I was on Fictionmania a few days back. I read a story where teenage boys were fed hormones by their mothers after fighting at school.
It was fairly normal stuff, it wasn't particularly badly written. It was by an author called Metmanmornge.
There were a few nasty reviews. One said it was so bad it should be deleted. Another said it made no sense as the boys would beat their mother to death before this happened etc. It was pointed out that the site was called Fictionmania, and the story was fiction. I suggested if people didn't like it, they should just stop reading.
The author responded and said he liked reading criticism, and this type of story was their preferred genre.
I checked a little while ago to see how the comments were going. Metmanmornge had deleted themselves along with all their stories.
With a few sites, Fictionmania included, you can leave reviews without an email address or account. All of the negative reviews were left in this way. The trolls won again. Another writer who will never post again.
I have had a few nasty reviews. Grammar nazi's pointing out a misplaced comma etc. I used one review section for a row between myself and a reviewer criticising me on my spelling and using bad English. Most of this was due to the use of U.K. spelling rather than American. After around ten exchanges, pointing out that their review, and argument was full of grammar and spelling mistakes. They then said, well English isn't my first language. The admin then deleted the entire conversation.
Bigcloset only allows reviews from registered users. It also allows editing once you post, so you can correct mistakes. I have only had constructive criticism on here. Advice on format and proof reading have help me produce stories that are easier to read.
Just wanted to say thank you for such an author friendly site.
Comments
One more thing designed in...
Comments here are directly attached to the end of stories. That means that the author of the story OWNS the comments and is perfectly in their rights to ask me to delete any comments for any reason whatever. The system is also designed to make this easy for me to do.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Thanks Erin, that's good to
Thanks Erin, that's good to know. Sometimes some of us are a little thin skinned.
It was a shame to see someone "destroyed" by a few nasty comments.
Leeanna
Fictionmania is IMHO the pits
The comments I received there were awful. Ok, it was when I was just starting to write but even so... they nearly made me stop. Then the design is literally out of the ark. In the end, I stopped posting there. Many of the newer stories were about forced fem or worse. That also put me off.
After a bit, I came here and found a much more friendly community. I can't remember the last time I looked at Fictionmania. It is dead as far as I'm concerned.
Samantha
Samantha, I agree
Fictionmania seems to pull in the worst kind leaving nasty hateful comments. Personally, those don't bother me. As a published author, when they can claim the same, I might start paying a little more attention but otherwise, fun reading the snarky and ugly comments. The Waterloo came when the moderator of the site started pulling my comments encouraging the writers of the stories I liked. I love new writers and try to let them know their talent is appreciated. I guess the moderator didn't like me personally, never met the man, or he just had a thing for me. He was making malicious, vicious personal comments about me and pulling my responses. I swear I was keeping it civilized even though he wasn't. Eventually I had enough and told him to pull all my works.
Another person emailed me and told me my stories are never truly deleted. They are still there, just not listed but retrievable for those who know how. She gave me the codes. Alas, lost on one of the computer crashes. I've had more than my fair share of those over the years. Me and electronics don't get along that well. Hasn't happen in several years now but cash registers would crash when I walked up to them. Streetlights would go out when I drove under them. Computers would last four to five months and drop dead. Again, no longer a problem. Truly weird life.
Hugs Samantha
Barb
Life is a challenge without tossing in all the gotchus
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
It is the 'fluence' Barbie, the 'fluence'
I have it with mechanical watches. Wear one for a month and it stops working. Leave it for a month or so and suddenly, it starts up. I even managed to bork an almost new Rolex in five weeks. I took it back to the shop who were mystified. A few days later, it started to work.
Since this happened in 1975, I have not worn a watch.
That's life Barbie. Many of us oddballs give perfectly normal things the heebie-jeebies. That is part of what makes us different. Long may that remain.
Samantha
People who influence clockwork.
My brother had a clockwork watch that ran fine when it was on the night-stand but ran fast (or maybe slow) when he wore it. No one else tried wearing it but we assumed it was him, and I got the impression this was a known phenomenon; some people upset clockwork watches.
Crashing
I'm surprised that your crashing ability worked on such a small scale.
Some hm hm years ago I was sitting in a basement some 10m below surface working on my master thesis at a terminal that had had some "quirks" earlier. After loading all necessary data for the night's run I pushed "Enter" and everything went black. I mean everything. Fortunately there were some emergency lights so I could get up to the surface. The city was completely black. Later I heard that half the country had lost their electricity.
You have a superpower
You have a superpower Samantha , gonna call you
Static Destroyer
"
"
xx
Leeanna
I have the opposite issue,
I have the opposite issue, for the most part. My own computers crash and play up to high hell most of the time, but at work the other day (and I'm not making this up) a colleague asked me to see if I could fix what was wrong with their computer. I walked over to it, looked at it for about 5 seconds and it sprang back to life. :-/
Debs xxxx
Fictionmania and trolls
I thought that I would try to spread my stories around and offered up the first chapter of 'The Big Break' The hoops I had to go through to get it up were long and tortuous. About a day or so later I looked at the comments to see one that was almost bordering on 'hate mail'. I thought that I would try to persevere and went to put up chapter 2. Oddly enough, I could not get this one to stick so that was my foray into FM and I have put all my effort into trying to entertain the readers of BC ever since. There is another doozy on the Amazon page for 'Positively Patsy' but I have laughed that one off as someone who wanted to read porn, not a story.
Marianne G
Hi Marianne, I don't have any
Hi Marianne, I don't have any problems posting, just with trolls sometimes. I should have got the authors details told them to try here.
I have also posted on Litrotica. Not as bad as FM but close. You do get reading figures. I have 3 stories on their trending as "Hot". ATM.
It is a large site with readers of many tastes. My straightforward sex stories do better there. My 1st story has been read 16k times.
I think any thoughtful stuff would bomb on there.
Leeanna
just because...
Oh for somewhere to post online where it is impossible to leave comments.
Just because people are able to comment does not mean they should, let them try giving their uninvited, unwanted (by me) and often rude opinions to late night revellers or a group keeping a street-corner company.
アンその他
As for posting without comments
This site is one place where you can post a story without allowing comments.
Please see my earlier email to you.
only mansplaining works with me
I did search for the switch without success after your last message, but did find how to disable private messages.
アンその他
.
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/node/add/story
a big
thank you
アンその他
Any author who decides to disable comments
is an author I avoid. I won't block anyone but I'll make an informed decision not to read their work in future.
Newtons laws and all that stuff.
Samantha
Newton's Laws?
Newton's Laws?
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Newton's 4th Law
.
Or maybe the 3rd if you stretch it to include peoples actions having consequences. (I always have to say something, whether I know what I'm talking about or not. That's probably a law somewhere too...)
~hugs, V
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
The Nature of Art
I like comments, positive or negative, I don't care.
It seems to me that the purpose of fiction, like all art, is to provoke a reaction.
"That is awful!" or "I have never encountered anything so ugly in my life!" are just as valid as "Your message touched me" or "This might be your best" (Thanks Jill).
Maryanne
Two f-laws
How will that person know there is one read missing from the stats?
How will I, (damn) I mean they know you do not read their post?
アンその他
Disabling Comments
There is at least one very good(IMHO) author here who disables comments on all her stories. However she's very receptive to PMs.
Yes Ann, it's like walking
Yes Ann, it's like walking down the street and saying, "that tie makes you look like a spiv." and "your arse looks enormous in those tight leggings." and not getting a punch in the face.
Leeanna
A long time ago ...
... I'd posted on FM. Once I found BCTS, and discovered how nice it is here, I decided to stay. :)
My Own Experience
My experience with Fictionmania has usually been positive. I've received a few negative comments, but usually there was something to them.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Another nice thing about BCTS
is that the story is RIGHT there as comments are written
sometimes over on FM, I wonder if they're commenting on the story I wrote.
Got a comment, "Please learn the difference between except and accept"
well, I d/led the posted story file and did a search on both words including conjugates. Grammarly.com and I agreed my usage was correct in each case.
warm furries
Tiggs
I cross post everything I
I cross post everything I post here on FM as well, even though I know the sort of stuff I write won't be as well received over there, but I figure it doesn't hurt to get a wider audience. I've not had many problems with negative comments (apart from people telling me to stop starting new stories before finishing existing ones), but then again I don't tend to get many comments in general, so swings and roundabouts I suppose.
Debs xxxx
Hi Debbie,I do that a lot. I
Hi Debbie,I do that a lot. I have about 4 ongoing stories atm
Leeanna
Accidents, mistakes & intentions
The author sounds familiar & I would not doubt I had one point read it, but idk for sure.
I will admit, I myself have said similar & feel exceedingly guilty about it, I hurt someone because of it & they threatened to stop writing. Like I never said it was horrible or should be taken down, but it was something to the understanding of I suggested it bordered on blackmail porn. At least I think thats what it was i said or she took me suggesting.
I have no idea why on earth I did it, last thing I ever want to do is hurt someone & certainly never want to thwart someone from their writing, my english teacher did that to me in junior high & I know the hatred that can breed, from that.
I have even occasionally had a few unfriendlies back when I was activelly writing.
Critics are everywhere.
When my memory problems started both coming around and blocking other things, I began focus memory on all the hidden dark things & it brought alot of things back.
This caused and remains to cause a long list of triggers, that were not so before the memories came back hauntingly.
I have found I am more likely to say things I do not mean lash out, c-ptsd, borderline etc.....
Anger and hatred, turn to bitterness & pessimism
I agree, if someone intentionally reads something just to scoff at, knowing it is going to be something they greatly disagree with.... it is potentially their own fault for that callous decision, not the writer.
I do understand calling out a potential pedophile, there does seem to be a few at FM, or so it sometimes seems.
However, BCTS has rules, that are enforced, while FM appears to be very lax with little moderator control. This is why the darker things are typically found there, only.
I read from both sites, and a couple other, anothot crystals I sometimes go back to to reminisce, but it is a ‘dead site’ that lives but no future it seems.
There is an old saying ‘everyone’s a critic’ & I have to admit, this is extremly true, even if the critics are critising critics it is the way it is. Nitpicking comes about by anyone in a certain less then happy mood.
No one is perfect, we all make wrong choices, sometimes intentionally, some times accidentally.
With Love and Light, and Smiles so Bright!
Erin Amelia Fletcher
FM
I started out posting on Fictionmania, because it was so easy. And for that very reason you will get all types posting there, and all types reading, and all types posting. It has a big readership. I still post there for that reason. I post things there that I do not post here - little things that I call "brain farts", so of which can later be fashioned into real stories.
I have said in my early blogs here that what makes BC different is that it is a community, or feels that way. I have made friends here. Some I chat with regularly. When we blog chat I get warmth and intelligence and genuine engagement. Over on FM it all seems a bit perverted. But hey, I am OK with that.
The only thing that really shook me over there was when I was accused of plagiarism for working from some captioned images. When I pointed out that plagiarism is the very opposite of what I was doing (I was attributing inspiration for my own stuff rather that saying the work of others was my own) the abusers double-downed.
I just feel that there is something cold and mean over there. I cannot quite identify what it is. The readership numbers will ensure that I visit there daily and usually post daily too, but this place is home.
Maryanne
"Brian farts" LOL. One
"Brian farts" LOL. One comment I got from Annabel on F/M led her to proof read for me. She's a really fascinating lady. She wrote
"you will sit straight on your bear legs and knickers".
Really? That sounds very hairy :-)!
xx
I replied if the constitution just gave "the right to bare arms", there would be fewer shootings and more goosebumps.
Kind, witty criticism.
Leeanna
bare arms
I think you are slightly mistaken, the constitution gives you "The Right to Arm Bears" (Gordon R. Dickson). Which BTW is recommended if you like science fiction.
Childe Cycle
I'm really sad he passed away before finishing his Childe Cycle novels. :/
Shai Dorsai!
Your comments on FM are
Your comments on FM are flooded by 2 silly sissies at the moment LOL
Leeanna
I read that story a couple of days ago.
I know it, the story, was unrealistic; however the outcome was positive, even if it was pure fantasy. I'm sorry the reviews were so hateful and hurtful. How unfortunate. Yes, I'm a grammar Nazi. If something is seriously bad, I might directly contact the author. I certainly wouldn't make a public comment. I make enough grammatical errors as it is.
Portia
When I started posting my
When I started posting my stories on her, SamanthaMD kindly pointed out they would be a lot more readable if I put the speech on separate lines, rather than within a paragraph.
Someone else on another site told me there is no need to write, he said/she said/Bill said/Davina said etc, if it's obvious who is talking.
Both these comments have helped a lot. Constructive , kind criticism.
Leeanna
I've seen the other side of this issue,
in regards to: "Someone else on another site told me there is no need to write, he said/she said/Bill said/Davina said etc, if it's obvious who is talking."
I've seen it too many times where authors don't show attributions often enough, and then you have the danger of the reader getting lost. I am the editor for one of the authors here, and I generally suggest that authors don't go more than 3 or 4 paragraphs of pure dialogue without throwing in an attribution. I don't know if that is outdated practice or not, but that was what I was taught back when I was in college in the 80's.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not disagreeing with what you said, just an observation I thought you might be interested in.
Okay
My question: Obvious to who?
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
I know of one GOOD reason
To post to FM. Once you have posted a story there, they lock your author name. That way, no one can come along and hijack your nom de plume. By contrast, the usernames of readers can be recycled after a long period of inactivity. Since BC and FM are the only two sites left, you're covered on both sites.
I have 1 (one) story on FM. I've not even bothered to check the comments. It's only there to protect my name. (I don't use a nom de plume, that's my real name.) That may be overkill, given the quality of my work, but it makes me happy.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Hi Karen, there is also
Hi Karen, there is also Litrotica. It's a general porn site covering all types of stories, but there are 1000's of TG/TV/CD stories there.
Like this site your get the reader stats. You can disable comments if you want. As I said earlier, you get more likes with straight forward
sex stories on there. Some of my recent ones I wrote with that in mind to see if I could improve the score they get. It's like putting more sugar
In a cake for someone with a sweet tooth. The last one I put on there has had 5k views and is scoring 4.7 out of 5.
The story I have juts put on here is the type I prefer to write. I just write for fun though. I do get requests to write certain stories. The St Francis story that I still haven't finished was suggested by Annabel who proof reads for me.
Leeanna
Don't Do
Porn. Far too many stories are just a thin wrapper of words around Pure-D Porn. So, no, I didn't forget it. I just consider it the electronic version of Hustler mag. Not a literature site at all.
BTW, this even happens on BC. A couple or so days or so, I read the latest chapter of a story I'd enjoyed. But all it was was sex between two protagonists. It served no purpose in advancing the story or the plot. If it was dropped it wouldn't be missed. I may be a bit of a prude, but I don't consider making love/sex a spectator sport. It can be easily alluded to without describing every grunt, push, and scream.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Some People
Some people enjoy the porn. Less so here than elsewhere. Even our beloved leader spent some years at ASS*.
And there's also Storiesonline.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
??????
ASS*?
I'm not saying everybody has to follow my "rules". I'm just saying where I draw the lines. There are some writers I block all of their work. Others I block for a time, but keep an eye on their output and may unblock.
I just wish the block was really a block. As it is I still get the teaser and the artwork. Put a notice that xyz has posted. People that haven't blocked them will still get the full works. People that have blocked them can easily bypass the notice and go on. I mean, I've scene teasers and artwork that took up 2+ screens on my home computer monitor. I got so sick of the poorly drawn artwork that I clicked to another website to avoid it.
But that's me, and like I said, I don't expect anybody else to conform to my tastes.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
ASS*
A group of USENET newsgroups, the less-respectable part of USENET: alt.sex.stories, alt.sex.stories.d, alt.sex.stories.moderated, alt.sex.stories.tg, and several others.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Okay
Think I ran across that back in the BBS days. On a 300 baud modem it took forever to download anything, and I can't access it anymore due to obsolete OS and proprietary file format (Remember the Commodore-64?). Anyway, I thought all that stuff went belly-up.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Not Commenting
I do not tend to comment on stories, because I do not know what to say. Great story? Loved the . . . . If I find an excellent story, I will sometimes write a personal note to the the author. There are some authors here who have sucked me into their universe and so I want to tell them how much I appreciate their work, there is one on FM as well.
However, when it comes to grammar, even with a Doctorates degree, I do not feel qualified to point out errors. How important is it to note that on page . . . . in paragraph . . . . you misspelled . . . .. Especially if I am reading it in a Kindle? How would that encourage the author to keep writing so I could continue to enjoy reading.
Then, if I do not like a style or genre, that does not make the writing bad, it does not measure to my taste. Others may fawn over it. That is their taste. Neither of us are wrong, and the author is not bad because their mind sees things different than mine.
Sorry for rambling, but there are too many good authors here for me to bad mouth a few grammar errors. If I do not post at the end of the story it is because I do not fell that I have anything worth saying. I will try to do better using the kudos though.
I have a story rambling in my head, and wish I could write it, but being stuck so far in the closet, I do not know how. Oh well.
Melissa
Positive feedback
Even comments that only say, "This was great! Really enjoyed it!" make my day that much brighter when I see them. :) Can't speak for other authors, but that's certainly true for me. lol
FM v BC
I really don't post anymore on FM. I've never had bad reviews there. My kind of stories are largely ignored by the readers there. Obviously, my tastes are different than what I've been seeing there recently.
I do like to click on 'stories that have been published on this date in FM history.' It gives you a nice overview of the decades of stories they have stored there. It also shows you what excites their readers. (I have this vision of a caged neanderthal being tossed raw horse meat).
I do like to post here. Erin and the site are very hospitable for writers and their posting methods are the best. I will use this site to test out ideas and see if they are novel-worthy. I've also published a few short stories here that were meant for the reader's pleasure. I've tried to thank BC for their efforts by donating the proceeds of my novel Taylor directly to them.
I recently published a long short story here titled Vacation that I am developing into a full novel version for Amazon.
I do like publishing my work on Amazon because it reaches a much larger crowd than I ever thought possible. When I'm down and think that my writing is worthless, I like to read the reviews that people have written about my favorite stories about my Wildcats.
Thanks for that. I look at
Thanks for that. I look at the "My stories" shortcut and see how the stories are rated. My female led society stories are least popular, where as the more sentimental stories do better with the up vote to read ratio.
On FM and always on Literotica it is the more sexual stories that do better. Anything to be a Housewife , which I put on there less than 2 months ago has had nearly 20,000 views. So, "caged neanderthal being tossed raw horse meat" probably LOL
I may try to publish one day, but this is new to me and I am still learning.
Leeanna