Being able to leave comments is not a reason for me to read, or conversely not read, a story. Stories by specific authors whose work I have found entertaining, enlightening, or somehow other capture my attention I will of course gravitate to. On the other hand, there are those authors whose work I have found disturbing, difficult to read, or in some other way not enjoyable that I will simply overlook or avoid. On the gripping hand, if a title, a description, or more importantly to this conversation if a COMMENT catches my eye or interest, I will often read a story I would otherwise have overlooked.

Comments are like reviews. For many of us, they are an opportunity to express to our fellow readers our joy or interest in an author’s work. For me, not only is that true - but they are also a way to communicate with an author my thoughts on the story, how it effected me, what works in the story, what didn’t work for me personally and why, where I feel the story could be going based on what I have read, and to offer encouragement.

I think the key is to be constructive. I will readily admit that I don’t always like what I read, and early on when I joined this group I know for a fact that I left at least one comment which was NOT constructive in it’s crticism. I also learned that not only was that hurtful to others, even though I felt my point was well made, but also had my comment deleted because of it.

I have also blocked a few people here because of things they have said to me. Usually because of their very narrow political viewpoints. As the saying goes, religion and politics are like assholes - everybody has one, but showing it to others is not always a good thing to do.

I have never been a big fan of forced fem stories, and quite a few of those have appeared here over the years I have been a patron of this site. When I read one, I try to be fair and tell the author how I feel - but also give a fair comment on their writing. I have read many stories where although I was not a fan of the genre or the plot, the author’s talent was still readily apparent. My comment in that case is that although I didn’t like the story due to the fact that it made me highly uncomfortable, the fact that the author was able to stir such strong emotions within me is a true indicator of their talent. It takes real skill and talent to put such strong emotions into the written word - and the simple fact that it makes me so upset that I want to stop reading and go cry, or strike out at the person causing such anguish within the story, is the sign of a very talented writer.

Yes, I will probably not read any more of their work, but usually I try at least two in order to see if the genre is something they specifically write before I give up. In fact, one of my favorite authors wrote a story where the main character’s wife was cheating on him with another woman, and the two of them conspire to force him into femininity without his knowing it. It had me so upset I had to stop reading it repeatedly, until I was able to stop crying and calm down. But I kept going back - and in the end, all is well as the main character ends up happy, and the wife and her lover meet their just ends. A sad tale, but one that ends well and kept me enraptured no matter how upset I was. Once again, strong emotions conveyed through the written word.

So, to end my rambling here, my point is that like all things, not everyone will be made happy by everything you do. Seems obvious, but it bears repeating. Make yourself happy, realize that no matter how talented you are you can’t please everyone, and decide for yourself whether or not knowing how others feel about your work is a help or a hindrance.

I have done many things in life, been many things to many people, and it took me over five decades to realize that until I made myself happy I would never be as good a person as I could or should be. For those who don’t get the reference, making the decision to transition and be my true self made me able to be a better person. All the things that made me a good person in my past life, were the things that made me who I am now. In being that person, I went against the criticism of a lot of people, family, friends, and foe alike. But after listening to all of the comments, I decided what was my own best course and took it. I lost some family and some friends - but I did what was right for me.

The point being - I listened to the comments, many of which were not what I wanted to hear, but I NEEDED to hear them. I didn’t agree with them, and I didn’t do what they said - but I wanted, and needed to hear both sides of the argument.

Only you can’t decide what is right for you.