FanStory wrote to Frank Ball: Museum Trip finished third in the contest "Car archive"


FanStory wrote to Frank Ball: An elder's advice finished third in the contest "Meaning of Life"


Frank Ball: I am troubled by something that is going to make me seem like a bitter man. The bitter part, I am not. I have read nearly all of the material a ranked author has put up on FanStory. Many of these pieces have prizes, even a first. Nearly all are rated Excellent, one Exceptional. Now here is the nub of my problem. Without exception, in my judgment, the writing is garbage. I do not critique this material because it hurts me so much to picture the recipient of such a negative comment. Really, the writing is so bad it makes me suspect that there is a joke I am failing to get. The author claims a college degree in creative writing and I barely scraped through high school. That is what causes this to seem bitter but I am just trying to understand.
    Carlos' girl: I suggest putting on blinders and just continuing to write your very best. Find those writers you believe in and hang the rest. -
    nor84: Don't be troubled. Although the site has a suggested grading system, almost nobody uses it. Reviewers hand out 5 or 6 stars like candy. That pushes someone up to 'ranked' status.

    The best advice I can give is ask yourself what you want to get from Fanstory and stick with that. There are some excellent writers who don't become ranked for a number of reasons. Some of us gave up the ranking game long ago. We just want to improve our craft and provide stories to our readers. -


FanStory wrote to Frank Ball: A young man's loyal pet finished second in the contest "Beautiful Creatures"


FanStory wrote to Frank Ball: Help from an older brother. finished third in the contest "Family Story--True or Fiction "


FanStory wrote to Frank Ball: Blood Bank finished second in the contest "~ BIOGRAPHY ~ NON FICTION ~"


Frank Ball: In response to a review, I did that failed to be in any way constructive, I received this reply. While it is not complimentary, it is written so well I can not help but adore it. There is more truth in it than even its author can know.

"Reading between the lines of Frank's throw-away review, it's easy to envision an old and bitter man.... Broken by years of disappointment, Frank spends his days, slow tapping his keyboard, praying desperately for greatness - 'maybe today' he utters regularly to the toaster, the bathroom mirror, the pale morning light - but alas he is burdened by a buckling bookshelf of unrealized dreams. There's a tremor in his choppy cadence, a lack of creativity, his words creep onto the page with pedestrian irrelevance, evermore the reminder that his 'good' years left town like mosquitoes in the winter."


Frank Ball: I feel mildly cheated when I see human nature value stories written of distress more highly than stories that jerk no tears. I like to write about things in my biography. Still, since I passed the age where crying was a form of communication, I have been blessed with few incidents sadder than constipation.