bitch, bitch, bitch

Got this link from kstanley. It bothered me so much I had to go to the bathroom and be sick.

And now, please pardon me while I indulge in a little whining. Let me say first that, as a writer, I absolutely appreciate reviewers. You guys are awesome; you motivate us and challenge us, and make the sometimes-arduous task of writing worth every drop of blood that we put into our stories. Without you there would be no reason to post our work; every bit of effort you take in leaving a review for a story is a thousand times appreciated -- no matter if it is praise, critique, or general discussion. Thus, I hope that the following criticism will not be taken the wrong way, that I am someone who doesn't want feedback on her work, which is not the case at all. However, I am at a breaking point and I need to say this. And if this helps someone out there leave a more useful/conscientious review, then that's all I can ask.

I think I can say that 90% of the reviews I've gotten have had a positive impact on myself and/or my writing. That's a fantastic thing. However, the other 10% make me never want to write another word. Again. Ever. Or if I write it, I don't want to post it. Does this have to do with self-esteem? No -- you could probably tell me that you hate my writing, that it's a pile of donkey dung, and I'll laugh and go on unperturbed (unless enough people say it, in which case I ought to evaluate what I'm doing). The reason I wouldn't want to post another word would simply be to spite these people. These people who leave the most baffling, nonsensical, unhelpful reviews known to man. Please bear with me as I give examples of what I feel constitutes such reviews (and please, PLEASE keep in mind that the majority of you out there are WONDERFUL, and I hope this won't discourage you from continuing your good work).

1) Demanding that we write faster. Initially, this didn't bother me; I saw it as an indication that people were genuinely interested in the story and wanted to see it progress. What's wrong with that? But it didn't take long to start getting the feeling that the people who leave these reviews have zero appreciation for the time and effort it takes to write. All they want is immediate gratification. They probably didn't even fully appreciate what they read.

And -- if you think it's that easy to churn out quality fiction amidst real-life considerations and other distractions, you do it. I think most of us try and write as fast as we possibly can, and rushing through it can only be a detriment to the story. To those who would say, "We don't care, we just want to know what happens!" I say this: Ultimately, I write for me, not you, and I'm not going to compromise my story for you. If that sounds haughty or bitchy, I'm sorry, but that's how it goes.

2) Asking for a sequel or continuation of a story clearly marked as complete. This really, really bothers me. Again, initally I saw this as a compliment. A reader enjoyed the story so much that she didn't want to see it end. And I still do consider it a compliment -- somewhat. However, when a review consists of nothing but, "Are you going to write a sequel?" or "When's the next part?" it aggravates me more than anything. First of all, I have already indicated that the story is complete, so there is no next part. If you're not paying attention enough to even realize that, then maybe you should take more care in reading the story instead of giving the impression that you zipped through it without any thought to the work put to it.

Secondly, I do not believe that every ending has to be pat and tie everything up before the story is at an end. The story has ended when the tale the writer wanted to tell has been told. That's it. NOT EVERY STORY HAS TO HAVE A SEQUEL. Gah. I have found the HP fandom to be very frustrating in this regard; short stories are not in the least appreciated. Instead, what people seem to want are WIPs that go pointlessly on and on. I'm sorry -- when I write, I have a purpose, and when that purpose is satisfied, I'm done. One of the hardest things for a writer is to end a story when it should end, rather than when she or readers want it to end. If I write a sequel, it will be because the sequel has its own merit and is deserving to be a continuation of the original, not because I want to go back and revisit that universe. If I did my job correctly the first time, there's no reason to do so, even if I loved it. (See the exceptions noted above.)

3) Leaving a relatively low review score without indicating why. How am I suppose to improve if you don't give me any critique? Or is it that you have no reasons other than an arbitrary nature and/or you think you're really cool?

4) Leaving a low review score because you didn't like certain elements and/or pairings. These are the worst. If I tell you up front that there's going to be D/G in the story and you don't like D/G, then don't read it. Your personal preferences have no place in a critical review of the merits of a story (meaning writing skill, characterization, plot development).

5) Demanding certain developments/elements. Suggestions are always welcome. They may spark ideas and creativity. Demands (often made rudely and without any true understanding of the story) are likely to encourage me to do the exact opposite of what you want. It's my story, and I know what I want from it and what should happen. And just a tip: If your grammar and spelling indicate that you're the last person who should be suggesting anything to a writer, you can be sure that you won't be taken seriously.

Well, that's really all I can think of right now. That's not too many gripes, is it? I hate even risking the idea that I'm unappreciative of reviewers, but I have gotten reviews in the last couple of days that truly made me so irritated that the last thing I wanted to do was write (ironic given that many of them were "OMG plz write more and faster!" reviews).

And thus ends the whining. For today.

Edited to say: This quiz result has fractionally improved my mood. ( Sexually Compatible With ... )