[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Felicity Grope

Strewth! I assumed we are all writers together and that we all share some level of common decency towards each other. Not everybody is blessed with a natural ability to write or write well. However, we can at least be supportive and poor writers can be shown how to improve.

This is not the writers' section of the forums; I'm a reader, not a writer.

If a writer publishes a book, the reader has a right to expect a finished product--something that shows at least minimal competence and skill--and if it falls short, the reader has a right to complain about it. If a writer wants encouragement or helpful critiques, that writer should turn to a support group or a mentor or a teacher BEFORE foisting the work on the public.

People who don't have the ability to write well shouldn't be writing for publication. It's a talent that not everyone has, and it's silly to think that mere effort is enough.

As to offering a public service: your consideration to your fellow readers is admirable but who holds you to account and where do we draw the line regarding who should or should not be allowed to write or publish? Frankly, about 99% of the ebooks written are dross and muddy the market for better publications. But it’s not my place to attack the books I hate and people should never be discouraged from trying to create anything. The big publishers might dominate the market because they control the media but this still remains a democracy of effort.

"People should never be discouraged from trying to create anything"? Why not? Especially when what they create is garbage! Of course they should be discouraged from wasting their time and mine! As I said above, the support can come from a support group; once the author publishes, the reader has no obligation to stroke the author's ego.

And that's all I've been meaning to say. Of course there are people who cannot write but you don't set out to hurt them. All I've ever tried to suggest is that people treat each other with a level of dignity.

And that means a reviewer should not attack any author personally. However, the work is fair game.

I can be scathing, vicious, and downright hurtful at times but I only attack people in positions of power. Only a coward attacks the weak and my main reason for contributing to this discussion was to suggest that writers who feel self-consciously vulnerable about their work should not take the criticism of bullies to heart. I forget which Bronte sister is was who used to cover her manuscript when anybody walked into the room but it shows that all writers are precious about their work, even the greatest.

So people in positions of power have no feelings? Frankly, I don't care if the person is powerful or not, the criticism should be of the work, not the person.

I’m new here so perhaps I misjudged the tone. I tried to offer some constructive advice to fellow writers but some of the replies make it feel like a dog pit in here and I can do without the snarling.

This is the general section of the forum. There is a dedicated writers' forum.