# Fans vs Writers? Whose opinion should I care about?



## ADF (Dec 30, 2011)

A little history first.

I didn't get my GCSE in English until College. I utterly failed to get a basic qualification in the English language in school and had to struggle just to get a C grade after a lot of work. I have Asperger's Syndrome and Dyslexia, the latter of which makes me particularly error prone while writing. Requiring constant proof reading. Plus because of my poor memory my vocabulary and spelling leaves much to be desired, largely being supplemented by the Internet/word processor. 

In short. I'd make a terrible writer and have no hopes, nor intent, to excel in the area anywhere near the extent that many popular writers in here will have.

However...

I found myself adding back stories to some of the images in my gallery. The people that enjoyed them urged me to write, but a smaller version of the above was given as an excuse not to. Eventually they convinced me to give it a go and I threw a few descriptive short stories together, some of which being requests. I received a surprising amount of positive feedback. People seemed to genuinely enjoy them. I didn't think it was possible that something "I" wrote could receive 25+ favourites and so many supportive comments. It was quite motivating to continue, though right now I'm on a downturn; I hoped to write more in the future.

However...

Every writer I have ever shown any of my material to says I suck. Not so blunt, but they say everything I do is completely and utterly wrong. They've even regarded them as being so bad that they didn't even qualify as being stories, that they lacked the necessary structure and elements to be considered a story.

So on one hand the people that actually read my writing attempts claim to enjoy them and encourage me to write more. While some of the seasoned writers are so critical of what I produce, that I might as well quit now; because I'm never going to be up to their level. It's not like I plan on publishing anything or taking part in writing contests, but I'm not fond of the idea that my attempts may be regarded as simply trash.

So what do people think? I honestly don't see myself as being able to improve in any substantial manner, given my earlier difficulties with basic language. So do I listen to the writers and regard what I can produce as being too terrible to bother, or disregard what they think and just cater to the positive feedback of the people who like what I write?


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## Fay V (Dec 30, 2011)

A little of column A, a little of column B. 
Writing is just something that comes better with practice and sometimes you have to just ignore critics. Long ago I was actually told to just give up with art stuff, that it wasn't worth my time and I was devoid of all fundamentals. Right now I'm still lacking in fundamentals, however I am much better than I was before and people enjoy my work. I will never be a professional artist, but I'll always get better. 

Now if you enjoy writing and you like making fans happy then keep writing. You'll only get better. I know a few writers with dyslexia and they're actually really good, they just spend more time in editing. In the end if it makes you happy then it doesn't matter that it is wrong. Hell critics of the time were certain Shakespeare would be completely shadowed by Marlowe because shakespeare pandered to his audience. Emily Dickenson was told her format was wrong and an editor tried to rewrite her poems. Sometimes you just need to follow your own vision. 

That doesn't mean disregard all criticism. Just take it with a grain of salt. Critics will always tell you what is wrong with your stuff, how it should be like this or that. No change is impossible with time. Just take minor steps. Look at the critiques and work on small problems at a time like trying to use "he said" a bit less, or avoiding certain kinds of structure. A good critique should explain how to make the story better, like helping you with a plot outline to better structure the story. 
It's hard work, but you don't have to be the best of the best. If you're happy then just take it a small step at a time.


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## Ad Hoc (Dec 30, 2011)

Give both a solid listen, but wholly base your actions on neither. Do what _you_ want to do. If you find pleasure in writing, write. 

To be somewhat more useful, I would not really put much weight on the opinion of anyone who tells you to "quit now." There is an incomprehensibly mean-spirited ignorance in such words. Everyone starts somewhere. 

Your AS and dyslexia have already shown that they will slow you down; however, they have not stopped you. You have learned to speak well on forums; I have no doubt that you can learn to string together compelling stories and word them artfully, it is simply a matter of practice. When you hit a wall, be patient with yourself and understand that it may take you longer than others, and rest if you are too frustrated, but do not give up. Writing is no different from art, no different from any skill. Honing practice is more important than innate talent. 

_That said_, do try to pick out the bits of criticism that you can actually apply. Better ways to characterize or move the plot along or whathaveyou. There is some technical stuff which is good to learn, same as it is in art. You might actually consider googling for short story guides or perhaps picking up a book on the subject to get a better footing on the matter.


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## sunandshadow (Dec 31, 2011)

Your several-paragraph-long post is well structured, so that in itself shows you are capable of structuring a short story.  Without looking, my guess is that you are referring to a type of writing which is not actually a story as a story; this is something bound to irritate writers.  The root of that problem might be that you don't know the definition of what a story is, or what a story's structure is supposed to look like.  This is not too surprising if you were always struggling with the mechanics of writing in school and were in basic or remedial classes that didn't spend much time on fiction.  If you wanted to, it would not be too difficult to learn some basic theory of storytelling and structure of fiction.  Vocabulary is not actually very important, you can tell perfectly good stories without big or obscure words.  But the question is do you want to take up a hobby that's such an annoying struggle as far as proofreading goes?


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## FlynnCoyote (Dec 31, 2011)

Everything that needs saying has been said. All opinions have a degree of validity, but in the end you need to ask yourself who you want to please more. The first answer should always be yourself, so if you're happy with what you do then there is no need to change. If you actively want to improve, then it becomes time to listen to advice. 

So with that, if you do decide you want help, look me up.


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## ADF (Dec 31, 2011)

Thank you for the supportive responses.

The problem I have is a lot of what I write tends to flow from what feels and sounds right in my head. Implementing academically correct rules during the process requires juggling writing techniques like "show don't tell" and what feels right to me, which can end up a jumble of the rules and how I think it should sound. I tend to write in spurts with months of burn out between, so I end up forgetting a lot of the writing techniques I learned last time and just going back to what feels right. The people that like my work don't seem to mind the way I write, but again; it's not accurate for a proper writing style that full time furry writers take seriously.

I'll keep writing when the creative juices are there and see if I can improve things. I just don't know how I'm going to improve the the way serious writers would like to see; when it doesn't come instinctively like my usual writing style.


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## Ad Hoc (Dec 31, 2011)

ADF said:


> Thank you for the supportive responses.
> 
> The problem I have is a lot of what I write tends to flow from what feels and sounds right in my head. Implementing academically correct rules during the process requires juggling writing techniques like "show don't tell" and what feels right to me, which can end up a jumble of the rules and how I think it should sound. I tend to write in spurts with months of burn out between, so I end up forgetting a lot of the writing techniques I learned last time and just going back to what feels right. The people that like my work don't seem to mind the way I write, but again; it's not accurate for a proper writing style that full time furry writers take seriously.
> 
> I'll keep writing when the creative juices are there and see if I can improve things. I just don't know how I'm going to improve the the way serious writers would like to see; when it doesn't come instinctively like my usual writing style.


It might help you to do studies. When you encounter a technique or theory that you have a poor grasp on, sit down and do some writing specifically to explore that technique. It might not be fun writing, but if you work at it, it may come more naturally to you for your "real" writing. Think of this as you would think of an artist's studies on shading, anatomy, perspective, etc., It's not necessarily much fun and the immediate results won't always be much to look at, but it will help you with your actual writing. 

I'm no spectacular author, but I did see marked improvements in my writing after taking a creative writing class. None of the writing I did there was particularly impressive, but it taught me a lot of new things and helped me later on down the road. So, it was a "study." I don't know if you have the time/energy/money to take a class, but it might help you to set up such a thing on your own. Picking up a book on the subject, again, may be helpful. 

People seem to look down their nose on such things, and I think that's really silly. Just about the first thing aspiring artists are told to do is do X studies and read Y book and take, if possible, Z class. I don't see why it should be any different with writing, or any skill really. It's good to have the guidelines, even if with time you might not always work within them.


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## Fay V (Dec 31, 2011)

ADF said:


> Thank you for the supportive responses.
> 
> The problem I have is a lot of what I write tends to flow from what feels and sounds right in my head. Implementing academically correct rules during the process requires juggling writing techniques like "show don't tell" and what feels right to me, which can end up a jumble of the rules and how I think it should sound. I tend to write in spurts with months of burn out between, so I end up forgetting a lot of the writing techniques I learned last time and just going back to what feels right. The people that like my work don't seem to mind the way I write, but again; it's not accurate for a proper writing style that full time furry writers take seriously.
> 
> I'll keep writing when the creative juices are there and see if I can improve things. I just don't know how I'm going to improve the the way serious writers would like to see; when it doesn't come instinctively like my usual writing style.


It might help you to just let go an write, then go back and edit. Every successful author has loads of drafts and often their first drafts aren't technically proficient, but gets the spirit of the story down. 
It's not as fun, but training yourself to just take the time after to edit, reword, and change scenes will help in the long run and you won't have to juggle both the creative and technically correct. 
It's a tough skill to learn, but from personal experience it really helps to just go back later and do the technical stuff.


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## Kurasuki (Dec 31, 2011)

Most of what is needed to be said has been said already.

I'll just add on that even if it is more of a hobby you can still learn more about writing and improve with practice and experience, this is true for any form of art. You don't need to be naturally talented or gifted to do something. Some people are, so they learn much quicker, but that doesn't mean that those that don't have a natural talent for the subject can't do it. It'll just take more work and much more time, but if it's something that you want to do and/or love doing, then nothing will stop you, and nothing should. 

IMO let the support and positive comments from the fans help keep you going, appreciate them for taking the time to read your work and leave you comments, there's no reason to ignore them because someone more skilled/professional thinks you don't have what it takes. Clearly your story telling is reaching some people, and if your skill is poor or not that is still something to be proud of.

Don't let the writers drag you through the mud, I'm not saying that their advice should go ignored, it just shouldn't be the driving force on your decision to write. Many writers hold true the idea that "Just because you can type doesn't mean you can write." And it's frustrating to them that many people call writing an easy thing to do because of the assumption that 'everyone can do it' this belittles the skills and efforts that many writers put into their work and because of this writers will often come off as overly assertive to someone that clearly needs work on their writing. I'm not saying that the "Just because you can type doesn't mean you can write." is wrong, in fact it's very true. What's not true is that someone will NEVER learn how. As long as you got the will you can do it.

As for AS and dyslexia, yes they are major hurdles when it comes to writing (I have dyslexia myself so I completely understand the frustrations regarding it) when I was younger in school and my teachers asked me what my life goals were I told them I wanted to be a writer, and they told me because of my dyslexia it was 'not an option' for me. It didn't stop me, I didn't care, I had stories to I wanted to tell, I had worlds to draw people in, I had characters I wanted people to be captivated with. I wasn't going to keep all that in my head because of a disability or of what someone else said. Yes, it is not easy, yes, you will be going over you stories and work countless times finding and fixing errors, and yes, even after your 100th edit someone is gonna spot a bunch of grammar/spelling mistakes, your disability will embarrass and frustrate you. Is it worth it in the end? Completely.

Just please (and I'm not accusing you of doing this, just something to keep in mind), don't use dyslexia as an excuse for poor writing, I've seen many would be writers on the internet that will have disclaimers such as "I HAVE DYSLEXIA SO DON'T COMMENT ON MY WRITING/SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES I HATE IT AND I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!#@#&**!!" as harsh as it sounds once I see that, I will refuse to read their work. It's already hard enough for me to read to begin with, but if they're not going to WORK WITH their disability and just use it as an excuse to not improve or justify their poor writing then they are just wasting my time. Yeah, dyslexia sucks, and I know it can't be helped, but it can still be worked around and on. It's not like the story has been carved into a stone tablet, things can still be corrected, you have to accept that you are going to make mistakes that sometime you are never going to be able to spot on your own. If someone leaves a comment telling you "You messed up the wording on-" or "you used the wrong word it should be-" or "You spelled ____ wrong" don't take it as an offense, even if it's worded in a blunt and less than appealing manner. Just fix the mistake, make a note so you can keep an eye out for similar mistakes in your other and future works, heck make a not on a post it note if you have to (say if you're using the wrong word) and just keep going.


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## NineTiger (Dec 31, 2011)

If you want to write, you will write, one way or another. 

I have processing problems too. That did not stop me from doing a Harry Potter's book worth of Thundercats fan-fiction and two self-published books, one a paranormal novel and one a travel book. Especially with the books, I went through the Fires of Hell with my own editing, but I wanted it bad, so I did it. Not perfect, but neither is life.

For years, I put colored pencil drawings in at SF art shows, and I had little response, but I still did it because the creative fire was there.

With writing and art, I never received much feedback from people who were fans of the genres I was working in. However, with people who had no connection to fandom, my work was appreciated in a positive way.

So do it for yourself, and for comments, I always say, consider the source.


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 1, 2012)

What you might consider doing, and what in the end will get you the best possible results if you can pull it off, is to use your dyslexia and Asperger's as a means of creating your own style.  What it comes down to is that you have a hard time thinking like a traditional writer.  That's fine.  In fact, in some ways that's really great.  When people manage to pull off something, some style or whatever, that's truly original, they're heralded as geniuses and they get thousands of copycats following them down the line in order to replicate the success.
I'm not saying that's totally easy to pull off.  As with any craft, no matter what you do, it takes a lot of thought and study and consideration to get where you think you're supposed to be.  What I am saying, though, is that if you really enjoy the craft, do it and try to master it in whatever way you can, because it's all an open playing field.  That's what's great about artistic endeavors, is that they're all totally personal in the end.  Writing rules aren't really rules; they're good guidelines that help you get started.  But people are dissatisfied when an author can only ever manage to master those guidelines.  You know?  And I've critiqued some of your stuff in the past, so maybe you're talking a little about me, but in the end all you should do is take the advice that's useful and figure out the rest yourself.
Down and dirty, if people like your stuff, you're doing _something_ right.  Find out what that is and make it better.


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