Writes of Passage

[J_Ross]

I got my very first flame today. I probably wouldn't be so giddy about it if I hadn't been waiting for it for forever. When I first started writing (mostly fanfiction) about...wow, almost five years ago, I kept hearing all this rubbish about flames and whatnot and...at first I felt terribly grateful that I'd yet to receive one.

 

And then I started to feel all left out. *pouts*

 

Not really, but I wondered why I hadn't got one. And today, I finally did. No, I'm not all that happy about it, it kinda sucks, but I'm glad I got the first one out of the way. The reader quoted bible verses at me and kind of accused me of some really...well, horrible things. I really wanted to ask what the hell she was doing on that site. Looking for people to harass or...whatever?

 

Anyhow, what I remember hearing, so long ago, was that flames were something that all writers had to deal with. And I got my first one today. This is me looking at the good.

 

I'm not sure how/if I'm supposed to respond to it. I'm thinking not.

 

*waves*

[Mark Arbour]

I got my very first flame today. I probably wouldn't be so giddy about it if I hadn't been waiting for it for forever. When I first started writing (mostly fanfiction) about...wow, almost five years ago, I kept hearing all this rubbish about flames and whatnot and...at first I felt terribly grateful that I'd yet to receive one.

 

And then I started to feel all left out. *pouts*

 

Not really, but I wondered why I hadn't got one. And today, I finally did. No, I'm not all that happy about it, it kinda sucks, but I'm glad I got the first one out of the way. The reader quoted bible verses at me and kind of accused me of some really...well, horrible things. I really wanted to ask what the hell she was doing on that site. Looking for people to harass or...whatever?

 

Anyhow, what I remember hearing, so long ago, was that flames were something that all writers had to deal with. And I got my first one today. This is me looking at the good.

 

I'm not sure how/if I'm supposed to respond to it. I'm thinking not.

 

*waves*

 

Was "writes of passage" a slick pun or a spelling error? LOL

 

You know, I got one of those too, and I handled it pretty much the way you did. As long as they're not too offensive, it can actually be productive, making you look at your work and considering whether there's any validity to it at all.

 

That being said, I read your stuff and it's good, really good, so that guy/girl who flamed you can just go f**K him/herself.

[DomLuka]

Congratulations! :wacko:

 

But seriously, that

[Cynical Romantic]

Congratulations! It really is a "write" (hehe) of passage. And by the way, it doesn't just apply to people writing in this genre. The bible-thumpers are hardly the only crazies out there; I've had flames from the oddest people. (One memorable one came from a self-described anarchist who objected to my portrayal of student rioters in a completely G-rated short story I once wrote, which was set in a particularly activist-university-campus-that-shall-remain-nameless-but-which-you-Montrealers-should-be-able-to-easily-identify. It was hilarious; he kept mixing up his revolutionaries in his attempts to quote/plagiarize... I think I saved the flame for when I needed a laugh... but I digress...)

 

Take heart: Strong negative reactions are almost as good as strong positive reactions. Especially when they come from idiots, like this woman obviously is. If you manage to move someone enough to a strong emotion with your writing, then you're doing something right.

 

Of course, we'd all love if the feedback we received was complimentary, or at least constructively critical, but idiots are out there too. I, too, wonder what the heck this woman was doing on this site if that's how she feels, but there are always idiots out there looking for fights. Just think: Out of the thousands and thousands of stories out there, she picked yours to flame. That's gotta be some sort of twisted compliment, no?

[Graeme]

*sob*

 

I'm still waiting for my first flame (and, no, that's not an invitation for people to send me one -- they're not the same if they aren't genuine).

 

Seriously, though, if someone has taken the time to write to you about your story then that means you're doing something right. Even if they're flaming.

 

Dom's advice is good so I would recommend going with that. Good luck!

[C James]

I can't offer anything better than Dom's excellent advice.

 

I encourage criticism, so I've had quite a few scathing critiques (some of whom raise good points, and all of whom I thank) but only one true flame so far. Long story short, I was posting a novel set in an area with a lot of dirt roads, and the flame was about the dust from the dirt roads! They said that I was portraying the dirt roads as too dusty, and therefor I had spoiled the story for them by being so unrealistic. They then proceeded to call me all kinds of names.

 

I happen to live on a dirt road, and drive it every day, so I can safely say that, except when it's wet, my portrayal of this fairly minor point was okay. I had to assume the person was just a little... deranged. Of all the things to flame me for... overly dusty dirt roads.

:wacko:

 

Don't let it get to you. There are indeed some people who enjoy poking at authors. I guess it makes them feel superior somehow.

[Krista]

I can count the number of flames by memory that I've received. I've responded to some of them in a way that wasn't really nice, but eh as I think there really is no real reason for anyone to flame a writer's work. One can constructively complain and all that, but just ranting and raving, cussing for the sake of cussing isn't helpful so why do it?

 

But yes, Dom gave good advice. I wouldn't respond to her either, she's just one of those lurking crazies. :wacko:

[Libby Drew]

You're looking at the situation from the right angle, J. Especially as it sounds the attack was directed at you personally. For me, those are the easiest "flames" to dismiss.

[corvus]

I wrote some rather traumatizing Harry Potter fanfic in my day, so I got some rather heated flames. They're usually hilarious. Here are a few:

 

Well this is just about the most twisted fic I have ever had the displeasure to read. Dark overly convuluted filth is about the only way I could describe this. Please seek professional help before you actually hurt someone one. As for your boast about getting into ______, I don't believe it. Someone who thinks and writes like this should and could not be attending a place like that.

 

I will NEVER read this again. Please write happier stories. Consider this story FLAMED.

 

Honest criticism is actually sometimes a lot harder to deal with, because it makes you feel so disappointed in yourself.

 

Anyway, congratulations, J Ross! Welcome to the club.

[Mark Arbour]

I wrote some rather traumatizing Harry Potter fanfic in my day, so I got some rather heated flames. They're usually hilarious. Here are a few:

 

 

 

 

 

Honest criticism is actually sometimes a lot harder to deal with, because it makes you feel so disappointed in yourself.

 

Anyway, congratulations, J Ross! Welcome to the club.

 

LOL! Those are a riot. Thanks for sharing.

[Mark Arbour]

Congratulations! :wacko:

 

But seriously, that

[David McLeod]

Congratulations. Yes, you should be pleased. it takes talent to stir both the intellect and the emotions (even prejudices) of a reader. (Bigorty is the anger of ignorant men.) (That's somewhere in one of my stories.)

 

I've not been flamed. (Okay, I said something stupid in the GA site soapbox, and got my ears boxed. But I deserved that.) As seldom as we writers receive honorable feedback, I'd treat a flame as a precious jewel.

 

Again, congratulations.

 

P. S.: Dom Luka is right on the mark, especially the last point. Take your emotion and use it to power your creativity.

[J_Ross]

Lol, thanks everyone. I've taken all rules/advice and filed it away in a mental rule book somewheres. And it's so much easier to laugh at now. I appreciate it!

 

Was "writes of passage" a slick pun or a spelling error? LOL

Lol, I wouldn't say slick, but it was intentional. And yeah, if I had responded to her, I'd have been tempted to tell her to go f*** herself, which is probably why I didn't.

 

As for the other kind of flame, when you get one of those (You know, when someone is angry about what your character is doing and not about who he is doing) make sure to take it as a compliment.

Wait...I thought those were compliments. 0_o Lol, uhm, maybe I've gotten more flames than I thought. Seriously, though, those comments make me smile. Whenever I find myself angry about what a character in a story is doing, it's usually a story that I like quite a bit. I wouldn't care at all if I didn't like the story...

 

And Thanks, for all your advice

 

Of course, we'd all love if the feedback we received was complimentary, or at least constructively critical, but idiots are out there too. I, too, wonder what the heck this woman was doing on this site if that's how she feels, but there are always idiots out there looking for fights. Just think: Out of the thousands and thousands of stories out there, she picked yours to flame. That's gotta be some sort of twisted compliment, no?

Lol, you know, maybe I should thank her. It's only fair...

 

I encourage criticism, so I've had quite a few scathing critiques (some of whom raise good points, and all of whom I thank) but only one true flame so far. Long story short, I was posting a novel set in an area with a lot of dirt roads, and the flame was about the dust from the dirt roads! They said that I was portraying the dirt roads as too dusty, and therefor I had spoiled the story for them by being so unrealistic. They then proceeded to call me all kinds of names.

I, for one, am offended that you wrote those roads so dusty. It was hell on my allergies and it made it difficult to see the rest of the picture. Gah, I call that inconsiderate. rotflmao

 

Seriously, *eyeroll* who complains about something like that? o_0 And I haven't let it get to me, so far. Most of the email felt like it was attacking me, more than my writing, and I can shrug that off fairly easily.

 

*sob*

 

I'm still waiting for my first flame

I know, right. Lol...didn't seem fair to me either.

 

One can constructively complain and all that, but just ranting and raving, cussing for the sake of cussing isn't helpful so why do it?

I know. I wouldn't have thought anything at all if she was complaining about the writing and using the words she used (violating, poisoning) in reference to my horrible grammar habits, but...*shrug*

 

 

You're looking at the situation from the right angle, J. Especially as it sounds the attack was directed at you personally. For me, those are the easiest "flames" to dismiss.

*nods* I'm almost positive it would've been worse if she'd attacked my writing. I'd have spent hours going over it, trying to fix my wrongs. I LIKE constructive criticism and no matter how harshly it's delivered I always listen to it...though, I've never actually gotten con-crit that was delivered harshly...

 

Honest criticism is actually sometimes a lot harder to deal with, because it makes you feel so disappointed in yourself.

 

Anyway, congratulations, J Ross! Welcome to the club.

*dances* TY..and I <i>like</i> the darker fics as long as they're written well. They 'stick' longer.

 

Congratulations. Yes, you should be pleased. it takes talent to stir both the intellect and the emotions (even prejudices) of a reader. (Bigorty is the anger of ignorant men.) (That's somewhere in one of my stories.)

Lol, that's what I keep telling myself. I'm not so worried about the flame that I've gotten already...more about the ones that I can, apparently, expect to come in the future *frets* Everybody is using plurals...*runs off*