Forum / Exposure on Fictionaut And The Desire To Be Seen

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  RW Spryszak

  Aug 18, 06:15pm

  Recent discussions have revealed some variance of opinion here but I think what it comes down to is that you can't be serious about your work unless you actually want people to see it. The person who writes "for myself", as it were, is either not willing to admit it or has built in a mechanism with which they can deal with the possibility that they aren't actually very good.

  Probably the issue can be resolved by changing the configuration of the front screen to reveal all the current work in an index rather than in a sliding list that buries things quickly and escapes the attention of the clan. And that is a simple design fix. Ego and the desire to be seen notwithstanding.

  I would say a self-serving thing and simply suggest that if you feel something of yours worth reading has been buried by the stylistic requirements of this site - submit it to Thrice Fiction! Wherein even if it sucks I won't say it that way.

  As an addition to this what I find a little disconcerting is that most - if not all - of the commentaries I read attached to people's fiction postings here tend to be made by folks who like the piece; and if a reader has experienced a minor fade away over it they would rather not say why it didn't reach them.

  In all honesty I'd rather people express where they feel I've missed the mark, in my stories, than anything else. Since - as I've said - I usually end up hating/changing (if not outright deleting) what I've added to the pot little fair critique I can think of (outside of the willfully malign) would hurt my feewings.

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  RW Spryszak

  Aug 18, 06:19pm

  Oh and? I refuse to accept responsibility for the last fractured sentence in the above posting. So there.

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  Susan Tepper

  Aug 18, 07:11pm

  Bob I promise not to hurt your feewings. Are they made of gossamer or leather, these fee-wings?

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  RW Spryszak

  Aug 19, 01:20am

  wehvver...

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  Joani Reese

  Aug 19, 01:40am

  I want some pink lace fee-wings, please? I promise not to drag them through the mud. Bob, seriously, about your commentary comment, this isn't really a venue for workshopping, at least that was made clear to me when I first joined a few years back and it hasn't changed since that I can see. However, if you specifically ask people to critique a piece, they will. There are also hidden workshops here where people regularly offer constructive feedback here. Just ask.

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  RW Spryszak

  Aug 19, 03:15am

  Ok JP, I see. The workshop angle happens to me sort of by accident rather than by design though. I'm all gung ho and then I get a little more editorial and then I start changing shit around and though it is nice to get support it is also hard to reconcile the nice words of people I respect with the hot mess I'm seeing on the screen.

  It is possible, not to say probable, that I'm not the right type for the Fictionaut thing (and, yes, I did understand what you understood when you understood it and relayed it to me so I could better understand just now). I'm not striking a pose when I say I usually end up hating everything I've done. You could ask some of the old hands from back in the day. They will verify my insanity. Honest.

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  James Claffey

  Aug 19, 03:31am

  yes! submit to thrice. one of the finest publications out there. i need to get my act together and send something.

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  RW Spryszak

  Aug 19, 01:05pm

  Yes James, you do!

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  James Claffey

  Aug 20, 02:07am

  damn, i will. i swear.

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  Darryl Price

  Aug 20, 02:08pm

  Bob--you are EXACTLY the right type for the Fictionaut thing! Never let it be said otherwise.Personally I've never understood those who want to do away with the ego. How could you get up in the morning without it, much less fashion a story or poem you feel like sharing with the world? It all takes guts--and ego--to perform. Something I've always said--here and at other venues--is that I write on purpose. I mean to do it, and meaning to do it, generally means I believe in myself as the someone who is doing it on purpose. This doesn't mean everyone loves my work or reads my work or gives it any merit at all. It does however mean I'm in.In the game. In the beltway. In the room. In the band.Whatever.I'm Darryl Price,and I've come with nothing more than a bag full of stories and poems, but if you'll give me a minute, I'd like to introduce you to a few characters...see what I mean? And,yes, I also agree that THRICE is amazing and beautiful and worth the read--so what are you waiting for? Pull in. Get under way. Enjoy--it's damned thrilling from here on out!

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  RW Spryszak

  Aug 20, 02:26pm

  Wow Darryl, thanks! I feel like going out and hitting a small man! :-)

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  Steve Finan

  Aug 23, 10:40pm

  I edit for a living — newspapers, not books although the same principles apply. It is rare to find a writer who accepts criticism easily, even when the aim is to help them improve. Reporters complain when I hack their news stuff, someone writing "from the heart" will usually complain even more.
  A trite and obvious observation, you may well point out. But look at the flip side. If you are given reviews and comments that say a mere "wow", you won't ever get any better.
  I'm new to this site, but I'm considering giving out a few nasty reviews just so people will retaliate by taking swipes at my stuff!
  What say you, seasoned veterans? Is that a good idea or a bad idea?

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  See ya

  Aug 24, 01:10pm

  Emily Dickinson

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  See ya

  Aug 27, 05:44pm

  Nasty away, Editor Steve...I think it's the only real way to grow as a writer, without reason. Anything else breeds a sense of being content when there always more work to be done. Thanks for the offer. Fire away.

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  James Lloyd Davis

  Aug 27, 07:41pm

  By the same token a new writer, seldom if ever exposed to public scrutiny, could be hurt by a nasty review.

  Something to think about before you throw acid, however justified by the concept of 'growth.'

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  RW Spryszak

  Aug 27, 08:06pm

  Cogent point, James. I agree, & point is well taken.

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  Gessy Alvarez

  Aug 28, 12:12am

  If I post something her, then I can take the heat for it. That said, I do prefer a constructive comment or two over nasty.

  If I receive little or no commentary then I know I did not please...whether or not I'll make changes to the piece, well, that all depends. Some pieces are just not finished while other will never be understood. I get this. I keep my head down and continue to work, nevertheless.

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  Joani Reese

  Aug 28, 12:35am

  Steve: There are certain folks here, who when faced with a less than stellar comment on their work, will and do take it as a personal affront. Be prepared for people to (perhaps) take "nasty swipes" at work you post even if it's fine work just to get back at you for saying something unpleasant about theirs. It may happen, and then again, it may not, but be assured there are conversations behind the scenes about it. Most writers here are good, and honest, and supportive, but until you spend enough time here, you won't be able to figure out who they are. This is the dilemma because you're looking for honest critique when all you may get is pique. There are private workshops for honest critique here where people's egos are not on the line. Perhaps that's where you should look for realistic feedback.

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  Robert Vaughan

  Aug 29, 01:51am

  June Cleaver.

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  James Lloyd Davis

  Aug 29, 08:01pm

  ??????

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