December Picard Novel
- Thread starter jamiebattell
- Start date
Ouch guys. Doesn't or didn't DRG III post here sometimes?
I for one liked his stuff.
Definitely need new/wider range of writers. There are some writers that don't appeal to me and some that do but more choices would be nice and of course bring in new blood waiting to make their mark.
Indeed he did, not sure what your point is though.
Just that the comments on his writing might make him not feel great.
Going by how he stormed off here a few years ago, I suspect you'd be correct, not that it matters.
I was merely airing my own personal opinion and given he's a grown adult, he should understand that he can't please everyone.
I missed that party. What happened?
I had a skim through those posts and threads.
I can only say that my interactions with David were positive ones. He was very responsive to my feedback and patiently answered my questions and replied to my feedback in a very positive manner. For an author to do that I was very appreciative. For the most part I enjoyed his work and any aspects of his story I wasn't fully on-board with he gave a fair and balanced response to.
I can only say that my interactions with David were positive ones. He was very responsive to my feedback and patiently answered my questions and replied to my feedback in a very positive manner. For an author to do that I was very appreciative. For the most part I enjoyed his work and any aspects of his story I wasn't fully on-board with he gave a fair and balanced response to.
It's important to note that he specifically said it wasn't about the negative comments on his writing. Distrust him if you like; he seemed intellectually honest enough to be straightforward about that to me. The board *did* go through a really negative period in late 2010, early 2011; there were a few posters who were so upset about the post-Destiny novels that things got heated and unpleasant.
Side-note: I actually private messaged one of the most persistent, bitter posters of negativity and asked him if he was enjoying this at all, because I wasn't. I said I loved TrekLit but I'd have to leave if he didn't stop posting vitriol; it was too unpleasant for me to discuss a thing I liked. I got a really kind reply back where he realized he wasn't getting anything out of this anymore and it was time to go, and he left the board. That was about a week after DRG3 left. It wasn't just DRG3 feeling like the place had become a bit negative.
Side-note: I actually private messaged one of the most persistent, bitter posters of negativity and asked him if he was enjoying this at all, because I wasn't. I said I loved TrekLit but I'd have to leave if he didn't stop posting vitriol; it was too unpleasant for me to discuss a thing I liked. I got a really kind reply back where he realized he wasn't getting anything out of this anymore and it was time to go, and he left the board. That was about a week after DRG3 left. It wasn't just DRG3 feeling like the place had become a bit negative.
The purpose of this forum is for us to discuss our opinions of the novels. If one does not like a certain novel(s) they can say so regardless if the author(s) post here or not.
I've said it before, but that Rough Beasts of Empire thread is exhausting to read because David responds to every review point-by-point in minute detail; it must have been even more exhausting to write. Not sure what he was trying to accomplish by doing that. He comes across as very defensive, taking issue with a lot of casual language that you should expect on a forum review thread.
I also don't think the thread comes across as negative; if anything, it's too positive, pussy-footing around David's feeling when in fact Rough Beasts is actually a pretty bad book.
I also don't think the thread comes across as negative; if anything, it's too positive, pussy-footing around David's feeling when in fact Rough Beasts is actually a pretty bad book.
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I respect your opinion but I still disagree with it. At the end of the day we are all people trying to do our jobs to the best of our abilities and even if this is a place to discuss our opinions openly I think it's not nice to have to read it. For me personally, if I am aware that a specific author is spending time on this board I would prefer to keep my negative comments on his work out of his view and let silence be my opinion or at the very least put my review in a way that doesn't sound insulting or hurtful to someone. If they weren't reading my opinion then sure, I would probably be harsher. That's all i'm saying.
I get that, and truth be told I have my own reservations about posting negative comments if I know the author is on the forum. But that is not one of the forum's rules, nor should we try to enforce such a rule. If one doesn't like a novel, they are free to say so regardless if the author posts here or not.
I will concede that if one knows the author is going to be interacting with them, they should post their negative opinions in a respectful manner, but since those in this thread posting their opinions of DRGIII did so respectfully, there's no need to state as much.
I will concede that if one knows the author is going to be interacting with them, they should post their negative opinions in a respectful manner, but since those in this thread posting their opinions of DRGIII did so respectfully, there's no need to state as much.
There’s a difference of “being critical of a work/authorial style that does not work for you” and “being negative.” Everyone has different tastes, and it’s reasonable for any author to expect that same people just won’t like what they did, how they did it, whatever, in any given story. It’s often even valuable to learn about what other people consider your faults as a writer, see if it’s something you might do something about going forward. That is a valuable tool and resource for an author, to see where you might be lacking.
“Being negative” on the other hand, at least by my standards, is when you make personal attacks.
Like it’s one thing to say “I don’t care for how [author] writes” - again, you can’t please everybody, and, realistically, you are always going to have those people who just don’t care for how you write, whether it’s finding you too wordy, not wordy enough, too focused on dialogue, too focused on description, too introspective... No one can really be what everyone wants. Now the “[author] SUCKS and shouldn’t write again” comments... That’s “being negative.” That’s mistreating the author.
But if you don’t care for the story an author writes or even the way the author writes period, and so long as you stick to the problems you have with THE WORK, then I honestly call that part of the feedback process. People are allowed to have negative reactions to media. It’s just being sure to stick to critiquing the work, rather than attacking the author.
“Being negative” on the other hand, at least by my standards, is when you make personal attacks.
Like it’s one thing to say “I don’t care for how [author] writes” - again, you can’t please everybody, and, realistically, you are always going to have those people who just don’t care for how you write, whether it’s finding you too wordy, not wordy enough, too focused on dialogue, too focused on description, too introspective... No one can really be what everyone wants. Now the “[author] SUCKS and shouldn’t write again” comments... That’s “being negative.” That’s mistreating the author.
But if you don’t care for the story an author writes or even the way the author writes period, and so long as you stick to the problems you have with THE WORK, then I honestly call that part of the feedback process. People are allowed to have negative reactions to media. It’s just being sure to stick to critiquing the work, rather than attacking the author.
I also think there's a difference between explaining why you don't like a writer on a forum, and logging onto their facebook page and tagging them in a post. Anyone who doesn't want to read criticisms of their work is welcome to not come to the TrekBBS (though it's nice that they do), or watch exactly where they go (doesn't JJM stay out of the review threads specifically?).
Well, I like DRGIII’s books
I do as well.
Has it not? I like the Lit forum now - I think we have a good amount of discussion and a generally positive feel.
I don't remember what it was like back in the before times, so maybe it is still a shell of its former self - but then, forum-usage in general has changed with the growth of other social media sites.
