[Vent] For Authors who just need a moment to let it all out

[MenmaAishi]

Well, my novel ain't getting that many comments and likes but I had a few comments.
I know my writing is just downright bad, my common sense of what is show or tell isn't clear as I write in 1st person. First, someone complains that there is little detail. I rewrite the chapters now I get comments that there are too many details, like, decide.
I know my grammar is as awful as my dyslexia.
It's not enough that my house burned down and I have no job, now I get ppl calling me a blockhead, you are the blockhead.
I always doom post about my writing being bad and being the worst author whenever I see people complain(the only thing I got after 6 years of writing)
Also, sorry for the word salad and incoherence. I can't control it. I just can't and meds aren't helping too much either.
Ok, enough for my schizo rant for now.

 

[Corty]

Basically people who are upset that I wanted my MC to face literally any hardship and have any weaknesses. I wasn't power fantasying hard enough for them, apparently.

I felt that. My current MC was a mechanic in the army and some commenters expectations are to make him what Musk thinks he is. Roadblocks and bad decision/mistakes are unacceptable for them it seems.

Ok, enough for my schizo rant for now.

You can do it, don't give up.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Well, I'm always full of complaints, aren't I?
No, seriously, there was someone who once wrote in an official Amazon review that there's something they don't see any explanation for. When I took the question and partially put it in the search within the manuscript document in word, I found a line in which MC is asking that exact question and gets an answer from the person he asks.
Somehwere in that territory of concentration was the reading level of a guy I did review swap on RR with (my first and only review swap for a while, as it was exhausting).

Spoiler: Tiring long Rant about RR Dude

Dude read my recent main project, part of the swap were the review itself after about 12K words and a comment under every read chapter. He put in a comment with about two lines unter the chapters he read, with only one thing that could be read as negative, because I had the narrator say something, then put another half sentence in that meant something similar to emphazise. Bro said it was obsolete and didn't add anything. But it was literally three words, I think "It was unprecedented". So yeah, I though he would at least find it okay, but the review then went and slammed the story.
Biggest problem? Not only did he NOT use the chapter comments to even mention a single one of his criticisms, he also didn't explain any of the ones he had. For example: He got confused by my "organisation" of paragraphs? He couldn't tell what the protagonist's name was? In the prologue, MC dies to swap souls with a girl from another world, but he didn't know "who died"? Having the narrator focus on other people, so you know what the surroundings are doing, was somehow too complex for him? About 5 Characters appearing at all around the protaonist, of which not many are even very important, most of them are maids, is "juggling too many characters"?
Like, seriously, he had a bunch of things to complaint and gave it like a 2 out of 5 which changed to 2,5 out of 5. [As an EDIT here: No, he did not explain any of his points, he just put them out there in bare minimum form, like some checklist full of buzzwords that sound terrible. I would have loved to see why he said it and had he explained or given examples, I wouldn't even mention that part, because in reality, I shrugged at it until the last sentence came, which is what I will complain about next.] But the kicker was his high and mighty way of writing down how he's totally hoping for me to get better at writing after wachting "a bunch of Ellen Brock on YouTube". And I know he means it, because he goes around telling people how many videos on writing he has seen in his life, when that means nothing.
Case in point: When I read the first chapter of his story to do my part of the swap, I almost shit my pants, because his story was so badly written in a technical sense, I got scared to tell the truth because it seemed like a well-liked story and I just got rated badly by him. But he literally checked all the boxes of things he didn't like about my story. I ended up doing as I always did: Went through the story, commented with a lot of direct quotes as examples, explained reasonings and came to my conclusions. Got like 5K in the review alone.

In the end, what really stuck with me wasn't even his way of criticising things nobody ever thought about before - because they are so obvious to understand that I'm wondering if he maybe read it backwards instead - but the way he would always come off as patronizing. I know I get read as all kinds of bad a lot, but I see myself as neutral, maybe sarcastic, a bit mean in my jabs at best, but this fake friendly, goody-two-shoes act that can be easily understood as an act is the most vile type of conversation you can have with me. Makes me want to spit in your mug.

 

[SailusGebel]

 

[Rhaps]

I had people question why my MC don't do certain things in the first chapter.
Like, bro, at least make it to the tenth chapter before complaining. Four chapters in you will see that the MC is the most illogical crazy bitch ever written.

I am writing with the assistance of a d20 ffs.

 

[WinterTimeCrime]

I'll let it all out alright

 

[Iamnotabot]

Well i only had one recently that comment a tab bit rude on my chap, i feel really sad (·•᷄∩•᷅ ) a bit sad but im over it now. Nothing a cup ice cream and lots of picture sent from my wife can't fix.

Through i do think that one guy is trolling, cuz so far no one else has comment anything like that.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Somebody told me years ago that I am using the time travel thing in my novel wrong. He said that time travel should be linear and stuff. Well shit, somebody actually corrected me as if he has a theoretical chronophysics degree

At these times, I'd like to tell similar type of readers to: "You can fk off."

 

[YusakuRay]

I guess I have a small annoyance, it's not a complaint about anyone, it's just that I don't get comments even when there's a good decent amount of views, I'd like to improve what I lack on and it's kind of hard when i'm not getting comments. I can't tell if I'm improving or lacking? I'm probably going to update my first few chapters sometime because I got some feedback when I started writing and changed some stuff, now I'm not sure if it's enough and that I need to go back and change some things... But then If I change some things the story might shift. (IDK how to feel about it I mean I guess I'm doing something right if my amount of readers is increasing???)

 

[Corty]

I guess I have a small annoyance, it's not a complaint about anyone, it's just that I don't get comments even when there's a good decent amount of views, I'd like to improve what I lack on and it's kind of hard when i'm not getting comments. I can't tell if I'm improving or lacking? I'm probably going to update my first few chapters sometime because I got some feedback when I started writing and changed some stuff, now I'm not sure if it's enough and that I need to go back and change some things... But then If I change some things the story might shift. (IDK how to feel about it I mean I guess I'm doing something right if my amount of readers is increasing???)

At first I made some comments about the chapters in author notes, trying to make some readers to respond to that. I’m not saying it works for sure but a useable tactic.

 

[Obsoleteness]

I had a commenter say that something that happened in the chapter didn't make sense (Because it wasn't explained right away due to the MC not knowing how and why it happened) so he rated it 2 stars and dropped the story. It has since then been explained but he will never know the answer

 

[CorvusG]

Not necessarily about someone stupid or anything, but author vent nonetheless.

I'm starting to realize my writing skill level is nowhere near where I'd want it to be for the story I'm working on. Like, it's not bad. At the risk of sounding like an asshole, or a narcissist, or whatever, I think it's objectively on par with the guys you see on rising stars on Royal Road. But it's still not enough. I genuinely want it to be genuine mainstream writer level and I'm just not quite there yet.

It has come to the point that I'm thinking about holding on to writing this story for now and focusing on other projects to get the necessary experience to make it as good as I want it to be. It's sucks because this is the second time I'm trying to write it, and I think the first one was objectively better - just not what I wanted the story to be.

Idk, just feeling frustrated about the whole thing. I think at this point the novel ahs been in my head for about... 8 years? Sucks that it'd probably have to wait for 8 more while I do other stuff. Or I could work on it and lowkey ruin what my, ideally, magnum opus. I know, it's probably not going to be that, yadda yadda, but still. Dunno what to do at this point

 

[Little-Moon]

The people who overread the fact that I have fat letters written first of, Hey, I am not a Native of English, still comment on how awful the grammar and spelling are in rather unpleasant ways instead of simply telling me what I did wrong so I can do better or correct the mistake. I treasure the few who tell me where I did wrong, but those who just say it's terrible are daunting.

Other than that, I cannot complain; my comments section is very peaceful.

Idk, just feeling frustrated about the whole thing. I think at this point the novel ahs been in my head for about... 8 years? Sucks that it'd probably have to wait for 8 more while I do other stuff. Or I could work on it and lowkey ruin what my, ideally, magnum opus. I know, it's probably not going to be that, yadda yadda, but still. Dunno what to do at this point

I think it may pay off to try to go on and preserve. While it may not be what you want it to be right now, it can teach you where all your difficulties lie and where you want to go to make your Magnum Opus what you want it to be one day. It's like a trial run where you can try out all the bits and pieces you find captivating in it and if they really work out for you and are the reason why you want to write it in the first place.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

I'm starting to realize my writing skill level is nowhere near where I'd want it to be for the story I'm working on. Like, it's not bad. At the risk of sounding like an asshole, or a narcissist, or whatever, I think it's objectively on par with the guys you see on rising stars on Royal Road. But it's still not enough. I genuinely want it to be genuine mainstream writer level and I'm just not quite there yet.

First of all: It doesn't make you sound like anything but a normal writer in my opinion. As we all, as far as I experienced, hate what we write at some point, when challenged, we will still see all the parts we think are good. And you wouldn't be an artist, if there weren't days when you look at your shit proudly and think "What's so different?" when looking at someone really quite popular. The answer to that question may vary, sometimes there is none because the difference is just a tiny margin of luck - taking a shot at the right time, finding the right audience, for instance.
But what I can tell you for sure it that this "mainstream writer level" you speak of... doesn't exist. No "mainstream writer" gives up their manuscript for printing without an editor sifting through it and they will change your wording, they will perfect it. Because seeing these faults is so much easier when you didn't create the work itself. Don't fret about useless stuff, that's all I'm saying.

 

[CorvusG]

I think it may pay off to try to go on and preserve. While it may not be what you want it to be right now, it can teach you where all your difficulties lie and where you want to go to make your Magnum Opus what you want it to be one day. It's like a trial run where you can try out all the bits and pieces you find captivating in it and if they really work out for you and are the reason why you want to write it in the first place.

I think that's probably what I'd do. I haven't been able to write for a couple of days anyway. Too attached to the story to really allow myself to make mistakes and correct them later.

But what I can tell you for sure it that this "mainstream writer level" you speak of... doesn't exist. No "mainstream writer" gives up their manuscript for printing without an editor sifting through it and they will change your wording, they will perfect it. Because seeing these faults is so much easier when you didn't create the work itself. Don't fret about useless stuff, that's all I'm saying.

Good point, actually. Completly forgot editors are a thing. Still, I am aware I'm not at that level yet, editors or not.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I am tired of readers who literally never left their house or had anyone say a bad word to them, and then they tell me that the character in question is a terrible person because they did one bad thing. I don't like you and your troll face.

 

[doravg]

I don't have anything to complain about. My daydreaming tank is on empty, and I am taking a break.

(And it was hot today. I miss the AC in the office.)

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

I'm just here to feed on tears.

 

[AYM]

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

No name calling?
Fine.

This piece of shit on chapter 42, with the orange avatar, three comments down, second replies down. I hope you stub your toe while you watch your wife banging the entire football team.