Heads Up!

[Gil Gamesh]

Someone asked for a heads-up. I'm leaving on May 31. Goodbye.

Gil

[Deadly Ernest]

where for, and what do they offer?

[Wheezer]

Sorry to see you leave over such a minor issue.  Beware of slamming doors.

[Crumbly Writer]

Sorry to see you go. If you have a new posting site, we'd like to know what it is. If not, what are your plans?

[Gil Gamesh]

I will not slam any doors when I leave. Some who know me have called me a Sourhern gentleman. I will simply close the door gently and firmly. I am not leaving because of any one issue but because of a myriad of issues. Put simply, I don't like anything about SOL. I think  I'm one of the better writers at SOL or ASSTR. Probably 80% of what's at SOL is garbage from idiots who don't know their homonyms from their antonyms, don't know when to use the subjective and objective form of pronouns, can't spell, can't write , and don't include any of the five elements of a short story. And SOL sems satisfied with that. On top of that, too many readers seem satisfied with the garbage at SOL and most are too lazy to make the effort to offer any feedback. Why should I stay?

There are some good writers at SOL, some very good, but they are few and far between. I respect them and I enjoy their work. It's  a rare thing for me to read a story all the way through. Usually  two or three of the faults in the first paragraph will cause me to quit reading. I won't name any good writers but I'm sure most of you know who the are. I challenge you to prepare a list of good ones which counts more than 100 writers.

Gil Gamesh

On Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 4:31:07 AM UTC-5, Gil Gamesh wrote:

[Kirby Lambert]

Have you already pulled down your stories? All of a sudden I cannot find them.

Kirby Lambert

Someone asked for a heads-up. I'm leaving on May 31. Goodbye.

Gil

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[Daniel]

I can respect your decision. This being a free website, we're offered content from amateur authors and/or non professionally edited stories with only a handful of exceptions (and even those are in general of the self-published variety). That said, if you're this dissatisfied with things as they are, why are you going to leave SOL while you keep posting your stuff over on ASSTR? I don't understand that, because things are arguably worse as far as I know.

My browsing at ASSTR is sporadic due to the large amount of extreme underage content I keep stumbling over, but there's also the ease of use and the recurring technical issues. Every author creates his own webpage and -design. Sometimes that works, but more often than not I wish for a global design like on SOL.

[Joe "Bondi" Beach]

On Thu, May 28, 2015 at 8:49 AM, Kirby Lambert <ki...@prospectortech.com> wrote:

Have you already pulled down your stories? All of a sudden I cannot find them.

http://storiesonline.net/a/Gil_Gamesh

bb

Someone asked for a heads-up. I'm leaving on May 31. Goodbye.

Gil

--

A 2014 NaNoWriMo winner!

Download my stories, including Emily and Daniel, a sequel of sorts to Emily, and all but one for free, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Lulu, iTunes and Storiesonline. They're also on my Tumblr blog.

[Crumbly Writer]

I agree with Daniel, Gil. I've found that few readers respond at ASSTR aside from cries of 'more sex', there's little feedback, their technical issues are legendary and in the end, few readers there purchase anything. Worst of all, the site is notorious for blatant copyright theft, where someone scans the best selling books, prints them out and sells them on ebay, pocketing all the money while not even crediting you (which is why so many authors yank their works within a week of posting there).

I've known many authors to leave SOL, and some with very good reasons, but I don't consider ASSTR to be in the same category as SOL. However, if you find a decent alternative to it, we'd all be glad to hear about it.

[Tim Merrigan]

I challenge you to prepare a list of good ones which counts more than 100 writers.

And I challenge you to do the same for any amateur writing group, on line or otherwise.

-- 

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation, from many peoples,
promising liberty and justice for all.
      Feel free to use the above variant pledge in your own postings.

Tim Merrigan 

[Kirby Lambert]

Thank You! Some how or another I just got lost, I suspect a senior brain fart moment!!!!

Kirby Lambert

[Gil Gamesh]

No, I have not. On May 31, I will write SOL requesting that my stories be removed. I just checked and they're still at SOL.

ASSTR is a poor site but at least there I will have complete control over what is done with MY stories. If you wish to read anything I have written or will finish writing, beginning June 1, 2015, they will be available at:  http://www.asstr.org/~Gil_Gamesh/   I will finish writing A World of My Choosing as soon as possible and then will tackle Strangers in This World. I don't intend to stop writing. I do intend to decide for myself what is done with my stories.

Gil Gamesh

On 5/28/2015 10:49 AM, Kirby Lambert wrote:

Have you already pulled down your stories? All of a sudden I cannot find them.

Kirby Lambert

Someone asked for a heads-up. I'm leaving on May 31. Goodbye.

Gil

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[Gil Gamesh]

On May 31, I will write SOL requesting that my stories be removed. I just checked and they're still at SOL. If you wish to read anything I have written or will finish writing, beginning June 1, 2015, they will be available at:  http://www.asstr.org/~Gil_Gamesh/
 
ASSTR is a poor site but at least there I will have complete control over what is done with MY stories. I'm unskilled at website construction but I have completed a simple site which is easy to navigate. I will not be bothered by a rating system which is nothing more than one man's opinion, a subjective opinion which may or may not be reported truthfully depending on whether one has pissed SOL off. The untouched scores of my readers were, from each one, subjective, but collectively they represented the only objective verifiable rating that mattered. I have other issues with SOL  but I'm not going to write a book today about them.

 I will finish writing A World of My Choosing as soon as possible and then will tackle Strangers in This World. I don't intend to stop writing. I do intend to decide for myself what is done with my stories. THEY ARE MY DAMN STORIES!

Gil Gamesh

On 5/28/2015 7:01 AM, Deadly Ernest wrote:

where for, and what do they offer?

On Thursday, 28 May 2015 19:31:07 UTC+10, Gil Gamesh wrote:

Someone asked for a heads-up. I'm leaving on May 31. Goodbye.

Gil

--

[Gil Gamesh]

On May 31, I will write SOL requesting that my stories be removed. I just checked and they're still at SOL. If you wish to read anything I have written or will finish writing, beginning June 1, 2015, they will be available at:  http://www.asstr.org/~Gil_Gamesh/
 
ASSTR is a poor site but at least there I will have complete control over what is done with MY stories. I'm unskilled at website construction but I have completed a simple site which is easy to navigate. I will not be bothered by a rating system which is nothing more than one man's opinion, a subjective opinion which may or may not be reported truthfully depending on whether one has pissed SOL off. The untouched scores of my readers were, from each one, subjective, but collectively they represented the only objective verifiable rating that mattered. I have other issues with SOL  but I'm not going to write a book today about them.

 I will finish writing A World of My Choosing as soon as possible and then will tackle Strangers in This World. I don't intend to stop writing. I do intend to decide for myself what is done with my stories. THEY ARE MY DAMN STORIES!

Gil Gamesh

On 5/28/2015 8:54 AM, Crumbly Writer wrote:

Sorry to see you go. If you have a new posting site, we'd like to know what it is. If not, what are your plans?

 Gil Gamesh wrote:

Someone asked for a heads-up. I'm leaving on May 31. Goodbye.

--

[Gil Gamesh]

On May 31, I will write SOL requesting that my stories be removed. I just checked and they're still at SOL.

If you wish to read anything I have written or will finish writing, beginning June 1, 2015, they will be available at:  http://www.asstr.org/~Gil_Gamesh/
 
ASSTR is a poor site but at least there I will have complete control over what is done with MY stories. I'm unskilled at website construction but I have completed a simple site which is easy to navigate. Try it and see how simple it is. I will not be bothered by a rating system which is nothing more than one man's opinion, a subjective opinion which may or may not be reported truthfully depending on whether one has pissed SOL off. The untouched scores of my readers were, from each one, subjective, but collectively they represented the only objective verifiable rating that mattered. I have other issues with SOL  but I'm not going to write a book today about them.

 I will finish writing A World of My Choosing as soon as possible and then will tackle Strangers in This World. I don't intend to stop writing. I do intend to decide for myself what is done with my stories. THEY ARE MY DAMN STORIES!

Gil Gamesh

On 5/28/2015 12:32 PM, Daniel wrote:

I can respect your decision. This being a free website, we're offered content from amateur authors and/or non professionally edited stories with only a handful of exceptions (and even those are in general of the self-published variety). That said, if you're this dissatisfied with things as they are, why are you going to leave SOL while you keep posting your stuff over on ASSTR? I don't understand that, because things are arguably worse as far as I know.

My browsing at ASSTR is sporadic due to the large amount of extreme underage content I keep stumbling over, but there's also the ease of use and the recurring technical issues. Every author creates his own webpage and -design. Sometimes that works, but more often than not I wish for a global design like on SOL.

On Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 5:40:37 PM UTC+2, Gil Gamesh wrote:

--

[Switch Blayde]

Well, I love SOL and hate ASSTR.

As to the story quality -- for the price, you can't beat it. And that's from someone who rarely finishes a story because I get bored with them.

Good luck.

Switch
["Sexual Awakening" (full length novel) at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1VHIZC ]

[stories at http://storiesonline.net/auth/Switch_Blayde ]
[Twitter at https://twitter.com/swblayde ]
[discussion group/blog at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/switch_blayde_group/ ]

[Gil Gamesh]

Chacun a son gout! I have no love for ASSTR. I am aware of its many problems and deficiencies. However, I can't fix them. What I can do is take control of my own stories. What little feedback I may get there will not be filtered through SOLs system of revising ratings which I simply do not believe to be truthful or needed.

By the way, I count you as one of the top writers anywhere.

Gil

[Deadly Ernest]

G'day Gil,

have I missed something here? I'm only aware of two issues raised by you, one being the scoring system which you're not happy with the way it's done and the other being the issue with the blog. ASSTR doesn't have any scoring system at all, which is effectively what you've done at SOL by turning the scoring off, nor does ASSTR have a blog system. I've got a ASSTR page but it gets only a very minor fraction of the traffic my SOL page does.

You emphasise about having control of your stories. At SOL I have total control of my stories with the minor exception if I violate the age rule or the advertising rule the story is not on display.

Lazeez doesn't do anything to the stories at SOL (except for age for legal reasons and using SOL to advertise another site). He does have a scoring system to assist readers in choosing stories and he does have a restriction on blog posting frequency due to past attempts by people to take over the home page via blog entries. Now it's very possible something's happened I don't know about, but I don't see why the anger at the moment.

Ernest

[Deadly Ernest]

Turn the scoring system off if you don't like it - which it seems you've done.

The scoring revision is solely to remove the improper effect on the system hate votes and fan votes were doing to it before. However, the effect is uniform on all who have scoring on, so the relative results is the same, anyway, and not an issue for me. I don't write to get high scores, I write because I like to write. I post at SOL because it gets the stories out there for people to enjoy. It's that simple in my view, but then, I may be a bit simple too.

Ernest

[Switch Blayde]

If it's simply SOL's scoring system, turn it off. ASSTR doesn't have one.

I dislike ASSTR because:
1. So many of my stories were stolen from there. And those were the ones readers notified me about. That's the main reason I won't post new stories there.
2. They have no admin support. They used to, but no longer.
3. Their search engine sucks, if you can even call it a search engine.

And thank you.

Switch
["Sexual Awakening" (full length novel) at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1VHIZC ]

[stories at http://storiesonline.net/auth/Switch_Blayde ]
[Twitter at https://twitter.com/swblayde ]
[discussion group/blog at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/switch_blayde_group/ ]
 

---

Date: Thu, 28 May 2015 15:17:38 -0500
From: gil15...@cox.net
To: storie...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Heads Up!

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[Deadly Ernest]

Switch,

A couple of comments on points 2 and 3

2. The admin support isn't there because the ones involved before are either deceased or no longer able to do the work and no one else has stepped up to help - being in Australia I can't be of much help to them with the work.

3. I know the search engines suck, but it was start of the art when put in, just never changed due to lack of funds and then lack of technical knowledge people.

I suspect we will lose ASSTR sometime in the next couple of decades simply due to them being unable to pay the costs of the service and the hardware replacements it needs once the ones who now foot the bill pass on.

Ernest

[Switch Blayde]

Ernest,

It's my understanding the owners/admins of ASSTR were a couple of college kids in law school. When they graduated, the support slowed down. It's now nil.

Switch
["Sexual Awakening" (full length novel) at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1VHIZC ]

[stories at http://storiesonline.net/auth/Switch_Blayde ]
[Twitter at https://twitter.com/swblayde ]
[discussion group/blog at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/switch_blayde_group/ ]
 

---

Date: Thu, 28 May 2015 13:33:04 -0700
From: ernest....@gmail.com

[Deadly Ernest]

Switch,

When I first got active with ASS, ASSM, and ASSD on the newsgroups back in the mid 1990s, and then ASSTR a little later, the admins were all older people (ie 20 plus years older than me) and I know some of them have passed on since then and some are no longer up to doing what's involved. I suppose we can get the full story by going to Callahans Bar and asking. But the end of the ASSTR FAQ from 1998 tells you a lot:

Kim's original thanks went to Uther Pendragon, Eli the Bearded, BitBard, 
Greybeard, Maff, Steven S Davis, Apuleius of Madaura, Lady Sara, See-El, 
Lady Cyrrh, Watcher, MC Woodsmoke and Felix Lance Falkon for comments
or help with the creation of this post, as well as all the regular 
contributors to ASSD who inspired her to do it.  My additions include 
Anne Thorpe, Tigger, sfmaster, and a few unmentionables who, through 
comments not always related directly to this file, have kept up my
interest.

This new and slightly improved version of "Things You Should Know" was 
written by Kim and edited with comments by Seurat.  While Kim no longer
has a known e-mail account, you can contact Seurat at: seu...@enter.net

That's damn near 20 years ago and many of those names were old in the ways of NG stories then. Also, one of the mainstays at ASSTR for a long time was Asa Strong, who's now retired. Rey del Sexo is still fairly active with ASSTR but I know nothing on his history. Denny Wheeler and Uncle Sky were another two mainstays I know little about them outside of the NGs and ASSTR. All three were well established with the ASS NGs and ASSTR 20 years ago and I've no idea hwat their current status is.

Most of the people I used to exchange messages with at ASSD and Callahans are no longer there due to the passing of the years taking their toll.

For those who aren't aware, alt.callahans is the NG for Callahan's Bar where a lot of those involved in the ASSD, ASSM, and ASSTR stories and system used to hang out for general discussion.

Ernest

[Sterling]

I started posting back in 2009 and found I much preferred SOL to ASSTR, as I got more feedback. Then in 2011 SOL policies changed so I couldn't post most of my new stories any more, due to the ban on sex involving young people.

But in terms of downloads, my total over at ASSTR is 2.3 million, and only 320,000 on SOL I don't know if people would consider those numbers good or not. I guess it's all relative. That's the total for over 100 stories.

I've recently added a web interface at SOL (http://www.asstr.org/files/Authors/Sterling/www/), including their automated feedback form, and it has caused a dramatic upsurge in feedback. Frankly, the feedback in both places has rarely been more profound than, "Great story", or "really hot". But there are those few that make it all worthwhile.

Sterling

[Kirby Lambert]

Let me just add that I will miss you from SOL. I very seldom go to ASSTR anymore. It's too difficult for me (maybe not others) to wade through the dross to find the gems. Still I wish you all of the best in all that you strive for.

Thanks for sharing with the rest of us.

Kirby Lambert

[Crumbly Writer]

Gil, if you're giving up on SOL and aren't happy with ASSTR, have you considered posting stories to your own website? Several of us here on SOL maintain our own (though mostly the same minority who self-publish).

[Gil Gamesh]

Yes, I've considered it. I am going to rework my pages at ASSTR as soon as possible to include PDF files as well as web pages and text files. I'll see how it does for a while and then maybe look into my own site. Personally, I have no complaints with ASSTR. I recognize that there are problems with the management but they do not affect me. I may just end up dropping writing stories totally. Who knows? It has been a creative outlet of mine for years and I've worked a lot of my personal beliefs into the stories. I was Kieran in The Measure of Man, or maybe Kerry. I am David in A World of My choosing. I'm NOT the footballs player star performer in Rape. When someone complains that something in my stories "squicks" them, I tell them to imagine that they are the star of the theatrical production in Rape. Maybe I will tell someone else the same thing. As Don Marquis' favorite character Archy said, "whatthehell, whatthehell, whatthehell.

Gil

On 5/28/2015 7:14 PM, Crumbly Writer wrote:

Gil, if you're giving up on SOL and aren't happy with ASSTR, have you considered posting stories to your own website? Several of us here on SOL maintain our own (though mostly the same minority who self-publish).

Gil Gamesh wrote:

Chacun a son gout! I have no love for ASSTR. I am aware of its many problems and deficiencies. However, I can't fix them. What I can do is take control of my own stories. What little feedback I may get there will not be filtered through SOLs system of revising ratings which I simply do not believe to be truthful or needed.

--

[Sam]

On Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 4:23:18 PM UTC-4, Switch Blayde wrote:

3. Their search engine sucks, if you can even call it a search engine.

The asstr search indeed sucks, but you can usually get a much better result by using a site qualifier for google search;
e.g. site:asstr.org [search terms]

[Deadly Ernest]

G'day Gil,

Creating and using a page at ASSTR will get you familiar with all the work needed to maintain such a site. Including PDF files is very easy to do, so you should be OK there. The only thing having your own site away from ASSTR will do is give you more control on the site set up and you get to pay the costs involved.

Ernest

[Rondam]

Gil,

You've bad mouthed the site quite enough.  Just leave.  SOL will survive without your stories and the readers will thrive without your bitching.

[Gil Gamesh]

Please read one story of mine before I leave. It's called Rape. I imagine you as the football player star attraction.

Gil

On 5/29/2015 12:07 PM, Rondam wrote:

Gil,

You've bad mouthed the site quite enough.  Just leave.  SOL will survive without your stories and the readers will thrive without your bitching.

[Crumbly Writer]

Gil, don't go overboard and leave with a list of enemies. We all understand that you're leaving because you're frustrated, but many readers get equally frustrated with authors who continually complain about the services offered them for free. Take the complaint with a grain of salt, like you do every other reader complaint. Bitching or calling people names doesn't make you look any better and only earns a lifelong enemy who'll forever downgrade your work to anyone who asks.

Even if you post books for free, you're essentially selling a service, and thus your job is primarily one of public relations. Keep everything civil, no matter what others say, and always try to present the best possible face no matter what you're dealing with. You burn fewer bridges that way.

[Gayth Montgomery]

Under another persona, I am a participant in Baen's\Eric Flint's 1632verse.  One of the comment one of the editorial board made a few years back was about the large percentage of dreck that gets not just submiotted to slush but published.  So, I am not surprised by the your negative commentrs.  Many writers here get caught up with their lust and don't even try to write a story that holds together.

[Crumbly Writer]

I've always said that how an author pays attention to the details, the editing, the language, the story flow and keeping all the details straight, says a lot about the author as a person. It shows an attention to quality. If an author can't be bothered to write a clear, error-free story description, then why would anyone waste time reading their stories? And in a world with tens of thousands of new ebooks offered for free every day, why would you give those kinds of amateurs your precious time?

That said, I had to repost the same chapter three times today. Someone pointed out there was an error with it. I'd posted the wrong chapter in a different book, so I posted the correct chapter. When I checked it again, it was still the wrong chapter. Turns out I'd overwritten the file with a chapter from a different story. After I cut and pasted the correct chapter from my website, I discovered I'd forgotten to copy the correct chapter title.

There's paying attention, and then there's just having too many things to keep track of. 'D

[Wheezer]

I made an earlier comment about being aware of slamming doors.  The meaning of my comment was too vague, went over the OP's head and was misinterpreted.  After reading more from the OP, I'll say it in plain language: 

 

Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. :/

[Deadly Ernest]

CW,

I agree with what you say about working hard to write a good error free story, however, I also think it's almost impossible to have a story error free until after a few revisions spaced over time. That's simply because you know aht you're writing and will miss a minor typo or three due your mind reading what you expect to be there. Thus I see no issue with a few minor error, but numerous errors are a major warning sign.

Also, there are a few authors who write some good stories that are worth reading despite the errors in their writing.

Ernest

[Old Dave]

I've been reading this thread, but hesitated to comment, since I'm not an author.  I've enjoyed some of your stories.  But honestly I don't understand most of your anger.  This is a FREE site as many have pointed out.  If it doesn't suit your needs, then certainly leave.  But do it with some dignity.  You've been pretty caustic and now you're starting to hurl insults at people.

I'm glad this site has a wide range of authors, and I'm fine with the new ones.  Sure, I give up on really bad grammar and absurd story lines, and learn quickly to just give up on those authors. I also learn to avoid authors that write about subjects that just don't interest me.  They are good stories, but not for me.  I don't try to get them to stop posting. But I also find hidden gems from authors I've never heard of, often their first effort.  I've often given feedback to those that has asked.  This is a great place to learn.  And I've seen people grow.  Many of them will seek out and use story line guidance.  But again I cannot stress enough it is FREE

You also don't like the rating system.  Since you can and did turn yours off, I don't see the problem.

Again, leaving is fine, but why take so much time and effort to keep pointing out how angry you are and why.  A quiet exit is always a good exit.

On Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 4:31:07 AM UTC-5, Gil Gamesh wrote:

[Crumbly Writer]

Ernest, I didn't mean to imply that anyone should judge authors on random errors. Instead, I was commenting on a writer's motivation to improve themselves.

As far as typos, most stories have them, even those from the major publishers. I work with a LOT of beta-readers to catch as much as they can. Over time, I've learned that about 1 typo every 4,000 words is a good target to aim for. That way, you'll still have a few slip by, but they won't be bad enough to stand out and frustrate the reader.

There's also a difference between errors and style choices. I use the European serial comma rule (where you drop the final comma in lists), which drives my editors nuts (and I'm sure more than a few readers). I also write like I speak, which includes an odd mix of American and British spellings. Each of us make very conscious choices which are likely to rub certain readers the wrong way, but they're simply (bad?) choices, rather than unconscious errors.

[Crumbly Writer]

Old Dave, don't worry about speaking your mind. This is NOT an authors' site. It's a readers and authors site and focuses on issues we all face with stories on SOL. We authors tend to obsess about various issues as we wrestle with them on a daily basis, but since we live and die by these choices, we welcome input from readers so we're not making blind choices.

It's one thing to rant about a site's management if you're leaving in disgust, never planning to come back. But you can never forget that random comments NEVER disappear from the internet. Chances are, those comments will come back to haunt him when he least expects it.

Even if you disagree with them, readers are who allow us to enjoy the privilege of writing. We don't have to do it if it bothers us, but we can't do it at all if there's no one to read what we write. We should also know from the multiple internet train wrecks by celebrities who think they're bullet proof that attitude is half the battle. If someone handles a scandal with aplomb, they're likely to survive. If they react out of anger and denial, they're largely history.

[rbhol...@charter.net]

Gil you lost all my respect through your abusiveness of the not only SOL but the other writers and editors around not to mention the way you act like you are god's gift to readers.  Before this topic I had planned on reading your stories as soon as I could get to them without losing any potential pleasure from reading a story.  Now I regret to have to say I have removed your stories entirely from my list of stories to read.    I am too afraid I might catch your abusiveness instead of anything else.  Goodbye and as I have heard in the past a few times "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out".

[Rondam]

As the door slammed in the rear of the church, the entire congregation shouted "Amen".

[Gil Gamesh]

To all who have symphathized with me (a few) and to all who have criticized me (more), thanks for your advice. If you know the story of the blind men who were trying to describe an elephant, you might understand. None of you know the full story. None of you see the whole elephant. Perhaps I should not have been so critical of the site or the response a few of you gave. For those of you who will still read anything of mine, I suggest you read Love Is Blind.

Gil Gamesh

[Crumbly Writer]

Gil, I hate to say it, but you brought the reactions on yourself. Most here asked and were curious why you decided to leave. Your chance to explain about the elephant in the room was then. But instead of using words to express yourself (which is, after all, the job of authors), you chose belligerence and standoffishness. No one will ever understand your position until you express it. There's no sense complaining about 'no one understands you' if you can't express yourself.

I've tried to stick up for you, but you've made it difficult by attacking readers who simply expressed frustration over your heaping criticism on the site. That's why I urged caution in burning your bridges before you've finished crossing them.

I still wish you luck, and hope to hear more from you in the future, but now is NOT the time to recoil and hurl more accusations.

Character is much
easier kept
than recovered.

Thomas Paine

[Tim Merrigan]

Are you all who complain about lack of quality familiar with Sturgeon's Law (90% of everything is crap)?

You all should be grateful if you actually get 10% that's quality.

-- 

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation, from many peoples,
promising liberty and justice for all.
      Feel free to use the above variant pledge in your own postings.

Tim Merrigan 

[Tim Merrigan]

I agree with what you say about working hard to write a good error free story, however, I also think it's almost impossible to have a story error free until after a few revisions spaced over time.

Then, the day after it's irrevocably published, an error or typo will leap out at you, "sticking out like a sore thumb," and you'll slap your head saying "How could I have possibly missed that."

[Tim Merrigan]

The heads up that he's taking down his stories, giving those of us who like them time to download them is good.  All too often authors leave and/or take down their stories with no warning at all. 

There you are reading a multi-part store at, say, a chapter a day on line, you're not worried as the story's been on the site for ages, then one day you come back to read the next chapter and all that author's work is gone.

[gr...@graybyrd.com]

Back in the day when newspapers were still a major part of daily life, a hilarious typo or two would slip past the proofreaders. I published a weekly newspaper for a number of years, and dreaded reading our own stories the day after the paper came out. As hard as we tried, an occasional 'clinker' would slip through. We could only hope it wouldn't be too embarrassing or insulting to some sensitive person or group.

[Kirby Lambert]

I remember reading a story about a storm where it said that the air was full of flying derbies.

Kirby Lambert

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[rbhol...@charter.net]

True, but they also don't go blaming both the site, its operators and its users for the problems.  We all know problems exist and try our best to work around them.  I had no complaint about his leaving. It was all the casting of blame he did afterwards that I drew the line at.

[Deadly Ernest]

Dang, I thought derbies only crawled along da ground!! Dem flying ones gotta be rare.!

[Crumbly Writer]

Nope. Derbies don't crawl. They fly up, attach themselves to peoples head, hang on tight and steer the humans like old fashioned voodoo zombies. That's why most zombie movies look like they're taking place just after a rain storm (dark clouds with the sun peeking through).

 Deadly Ernest wrote:

Dang, I thought derbies only crawled along da ground!! Dem flying ones gotta be rare.!