too stupid to succeed. And I guess I had a personal rule as a manager in industry, praise publicly, criticize privately. Although I have done very little private criticizing here, as I think about it.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Glad to see this change of heart.

Not sure what you meant. Was I saying something different before? I don't see it. Please clarify.

By the way, I just realized I wrote cuddling instead of coddling in my previous post. Fucking phone. Editing cause OCD.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

referencing underage sex in a story here shouldn't be immediately banned.
Its just kinda hokey that all of our characters didn't have sex or sexual desires until they were at least 18 lol.

Agreed, but personally speaking, I never find myself in this pickle because I avoid backstories as much as I can. Backstories don't matter until they do, and when they do, it's usually a paragraph (TOPS) of backstory, not an entire novel's worth.

 

[alohadave]

If you'd like to discuss whether a hot dog is a sandwich I'd be happy to oblige.

Even more is a hot dog a taco

Hmm. Cool. So, because I read the title of the thread and posted accordingly I'm a "dumbfuck" and have malicious intentions because I didn't read the first post?

Isn't it nice to know everything about someone from reading one post? The things I could do with that skill set...

Maybe a bit more sleep would make you less of an asshole?

There's a whole forum to shitpost political crap. Just one place that isn't drowning in politics would be nice.

 

[alohadave]

referencing underage sex in a story here shouldn't be immediately banned.
It's just kinda hokey that all of our characters didn't have sex or sexual desires until they were at least 18 lol.

Coming of age teens is a legitimate and valid plot.

Despite what some posters will say, writing about teenage sex does not mean you are a pedophile pervert predator.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I am one who can be effusive with praise for writers who I think deserve it. I guess that comes from my style as a college professor.

We have very different approaches to teaching, then. I'm a high school teacher, and my approach has always been to be realistic with students, but to always find a proper angle. If the student is a high achiever, I'll let them know and I'll praise them, but I'll also make sure to caution them and not let them sleep on their laurels. If the student is a low achiever, I'll also let them know, but I'll put a positive spin in the sense of encouraging them to do better.

What I've never done, and will never do, is shower a student with praise or with pure criticism. And once again, these are teenagers I'm talking about. People here should be positive and supportive of each other, but also a lot more realistic. Critical word on this forum is all but dead.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I’m reading an erotic novel that involves a human and a gargoyle.

I've read several of those, they're always fun.

One controversial observation of erotica that appears on this website (not my opinion): erotica is fundamentally middle class - or, put more aggressively, you cannot be desperately poor and be sexy.

I'm not going to write an autobiography for you guys.

More seriously though, most of the poor people having sex stories I've read have been about trailer parks and bikers, and there are far more poor people than that.

Heck most farmer stories I've read have been old west style, or sci-fi/fantasy. Not really ones dealing with modern small farms and the sometimes insane crap they gotta do to get by.

 

[alohadave]

DreamCloud has a story called The Promise about a guy who kinda slips away from his life and ends up being found and cared for by a homeless man who shows him to a community kitchen. He starts helping there while still appearing/living as a homeless man following a big life shift at the start of the story. It's an interesting take on this as he ends up with the woman overseeing the kitchen and the attraction/relationship starts while he appears homeless.

It's really well done.

It's a god damn shame that he stopped writing/posting because of thieves stealing his work.

We're all worse off for it.

 

[Statius]

I've read several of those, they're always fun.

I'm not going to write an autobiography for you guys.

More seriously though, most of the poor people having sex stories I've read have been about trailer parks and bikers, and there are far more poor people than that.

Heck most farmer stories I've read have been old west style, or sci-fi/fantasy. Not really ones dealing with modern small farms and the sometimes insane crap they gotta do to get by.

You could change that!

 

[StillStunned]

Life and crappy comments beat us all down at times, the praise we give to each other is a balm against those injuries. In my mind, it is an important function of this forum to keep each other going.

And some people flourish with positive reinforcement.

 

[AG31]

Rootbeer tastes like cough syrup.

It's probably because they made cough syrup taste like root beer.

 

[AG31]

Coffee should never ever be contaminated with crap like "Pumpkin Spice" or any other crappy additive. Coffee, strong, black and hot is the way!


Comshaw

Did you notice that you used "crap" twice in the same sentence?????

 

[SugarStorm]

The "best" soft-drink is Fentimans naturally-fermted ginger beer.

This. It’s foreplay in a bottle. The first sip does things to you. The second slips in slow and tickles the back of your throat, and by the third, that chili heat slides down with wicked intentions, scratching and burning in all the right ways.

I just gave myself goosebumps.

 

[Comshaw]

I beg your pardon! As a resident Finn in these parts I’ll have to disown you.

I tell you what, you dish up some pickled pig's feet or some lutefisk and I'll choke down some black *shudder* licorice.

Comshaw

 

[Comshaw]

Did you notice that you used "crap" twice in the same sentence?????

Yes. Sometimes a synonym just won't cut it.

Comshaw

 

[onehitwanda]

This. It’s foreplay in a bottle. The first sip does things to you. The second slips in slow and tickles the back of your throat, and by the third, that chili heat slides down with wicked intentions, scratching and burning in all the right ways.

I just gave myself goosebumps.

I've booked us a room. Knock twice.

 

[crookedletter]

There are no rules. Passive voice, second person, tell don't show, prose loaded with adverbs: it can all work if you work hard at it and do it well.

 

[NuclearFairy]

You could change that!

I could. But I'd much rather write about gnomes trying to keep their poor little farms hidden from the humans.

 

[Statius]

I could. But I'd much rather write about gnomes trying to keep their poor little farms hidden from the humans.

That works too!.

 

[GuiltyCowboy]

It's probably because they made cough syrup taste like root beer.

Are these the same people that made Hershey’s Kisses taste like vomit?