Another author has removed her stories from BC. I can only guess as to a reason since I was not offered one, nor offered the opportunity to unpub stories rather than them be deleted.
This hurts me deeply.
Please, please, to other authors, do not let anger or upset lead you into taking such drastic action without first talking to me. I can almost always work something out if there is a conflict or disagreement.
This always upsets me and makes me wonder if it is worth it to try to offer a safe place to authors to publish their work. Now I have to try to get to sleep because I have to get up early in the morning to go to class.
Hugs to all,
Erin
Comments
a big hug
((hug)) Erin, from those of us who realize the value of what you do, and love with whioh you do it.
Melissa Tawn
BigCloset is About People
and that's our job: This site is here for you: reader or author. We do try to cater to the majority, we cannot please everyone, however. I do bend over backwards and take a lot of time out of my life to help authors in all manner with their stories should they need or want it. We help the readers with features, especially the registered ones. We do our best for you.
For me personally, I dislike seeing an author go. It means, somewhere along the line, I have failed to properly communicate and break the barrier between the author and myself to get an idea through to them or them to me. I personally do not want us to lose a site member. I think of everyone here as a part of my family.
I do hope that the author that did leave, does at some future point, come back. We will not stop her from coming back, but will embrace her when she does as a long lost family member returning from an extended vacation.
I do not want to think about never. Never is a long time to be away from those whom love you.
Sephrena Lynn Miller
BigCloset TopShelf
Erin.
Please don't wonder about what you do or why you do it. You have provided, for ALL of us, a place to call home. A place where we can be ourselves without fear of humiliation or recrimination.
Yes, there will always be those who cause you to question, but to the vast majority of us, you are our surrogate 'Mom', and we all love you...as dysfunctional as we might seem to you at times.
Sites like yours are rare and should be treasured. I do treasure it, and I know many, many others do as well.
Don't question yourself Erin. You can only do what you can do. Don't try to take on more than you can comfortably handle.
Stay strong and remember. We love you.
huggles from,
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Sad to hear....
I have to admit that it makes me sad that someone would be so-o-o-o upset that they remove all their hard work from this or any other story archive.
I am probably as guilty as other readers in not leaving near enough positive comments for the authors here and other places. But it doesn't mean that I would remove all my stories either.
I know the feeling of not having ALL positive comments, but that is the way it works! We don't all write things that everyone likes. (that's why we don't all drive pink cars!!)
Yea, yea, I know.... Then we'd be a Pink Car-Nation.....
Anyway, I for one have no intention of removing my stuff from Big Closet! Actually, I think I am almost ready to add another chapter!!!(Someone get the smelling salts!! Erin fainted!!)
Huggs to all and have fun in class, erin!!
Lisa Elizabeth
A former author's POV, hate to sound negative (but I always doâ€
Hate to sound negative but as one of the authors who has removed their work from this site, sometimes removing our works seems to be the only fix to the problem at hand, more over if we don’t wish to burden other’s with the issues or if other’s can not see the issues.
Speaking from personal experience, it isn’t easy for a writer to walk away from their creations, it’s not easy to delete them knowing that doing so means nobody will read them anymore, which means the characters die…
Remembering that a character in story only exists so long as someone is reading it , so for me having to remove my work and having to give up writing was like wiping out a lot of people. Okay I’m not sure if other writers feel that way about their characters but that’s how I feel.
I guess what I’m saying is when the only option that an author has left is to remove their work then spare a thought for how bad things must be for them or at least from their POV…
Dawn.
Then why remove anything?
You've already created the works. Your stories are written and posted and out there. Even if you've decided never to write again, for whatever reason ... why take it down? Leave your characters to stand tall, to face their fictional challenges and emerge triumphant ... or not.
The Net is the only medium where an author can DO something like this. When Conan Doyle decided to stop writing Sherlock Holmes stories, he didn't hire someone to go out and collect every copy of every story he'd written. If he had, we would have lost the Great Detective as surely as if he had actually fallen into the Reichenbach Falls as Watson had believed.
So leave your work out there, discouraged writers ... the muse may return someday, and in the meantime, the children of your talent will be out there ... the stuff dreams are made of.
Randa
Eloquently said
I agree with you completely!
Scott
-- Moliere
Bree
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
-- Tom Clancy
http://genomorph.tglibrary.com/ (Currently broken)
http://bree-ramsey314.livejournal.com/
Twitter: @genomorph
Frankly...
To be totally honest I didn't / don’t feel like leaving my work lying around for a group of ungrateful people who were more then often hostile and could be classified as unpleasable.
(Of course I removed my stories months and nobody noticed so I guess my stories were tripe.)
Also I’m going out on a limb here… but it’s not always the fans that put writers off… sometimes its the other writers, who often aren’t as nice as they preach that their fans should be.
Dawn
In the matter of van Gogh ...
... and other artists, whose work was ridiculed by the established artists of the time, it seems that the censure of others (even other artists) should not be used as a valid criteria for removing art from the public view.
Dawn ... I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but writers are so few, and any artist needs a thick skin, excess chutzpah, and enough courage to fill an oil tanker before she puts her work on display. I think the trick is to remember that the FIRST person you write for is you, and the second person you write for is someone you love, hopefully your biggest fan.
That way, every compliment or pat on the back beyond the ones you and she bestow is just icing on the proverbial cake. And every sling and arrow tossed your way is from some damned fool you weren't really trying to reach anyway. *smile*
I hope someday you'll write more, and put it up for us to read. *hugs*
Randa
Good manners...
If I can recall dimly my mother's sage advice after lo, these many years, gathering together the shattered remnants of my brain, one *never* leaves any social occasion without a kind word and a heartfelt "Thank you" to the hostess. Oh! And one never wears ugly underwear, lest one be murdered and wind up in the morgue looking like a tramp.
One must presume, therefore, that the dear departed was an orphan, more to be pitied than scorned.
Too bad,
Puddin'
-----------------
ORPHAN, n. A living person whom death
has deprived of the power of filial
ingratitude -- a privation appealing
with a particular eloquence to all that
is sympathetic in human nature. When
young the orphan is commonly sent to an
asylum, where by careful cultivation of
its rudimentary sense of locality it is
taught to know its place. It is then
instructed in the arts of dependence
and servitude and eventually turned
loose to prey upon the world as a
bootblack or scullery maid.
--- Ambrose Bierce
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
I'm sorry too, but understand
One can only conjecture as to why an author might choose to leave, but I am starting to understand it. I have never really paid much attention to the comments until I started to recently post my own story. I have been surprised by the tone of many of the comments. It is hard to not take some of the comments personally when they are caustic towards your characters and story line. You'd think there would be a kinder way to get your point across. There is the temptation to just toss it all out the window at times. However someone once said that there is nobody so stupid or arrogant that you can't learn something from them. I live by that in my everyday life and find that advice helps me to endure all sorts of abuse and come out on top with a smile.
It would be nice if things were more friendly here, but I still find that this is my favorite place to be on the web.
Thank you Erin and crew. I don't know what I would do without you. Keep up the good work. Please.
big hugs to all,
Tiff Q
Tiff Q
Well, Tiff
Part of it, in your case, is that you did a horribly good job of getting people to accept Chris. I say "horribly good", because you got us, the reader, to really care about Chris and what was happening to him. We like him, we respect him, and we worry about him. The "horribly" part is because we became so wrapped up in him that we couldn't follow along with what was being done to him. Of course, things were going to happen to him, and inevitably things were going to go wrong to some degree. But we didn't like it, and we let you know, just as if Chris were a flesh-and-blood friend in our town, our neighborhood.
I know of at least one document floating around at least four pages long and growing that attempts to analyze and figure out just who is responsible for what in Chris's life and where it might go from here. You'd likely be amazed at some of the conclusions that have been drawn.
But this is because we care about Chris and what is happening to him. Today's chapter will upset some of the theories and reinforce others, no doubt.
Keep it up, and people will keep reading, and tearing apart and analyzing everything that happens. That is what fans do, and honey, you've got a lot of fans!
If your conscience is clear...
One of the words of wisdom I learnt as a manager is to treat your staff fairly at all times. In spite of that, occasionally someone will have a grievance against the company, by which they can get obsessed. No amount of reasoning helps. Sometimes they will damage their own careers by being obstructive or by resigning.
It's important to remember that is not your fault. You can only do your best. If your conscience is clear, you cannot take their problems onto your shoulders. That's their responsibility.
So if some authors leave BC, there's no reason at all why you should be hurt, Erin. They are not damaged by your actions. It's their problem. It's their choice. Your conscience is clear.
You are doing a great service for thousands (or is it tens of thousands) of people. Never forget that. We don't.
Erin, as someone who has
Erin, as someone who has been in your shoes, I know what it's like to have a member leave in a huff without any warning. I've run a private board for a disabled group for 7 years and there are times when I wonder why in hell I bother. It comes down to the simple fact that people are people and people are weird sometimes, especially when they are sick and in pain with no relief in sight. I've had members post that they quit and demand that all their files be removed, and a couple of months later they ask if they can come back. Human nature, when things get tough, lash out at everyone around...
Anyhow, don't be too upset about the way people act. All you can do is be yourself, and as long as you can face yourself in the mirror and say you did your best, that's all you can do. (That's what I tell myself every time...)
About your board... I like it, and I like the way you run it. I think you do a good job.
BTW, for anyone else who reads this and isn't a board administrator, think about how hard a task running a private board can be. It's not 'just a job'. We don't get paid to do this. We do it because we see a need for it. We do it even though it takes time away from our own life. What it comes down to is we do it out of love for our friends.
Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue
Wait a minute . . .
Who said anything about having your own life? I'm pretty sure there's a rule against that. It's here somewhere, let me just look again . . . .
;-)
They know they can survive
Erin, I am sorry that you
Erin,
I am sorry that you lost another author no matter what the reason. I would just like to thank you for giving us this platform. It is a real treasure for so many people.
Lisa M
I haven't noticed yet who's gone...
...but then I've only just come in. I've been tempted to switch off my 'puter more than once, and even said so publicly. Erin has also talked me into staying at least once, but even if I had gone, I would have left my stories as payment for being able to use this wonderful site.
I can't comment on who has gone or why, I presume they have reasons, which may or may not seem less important a day or two later. I hope they come back, because it makes the site richer in its variety.
I shall continue to post most of my stories here, because I think it's the best alround site for them.
Angharad
Angharad
My own take on it.
Only recently have I decided to be more outspoken. Something many may have disliked me for for what I've said recently.
As for this topic... Imagine a toy maker... they believe they've crafted a fine toy that should be fun and pleasing to play with for many many many children. You set this toy down... and lo and behold, some children start to play with it. Then a few more, then ALOT more... and then more and more and more.... Of ALL these people playing with this beautiful toy you've put so much into... you only get a very rare thank you, or comment like, "I love it. It's pretty." or "I think this toy is crap and could use a rocket launcher or whatever." One might get frustrated. And at same time, you know some of the children playing with this toy you made, are also toy makers. They should know how you feel, yet sometimes it's these other toy makers who say the stupidest, harshest, and/or most asinine things that hurt you more than the general indifference and ignorance of your toy. At a point, it just gets to a point where at that level of comments per total hits it just feels like total apathy or dislike for the story... well... why keep it on?
Also, if people wrote for themselves... why post it online? if they wrote for their best friend, why not just e-mail it to them and leave ti at that? It seems the actual action of posting a story to the net for people to read is only justified by the artist and/or author doing it not for themselves or one or a few other set of people, but for everyone else... and then hoping everyone else will respond.
That's just a small portion of my thoughts.
And to add a little more... To respond to Dawn's comment... if then months later, no mention of her work disappearing? it's further evidence to say... "They don't give a shit whether I give them the toy or not, it seems, and/or they're just not going to reflect how much they enjoy it... so why should I leave it here for the apathetic and dimwitted general audience? What's the point for me to do so?"
Apathetic and dimwitted...
This is perhaps not the best attitude to adopt in relation to an audience. The world is filled with people with something to say, and many say these things very well indeed.
Richard Eder once said "Art grows from what you can't recover from," and most artists, most writers, create their art, whatever it is, because they simply must do, not because there are people queued up and clamouring for whatever it is they produce. An audience does one a favour, and a profoundly generous one, by taking the time to read or look at whatever it is one creates. They have lives, often very busy lives, and a mere look is a compliment they don't have to expand upon by effusive toadying to one's ego.
If one is a professional writer, posting a story on a free site is advertising, and please let me know how many times you've written to the companies who put up billboards, or buy advertising pages in magazines and newspapers, thanking them for their contribution to the scenic view on the high street or decorative addition to a magazine. Does every article, every letter to the editor, inspire a flood of 'thank you' notes when you open your daily newspaper?
The fact is that creating any sort of art is mostly a thankless task, unless someone buys whatever it is you're selling. If you're not selling, maybe people don't want to buy, and that doesn't make them either apathetic or dimwitted. Maybe, just maybe, they're managing their time, their energy, and their financial resources, quite cleverly.
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Hmm, I do believe you misunderstand.
It is one thing to create art, it is another to post it. Again, to POST it is to say that "this is not just for me, or else I would keep it for myself. This is not just for a close personal friend or it'd be e-mailed to them and the world would preferably not see it. I am posting this for many people to see it." And actually... an audience, or for practicality sake we'll focus on a single person of said audience, that person is not necessarily complimenting someone for choosing to read their story or view their art. It is simply "Hmm, this caught my eye, let me look at it." And it could be simply because "OOOOH SEX!" or "Hmm, Kool." It is comparable to sitting in a mall food court, and you browse the people as they walk by. Should a person feel complimented that you looked at them instead of others? That you focused on them instead of others? Puddin', do YOU thank people for looking at you on a general occasion? They seem to have just complimented you because they looked at you instead of someone else.
What if one is NOT a professional writer? What if they never get a single MONETARY cent off their creations? Well, I'd be inclined to say that that person would like to get SOMETHING in return. Human nature is such that you do NOT do ANYTHING unless there is or you think there will be some sort of positive feedback in one way or another. Think about it hard. Think of a single action you've taken that you did not hope for or know there will be something positive to come from it reflected back at you. And now, if you are able to do so, try analyzing it further because I think you may just be lying to yourself. And if still you believe you did something for no positive return, then you must be that 0.000000000001% of the human population that doesn't. Sadists and Masochists... they ENJOY inflicting or feeling pain. People invest in the stock market because they want that big return. People give to charity, let me use Mother Theresa as an Example, because they enjoy the feeling of having given to someone. I do believe she once said that her favorite feeling was to have nothing at all because she'd given it all away. Visual artists who post their work in galleries either want to SELL it as that may be how they SURVIVE, or they enjoy seeing that look on peoples faces when they view their work.
Well, for people who post things online... you can't SEE the face. Philosophically, or more specifically, LOGICALLY, one cannot ascertain what people think of one's work simply by a high hit count. Howard Stern... There was a movie documenting some of the controversy caused by him. MANY people who liked him continued to watch and listen to see what he'd do next... Many people disliked him, but they continued to watch/listen to... "See what he'd do next." Just because you have lots of people looking at the site/story/etc. it does not mean they enjoy it. It just means that you have a bunch of people looking at it. Woop Dee Doo. Nothing can be ascertained from it other than, ALOT of people are looking at it. Going back to Positive Feedback... How do you suppose some writers get "paid" if not by MONETARY means? I'd then be inclined to say it is by feedback. By comments. Etc. It is more of INSULTING to see, then, that a few hundred people have viewed the story, and then only maybe 5 commented. Yes, all these people have such busy lives, but they have taken their sweet precious time to come onto the site, view something, at their leisure, what is another 30 seconds to type in "Hey, I liked this story" ? Hmm?
I'm not going to respond directly about the advertising comment because, for one, the VAST majority aren't professional writers on the internet, and two, it goes back to "how many times do YOU thank people for looking at you in the mall?"
Yes, it is a thankless task at times, and that is the problem, not the nature of it. There WAS a time when people got TOO MANY comments. FM, when it was in its infancy, many years ago, there were artists/authors getting too many comments, and told the people to tone it down. Now... you have people who almost or actually DO beg for comments, but get that loudest reply of all: silence.
Maybe, just MAYBE the majority of these people who come onto the site, read, and then leave, don't give a CRAP about anything that is said hear on this post. Maybe they are apathetic to it and just want to come, wank, cum, and go. Either way, we can't KNOW for sure unless we were to get the response from all those silent members. We can only guess because you can't draw blood from a rock. If they won't say anything in response, then we can only guess, and by what I see and have seen of the world in my so few years of life is that I'm the realist here. People, as a whole, are usually apathetic (bystander syndrome may be the applicable term). "People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."
Anyway, I'm tired of all this. G'night for now. Respond to ya later.
I wouldn't know
how anyone else feels about it, but I will say that this site has encouraged me to let some of my work be read by someone other than close family. I've lost many stories due to dead computers, lost files(back in the day when I actually wrote on a typewriter)and other reasons. It's kind of nice to know this one is out there.
It's possible that my current listing will be depublished, simply because it is written in someone else's universe, but I will continue to write and post here anyway.
Thank you for being here Erin, and please stick around.