Some people mentioned that my stories are not perfect.
Recently, a user posted his review of my stories, emphasizing that said writing has many typos, spellchecks, and grammatical errors. That user also complained that my renders were not exactly as described in the stories.
That user also suggested I get better editors and take more care at making sure my writing is as perfect as it can be and my renders are better made so that they closely illustrate what’s happening in the story, otherwise, I will lose users.
Since that “review” is within the comment section of a recent post, and probably not all would read it as many might have already read said post and won’t go back just to read the comments, I decided to re-post my answer here:
1- I am a native FRENCH speaker. English is my second language. Except for part of my work (documentation), internet, and writing those stories, I do not use English. Errors are unavoidable.
2- I used the default OpenOffice/LibreOffice/Google Docs spell and grammar checker. I recently began to use Grammarly, but apparently, none of those is perfect.
3- The site is free for all users. I PAY FOR IT. It means that I get no money from it. But everybody gets everything out of it, no money required.
4- No money means I will not spend to have any sort of professional editor or even pay for the “premium” version of Grammarly.
5- Daz3D is a posing/dress-me-up software. I don’t give a shit if the images are not “real looking”. It’s not their purpose. I use them for my own inspiration and, why not, share them so that they give a little image of what I’m seeing in my mind in these setups. Because I write down the “movies” that are playing in my head.
5- Daz3D is free. However, the props, clothing, and accessories are, again $$$, which I PAY of my own pocket. You get what I can get. Live with it.
5a- I am NOT a visual artist nor a graphic designer. I totally suck at drawing. Heck, I can’t even design a good-looking false magazine cover. I can’t freely draw a dog. A house and a basic car, yes, but don’t ask me to draw a face!
6- This storywriting thing is a hobby. I’m not published (for money) on Amazon or anywhere else. I don’t expect a Pulitzer prize or any kind of award.
7- This site is my way of sharing with the rest of the world, what my silly imagination can come up with. Why? Because I simply can’t stop thinking about all those ideas, and if I don’t share them, I will stop writing them… and I feel it will be a waste of creativity.
I would LOVE to think that this is the best FREE fetish story website. But it’s not.
I would LOVE to think that I’m the best FREE fetish story writer. But I am not.
Heck, my “dream” is for this site, for my stories, or at least one of them, to be recognized by someone “influential” in the fetish industry. Alas, in 25 years, it never happened and, even tho I still wish for it, my hopes are pretty much dead.
This site is not the best. My storytelling is not the best. My writing is not the best. My English is not the best. My 3D art creations are not the best.
However, they are the best I can offer.
So, since all of this is, again, FREE, nobody has any “right” to ask me for perfection. If someone doesn’t like it, someone just has to go elsewhere.
And finally, EVERY TIME someone pointed out to me a vibrant error, a mix-up in names, or a nuclear-fallout consequence grammar mistake, I corrected it.
Would you prefer five un-skippable ads at the start of the story, followed by a chapter-long in-story ad in the middle, a few more un-skippable ads a few chapters later, and a pledge for the Patreon page at the end?
“Please share, subscribe, ring the bell, paint it on your car, and don’t forget to follow me on my Patreon page (and get a monthly subscription) if you want more free quality content with ads and other shit in it”.
—
Karen put on her brand new neck-entry catsuit she just received, compliments of ShinyStuff. She got it for free but if you use the promo code “moreshittystuff”, you can get a whopping 10% discount if you buy $2000 or more on your next order. This offer ends in 10 days, so hurry up and don’t forget to say that Karen sent you and you will get a free complimentary set of butthole cream, so it will hurt less the next time we screw you over.
But Karen didn’t need this cream. As an influencer, she was able to get a lot of stuff for free and be the envy of Lynda, Sandra, Pete, Kate, and the rest of the gang.
Once she smoothed out her ShinyStuff Latex Catsuit, she added the ShinyStuff extra-Shine – with added Aloe Vera and kelp extract, using their patented lint-free eco-friendly cloth made of recycled cat hairballs. She loved to see her reflection in the mirror she got from Wally World, which she put on the wall of her room, filled with wonderful furniture from Ikea…
I better stop there.
This is a free world, and this is a free site.
You are free to choose.
One last thing (yeah, I had to plug Steve Jobs/Apple – although I’m an anti-Apple guy): 400+ stories. One author. (as a side note, for those old geezers like me, that saying it’s also Columbo-like)
Pierre aka Pete
I can see this opinion had hurt You much. Well… it would hurt me if I would be at Your place, but every person is different.
Note: Probably from an above sentence You will see I am not a native English speaker either. 😉
Gladly in nowadays we have thousands of variants of English and I dare to say there is no truly “correct” dialect on this planet. Is it easy to understand? Doesn’t it grind, squeal and squeak when reading? Then it is good.
Anyone who complains about the English not being good and sophisticated enough should be reminded that the stories we publish over the internet are not aimed at native English speakers. There are intended for much, much wider audience. A sophisticated, decorative language full of subtle tricks, double or triple meanings and alike will only cloud the story and fall into deaf ear. I, for an example, after about 30 years of active use of English, still have huge problems with catching all the subtleties in Terry Pratchet prose and need to reach for professional Polish translation to understand them. Unfortunately in his prose those things are sometimes essential for a story and I have problems with getting grip on “what’s going on”.
I suppose, You do crave for perfection, but perfection is like a horizon – the closer You get, the farther it moves away. There is no hope for ever reaching it.
Your readers would like it to be better? Yes, for sure. Anyone prefers better over worse.
What is important in the story is not the language, language must just not to harm it. It is important how it flows. How one things comes from another, how consistent they are. How reader can see with their imagination what is written. How readers can feel the sensations and emotions of Your heroines. And if the story You wrote is the story they read 😉
I am not courageous enough to write novels in English, but I do test my Polish texts by reading aloud pieces of them to listeners and asking them to describe the scene, people taking part in that piece and etc. If they describe them the way I have imagined them when writing, then the text is good. If they have different image in front of their eyes, then the text is bad.
As for Your stories…
I am not looking in them anything past some kinky entertainment. So the vivid visual side of the story and emotional part allowing me to feel what the heroine feels is most important. Your short stories mostly have it. Mostly. I must admit, they are plenty of times kind of “sterile”… No, it is bad word. Kind of photographic. Descriptive? Technical? Lacking this “immersive” stuff. I plenty of cases I can see and understand the story, but I can’t really feel it.
This is how “bad” they are. Pretty as bad as many paid works. For an example the worst stuff I paid for, in the aspects I wrote about above, was J.G.Leather stuff. This guy has (or had?) an imagination and talent for describing things but absolutely none for kindling emotions. Imagine, I was actually bored reading erotic stuff which really hit all my kinks! This is what You call wasted money.
However the most important thing is how do You feel about Your stories. What do You think when You read them again year after You wrote them. Are You blushing from shame or just saying proudly: “It’s f* good!”
As for the money… They are Yours. Spend them as You like. Do not however expect people to not frown on the stuff You give them for free just because it is free. Christmas gifts are also free and haven’t You ever seen a disappointment or even tears in children eyes when expected __insert_your_mostly_desired_toy_here__ appeared to be __insert_your_most_boring_not_wanted_thing_here__ ?
Best regards,
taszjekt.deviantart.com
Hi.
I’m not quite sure what to make of all of this.
Those stories are fantasies of mine. I’m somewhat projecting my thoughts into Karen. I would like, at the same time, BE Karen and SEE Karen.
Squirming in latex bondage gives one experience. Looking at someone squirming in latex bondage gives another experience. With Karen, describing what she feels as well as how she looks is the best of both worlds.
They are MY fantasies. Yes, I often include fantasies submitted by users but they are merged with my own fantasies.
What do I think when I re-read my old stories? A mix of feelings, but mostly that they’re good and very often I’m like “Where the fuck did I get this idea?”. But very rarely does “this is shit!” comes to mind. But there are some, which haven’t been re-posted on this site, for this exact reason: they are shit.
Yes, I could be more descriptive in the setups or the accessories and stuff. But here’s my POV on this:
Just take boots.
Some prefer thigh-high.
Some prefer knee-high.
Some prefer booties.
Some prefer leather.
Some prefer patent leather.
Some prefer rubber.
Some prefer a thin sole, other prefer a thick platform sole.
Some like it laced up. Some like it with a size zipper. Some like it pull-on.
Some don’t like boots at all but only shoes/sandals.
And some prefer bare feet!
By leaving some details “vague”, the reader can fill in what he/she desires. Simply stating that “she put on high heel platform boots”, the platform could be of any thickness, 5mm thick or 1m thick for all I care (hey, someone out there must have a giraffe fetish).
Unless the description is really relevant to the scene, I leave it loose because MY fantasy is not YOUR or HIS or HER fantasy.
As for proofreading my stories, once it’s done, it’s like reaching the end of reading a book. You don’t start all over again because, knowing how it unfolds, you would skip parts.
Well, here’s a surprise: I know how the story unfolds because I just wrote the damn thing! So, proofreading it right after finishing it, and I won’t see most of the errors.
The solution? Let it sit there until I mostly forgot about it. Meaning… 2-3 weeks.
So, 3 weeks later, I have to remind myself to proofread said story. However, I’m mostly already writing the next one.
I’m writing one and have to proofread another one, meaning I have to take my mind off one story, put it into another one, and then forget what I just read and try to put my brain back into that in-progress story.
I would literally “lose my mind” doing that.
I wait a little then give it a quick proofreading, trying to find as many errors as possible then I post it and advienne que pourra*. That’s it. (*what happens, happens)
Anyway, seeing the number of visits I get each week, I don’t think people don’t appreciate what I offer.
I suppose I couldn’t express myself clear enough… well… possibly because of my poor English. I have great problems with expressing myself both polite and accurate and instead usually sound rude, stiff and annoying.
I didn’t meant Your works are bad. I got the impression that You are irritated because people are telling You they are not perfect. And they are not, as nothing in this word is perfect. Annoying, but true.
I also never intended to say that You should be more technically accurate in Your descriptions or more fitting my style of fantasies. Being more technically accurate would, as You noticed, rather kill the mood than help it.
What I would love to read, and this would be as close to perfection as possible, it would be a fantasy which is sure not mine, but described in such a way that I could actually feel it. Like if, well… imagine something what makes You puke and imagine that You can read about it and actually feel the love for it. This would be, in my opinion, a perfection. To be able to feel like somebody else, not like me myself but only submerged in somebody’s else world.
That’s why I wrote “that’s how bad Your stories are”. Double quoted “bad”, You notice, not without a reason.
Would I like to get perfect stuff for free? Sure I would, who wouldn’t? Will I try to put a pressure on authors to be better than they are even if I am not paying the a penny? Sure I will. The __better__ they are, the more often I will say: “It could be more perfect”. Mainly because there is absolutely no point in telling “do it perfectly” to someone who produces a total crap. While telling it to someone who is very good gives a chance to actually get it done.
You can do good things and this is why I dared to respond to Your post saying: “make it closer to perfection”.
Best regards,
Ignore the idiots
Ignore the its-all-bad assholes
Ignore the trolls
Ignore the you-must-make-it-exactly-like-I-like-it egotistical arseholes
Ignore the Karens and Kens
Just do/write your thing – I think the overall comments and ratings of your AWESOME stories should show clearly that these nay-sayers are very much outliers.
You cannot – and more importantly, you SHOULD not – make it “right” for everybody.
Thank you, marp.
I’m not really taking offense by these comments. However, sometimes those persons need some reality check, that’s why I give a somewhat detailed answer.
When you talk about construction, things HAVE to be done a certain way for norms, and regulations, or it’s just the right way to do it.
When art is concerned, it’s according to each artist’s point of view. That’s why Tylor Swift is not Metallica. Even tho, I’m sure they receive “fan letters” telling them that they should change the way they sing or play the guitar, that they will attract a larger audience if they do so.
There’s always someone who (think that it) knows better.
Pierre.
People can be so disrespectful.
You write beautiful and uncommon story, you paid for offer us a part of your world so if this people doesn’t like your writing why he made a complain instead of leave this website.
I love your stories, and everybody can do some mistake with grammar ( more with a second language). Writing is not the easiest exercise.
Personally I don’t care of the grammar/ orthography, I translate your stories in French ( it’s more comfortable for me )
Change nothing, ignoring dumb and ungrateful people. Be proud of you and your creations.
Thanks a lot for all your writing that makes me dreaming of another reality.
Aurélie
Merci Aurélie.
Comme mentionné plus haut, je n’en tiens pas rigueur. J’ai partagé mon point de vue pour que “eux” comprennent qu’il n’y a pas seulement leur point de vue dans le monde.
Et j’ai peut-être un petit malin-plaisir à imaginer leur réaction quand ils lisent les réponses… s’ils le font bien entendu, parce que en général, ils ne liront pas les commentaires qui leur sont défavorable.
L’un d’eux a même écrit que je pouvais bien l’envoyer promener, que ce ne serait pas la première fois, que d’autres l’ont déjà fait. Alors, soit c’est un troll soit c’est une personne tellement imbue d’elle-même qu’il ne comprends même pas le “message” de se mêler de ses affaires…
Ce ne sont pas les premiers, et ce ne seront pas les derniers.
Salutations,
Pierre.
En effet je doute qu’ils lisent les commentaires.
Ils ne viennent que pour cracher leur venin, frustrer sexuellement sûrement.
Cette réponse publique est je pense le meilleure des moyens de leur montrer qu’ils sont minoritaires dans leurs délires capricieux.
Vraiment ça me viendrais jamais à l’idée de critiquer un truc disponible gratuitement, et bénévolement par quelqu’un qui apporte du bonheur à un publique.
Chaque nouvelle histoire je la dévore et je dois je pense avoir lue au moins 3x la moitié des récits. C’est mon petit moment évasion à m’imaginer être karen.
En tout cas c’est fantastique que vous ne vous laissez pas atteindre par ses trolls haineux.
Aurélie
Wow, I would never have guessed that English wasn’t your first language! Not saying your writing is perfect, but it’s better than what most people are able to produce and perfectly good enough for all but the obsessive pedantics.
If someone doesn’t like it, they can go write their own stuff.
Thanks for all that you do!
PS, I actually really appreciate the way that you provide a little bit of detail, but not all of it. Exactly as you say, it allows the reader to fill in some of those details with their own imagination (assuming they have one) and make it even better for them.
Thank you very much.
I believe that The French language has been “hit” as strongly (if not a lot more) in the past years as the English language, and it’s a shame.
I’m French-Canadian (Quebec). That’s why in some stories, I list Montreal or Canada as the places where Karen lives although it’s pretty much any place in the world as she is not officially of any nationality. And also it’s in the website name .CA. (although it doesn’t imply that I’m French-speaking)
Thank you, rubberkitty.
Dear,
also if in delay I want to support you as much as I can with this short message. I totally agree with you and what you did and are you doing, with efforts and free time that you can use in other ways instead of proofreading and posting on site and so on (all free work YOU are doing for US), it is really wonderful and you gifted me several stories I really love and I really cherish.
As much as the comments can hurt, trolls and haters are everywhere, so “do not care of them and go on” (Dante’s inferno) and go on doing what you want, when you want.
Thank you very much, Alessandro. I really appreciate it.
MERCI BEAUCOUP POUR CE SITE
J’adore lire ces histoires
Bonne continuation
Serge – Ile de la Réunion
Avec plaisir, Serge.
Merci du commentaire. Très apprécié.
-Pierre.
il faut continuer