Reviews from

Wasn't He Tarred and Feathered?

A Delicate Treatise on Togetherness

82 total reviews 
Comment from mountainwriter49
Excellent
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Happy Snow-Laden Monday Afternoon, Mikey,

BRAVO! Your well penned prose about the tyranny of the minority currently running amuck on the Site is a perfect companion piece to the golden threads of verse woven by Gloria... and Pantygynt. Something needed to be said and bravo to the three of you for standing up and being counted!

For this Site to remain valid, it must attract good writers, new writers who want to learn and good reviewers who provide fair, balanced comments and ratings. You are well aware of this as you're one of the reviewers who practices what I'm preaching.

I, for one, think a thread should be started in the Reviewing Tab where such people are named. Some of us have been inactive, I have, and have been largely unaware of this problem until I returned in a more active mode in late December. It would have been good to have known who these people are. Tom gave us a mute button for a good purpose. You've well articulated the reasons why such is needed.

Now to some reviewing. :)

Your prose is well penned. It is focused, to-the-point and well developed from beginning to end. It does not come off as a rant, but rather a much needed commentary on the state of things. The formatting is excellent, dialogue tags, where used, are proper. SPAG is not an issue except in one line as noted below.

I found a plural/singular conflict as follows:

give them a big kiss on their rosy red ass [asses]?

Well done, my friend. Please accept this virtual six.

-Ray

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    Hi, Ray. Got way behind, but it gives me an opportunity to report our great success. Along with Gloria and PG another twenty or so members posted pieces including yourself! It worked. The enemy is silent. I even got the apololgy I demanded. Ha! Great input and thanks for joining in. It was the solid front that did the trick. mikey
reply by mountainwriter49 on 31-Jan-2016
    This is a good report, Mikey. Thanks for sharing with me. With that said, I did receive a 4 yesterday from someone who did not understand 'glaciers calve.' Rather than looking it up he questioned if I meant 'cave', etc. sigh. But progress is one reviewer at a time. Thanks to you and others who spearheaded this effort.
    Ray
Comment from nancy_e_davis
Excellent
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Yes Michael. I agree with you. Did anyone notice I have not been around much lately? This site is not like it used to be. I think you just about said it all. We have said goodbye to some of our best poets. My enthusiasm for writing and reviewing is gone but I continue with the hope things will change. I haphazardly attack the chore of reviewing lately since I can't seem to get inspired. Are those ratings really that important? I was up there, #5.I even won a trophy. That didn't guarantee that the top reviewers liked what I wrote enough to review me. Only one of them. Now what's so special about being up in the ratings? That doesn't guarantee you a Seal of Quality.It means you spent more time or money and people liked you a lot. That is the ticket. What does that have to do with talent? Nothing! So why don't we all remember our manners and approach each member with kindness and grace.
That's what I think is important. Nancy

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    I've noticed and I had a feeling why too. I have two trophies. Now the thought of it all is just daunting. Well, I'm pleased I'm behind in responding because the dust has settled and for once the good guys have won. There were twenty or more posts on this and related matters all over the front page. There were apologies and even a suspension. The streets of Tombstone are silent. It was a real group effort for a change and the mood has picked up considerably. So, maybe we're on our way back. I hope so. It was a terrible year and we could use a good one, yes. Thanks for responding, mikey
Comment from lightink
Excellent
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Wow, Mickey! Apparently there was much more happening around than I was aware of! I missed some of the nastiest things...
I know about some new folks running around downgrading pieces based on unknown words and visual choices (like my font that somehow was completely legible for anyone lese but her...) but I didn't know about the very personal offensive remarks! Quite a heartache! Thank you for speaking out!

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    Well, our efforts made a big difference. It's pretty quiet now. So, good for us. Thanks for responding, mikey
Comment from Joy Graham
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

Wow! You said a mouthful. I hope I didn't tick you off? When things bug me, most folks just tell me to quit whining, we don't discuss such things, and we're here to learn so the big guns are well within their rights to trash any post they want as long as they tell you why your post was downgraded.

I've always accepted that I'm a newbie and unimportant. When I joined this site there were plenty of diva rants going on blaming it all on the newbies. I am always learning how to take critiques.

Anyway, you give me lots to think about. I need a few days to recover from my own huge ordeal. You can read about it as I posted it today. I could use some friendly and encouraging feedback. If I get a low rating I may need a few weeks to recover. Will let you know if the one and two star reviewers show up to knock me when I'm down.


 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    Hi, Joy. Wow, I'm so behind. Well, at least I can respond with great news. Everyone jumped on board and we got apologies and suspensions and a huge improvement of the situation. So, good for us. Thanks for the awesome review. mikey
    I did read about your trauma. Wow. It sounded like a movie! Glad you're okay. Take care.
Comment from kittykatnoel
Excellent
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Well said. Thank you also for the teaching moments also. I was not aware that we could see all the reviews, (I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed). I also didn't know we could say anything when we were reviewed in error to the site rules. I usually respond to reviewers that give me bad reviews with an emotional retort. I mean like the 1 star because I used the word humanity twice in one poem. Anyway, thank you.

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    I'm in the same boat with you. :)) But, folks here seem to take pity. Hahaha. Yes, the best thing to do is shout out. There's plenty of us here to help. We've got your back, believe me. We hate those absurd reviews as much as you do. Let us or the site know. Thanks for responding, mikey
Comment from Spiritual Echo
Excellent
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In the years since I joined this site, I was humbled by the attention I received from seasoned writers who were kind, supportive, but brutal in their reviews. I distinctly recall the frustration I felt as one after another reviewer pointed out punctuation errors. They set the bar high, and when they saw me take their corrections seriously, they gave generously from their pool of knowledge. Of course they didn't see me blowing a gasket, smoke coming out of my ears as I edited the same piece for the tenth or twentieth time.

But there was a difference of my mind set than most of the people joining the site. I have a highly competitive streak. I want to win--but I want to earn the victory. After decades in sales, I've experienced a lot of rejection. I never gave up. Rejection is part of life when trying to sell, but my tenacity came from trying to overcome sales objections--meet the demands and expectations of the buyers. Some call it a thick skin, but that can also imply a shield, a protective coating that will not allow information to penetrate. I prefer to believe it stripped me of personal ego and restored the hurt feelings with a sense of pride, the kind of self-respect needed to grow.

This site has changed and become a social forum supporting few good writers. Did you read Captain Jack's essay about Fan Story. You should. Erik and I were once playmates, insulting each other publicly, much to the horror and amusement of the more gentile members. Of course it was like dueling banjos. We made oblique references and tried to out-write each other. We had such a great time, and behind the scenes we were and remain great friends.

A few insults by ignorant assholes? Michael, in the real world, be it sales or publishing, what benefit comes from making an issue out of poor manners or uninformed opinions? Ask yourself, and ask the writers you're so nobly trying to protect, whether you are not lecturing the uneducated. For the people who don't fall into that category, also ask yourself whether you are not inadvertently encouraging more fluff reviews--people not wanting to insult or fear their comments might SEEM insulting, they no longer add their knowledge and corrections to their reviews.

The point about the deterioration on the site, in my opinion, is largely due to the lack of leadership. I have repeatedly suggested that Tom or one of his agents using THE TOM name, write an editorial, add industry news and a mission statement. Be visible--even it is as phony as the Wizard, in the Wizard of Oz. Without a tone set to this site, it is left in the hands of members, aligning and posturing. You're on the forum, the ones who participate the most set the agenda. They are not necessarily the best writers, just the more active ones. It should be a nice adjunct to the site, not the only place Tom pops in to a handful of members.

A case in point is the Compliance committee. All that was discussed on the forum--and decided--with a dozen members influencing the decision. The announcement page is an improvement, but it doesn't set out FS objectives or encourage a path to writing excellence.

Since learning about the membership on committees, I have been completely disillusioned. There are people on this site who have no right to be judging. It's a great business plan to have members take on the responsibility, but God forbid that they should have decided in advance they don't like a writer, for personal reasons or because they don't like the subject. Unless the submitting writer is in the circle, there's no guarantee--and in my case, massive doubt--that a fair assessment can take place. Some of the spag-ridden posts that have won site sponsored contests should be an embarrassment to FS that reveals these winning entries on Facebook.

I recognize your desire to bring some sensibility to FS. Really, what would Tom so if suddenly deluged with reviewing complaints? Send warnings? Without a public declaration of what FS should be, members decide their monthly dues give permission to make it anything they want it to be. I'm not interested in letting some of these folks set the standards for me.

Good luck on trying to get the $10 evaluation through. I have a half dozen reviewers that continue to help me grow, but the rest has become meaningless.

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    So much truth, yes. I don't know what to make of this place anymore either. It isn't even the same place it was when I joined. I think I mentioned to you in a review that you were the ONLY reviewer to offer a single tip to improve my piece. Twenty some reviews and it was an important piece to me written for children, not my wheelhouse by a long shot. "Very sweet. Kids will love this. Smooth read. You're so talented. Would you date my sister? etc. etc. etc." Yes, I got that two years ago, but only three out of four reviews, not nineteen out of twenty. Honestly, my main motive was to call some jackass out publicly to apologize to a friend he insulted personally in a review. I hated the fact he got away with it. I hated the fact that everyone who read it thought it was fine as long as they got there fluff five. It just pissed me off that everyone here was so pathetic they couldn't stand up for anything. So, I threw in some other stuff with it. HAhaha! I got the apology too, much to my shock.
    The committees for POM, SOM, BOM and site contests are starting to resemble the fixed contests. Wow, you are so right. Absolute crap winning from time to time. Once in a while I shake my head, "yeah, that was worthy", but not often. And the HMs and seconds and thirds clearly are just tokens based on who knows what.
    Well, I'm way behind so the little mini-riot did silence some of the idiot reviewers for the time being. People did deluge Tom with complaints and he did do something.
    Of course, you're right, it's for the moment.
    The ten dollar evaluation is a great idea. Where is it? Oh well.
    Thanks for your always detailed and intelligent input. It becomes more and more water in the desert around here. mikey
Comment from humpwhistle
Excellent
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I've been on this site since late 2010. I've seen it go through several iterations. I've been awarded my unfair share of one- and two-star reviews. On occasion, my responses have been less than politically correct.

On the other hand, some of my well-meant critiques have been met with a hostility I don't understand. Sometimes the reviewer is clearly wrong-headed. But sometimes the author takes undo umbrage to what may be valid critiques.

I've never issued a one- or two-star review. I've read several pieces that were worthy, but I just rolled my eyes, and passed them by. Still, I've been accused of being mean-spirited. I guess I'm as charming as I could be.

Sometimes it comes down to our expectations. My expectations regarding this site have changed over the years. In the beginning, I was excited. And I took advantage of that excitement to elevate my game. I got solid advice, and I applied it. Later, I became discouraged because I thought people were misusing the site. But that was all perception. In the end, Mikey, we all have different opinions regarding the way this site should operate.

I agree with you about disdaining blatant nastiness in reviewing. But I'm not a fan of sugar-coating, either. I'm not here to be popular, or make casual friends. I'm serious about my writing. But I think some people consider me an 'enemy' because my opinions about the essence of the site differ from their own. Not agreeing is not the same as being an enemy. But there are people on this site who consider it to be so.

I'd prefer this to be a 'working' site. Others insist this is a 'social' site. For my money, the 'social' aspects of this site have eroded the 'working' aspects. Fewer people are studying and rewarding the craft of serious writing. More are joining social cliques. But try expressing an opinion about that. You failed to mention the dark ramifications resulting from that faux pas.

The more we drift toward 'social' the farther we drift away from 'writing'.

What I'm suggesting, Mikey, is don't expect to get too comfortable on FS. The site is as fluid as the tide. FS requires a love/hate relationship.

FanStory isn't what you want it to be.
But FanStory isn't what I want it to be, either.
We're probably not that far apart. Still, we want different things. Now multiply our differences by those of a thousand other members.

Mikey, I know this is a piece written out of passion, but unedited? C'mon, this is the kind of thing that causes my eyes to roll. Even a rant should be well written. After all, this is a writers' site--as I perceive it, at least.

Peace, Lee



 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    I did edit it. I just said that for dramatic affect. Yeah, cheap dramatic affect.
    Yes, we're not far apart, in fact, we are probably almost on the same page. "More writing, less socializing", is a phrase that resonates through my brain as a truth to always keep in mind.
    I do like to escape to some socializing, but I don't want to drown it. That's what's happening now. I posted a children's piece about my cat's death. Just a poem, but important to me. I actually wanted to know if it seemed kid friendly and if I was on the right track. Twenty-five reviews and only one actual writing tip. Twenty-four nothing reviews, the cat's cute, it's a touching story, I'M cute, I'M sweet, etc. etc.
    That's not like it was two years ago, or even one.
    Frustrating.
    As far as your reviews, no, they aren't chit chatty for the most part, but they are helpful and often extremely helpful. No one should have a complaint.
    If they want to fell better, they can come to me!!
    Honestly, this came from someone personally insulting a friend in a review. Reviews are public and I wasn't going to let it slide and it didn't help that everyone who read the review was more than willing to ignore it. So, I demanded an apology. I added the other stuff because I can't seem to stop writing.
    Got the apology Though. Thanks for taking the time to respond in such detail. I don't know what's going to happen. We'll see. I hope a return to some real reviewing is coming. mikey
Comment from Jim Lorson Sr
Excellent
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Finally, you are the second author on this site to speak her mind. I have been here since '08, and have watched this site become more worried about the money they take. The thing that pisses me off is the fact that Tom allows free standard members to review the postings of we premier writers. Michael, when someone gives me a 3 or less, I truly don't give a rats ass, I go after them. The other day, I got a four, no problem until this person said hoe great this poem was. This piece was reviewed by some very good authors.

I was away for 9 or 10 months and just came back. I have scouring the internet for other sites who offer more. Someone please explain why it costs 9.95 for certificates to post, then we get charged 2.95 to promote it up. Than you get idiots to downgrade a very good poem or story.

Thank you for posting this and allowing me to rant. Take care and have a great day,,,,,jim

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    Thanks for responding, Jim.
    I'm way behind, but that gives me a chance to respond with some results. It turns out we ended up with upwards of twenty posts on this and related matters all over the front page. Lots of positive results and the absurd reviews have pretty much ceased. So, good news. mikey
Comment from Rosalyne
Excellent
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HI, Mikey.
First, good for you to share this post! What you're saying reminds me so clearly of school ground bullying. Kids are standing around watching, gawking and doing nothing to help those in need. Sadly, this is a reality in many situations, including FanStory. I think we've all been affected by a scathing review, an insensitive comment without thought or compassion. I commend you for your courage to stand up and say something. You're a strong writer, an asset to the site, and your words hopefully will awaken others to think twice before posting vile comments.
Bye
Rosalyne :)

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    Thanks, Rosalyne.
    It turned out well. We made a lot of progress. A lot of folks got involved and the absurd reviews have all but ceased. People are on board now as far as reporting etc.
    Thanks for responding, mikey
Comment from shelley kaye
Excellent
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don't forget the "this post is against my religion" or "i don't like being preached to" or something like that LOL!!

this was a great essay! and funny, too! thank you for sharing :-)


 Comment Written 25-Jan-2016


reply by the author on 31-Jan-2016
    Oh yeah, that's a fan favorite!!! Thanks, Shelley. Wow, there were twenty other posts by the time the dust settled. The streets of Dodge are quiet. LOL mikey