Tcr

Mmmm, DA: Inquisition.... Preordered played the Hell out it, stopped to play a few other things...  And back...  My Muse agrees, BW…
 

Okay, deal!

Damn Inspiration!  You need a tighter set of shackles to keep that one in...  And handcuffs...  And possibly a leash...  And a shock collar!  And an ankle locater...
My Muse keeps complaining about lack of breaks...  I think she's planning an escape, too, so maybe I need to implement these same measures...

Not going to start a fad?  Wearing the cocktail dress and snow boots?  Might be the next greatest thing to start around…  Then all the Hollywood elite will start wearing them to the red carpets and you’ll have started a whole new…  No?  Not likely?  Okay.
Yeah.  I’ve had some minor issues on mine, but overall, I don’t mind it.  Granted, I’ve come to the conclusion I know more about my laptop than the…  techs that actually work at the repair shops around here…  So, either I know it or I ask someone who does…  lol.

I’ve heard rumors of more snow next week. I’m grumbling, trust me… I’m going to see Ronan Tynan perform tomorrow as part of the 175th anniversary of Fordham Prep, and I am wearing my favorite heels, even if the valets have to carry me over the snow. My snow boots do NOT look at all attractive, and I’m not doing cocktails before and a mingle afterward in ugly boots.
Des, on the whole, I like Windows 10. I was just frustrated by this update because I could not get it past a certain point, and I wasn’t sure if it was the AV I use, or perhaps something else. It was suggested Windows Update might need updating, and after the troubleshooter told e it couldn’t fix it, I had to go into the command prompt. Once I uninstalled the previous download of the update, and tweaked a few things, it got better. (I’m capable, just lazy. :D)

Looks a little damp outside, no snow though. 
I *updated* away from Windows a while ago.  (Though I’ll switch over, from time to time, if I need to play a game...)

lol.  You must be getting the winter storm that passed through here then.  And yes, please, which management do I see about this weather?  (Supposedly another one’s coming through here some time today or tomorrow for the weekend…  yay...)  So, you might be getting another one in a couple days…  Not to burst your joy and happiness there or anything ;).

Unfortunately, knowledge only helps when you can do something to stop it…  …  Otherwise, it just ends up hurting more.  (And breaking shit is probably not the best solution...).  In a funk, I know it probably doesn’t help much (and you know it already), but you know where I stand…  You know you always have my support…

Unfortunately, knowledge only helps when you can do something to stop it…  …  Otherwise, it just ends up hurting more.  (And breaking shit is probably not the best solution...).  In a funk, I know it probably doesn’t help much (and you know it already), but you know where I stand…  You know you always have my support…

Hey… chin up, old bean!
Or something similar, potentially in universally accepted English. Or French!
Courage, mon ami!

 
 

You know we’ll are here for you, and always ready to listen, throw things with you (yes, I am an agent of chaos, thank you for asking), and scream a bit because sometimes venting feels better than waiting.
 You are never alone, though, at least not in our little slice of the web.

DP: Thanks.  I did look over them, but yeah…  When I’m feeling a little less… beaten down, I’d love to discuss them and hear them.
Pippy: I wouldn’t worry about the concrit you gave.  I didn’t think it was that much and many of your points were valid (especially the double paragraph (you can’t hear it, but there’s still some head thudding against wall sounds going on here)).  (And, no, I see no pretentiousness or intellectual snobbery in your response.)
And, uh…  ‘What about parfaits?  Everyone like parfaits?’  Okay, okay, I can take a hint over all the boos, I’ll be quiet now.
The concrit you and BW have given (as well as CR in the beta sessions) are welcome, just as anyone’s, and I hope it never came across as being the opposite.  As I stated in the forum post, reviews and concrit help you grow as a writer.  This one just felt…  Unnecessarily harsh…  And I needed to growl and moan about it…
 

DP: Thanks.  I did look over them, but yeah…  When I’m feeling a little less… beaten down, I’d love to discuss them and hear them.
Pippy: I wouldn’t worry about the concrit you gave.  I didn’t think it was that much and many of your points were valid (especially the double paragraph (you can’t hear it, but there’s still some head thudding against wall sounds going on here)).  (And, no, I see no pretentiousness or intellectual snobbery in your response.)
And, uh…  ‘What about parfaits?  Everyone like parfaits?’  Okay, okay, I can take a hint over all the boos, I’ll be quiet now.
The concrit you and BW have given (as well as CR in the beta sessions) are welcome, just as anyone’s, and I hope it never came across as being the opposite.  As I stated in the forum post, reviews and concrit help you grow as a writer.  This one just felt…  Unnecessarily harsh…  And I needed to growl and moan about it…
 

DP: Thanks.  I did look over them, but yeah…  When I’m feeling a little less… beaten down, I’d love to discuss them and hear them.
Pippy: I wouldn’t worry about the concrit you gave.  I didn’t think it was that much and many of your points were valid (especially the double paragraph (you can’t hear it, but there’s still some head thudding against wall sounds going on here)).  (And, no, I see no pretentiousness or intellectual snobbery in your response.)
And, uh…  ‘What about parfaits?  Everyone like parfaits?’  Okay, okay, I can take a hint over all the boos, I’ll be quiet now.
The concrit you and BW have given (as well as CR in the beta sessions) are welcome, just as anyone’s, and I hope it never came across as being the opposite.  As I stated in the forum post, reviews and concrit help you grow as a writer.  This one just felt…  Unnecessarily harsh…  And I needed to growl and moan about it…
 

I really wish you would have waited a bit before piling more criticism on top of the criticism. I have faith your points were helpful and constructive, because you are smart and thoughtful. But when I’ve been beaten down by an unfair review, getting picked apart more adds insult to injury. 

I’m sorry, I don’t mean to criticize you, but I’ve been in this position many times. Received harsh critiques, and when I went to rant about it, got picked apart even more by friends. And even though they had excellent points, the timing was… Well, it really felt crappy. 

A toad’s got more social grace than I do, so, Tcr, I apologize for the lousy timing.

I tend to agree the reviewer didn’t mean to be hurtful, but I still say reviewing after less than a chapter is not really wise. There wasn’t time to get to know anything, really. And reviews like that don’t help because there’s nothing tangible to work on.
But yes, it’s very much like a Youtube scenario. And while we all have our negative/unflattering reviews as part of our rites of passage, at least we can relax and take comfort in knowing NYT bestselling authors get bad reviews, too.

Wow… things really happen when I go missing. And apologies, but I haven’t read the new chapters yet. There’s a lot going on with me at present :/
I’ve read the review. To me the only positive thing about a review like this is that it’s a possible insight into why someone might click on your story, then leave without reading. It would be helpful, but unfortunately having said that, I get the distinct impression the reader’s lack of concentration had more to do with them than with your story or how it is written.
I’d like to say what drew me was how you began, with the radio announcement, slowly pulling back to reveal the characters. But then since I’m British, the sensation of gathering around to listen to radio announcements about The War has been emblazoned onto our very souls, even though most of us are too young to have lived those times. And btw, I don’t agree with the reviewer that you need to separate pov like that. Merging characters’ points of view seamlessly is something I want to learn, and you manage it very well. While reading, I’ve never once been confused about who is speaking.
Given the subject matter (ie. Nazi Germany), I think the reviewer should really have expected to give more committment to reading. This isn’t a family guy fic. Would you approach a Dylan Thomas the same way you’d approach Pam Ayres? No. Absolutely not. I hope I’m not displaying any intellectual snobbery or pretentiousness here, but really, I do think there are levels of committment that are necessary to get the most out of reading fiction, and especially literature. I mean, you get so much more out of Shakespeare if you don’t read it like it’s a Sue Grafton novel (although you can read it that way if you want. I certainly have. That’s how there comes to be Oberon/Puck slash in the archive). Am I making any sense? I don’t even know. *throws hands up in the air* I’m not comparing you to Thomas and Shakespeare, I’m just saying there are layers. Like an onion. Now I sound like Shrek.
And ok, I am reviewing the reviewer here. I’m going to stop.
Don’t let this get you down, honestly. I know I gave you a great load of concrit when I reviewed, but believe me, the evil beta reader version of me only comes out when it senses it can be of help in some way. I really like your story. I think it’s a brave thing to attempt, and I am looking forward to the darkness there will be in it. I hope for a lot of dark, bitter emotion mixed in with utter despair. Because I have layers too. Like a black forest gateau, you know. Mind, heart, soul… they all like different things. Fruit, cream and dark chocolate.
Anyway, the point is: Don’t be disheartened!
*hugs*

DP: I understand what you’re saying.  It is a review, which is good under normal circumstances.  I have no problem with concrit.  If someone thinks a character(s)’s boring, by all means, point it out.  BW has commented on one of my others about how the characters are a little intolerant (which I admit, is true and, as BW had stated, it does have something to do with their histories…  However, she’s right, I probably should have toned it down because they should have been better able to deal with that).  What set me off was the fact that it wasn’t concrit.  To me, it was more mean-spirited, lacking constructive criticism, and picking only the worst and (as CR pointed out), exaggerated those faults.  I don’t know if you have read the review, but that’s how I saw it.
BW: I agree.  If I can’t finish the chapter of something, for whatever reason (ie. bad grammar, lack of rhythm, improper spelling, et cetera), I don’t usually leave a review.  I haven’t really been reading much lately (job has been draining...), but I try to offer up the positives even while reading and, if I feel it’s a necessary point, I’ll make a point of the negatives.
CR: Well, you and I have discussed this a few times, so…  But you have just as much right to be pissed off with the backhanded slap that was the insult towards the betas.  You and SMJ (who understand and followed the characters, story, and otherwise) are both excellent Betas.
 

Yeah, I found it to be far more negative than helpful. I don’t think the reviewer set out to be hurtful or discouraging with their advice. They were, but I doubt that was their intent.

You make an excellent point with your youtube analogy, lol. I told him these kinds of reviews are kinda a rite of passage for posting online. Eventually, I think every writer gets at least one, regardless of skill and talent. And reviews are certainly hard to come by, especially in certain categories.

Tcr, I have a tendency to assume the best of intentions in people, and in this case, I had assumed the reviewer left the vague review with that in mind.  (They did say they were overall interested in the story.) 
Is it a useful review?  BW and CR seem to take it as an negative/insulting, so obviously not, I’ve not gotten enough reviews on my stories to really tell the difference.  That you’ve gotten 7 reviews with 847 dragon prints, that’s doing remarkably good and better than my average.  Look at youtube where even the good videos always have some number of dislikes.
That said, I think I’ll have to add the story to my reading list.

DP: I understand what you’re saying.  It is a review, which is good under normal circumstances.  I have no problem with concrit.  If someone thinks a character(s)’s boring, by all means, point it out.  BW has commented on one of my others about how the characters are a little intolerant (which I admit, is true and, as BW had stated, it does have something to do with their histories…  However, she’s right, I probably should have toned it down because they should have been better able to deal with that).  What set me off was the fact that it wasn’t concrit.  To me, it was more mean-spirited, lacking constructive criticism, and picking only the worst and (as CR pointed out), exaggerated those faults.  I don’t know if you have read the review, but that’s how I saw it.
BW: I agree.  If I can’t finish the chapter of something, for whatever reason (ie. bad grammar, lack of rhythm, improper spelling, et cetera), I don’t usually leave a review.  I haven’t really been reading much lately (job has been draining...), but I try to offer up the positives even while reading and, if I feel it’s a necessary point, I’ll make a point of the negatives.
CR: Well, you and I have discussed this a few times, so…  But you have just as much right to be pissed off with the backhanded slap that was the insult towards the betas.  You and SMJ (who understand and followed the characters, story, and otherwise) are both excellent Betas.
 

Thank you BW, I was trying to respond to DP and couldn’t think of the right words. 

I would hope a literary critic would have more tact and be more constructive. 

Having read the story in question, which is more than the reviewer did, I respectfully disagree, Des. There is little there aside from a vague desire to improve readability, whatever that it, and a questioning of the beta’s ability to understand character development. There is nothing positive to offset the critique, and quite frankly, that detailed a critique is inappropriate when the reviewer can’t manage to finish the first chapter.
For myself, if I can’t even finish a chapter, for whatever reason, and can’t articulate why I found the story lacking, or should I decide it would be impossible to find a single positive thing to say, I close the page and DO NOT REVIEW. A review without balance is not helpful. It’s what people today call “refreshingly frank” and what I was raised to call shockingly rude.

To not finish a chapter, and review just to call it unreadable and confusing and give advice based on assumptions is not only cruel, it’s tactless and bad form. Good concrit highlights fixable flaws as they are and offers specific, concise solutions, and ideally, highlights your strengths as well. Good concrit does not exaggerate flaws to make you feel even shittier about yourself. 

I may be a little (a lot) pissed off that someone left you a review like that. As well-meaning as they may be, their execution was needlessly cruel, and for the record, I wholeheartedly disagree with their points. 

Okay, now I’ve ranted too. I hope ranting helped you shake some of the icky feelings. We got your back.