Monday, March 9, 2015

Releasing Your Children to the Wild

I have two rules when dealing with the Internet:
  1. Never read the comments
  2. Always read the comments
To help clarify the above list of rules, understand that the first thing a writer should write is a thick skin, because when you release your children into the Wild, sometimes the Wild bites back.
And then sometimes the Wild is friendly, encouraging, engaging and supportive.
Great read. Totally believable
I have been bringing two serialed stories to the public over the past month, releasing on Saturday with the hashtag #saturdayscenes.
I have a feeling I will like Captain William Brown.
The comments peppered here are from the release of the second chapter of the science-fiction Last Flight of the King IV this past weeekend.
Nice scene and a great story.
As you can see this is a nice ego-boost; validation to what I am posting.
Good portrayal of how absurd military ritual can seem if you aren’t thinking about the reasons for it.
That’s not to say there aren’t criticisms. From the first chapter I received:
I liked this very much, though the very first paragraph didn’t grab me. (It felt a little superfluous?) Good dialogue.
and
The beginning phrase was awkward, but the rest of the story was quite interesting.
and
Good stuff in that first paragraph, but too much, too soon. Take some of it and mix it in with his thoughts as he talks to the reporter. Great start and I love the dialogue.
If you were following the first chapter, and took note of the edits I made, you would see some of the changes. It was an extensive re-write on the first two paragraphs.
But would he be using a watch with hands? In the future?
This comment made me smile, affirming that I was on the right path. Yes, it is a science-fiction, and yes it takes place in the future…but I’m not going to describe something unless it will move the story forward, if not immediatly, then shortly there after. This comment told me that people are not only reading, but engrossed in the scene, and thinking about what has been written.

Next weeks #saturdayscenes will be chapter 2 of Madness and the Kaiserhorde, a romance novel full of WWI bi-planes, artillery, and something resembling zombies.

Last Flight of the King IV can be found here.
Madness and the Kaiserhorde over here.


Internet comments are not always roses and sunshine. Sometimes it is nothing but thorns. I was involved in a media post where I decided on some random day to read the comments. It pushed me into levels of depression I hadn't felt since high school. I spent hours wondering how I could counter, hide or respond to the vitriol...but in the end I just never went back.

I can not stress this enough: Hope for the best / Prepare for the worst. Be prepared to meet an onslaught of short-minded people who find their own pleasure in attempting to destroy others. Have a plan in place because when they hit, they hit hard and fast.

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