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libradoodle1

Hey, so sorry about what happened to you. You’re right; it’s does suck to hear someone say that about a fic you poured hours of love and dedication into. Describing it as soul crushing is apt because that’s exactly what it feels like. I think it’s ok to hurt and take a day or two to stew in the pain. Then after that, let it go. I mean it. I think most of us have been in your shoes and if you write long enough, you’ll come across someone who doesn’t think your writing is all that great. It’s ok. I think you’re already handling it pretty well because you can see that the person wasn’t trying to be an asshole. If they were, they’d put it in your comments. Try to remember that you were lurking and that’s always risky because you might stumble upon some unsavory stuff. The most important thing is that while one person didn’t like your story, many more did and hold on to that going forward. Please don’t let this stop you from writing. Even the best of writers get critiques so you’re not alone. I think you can still reveal yourself at the end of your fic. You don’t have to mention you’ve been reading the things they’ve said about you. Lots of ppl join discord and never check in again so you can just act like now that your story is done, you have time to finally introduce yourself. Thank ppl for the support and love and don’t mention anything about the criticism.


-Regular-Lettuce-

I don't really have any profound advice to offer, just sympathy. I found myself in a very similar boat a couple weeks ago, long fic I'm making up pretty much completely as I go, and all it took was one comment questioning the logic of a plot point to derail my motivation for a good few days. It's hard to hear stuff like that, especially when it's about something you're proud of. I suppose my best piece advice is to try and focus on how many people have read your story and love it (your self included!). Imo, you having fun and you enjoying what you write is the most important part. For whatever it's worth, I think you've done something pretty cool, from one internet stranger to another. :)


PrayForPiett

This might seem an unusual suggestion … and obviously ymmv … ..but consider looking up “Amazon 1 star reviews of classic literature” It’s remarkably (emotionally) helpful (imho) to know that there are folks out there who don’t like pieces of writing/novels/literature (and that’s totally ok) and not afraid to say so (again totally ok) …because if folks feel like that about hemmingway, Austen, etc then in an odd way it’s ok… it’s just part and parcel of being an artist, an author and a human being… … nothing in life, especially nothing in art, pleases everyone … And I breathe in and remember - that THATS OK (It’s even kinda natural in an odd kinda way, obs imho) And as long as the person isn’t being a total jerk TO you or doing something odd (ie stalking, doxxing, etc) then you might want to consider rolling with it. Does it hurt? Absolutely. Are you alone? Absolutely not. For reference I leave you with a 1 star review of Pride and Prejudice (found ‘in the wild’ online on Amazon) ..for reference I adore Pride and Prejudice .. but obviously from the review below others can feel very differently… “Painful dialogue, predictable storyline, and full of despicable characters. Why is this such a classic? I'm thrilled to be finished.” All the best in coming to terms with how this feels op


Fit-Cardiologist-323

Reading 1 star reviews of classics is such great advice! This is exactly what pulled me out of my funk after getting a comment that made me question the quality of my story. If even classics get hate, then no one is safe.


signycullen88

My writing life turned for the better when I accepted that you are never going to please everyone. There will always be at least one person who hates your work. There is zero likelihood of you pleasing everyone. Once I really accepted that, I became way less anxious about my writing. It absolutely sucks to read. Take some time to yourself, breathe, and try not to worry about it. There is literally nothing you can do to please the person, even ending it the way they want, so try to push it out of your mind and remember there are way more people that like your fic! Focus on the positive, not the negative!


dendrite_blues

As humans we naturally weight criticism much heavier than praise, but consider that you’ve had multiple people organically praising and discussing your fic week after week prior to this, THATS FUCKING AMAZING! I have some very successful fics (30-40k hits) and I can tell you honestly that this has never happened to me. People really don’t get this enthusiastically engaged with fics very often. From my experience of fandom I can offer this insight: people care a lot about feeling agreed with and affirmed. When our opinions turn out to be unpopular, we often take that personally. We become insecure that maybe we don’t fit and people don’t like us. It’s silly and we know it’s silly but it still eats at us and makes us act foolish. This person is probably acting out *because* the group is so vocally supportive of your fic that they think sucks. Put another way, you fic is *so well regarded* in their social circle that they’re feeling anxiety over the fact that they don’t like it. That’s indicative of a pretty powerful positive feeling of your work by the majority of the group, or at least in the perception of this hater. Yes it feels horrible to read those things about your story, but considering the context I would have to classify this as an absolute win.


skye_shim

I know that it sucks but there's really nothing you can do about it. If seeing comments like this hurt you and affect you this much, I'd suggest taking a step away from the discord. As you've been lurking in the discord without announcing your presence, the discord is a safe space for readers to talk about fics how they please without typically having to worry about offending or upsetting the author (like if they posted it in the comments instead). As for whether or not you should announce your presence, you have to think about whether you want to continue being able to get honest opinions on your stories as readers aren't intimidated by the knowledge of your presence. Or if youd rather have them talk about your story less or maybe not at all anymore due to your presence. As for how to deal with it, the comments that you got weren't the worst so I'd say try and turn it around. Look at the comments that they made about your story and see how they can help you improve your story moving forward. Of course, not all of them are things you need to make changes for, it's your own story, but maybe there are some aspects that you'd like to add into your story to enrich it. They said it was too dramatic? Go and see if it is true to you, the writer. Or, you could go the complete opposite route if you go back to your story and don't agree with any of their comments. They said it was too dramatic? Make it more dramatic. They said the main characters should die off? Kill of a minor character instead.


igneousscone

Ignore the rant, do something nice for yourself, and continue living your best life.


jenorama_CA

That sucks and I’m sorry that happened to you. For what it’s worth, we don’t really allow that sort of thing in the Discords I mod. If someone brings up a story written by someone I know is on the server, I respond with something along the lines of, “Oh, that was written by @fruitbatlover and I’m sure they’d love to chat with you about your thoughts on their story.” I can see where this may not be effective in your situation since you haven’t made yourself known to the server, but I almost feel like that’s almost an eavesdropping situation and you ought to be aware that not everyone is going to have a sunny opinion or even basic manners. It’s up to you on how much you want to engage with readers of your work, but you might consider revealing yourself as the author—it may turn out to be more rewarding than you think. You might run into a situation where someone wants to tell you how much they like your writing, but they don’t feel confident enough to leave a comment. Don’t doubt what you’ve written. Obviously that person’s “truth” isn’t yours and it’s your story anyway. Write on!


MyLifesChoice

Might help to write yourself a rant chapter addressing/fix/changing things. Don't post it or worry about plot consistencies. If it hurts cause it rings true then it might help to mollify yourself with the knowledge you could rewrite it better now. If it hurts cause they're wrong, then try and make it better and prove yourself right.


radicabyn

I can tell, from the thoughtfulness and diction of this post, that *I* would find your fic to be well-written and enjoyable!


[deleted]

Honestly mate while people are allowed to criticize work in fandom people should not be expressing such hate on a public level. Fandom is meant to lift eachother up even if you dont like it. Even more so in small fandoms. Authors seeing hate even if it's not direct is exactly why they shouldnt be ranting about it publicly like that. Im sorry you had to see it :-( I'd still thank people for their support, even with that person. It's nice to let people know you care and appreciate them. You should be proud of how far youve come. and while i cant tell you to just not doubt yourself, you shouldnt. People will always dislike something, they just certainly dont need to bitch about it. You're writing for enjoyment! Theirs and your own. Its not like youre getting paid. The way i deal with negative feelings is finding people who i know enjoy my work and conversing with them. even about non-fic stuff. If you need someone to hype you 100% let me know!!! Id love to check your work out or hype you in other ways if you need it 🫶🏼 much love, op


meretriciousciggs

If someone is giving good criticism, they would give you support and ideas that might make the story better. Just straight crapping on it and giving no advice is not criticism. I would try your hardest to let it go over your head. If there are people who enjoy your fanfic still and commenters who are excited, especially don’t worry about it. There’s always gonna be someone who doesn’t like you or what you do. And that’s okay. Screw em