NB 'Sometimes the fandom audience is a terrible judge of work'!!
Yeah, I think that people who want to opt out should be allowed to and have that respected. It is not a game that everyone wants to play, nor is it one that everyone should. I'm fine with having my writing critiqued viciously because I feel that I can answer any critic on a level playing field, but when I used to sing I would sometimes be all 'Er ... maybe I'm actually crap' when I had a rough judging, because it was more personal without having the slight distance of dance (where you can blame being stiff/crampy/bad toes, etc.).
I do think in the case of your commenter, in addition to bad manners, that's just bad criticism. Most likely they're not to that person's taste, but what the hell are you meant to do with something like that even if you seek criticism? It gives you nothing useful to go on. (Imagines Bryoney: 'OK, more cock! NO! Less! Er, lube, need to work it in subtly! OH GOD OH GOD what can I have them saying? Everything sounds like bad Martin Amis! Maybe they'll just grunt! Oh hell, that's half a page of Gnnnnn and Ungh!: it reads like a Conan script! Argh!!!')
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Yeah, I think that people who want to opt out should be allowed to and have that respected. It is not a game that everyone wants to play, nor is it one that everyone should. I'm fine with having my writing critiqued viciously because I feel that I can answer any critic on a level playing field, but when I used to sing I would sometimes be all 'Er ... maybe I'm actually crap' when I had a rough judging, because it was more personal without having the slight distance of dance (where you can blame being stiff/crampy/bad toes, etc.).
I do think in the case of your commenter, in addition to bad manners, that's just bad criticism. Most likely they're not to that person's taste, but what the hell are you meant to do with something like that even if you seek criticism? It gives you nothing useful to go on. (Imagines Bryoney: 'OK, more cock! NO! Less! Er, lube, need to work it in subtly! OH GOD OH GOD what can I have them saying? Everything sounds like bad Martin Amis! Maybe they'll just grunt! Oh hell, that's half a page of Gnnnnn and Ungh!: it reads like a Conan script! Argh!!!')