2008-09-13
Email from a reader:
So many of your stories say to visit your blog for more information about them. It's really annoying when I DO visit your blog to discover that you've deleted or hidden those older posts.
In between the bipolar times when you create sixteen different new accounts to post from and the times you decide to remove your stories or stop writing, would it hurt you, just for a moment, to consider your readers?
Beyond a doubt, you've written some of the sickest, the worst, and even the hottest scenes I've ever read - different strokes and all that. But either there's several of you, or one of you with more issues then even your average purveyor of filth.
I'm ALL for venting yourself through writing. But all the drama you dump on your readers is extremely unnecessary.
If you want to post stories, post them like a normal story - can you imagine going to the library to get a book, only to find no organization? A three month old newsweek inbetween a vulgate bible and dante's divine comedy? No reader could read anything.
We readers click on your authors page to read your stories, not to deal with the drama, and not to sort through one 16+ "chapter" shitpile of unconnected stories in unconnected genres by disparate sockpuppets you've created to amuse yourself.
We may "just" be readers, but in this B2B transaction it's our job to read and proffer feedback and your job to write AND present the stories in a way we can follow and understand easily. Your unindexed pile of shorts is unfair to us, it's unfair to the stories and it's even unfair to you and the time and effort you've invested in them.
The drama is also unfair to the readers, and the blogpost culling is to me a complete mystery: Why bother to make them, only to delete or hide them, and why bother telling readers to search for posts they can no longer access?
Maybe you like causing people aggravation - your stories make it seem so, even when I enjoy one (or get sick over another), maybe posting stories is just a way for you to vent, but I have to think that with all the extra drama that comes along with your stories, you're increasingly venting to a smaller audience.
I'm writing this not because I have some hate-on for you, but because among your stories I have found some real gems that really get the blood flowing - when you write a story that creeps me out, you really creep me out. But you can also light my fire like almost no other writer can. And it pisses me off to no end that your constant dramas so often get in between me and one of those gems.
I've stopped reading TOny Steven's (I think that's right) Ballpark stories because for all the great writing he puts into the middle of a story, I've never seen a writer so bad at ending stories. I'm now having to give up on reading your stories because I'm not prepared to slog through the latest drama and unorganized mess.
Maybe, as an author, you think it's nice to be such a lightning rod of emotion. But, as a reader, I would think that first and foremost an author would want to have their stories READ.
I guess that's just me.
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My reply...
Thank you for reading my stories and most especially for taking the time to email me. I appreciate it very much. I'm afraid I can't apologize for culling my blog. It's my blog and I got tired of looking at it. I like to talk anyway, so it's reasonably safe to assume I'll fill it back up in no time. Or maybe not, it's hard telling with me because I'm really not entirely stable by nature.
As to "Mixed Bag" it is what it is. I'm sorry you don't like the format and I certainly understand that neither you nor any reader can be expected to enjoy all of the stories. That really isn't the point of my little experiment. There's no real drama to it either, I must confess. Writing is much more my escape than it is the source of my discontent. As an escape, however, I do admit that it often suffers as a result.
At the moment there is a lot of stress in my life, which is neither here nor there, everyone gets stressed by school and family, I'm sure. I'm dealing with it as best I'm able and if some of my actions (and reactions) online seem strange or overly dramatic, I sincerely apologize and I can offer no other solution than that you should ignore me.
An email like yours, while potentially helpful and doubtless informative, does little more than push me into a corner. If I may be so bold, I'd suggest you go ahead and give me an email address to respond to next time. Just make one up and use it one time, you have no idea how deep the shadow of negativity is when reading an anonymous email like yours. It leaves me with only a single recourse to dialogue. This one.
Having said all that, allow me to close this letter with a sincere promise that I will make an effort to post something else today. A new Girl Fag chapter maybe, although following so hard upon the teaser...It spoils the drama.
Best always,
rache
(and her 16 pen names)
