Oh, There Is Hope!

[Guest Melody Fate]

The two main chracters looked at each otehr

they said "i love you"

they took off their clothes

they had sex

the end.

I read a fic like that in Originals... I think what pissed me off the most was that they then wrote, "Please don't flame me!" at the end. If you're going to "trick" people, you've got to expect they'll be upset about it.

I agree, there are some terrible fics on this site. In the case of the one I mention above, it was deliberate and honestly, if I ran this site, I'd take it down. But, I don't run this site, and that's probably a good thing.

And trust me, even though we didn't have the net when I was growing up, no one lured me down the path of all things sexual, I beat a trail down that one myself. I think every teenager is curious about sex and seeks it out. We used to sneak looks at my brother's collections of playboy's (We found naked women more interesting than naked men. I think that's because we couldn't believe that someday, we'd have bodies like that.) So, I know that no one really lures the kids here, they find it all by themselves. So, while yes, I think that you put AFF at a risk by being here underage, I can't judge you for it, because had AFF existed when I was a kid? I would have been here too. And if I'd been stupid enough to leave my real age, I would have been righteously kicked off.

The problem is that a lot of people like to find something to blame. When my parents caught me and my friends looking at my brother's mags, they figured that if they got rid of the mags, that ended the problem. Some people would like to think that if they eliminated AFF their kids will no longer find adult stories. It's pure bull, if we got rid of everything pornographic in the world, teenage boys would fondle Hostess Snowballs and teenage girls would be drawing stick figures with the "third leg." In truth, exploring your own sexuality is healthy and normal when you're a teen.

I think parents freak out at kids dealing with porn because so much of it sends the message you don't want your kids to see. If I caught one of my friends kids watching one of those typical porns where women are treated like objects, I'd have a talk with them and made sure they understood not to think that sex was nothing but the orgasm. But, if I caught them reading an erotic love story where the people in it cared and loved each other, I wouldn't blink twice. (I would, however, tell their parents because that's the one rule I have with my "neices and nephews" I will shoot you straight on anything, but if it has to do with sex, violence, or you doing anything that could seriously endanger you, I will tell your parents)

[Guest Melody Fate]

Surprisingly, though, Witch, a lot of those short fics are done by adults. Thanks to the internet, everyone wants to be a writer and people who had no reason to develop a writing talent found that they could post their fantasies, even if they are poorly written.

Everyone wanted to be a writer when I was growing up too. When I first started doing printed zines, I lost track of how many conventions I went to where people told me "I have this great idea I'm going to write..." Yup, everyone thinks they can write the great American Novel, very few people would sit down and do it, because back then though, writing was a lonely thing to do. And finding an audience could be next to impossible. Now any idiot with a whim can write and put it up in seconds to a waiting audience.

I just wish some of this... junk wasn't praised so much. I hate leaving bad reviews, but I admit that if I see a really terrible story being praised I will try as nice as possible to suggest they need to polish their craft a bit.

Those stories have one mercy at least, they're short.

But if I had a dollar for every fic where the sex scene was pretty much "I'M CUUUUUUMMMMMMMMIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. I'd be a really rich woman.

[englishwitch]

Well, I mean, sometimes it's just all the effort they actually have. It's impossible to expect everyone to write a novel, especially when a lot of people have jobs that don't require knowing about prose. I'm sure at least half of the people are actually giving quite a bit in the way of ability.

But you have to agree that there is a...how to describe it?...a group minimum standard that everyone who comes to this site expects and some of those fics fall far below it.

if your not going to actually try, why do?

[Guest Mike256bit]

I wish we could have a quality standard, sure, but I also know that some stories, no matter how bad they are, are actually the result of a lot of work.

[englishwitch]

I wish we could have a quality standard, sure, but I also know that some stories, no matter how bad they are, are actually the result of a lot of work.

well thats a shame, a crying shame. thats all i can say on the matter really.

[Guest Melody Fate]

...especially when a lot of people have jobs that don't require knowing about prose.

Not to call you out, but when I am working, I'm usually a clerk. I've even been one of those women at the drivethrough going, "Y'all want fries with that?"

About as far away from prose as you can get!

If you care about writing, you'll learn the prose, you'll learn the grammar. I know more about spelling and punctuation now than I did when I graduated, because now it means something. It's not just a teacher grading my work, it's people taking the time to read my ideas, my stories. While I am not perfect and never will be, I would prefer my mistakes were at a minimum.

[englishwitch]

Not to call you out, but when I am working, I'm usually a clerk. I've even been one of those women at the drivethrough going, "Y'all want fries with that?"

About as far away from prose as you can get!

If you care about writing, you'll learn the prose, you'll learn the grammar. I know more about spelling and punctuation now than I did when I graduated, because now it means something. It's not just a teacher grading my work, it's people taking the time to read my ideas, my stories. While I am not perfect and never will be, I would prefer my mistakes were at a minimum.

i find myself in total agreement on this. when i first started writing i knew nothing of grammer and prose. but i learned. my first fic was rubbish compared to what i write now, but there was effort involved in writing it. thanks to the feedback i got from reviews from AFF members i knew exactly where to improve. but some people don't. they just keep writing terrible fic after terrible fic.

[Guest Mike256bit]

Not to call you out, but when I am working, I'm usually a clerk.  I've even been one of those women at the drivethrough going, "Y'all want fries with that?"

About as far away from prose as you can get! 

If you care about writing, you'll learn the prose, you'll learn the grammar.  I know more about spelling and punctuation now than I did when I graduated, because now it means something.  It's not just a teacher grading my work, it's people taking the time to read my ideas, my stories.  While I am not perfect and never will be, I would prefer my mistakes were at a minimum.

Point taken. Though, sometimes that bad story is the first fic. I know my beginnings were horrible, but I'll be damned if I didn't spend a lot of time on them.

[englishwitch]

I think we can leave it all there. i think we've found ourselves in agreement on common ground. debate over as far as i see.

[Guest Melody Fate]

Point taken. Though, sometimes that bad story is the first fic. I know my beginnings were horrible, but I'll be damned if I didn't spend a lot of time on them.

I wish I still had some of my original stuff, so we could compare. My first fanfics were horrible. No, they were beyond horrible. But yeah, I tried too and I improved, just as you've done.

I admire that you feel you can MST your own work. I'd love to try it, but I don't think I could do it to myself very easily.

[Guest Mike256bit]

It's my way of paying penance. I got one REALLY good constructive email during the entire time I wrote StH fanfiction and I now know how right that email was. Like, I went ballistic. I got really angry and yelled at the person because everyone else loved what I did. I was never able to get in touch with the guy ever again, though. It was my first dose of solid crit and I didn't like it. I sure learned to love it, though.

[Guest Melody Fate]

It's my way of paying penance. I got one REALLY good constructive email during the entire time I wrote StH fanfiction and I now know how right that email was. Like, I went ballistic. I got really angry and yelled at the person because everyone else loved what I did. I was never able to get in touch with the guy ever again, though. It was my first dose of solid crit and I didn't like it. I sure learned to love it, though.

I've been blasted out for crit, but not too often, because I have this policy of always mentioning something good. If I can't find anything I like about the fic, I figure I'm not a fair person to review. That's probably a mistake on my part, I shouldn't be afraid to tell someone they stink if they really do.

While I hate being blasted out, I really can't blame a person. I didn't have to write the review, I could have always just rolled my eyes and left it at that. Yes, I really do want to help the person, but maybe they don't want help. So, while yeah, it hurts a bit to be yelled at, I really am not surprised when it happens.

I just hate when people beg for reviews and don't mention they only want to hear good things. "PLEASE RR!" and I point out you don't have five people talking in a paragraph and they quip back with, "If you can't say anything nice, then shut up." How am I supposed to know what they want if they don't tell me? Crystal ball?

If the critism was good (Not insulting to you as a person, or to things that are a matter of opinion, such as any pairings in the story so on and so forth, but good, solid advice that would help you improve being a writer in general) then they probably have long since gotten over you. Chances are anyone who gives good advice to amateur writers understand that a lot will be sensitive to it. I think they'd rather you blasted them out, then later realized they were right, than for you to write a fawning letter thanking them, then promptly ignored everything they said.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

I have yet to be blasted for a crit, and we've seen the kinds of reviews I've left, yes? I'm just WAITING for someone to send me an email or start a flame fest in my review pages for chewing them out in their's. I dunno, it boggles the mind. Logically speaking, I should have a ton of nasty e-mails.

[Guest Melody Fate]

I have yet to be blasted for a crit, and we've seen the kinds of reviews I've left, yes? I'm just WAITING for someone to send me an email or start a flame fest in my review pages for chewing them out in their's. I dunno, it boggles the mind. Logically speaking, I should have a ton of nasty e-mails.

Maybe not. Your reviews come across like you've got a lot more on the ball than they do, so maybe they're afraid if they argue with you, that you'll be having a battle of wits with an unarmed oponant.

Look at Bobbie... she just erased what you wrote. She claimed she only erases because she doesn't want to start trouble, but I doubt your review caused trouble, it was intelligent and well written.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Maybe not. Your reviews come across like you've got a lot more on the ball than they do, so maybe they're afraid if they argue with you, that you'll be having a battle of wits with an unarmed oponant.

Look at Bobbie... she just erased what you wrote. She claimed she only erases because she doesn't want to start trouble, but I doubt your review caused trouble, it was intelligent and well written.

Aw, that's one of the sweetes compliments I've ever gotten! ^__^

Is it strange that I can be easily wooed by "You make people cry!"?

[Guest Melody Fate]

Is it strange that I can be easily wooed by "You make people cry!"?

Heh, I don't find you unnecessarily nasty. Usually, when someone pisses you off, you have good reason for being pissed. Then, you smack them into submission with your amazing ways of working the English Language...

I always figure if you really got into it with someone, they'd end up feeling verbally stripped naked, standing in the middle of the bus station. "Wha happened?"

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Haha! I wish I could be as eloquent in "real life" as I am on the computer. I don't stutter on the computer, so yeah ^__^

[Guest Mike256bit]

I-I-I wo-would laugh sho hard if p-p-p-p-people typed with shpeech impediments.

[Guest Melody Fate]

I-I-I wo-would laugh sho hard if p-p-p-p-people typed with shpeech impediments.

Half of them do, at least with sex, thus lines like I'm CCCCCCUUUUUUMMMMMIIIIINNNNGGGGG!

Haha! I wish I could be as eloquent in "real life" as I am on the computer. I don't stutter on the computer, so yeah ^__^

A lot of people who are great with written words aren't so great with verbal ones. Me? I forget my point a lot and change what I'm going to say in mid conversation. Drives my dad bonkers.

[Guest Mike256bit]

I've never, ever, ever screamend "I'm cuming."

I have screamed "I'm interfaced!" which made us laugh and effectively ruined the mood. Thanks a lot, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

I've never, ever, ever screamend "I'm cuming."

I have screamed "I'm interfaced!" which made us laugh and effectively ruined the mood. Thanks a lot, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.

Uh... ...>_>...

I'm pretty sure that if I screamed "I'm cuming!" during sex my significant other would abruptly stop and stare at me as if I had grown an unexpected tail or something.

And.. dude... "I'm interfaced?"

DORK!

[Guest DarkAvenger]

The worst fic I've /ever/ read, hands down, was written by noneother than a 47 year old woman who couldn't spell if her life depended on it. Not only did the pairing make me want to vomit, but the flow, grammar, spelling, sentence structure, EVERYTHING absoultely reeked of an 11 year old brat.

Anyway, next point. While I truly am grateful for what that underager did (if they truly did it) I think that it would be wise to remove the review from your story on aff. See, a good lot of the underagers are going to read everything posted there and learn from it. Then they will become virtually undetectable and we will, henceforth, have no means of kicking their sorry asses until we're slapped in the face with mommy and daddy's lawsuit from hell. We want our methods at least somewhat under wraps, ne? XD

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Gotcha. I'll just sve it on my comp. I want that for memories.

Though, I'd like to share this little ditty from our absolute favorite "writer":

my little secert    2006-08-05  id # 3000017396

EVEN THOUGH'.I am of age i perfer (NOT) to put my name on here cause the fear of being kicked off'!I really wish the age's 14 and up should be allowed on this site.'BUT IT'S THE LAW!"THEY act like kids these days well (TEENS) dont know shit about sex!And some underagers can write better than the people whom are of age.IT'S really ashame that you have to leave.I think it's stupid if you do it's not like we know who you are!I could tell by your rant that you're a good writer we need good writers like you on this site. *believe me*! IM SURE YOU WILL BE MISSED.BUT if you remember i was on this site when i was 17 and my birthday was days away!my screen name was (qutie1)damn that feels wierd writing that screen name agian.yes i was kicked off and i deserve to be because like a dumb ass i put it on my profile!HEY look at it this way you only have to wait 2 years to wait you could still read stories just dont post anything'.USE that time to brush up on your writing skills ok *sweetie*.I understand what you meen by your mom dont know shit about computers neither do mine!I dont have an older brother though.BUT i am the oldest so.......no one dont give a shit!when i use to live with my mom but know i live on my own.

JUST KEEP WRITING.....FROM qutie1

[Guest Evil_Labs]

That's kind of a sick coincidence. The one girl's maturity and message is very well done, and then the one saying teens should stay in is written like a colorblind hedgehog in a bag.

You don't like it, kiddo? We may not either, but we don't like the whole idea of federal fines and jail time.

[Guest Melody Fate]

written like a colorblind hedgehog in a bag. 

Did you make that up? I love it.