Depressed

[tarotgal]

I just woke up... and now I just want to go back to sleep! *cries*
I woke up to a nice stream of sneezefic-related stories & posts, which was fantastic, don't get me wrong! And I also woke up to a nice letter from someone saying one of my historical fiction stories (non-sneeze-related) was "ridiculous" and "completely wrong". I just sent a reply to her and I feel a bit better now. But damit, I really didn't need to hear that upon waking up. I'm completely depressed now and get to go write a long disclaimer for said story.

I'm also now COMPLETELY turned off from ever writing another RP story ever, EVER again. And as the people in my story died almost 100 years ago, even that apparently doesn't stop people from telling me I had their characters wrong. Which is fine, I'm not going to object because I didn't know them! But GAH! It's just depressing to get such an e-mail... even if it's probably right, I dunno, I just wrote 'em like I saw 'em during research, is all. And I certainly never claimed to be a difinitive source on the matter or anything. *sigh*

Plus my bedroom light bulbs just burned out. And I forgot to buy paper towels last night, too. *cries* I'm not going to have a good day, I just know it. Yeah, I'm a pessimist (though I prefer realist, it's just that everything bad does really happen)

Comments

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry, tg...

I don't write stories, but I do know what it feels like to get negative criticism and it hurts, pure and simple. It also sounds like that person who wrote you was not very constructive in his/her criticism, but instead one step away from a flamer trying to appear intelligent and superior. I mean, how does this person know the true character of the people you were writing about? Obviously they never met them, so what makes their viewpoint the right one? That kind of arrogance drives me crazy.

If it makes you feel any better, I just got up too. I woke up several hours ago, but just couldn't face getting up, even though I need to go grocery shopping desperately, as well as clothes shopping. I tried doing the latter yesterday, but was just too depressed to actually try on the clothes, after the girl I paid 20 bucks for a manicure totally destroyed my nails. Long story, but i've had short pathetic nails my whole life and I'd been growing them out for weeks, and they were finally to a point where I was happy with them for the first time ever, and she just ruined them!! *sigh* Well, I've still got to go grocery shopping today at some point, so I guess I'll have to summon the energy to drag myself back outside again..

On the bright side, the mall here has a really cool knife and weapon shop and the nice guys working there let me actually hold Sting. It was heavier than I thought it would be, but still nicely hobbit sized. Maybe next time he'll let me hold Narsil/Anduril. *G*

[tarotgal]

I don't write stories, but I do know what it feels like to get negative criticism and it hurts, pure and simple. It also sounds like that person who wrote you was not very constructive in his/her criticism, but instead one step away from a flamer trying to appear intelligent and superior. I mean, how does this person know the true character of the people you were writing about? Obviously they never met them, so what makes their viewpoint the right one? That kind of arrogance drives me crazy.
Moi aussi! She certainly didn't bother A-mentioning the good points or B-mentioning why she seems to know more about the subject than I. But her "last name" is that of one of the characters, so I suppose it's possible she's a decendant... or could be really old and *did* know them or is somehow related or an expert or something. It wasn't the sort of constructive criticism I'm used to getting, though. And I do enjoy knowing when I've missed the mark and should try again. Just not by a complete, random stranger who phrases it the way she did. But she is right, I should have put a better disclaimer on the story. It's historical FICTION. Not a historical account. I figured placing it in the FICTION section would be enough, but my mistake. I've learned my lesson!

If it makes you feel any better, I just got up too. I woke up several hours ago, but just couldn't face getting up, even though I need to go grocery shopping desperately, as well as clothes shopping.
CLOTHES! #$%^&* I was supposed to do laundry today! THANK YOU for reminding me!!!!!!!!

I tried doing the latter yesterday, but was just too depressed to actually try on the clothes, after the girl I paid 20 bucks for a manicure totally destroyed my nails. Long story, but i've had short pathetic nails my whole life and I'd been growing them out for weeks, and they were finally to a point where I was happy with them for the first time ever, and she just ruined them!! *sigh* Well, I've still got to go grocery shopping today at some point, so I guess I'll have to summon the energy to drag myself back outside again..
Oohhhhh! I'm sorry!!!!! My nails are horrible, too. I can completely relate. I don't even own a bottle of nail polish because it would be a pointless attempt. But UG! That's terrible about the manicurist! I'm sorry! I hope you find something at the store to cheer you up... it always makes my day when something I came to get is randomly on sale, for example...

On the bright side, the mall here has a really cool knife and weapon shop and the nice guys working there let me actually hold Sting. It was heavier than I thought it would be, but still nicely hobbit sized. Maybe next time he'll let me hold Narsil/Anduril. *G*
WOW! I don't think I can pass a Chesapeake Knife & Tool shop without going in to gaze at the beautiful swords. Especially the claymore *G* But I've never held one- that is SO neat! Though... I guess the reproduction probably doesn't glow when orcs are around? :-)

*GAH*

[(Anonymous)]

Don't worry about it Tg! First of all, I doubt that she could do any better *rolls eyes* and secondly, gods ur the best writer i can think of! Honestly, i don't know why you don't have any novels out! well, maybe you do and i don't know it, unless Tg is also the name that you published the book under. lol. Listen, all great writers get one or two oddballs who want to challenge them. Challenging someone great just gives them some sort of boost. The ones with no lives need it to feel better about their pathetic exsistence.
Ur awesome! U have tons of people telling you that! Don't let one person cancel out the hundreds of people who offer u praise every day. Cheer up! We all love you! Most of the people who are writing these stories are following in ur footsteps anyway!
Perk up and read some challenge fic! Or write an Obi story. You'll never get a flame from me on that subject! *G*
Use flames to roast marshmellows, in the words of the great Nermal herself!
~Annalisa

[(Anonymous)]

(I know. I'm not meant to be online *g* There's only so long I can go without the net, though, and I had to check Uni email and then of course I had to check the rest of my "to check" list, as well...)

Don't be discouraged by a negative reviewer!!! I know it can be crushing to get a flame, or harsh criticsm that doesn't even attempt to be tactful or helpful. The first time it ever happened to me I freaked out to and felt like I never ever wanted to write again. Strange how one nasty review stands out so harshly against many nice ones, just like one nasty customer ruins a whole day! (... that's another topic *l*). I don't think you should take too much notice of this one review, though - even if the reviewer *was* related to the characters, as you said, they died over a hundred years ago, so there's no way she could have known for sure what they were like, either. And most importantly, it's fiction. My gods. How much trouble would we all save if some of the bloody idiotic people out there could just wrap their narrow minds around the concept of fiction??!! Bah. Morons.

Don't you dare stop writing on account of her!! :o) Write for yourself... and for the loads of people out there who adore your writing! And, if you don't mind, I'd really love to read the historical fiction story, after my exams :o) I love historical fiction and I love your writing style, so with the two combined, what could be better? *g*

Hope you have a better day tomorrow! (And you rock, tg, as a writer and otherwise :o) Don't let anyone tell you differently.)

girlwithtulips

[tarotgal]

Thank you :-) And I'd be happy to share it with you- new disclaimer and all- when you're finished with exams and all. It's not really a great example of my historical fiction (I wrote it as a project for an Irish Lit class a couple of years ago) but I'd be happy to share.
But, yes, thank you for your comments. *hugs* It's nice to have people remind me that it's not a complete waste of time for me to be writing. I know I'm not good enough to ever get published, which is why I only minored in writing in college *G* And I could never stop writing... just sharing, you know? And I know I do write a lot of trash that's not worth anything. But it is raelly nice to know that there are people out there who like the good stuff I've done, both sneezing related and un :-)

Yeah... I know the story itself is good... but I probably *did* get the real people wrong, as she says. Which is depressing. But I should have put a better disclaimer on it, too, so it is my fault. I just, er, I don't think I'm going to ever feel like writing Irish historical fiction again. The Irish are just much too picky when it comes to their national heroes. MUCH unlike the Scots. I write TONS of Scottish historical fiction and adore it to death (and have had a lot of comments both good and constructive but not utterly negative like the one I got today). The Scots turn all their pathetic leaders into the most brilliant men alive, and it doesn't matter if you get them wrong as long as you write them to be fantastic and larger than life. Absolute denial of facts and optomism, that's all you need to write Scottish historical fiction! LOL!
But the commenter probably does know what she's talking about- she should simply have stated her reasons for knowing and explained in a much less rude manner, I think. I'm very fond of criticism for my stories as long as it's constructive and well put! Negative reviews are hard to take... but as long as it's put logically and helps in the long-run, of course I don't mind. Telling me that a fiction story is "completely wrong" is just... gah... I dunno... it just bothers me enough that I don't think I'll attempt ever writing those guys in that time period again. But hey, that's how I learn, right? :-)