NightScribe

The example you gave, I would have to agree with, however, in defense of the squiggle, I have seen them in traditionally published novels, (or the good ole asterisks). I hadn't used them before, but in my last fic, I did. I had two main plots running simultaneously; two different groups of people in different locations, plus a sub-plot with another group of people in yet another location, but all happening at approximately the same time. I used them as a kind of subliminal visual cue that a decent chunk of time had passed, or the setting had shifted. Guess lots of writers, including myself, aren't as literate as you.

I think angst depends on the fandom. I wrote a Phantom of the Opera fic (canon Erik, not musical based) and the Leroux novel is already loaded with it. Let's face it, the title character is a 40+ yr old virgin, a genius but horribly disfigured, and living underground, literally. I think his middle name is 'Angst.' For that fandom, melodrama and a messed up psyche works. But I agree, too much, or written badly, can just come off as whining and annoy the hell out of you.

Gosh, I really hope I get to read the rest of "souress koko and the stone of caous"! (Incidentally, when I first found this abomination, I thought it said sauerkraut and had something to do with middle European food) How bad is it, seriously, when you can't even capitalize the words in your title? (or spell them correctly) Did you notice in her response to a review, she pointed out a typo? Now, what's that old saying? About throwing stones? I'll tell ya, I'm on the edge of my seat, wondering what happens to the poor little orphaned girl, forced to live in a closet by her mean relatives, who suddenly gets to go to a magical school. I wonder if she'll make friends? I wonder if there's a bad magical man who's out to get her and the "stone of caous". Wow, so inventive, I'm surprised no one thought of this before. *snicker* Okay, I'm finished with the mean-spirited sarcasm. For now.

OMG lightgoddess, I completely forgot about her! I just went over there and left another review. Gosh, I'm sooooo scared, after being called a 'punck'! What a psycho bitch. Think it might really be some 30 yr old guy with nothing better to do in life but troll? yeeesh

I'm with a few others here in the scat/water sports is not for me. One of the first stories I read here (maybe the very first) was going along fine, until there was a mention of water sports. Right there I stopped and said "you just lost me." I think a very violent, sadistic rape, just written to shock, sicken, and appall would put me off, too.

Within your favorite fandom(s) are there certain fics you avoid reading? Of course, there's always the squicks (mpreg, rape, incest) or pairings that either make you cringe or leave you asking huh? I don't get it, did I miss the memo on this? Or maybe there are just plots that don't float your boat, not necessarily squicks, just not very interesting. I'll explain by revealing my little idiosynchrasies. I've got several Harry Potter fics, Snape/OFCs, but I won't read any others. Partly because of not wanting to get influenced by someone else's work, and...um, maybe paranoia at finding something influenced by my work (I avoid browsing that sub-category like it's the plague). In fact, I rarely read any Snape fics, I just write them. I never got the SS/HG thing, so I avoid those as well. I've found that I tend to avoid reading fics for characters I like so much that I want to write about them. I haven't read a Lucius fic either for that very reason (dear Lucius, the deviant delight of my WIP). And although I don't write slash, I've got no problem reading it. Weird, huh? Does anybody else have any strange reading habits, or am I just out on the fringe here?

It sounds like an interesting idea. Unfortunately, the fic I want reviewed the most is in the "gestational" phase! *sigh* At least I actually got some work done on it today.

If your stories are posted on AFF, there is no need to censor them, as it is a site intended for adults only. Any kid under 18 shouldn't even be here in the first place. Also, if they leave a review on the site and e-mail you as well, revealing their age, report them to the admins. If they have an account here, they'll get their asses kicked off, pronto. Whenever I hear of underagers on the site it burns me. They think they're mature enough to handle what they read, but aren't mature enough to realize they are jeopardizing the site. And as for them having nightmares, this is going to sound incredibly cruel, fuck them. It just proves that they don't belong here. As long as your story is properly coded, disclaimed (if fanfic) and has a more detailed warning in an author's note (if needed) you don't have to censor anything. The only thing that worries me about underage readers (aside from them not supposed to be here) is when they rip off a story. Or write shit and then rate and review it themselves as being absolutely the best thing they've ever read on the site. Repeatedly. Don't laugh, that's actually happened. And the big, bad, meanies drove one or two of them off with honest reviews. I hate to keep harping on this point, but if you can help nail an underage user, do it. I despise those punks. (And actually, I'm not usually this venomous, but this is the one topic that gets me going. Sorry about that).

While doing research for my next fic, I came across this poem, written by Hafiz, a 14th century Persian poet. I'm sure a little something (or more) got lost in the translation from Farsi to English, but the overall sentiment (and wit) comes through. The translation is by some guy named Ladinsky. That Sounds Wonderful Good poetry makes a beautiful naked woman materialize from words, Who then says, with a sword precariously waving in her hands, "If you look at my loins, I will cut off your head, And reach down and grab your spirit by its private parts, And carry you off to heaven, squealing in joy." Hafiz says, "That sounds wonderful, just wonderful. Someone please...start writing some great lines." I really love that opening line and the last two. People don't change much over the centuries, do they?

I just recently got the uncut Naruto and it is soooo much better subbed. I cringe listening to the dubbed version now.

I thought the same thing! But I noticed in her rambling bio that she said she couldn't read HP because of religious reasons. Uh-huh. Sure.

I found this last night and it makes that other author discussed in the "What Would Your Response Be" thread sound mature and read like Hemingway. You have to read this author's profile, story, (the 3 chapters of the fic won't take up much of your life, trust me) reviews and her responses. A Real Brat Ay carumba! This annoys me no end. The concrit was solid and fair and she's bordering on a temper tantrum. She reminds me of someone who used to post on AFF who wrote almost the same way. At first, I thought it might actually be her.

Yeah, Sere and Adara, that's exactly what I have going on, too. Whole thing, in my head. Start to finish. Clear as a friggin' bell. Isn't it the most annoying, aggravating thing? I seem to remember starting to read an old Stephen King novel once, which I never finished. I think it was "The Tommyknockers." In it, he had an author who, (because of the bizarre alien pulse waves or something), was able to rig up her manual typewriter with batteries and it would type what she was thinking, no matter what she was doing, laundry, gardening, whatever. Damn, that's what we need! Think old Steve-o has had similar frustrations?

So today I'm playing hooky from work and thought I'd actually try to start writing a new fic. I've got the plot, some good notes and stuff, but man, I just can't get it together on the keyboard. Like this morning, I sat down to work on the first chapter. It went along okay off of notes. Far from perfect, of course, but I figured, it's just a crappy rough draft that I'm going to be building on. So I eventually take a break. And the time passes. But I was thinking of stuff for chapter two, so I started scribbling away on a notepad. See, that's my problem. I can make a crap load of handwritten notes, extensive dialogue especially, but something's happening when I try to type it and piece it all together. Argh! Has this kind of strange thing ever happened to any of you guys? How can I go from working half-assed to working (what?) Full-assed? No-assed? You know what I mean. Seriously, at the rate I'm going with this bizarre, new-found typing aversion, I won't finish the damn thing until 2016!

I have to agree with horrorgal. That review sounds a little too, is the right word flippant? It doesn't ring true and I also can't imagine reading a rape story after being subjected to such a violent act. That is a creepy review.

I must say, Melody, your first lengthy post nearly had me spitting my Coke onto my laptop screen! LOL I've tried posting a few things in the Originals section (not erotica specific, just original stuff). Nada as far as reviews and if I recall, the hits weren't anything to write home about. It's a really weird phenomenon. Some stories (and fanfics) get tons of hits and reviews and others end up languishing. Firebrand, it's not isolated to Orignal stories (which I think someone else also pointed out). My fanfics don't get many reviews either. My story with the most hits, 1,533, got 3 reviews and that was after the first two chapters. That was about five months ago, the story's been complete for about three weeks now and is 27 chapters long. Readers/reviewers minds are a total mystery to me. I think the whole question is some tricky Buddhist/Taoist riddle to which there is no answer. But I totally know where you're coming from. Damn! "Pointless Fucks" is gone? I wanted to read it, especially after reading this: I would have assumed mons as well. I've never thought that "womanhood" referred to a breast. Aw, shoot, I really would have liked to have read that.

I'm with pixagi and bookworm. I really want to know, too! Damn you for setting my curiosity ablaze! PM? Pretty please? As far as this other situation...quite possibly insane. I'm also curious about her work. Pixagi, could you PM me the link? I found your comment about the Author Babble being longer than the work itself interesting (I just want to take a look, seems like the concrit has already been left). If you don't want to, that's cool.

I'm still kind of shaking my head over this. "I really like writing, it's my best hobby." They don't like it enough, as far as I'm concerned. We've all made little mistakes, a typo here or there, (which drives me crazy when I find something like that in my stuff), but that's a minor thing that readers are willing to overlook and understand that it happens. And I'll admit to having rushed some things, but know what? I learned to slow down. I kind of wonder if this person views the writing/posting as some kind of contest or something. "I have to post another chapter right away, I've got to write another story, right away. I have to be fast." It's really kind of weird. Actually, one has to wonder how this person would react if they submitted a story, written the same way they post (with big errors) to a traditional periodical or publishing house. The rejection letters would no doubt devastate them. I wonder if they'd start to care then?

Iggy, such language! (Wait, I'm still LMAO!) Okay, better now. I have to agree with some previous thoughts. This person obviously does not want to grow and mature if she can't take concrit. They don't seem to care if they get characters' names wrong? That is just plain sloppy and lacks focus and dedication. I often refer to myself as a "hack" in jest, but in all honesty, his/her attitude is the true defintion of a hack writer. And to top it off, they've got one hell of an arrogant attitude. God, Iggy, I'm almost thinking of using that quote in my signature. That slays me!

I don't really have any personal favorites. My fics are my "kids" and they're ungrateful brats who turned out badly. For that, they're out of the will! They're dead to me! *snicker* Seriously though, after the passage of some time, and looking them all over with a more objective and critical eye, I have to say that Journal of Miranda De Noir is the one fic that still holds up well. A short, humorous smut fic. It came very easily and is told in first person (something I rarely do), through the eyes of an 18 yr old. She had to be fairly smart but still "teenagery" which I believe I pulled off. I also think I managed to keep Snape very much in character; I think some of my best Snape dialogue can be found in this story. The fic still makes me laugh, rather than cringe. Other than that, the only other thing I can mention is a particular chapter from a story. Chapter 2 Death Eaters' Danse Macabre I like this for a few reasons. It was the first chapter I wrote for that fic; it, too, came easily and also happened to dictate the overall tone of the story. Although, on the surface, it may seem uneventful, there are set ups for things that happen later on. I also like the intimacy of this chapter; it's a private conversation between two characters, Snape and Voldemort. In the actual HP novels, Snape and Voldemort have never appeared together, leaving that angle wide open. I enjoyed exploring what the dynamics of their relationship might be. One thing I consciously did was to never write Voldemort's thoughts, but I did include Snape's. I thought it lent an air of authenticity to the scene; the inner, true reactions of a character to what was being said. Those thoughts may be the exact opposite, or contradictory, to what's actually being said or agreed with. The other chapter I like isn't even written yet, it only exsists in my head (o.k. and some notes). It's for a fic trapped in creative limbo, but the last chapter is a revelatory shocker, with a ripple effect. Dark, twisted and (hopefully!) squicky. When it comes to that one, I don't just like it, I love it.

lightgoddess, babe! Been there, done that. Remember Snape the auto mechanic crackfic!? Damn, that was a good one, lots of fun to write. In fact, a friend of mind from work, who just started another job, sent me an e-mail the other day. She had read the fic and said she can't see a biker dude without thinking of Snape. I've warped her little mind!

Good God, lightgoddess, all my fics have OFCs! (which I realize is part of the problem, especially in the HP fandom). As for the time frame...it's pretty much always been like this. I got a whole whopping 8, count 'em 8! reviews for a PotO fic (and those people usually hate OFCs) and people really seemed to like it. Unfortunately, halfway through posting is when the site went a little screwy. I managed to get the last chapters up in a little window of time before it went down again. I know people read the end of that one, but they couldn't leave a review and they never thought to go back when the site was running again. Like I said, I realize the OFC thing is a hinderance. Although...other stories in the same sub-category don't have the "lack of review" problem. Hey! Could it possibly mean I SUCK???!!!! That's soooooooo AWESOME!!!! I'm seriously considering writing really, really, really, (and I mean REALLY) god-awful canon character slash. Just to fuck people up. I could say I hit my head or something and haven't been the same since.

Melody, you're one of the lucky ones in that you have people who respond to what you write. Your stories obviously impact them enough so they leave their comments, whatever they might be. I've always put the old "feedback highly desired" bit in my fics; right after the disclaimer, which heads up every chapter. I put it in the author's notes for each fic (at least I think in most of them) and I remember after one fic, I put an AN at the end saying something along the lines of "let me know what you think; good, bad, or indifferent. Interested in what you have to say." Apparently, I was speaking to an audience comprised of house bricks and fence posts. About halfway through my last fic, I really slowed down the pace as far as posting. One chapter, every three weeks. I figured that would give people time to read, digest, leave a comment. No change. A thought occured to me the other day. I don't write one shot, PWP, wank-o-rama stuff where everyone's satisfied at the end. Nor do I write "these two characters belong together", romantic, WAFFy stuff either. I think in the fandom I work in, it's gotta be one or the other. I'm big on plot and character development, with peaks and valleys, twists, revelations, conflict (internal or otherwise). I think my approach isn't exactly suited for this game. Even my new fic I want to write, as psychologically dark as it is (and with a fair share of sex) I know it's not gonna fly either. I think that's why I just can't get motivated to write it, as much as I personally like the idea. It's not writer's block, it's writer's malaise. But thanks for your suggestions, you lucky dog you.

Unlike lightgoddess, and other fortunates, I am not loved. I am shunned. I am a lone wolf. I walk alone. As a result, I am the lunatic fringe! Eh, with each day that passes, you kind of get used to it. Oh, I've had my share of mini-breakdowns, can't deny that, but the hell with 'em. I don't even care anymore about trolling or "mining" as I like to call it (you know, mining through other people's fics to find the good stuff and tweaking it a bit for one of your own-I'm only referring to my own stuff with that, of course. Everyone else should foam at the mouth if it happens to them). I get hits to stories, jack for reviews. Such is life. *shrugs* Now, could one of you kind folks please kick me in the butt so I can actually start writing my next fic, instead of just making notes day in and day out? Anybody? Please?

Yeah, I heard that this morning. I got up early and put the news on and they were just mentioning it. I thought I misheard, my coffee hadn't even finished brewing yet and I was still groggy. Talk about a freak accident.