avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 23, 2012 - 3:20pm
@Meat - I was worried. Seriously.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 3:21pm
There we go.
Profunda Saint-...
from Calgary, AB is reading Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy SeriesFebruary 23, 2012 - 3:29pm
You're the sweetest girl on the Lit*
Your concern has led me to appoint an "Internet Pallbearer", however. So in the case of my untimely demise a lovely young lady from D.C. will tell you all the gory details. ALL OF THEM. Unless they're boring. In which case you will be told many fabricated rumours that I will probably write down in advance.
*statement has not been endorsed by popular vote... yet
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 23, 2012 - 3:30pm
Thank God.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 3:48pm
Alive!
Profunda Saint-...
from Calgary, AB is reading Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy SeriesFebruary 23, 2012 - 3:52pm
Maybe we should have a morning roll call so we can make sure everyone is accounted for.
drea
from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the linesFebruary 23, 2012 - 3:54pm
As a relatively new person, I come and go on the boards in between workshops. LitReactor doesn't appear to be any different than most boards except perhaps a bit smarter and with a better vocabulary.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:00pm
@Drea: Where have you been?! I was worried that Meat Seeker had murdered you and spent the weekend figuring out what to do with your body.
Chris Davis
from Indiana is reading A Feast of Snakes by Harry CrewsFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:17pm
This is my first day on this site and I am happy about the possibility of getting feedback from such a variety of personalities. Thanks for making this welcome thread, it's nice to meet all of you.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 23, 2012 - 4:17pm
I miss that rachel cohen, she was a fun gal and so polite. Avery and her had girl talks and exchanged makeup tips. Me, I'm always giving advice on the ladies and sharing my wild heterosexual misadventures. Nope, nothing gay going on here.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:22pm
@Chris Davies
Welcome!
Are you going to submit to the workshop?
I suggest you scope around, ask questions, feel free.
You can also post on my other discussions.
@Alien
I actually thought about Rachel Cohen recently.
Chris Davis
from Indiana is reading A Feast of Snakes by Harry CrewsFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:27pm
I'm working on something to submit, hope to have the first draft done soon.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 23, 2012 - 4:28pm
Welcome Chris, don't be afraid. Just avoid Utah, he's a pervert and that avery is a hardcore feminist.
Panda is sweet and cuddly though.
@Panda--I missed you. I thought about you in the shower today at the gym, then I got thrown out.
Chris Davis
from Indiana is reading A Feast of Snakes by Harry CrewsFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:32pm
Thanks for the hints aliensoul.
But there is something endearing about someone named Utah from Texas. It has a fun spaghetti western feel, pervert or not.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:34pm
@Alien
Hahaha I don't even want to know.
@Chris
What do you write?
Chris Davis
from Indiana is reading A Feast of Snakes by Harry CrewsFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:39pm
@Panda
It depends on the day and how much I drink. In the past I worked on everything from slapstick zombie stories to mini biographies of people I met at dive bars. But, I haven't put many words down in a the last couple years, hopefully I can remedy this sooner than later.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 4:47pm
Slapstick?
I would want to read that. I love that stuff.
Do you ever watch Jackie Chan films?
Chris Davis
from Indiana is reading A Feast of Snakes by Harry CrewsFebruary 23, 2012 - 5:12pm
I watch some Jackie Chan but for that story I was going more Wiley Coyote and road runner than kung-fu
OtisTheBulldog
from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 5:21pm
"Mini-biographies on people I've met at dive bars"
I love it.
I'm newer. I know how boards work. I've been on the internet once before. I don't post as much because I don't post as much. I'll stick around. Sooner or later I'll submit in the workshop (I've been fighting a lifetime of laziness). In the meantime, I'll critique your submissions.
Deal?
Fuckin' A.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 5:35pm
Just be sure you don't give one-line reviews.
Boone Spaulding
from Coldwater, Michigan, U.S.A. is reading Solarcide Presents: Nova ParadeFebruary 23, 2012 - 5:47pm
@pandamask - your one-line judgment is cryptic. Care to elaborrate?
(I've been fighting a lifetime of laziness).
You are inspirational. I remember fighting laziness...but now I feel like I may have become a sort of Vichy collaborator with the Laziness Regime....
Jimothy Scott
from Canada is reading The wise mans fearFebruary 23, 2012 - 6:03pm
@ aliensoul about panda: he has that effect on people.
@panda: good idea for a thread. I joined the cult before the reactor. that was terrifying. I joined the reactor and I was terrified again. but it's not so bad now once you start talking to people
Matt Attack
from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William FaulknerFebruary 23, 2012 - 6:04pm
"Just be sure you don't give one-line reviews."
YES
Jimothy Scott
from Canada is reading The wise mans fearFebruary 23, 2012 - 6:08pm
Lol matt and I know just how annoying it is
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 6:47pm
If you could look at one specific review regarding Matt and Garrett's submissions you'd know what I was talking about.
I see this with a lot of new people, and I'm not attacking anyone.
First off I don't give amazing LBL's, I actually couldn't until recently. I have to put the text on another word document. But I do give lengthy comments and reread the story 3 times (no matter how long the story is). I do this to make sure I can answer my own questions and go in depth as possible.
So, you don't read a 5,000 word story and simply put that it was a good read.
You tear that shit apart like a plate of BBQ ribs.
Just don't be malicious.
There's an essay on reviewing and just learn by looking at how other people review. By other people I mean the people on the top leaderboards for example.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 6:47pm
I didn't know that was going on until I happened upon it on your story Garret. Now it makes me want to try it. But with one word. Or an image. Can we post images in there? I can't remember.
Deloreans are supposedly going back into production.
Linton isn't gone, I see him on Youtube all the time cave diving. Apparently he found a bunch of treasure, like $500 million worth, that is being guarded at the airport in buckets because the Spaniards say it belongs to them.
@Clutch: Your name is so clutch. You and Hetch need to start a thread together. Clutch and Hetch. Starsky and Hutch. Ah, nevermind. Welcome on behalf of Dave.
@Ches: You stole the first part of my name. There is room for one and a half of us around here. Welcome.
@Renee Pickup: Welcome, make yourself at home.
@Drea: Hi there you intensive addict. No, that is good someone is learning how to write. Did you take Lidia's? How was it?
@Chris Davis: Hi there papal bull. Slapstick Zombie Biographies. Very interesting.
@ Otis the dog: Yo Dawg.
New people are the best because you don't know what their farts smell like yet.
Boone Spaulding
from Coldwater, Michigan, U.S.A. is reading Solarcide Presents: Nova ParadeFebruary 23, 2012 - 6:49pm
Comments Written By Actual Students Extracted From Workshopped Manuscripts at a Major University.
BY Tanya Rey
- - - -
“This character seems more like a retired librarian than a former terrorist.”
“Is this a typo or are you being experimental?”
“Maybe a little less time should be spent describing the Cheetos in this scene.”
“The jungle images and alien abduction seem to clash a bit here.”
“When this character says things like ‘my sweaty balls,’ he needs to say them more awkwardly.”
“I wonder if the sentence about killing pregnant women is too much, or if it should just be explained more.”
“There’s a lot of astral projection in this story.”
“You talk about pregnant raindrops and chaos and auditory canals and ‘the passing of time’ as ‘an orifice,’ when you could really just be talking about humidity and ears.”
“This character seems like a huge jerk for an otherwise savvy lady to bring home.”
“The one small area where I questioned the narrator’s voice was in the section about the bathtub when he explicitly mentioned his shriveled penis and his use of prostitutes.”
“Weren’t these characters hurting each other in the last version of this story? Bring back the violence!”
“Apes, aliens, then dead vampire family = too much Sci-Fi.”
“You should really think about what it’s like to find your daughter in bed with a butcher knife before you do the rewrite of this.”
“The rules of the game, the rules by which you’re breaking the rules, should be perfectly clear to the reader. In this story, they are not.”
“I love that everybody in this story has the same name, but it was a bit confusing.”
“There should be a moment of deep consciousness when this character is hit with the taser gun. Maybe he can recall having sex a few hours ago while being tased?”
“Normally I would assume that there was some kind of printing error, but since you’re messing around with other elements like that in this story I tried to figure out if it meant something, and if I was supposed to guess what was missing, and I couldn’t really come to any conclusions about it.”
“It’s your story, your voice, your choices, and I don’t want to question them, but why these words?”
“The problem is I have all these questions I don’t necessarily want you to answer for me. I raise these questions to let you know that there were questions, and if you had intended me to perceive the answers to any of them, I didn’t.”
“You probably don’t need about half of what’s written here.”
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 6:55pm
“You talk about pregnant raindrops and chaos and auditory canals and ‘the passing of time’ as ‘an orifice,’ when you could really just be talking about humidity and ears.”
-LOVE
Brandon
from KCMO is reading Made to BreakFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:14pm
**edit, so as to avoid conflict**
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:06pm
I specifically didn't want to her mentioned. My goal was not to attack anyone. I've spoken to her and she has sent Garrett her apologies.
I'm not attacking you either Brandon. I just want to avoid any conflict.
I don't want to derail anyone new and scare them into believing their reviews aren't good enough.
Just put effort and learn by example.
Nobody deserved that though.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:04pm
@Brandon: Thanks for keeping it real.
Ches Smith
from Houston, TX
February 23, 2012 - 7:04pm
@Chester - Ches is actually my full name, but people almost always assume it's Chester. I am also routinely referred to as Cheese, Checkers, Chez, and Chet.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:10pm
That is it, I am changing my name to Cheese.
Actually I think I am just going to peruse Boone's list from here on out in all of my reviews. Basically one of those will fit every story out there.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:12pm
“There’s a lot of astral projection in this story.”
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:23pm
Fuck, I missed the thing Brandon apparently didn't say.
Brandon
from KCMO is reading Made to BreakFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:27pm
I called out a bad review. You didn't miss much.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:35pm
Was it bad as in they didn't try hard enough, or bad as in they tried too hard to be an editor?
Brandon
from KCMO is reading Made to BreakFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:37pm
It was bad like they only wrote one sentence suggesting a tense change. So it was lazy bad.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:41pm
Rebecca? Anyone in mind?
Now with all the publicity it has generated I almost wish I had wrote it.
Actually, and Rebecca can back me up on this, I actually gave her a very similar review, brevity wise, over at the Cult. Something like "What up!"
But, no, I prefer the editor approach.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:43pm
I figured I'd add in to the original forum topic, though.
When I was a part of the workshop at the Cult, most of my participation was in the Workshop, although it was hit and miss. I'd spend a few weeks reviewing in the workshop, and then I'd submit a couple pieces and check out a month or two. I didn't spend much time in the forums until just before LitReactor launched.
Personally I find forums a bit...not "intimidating", but I guess it's the word I'd use. If there's already a vibe going on between the active members, it can be intimidating in the aspect that it's hard to feel that your posts or discussion topics are worthy. It's pretty much like real life: you have to impress enough to be liked, but not so opinionated that the members dismiss you immediately.
Or you could just check out and not participate. I guess the reason why I've stuck around here in the LitReactor forums is because I was here from the beginning. I don't participate as much as others, but I think I've made enough posts in enough discussions that people get a general gist of who I am, not only in the forums, but in the workshop as well. It's pretty neat.
Forums are pretty damn clique-y, though. Not that it's a problem, but it's jarring for new members to click on a serious post about abortion, but by the time they decide to post their opinion it's already turned into a discussion about panda porn.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:45pm
@Chester - I don't have anyone in mind, but there are just specific categories of bad, you know. After you've posted five or so stories to the workshop you get a general gist of what those categories are. Lazy bad is the worst, though. I try to be constructive with my review-reviews, but with the lazy ones, I just don't even know how to go about it.
There was this guy at The Cult who went all big time press editor on one of my stories once. You might remember him. He was pretty fun to deal with.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:46pm
Panda Porn in Mexico in an underwater cave with no air tanks.
Brandon
from KCMO is reading Made to BreakFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:47pm
My favorite is when some workshopper gets all super editor on you and tells you that your piece is nowhere close to ready, and then you get it published in Warmed and Bound.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:49pm
@Rebnation: I remember that big brawl. But that was the Cult. This is for civilized troglodytes.
I was just funnin' with you. Anyway, exact words in 'said review':
“It’s your story, your voice, your choices, and I don’t want to question them, but why these words?”
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:50pm
Seems like you guys had some really interesting people at The Cult. I keep hearing stories.
Chester Pane
from Portland, Oregon is reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:51pm
@Tietz: Nice.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:51pm
@Bekanator
You said panda porn earlier, but why those words?
Brandon
from KCMO is reading Made to BreakFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:53pm
I thought The Cult was interesting at first, but that's only because it was my first forum experience. The only time it got truly interesting was when people got banned and everyone started throwing little hissy fits.
PandaMask
from Los Angeles is reading More Than HumanFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:54pm
I wish I would have been there. Was The Cult free?
Jimothy Scott
from Canada is reading The wise mans fearFebruary 23, 2012 - 7:57pm
I wasn't on the cult long enough for the fights :(
@ same deal as here. Pay for the workshop
@Meat - I was worried. Seriously.
There we go.
You're the sweetest girl on the Lit*
Your concern has led me to appoint an "Internet Pallbearer", however. So in the case of my untimely demise a lovely young lady from D.C. will tell you all the gory details. ALL OF THEM. Unless they're boring. In which case you will be told many fabricated rumours that I will probably write down in advance.
*statement has not been endorsed by popular vote... yet
Thank God.
Alive!
Maybe we should have a morning roll call so we can make sure everyone is accounted for.
As a relatively new person, I come and go on the boards in between workshops. LitReactor doesn't appear to be any different than most boards except perhaps a bit smarter and with a better vocabulary.
@Drea: Where have you been?! I was worried that Meat Seeker had murdered you and spent the weekend figuring out what to do with your body.
This is my first day on this site and I am happy about the possibility of getting feedback from such a variety of personalities. Thanks for making this welcome thread, it's nice to meet all of you.
I miss that rachel cohen, she was a fun gal and so polite. Avery and her had girl talks and exchanged makeup tips. Me, I'm always giving advice on the ladies and sharing my wild heterosexual misadventures. Nope, nothing gay going on here.
@Chris Davies
Welcome!
Are you going to submit to the workshop?
I suggest you scope around, ask questions, feel free.
You can also post on my other discussions.
@Alien
I actually thought about Rachel Cohen recently.
I'm working on something to submit, hope to have the first draft done soon.
Welcome Chris, don't be afraid. Just avoid Utah, he's a pervert and that avery is a hardcore feminist.
Panda is sweet and cuddly though.
@Panda--I missed you. I thought about you in the shower today at the gym, then I got thrown out.
Thanks for the hints aliensoul.
But there is something endearing about someone named Utah from Texas. It has a fun spaghetti western feel, pervert or not.
@Alien
Hahaha I don't even want to know.
@Chris
What do you write?
@Panda
It depends on the day and how much I drink. In the past I worked on everything from slapstick zombie stories to mini biographies of people I met at dive bars. But, I haven't put many words down in a the last couple years, hopefully I can remedy this sooner than later.
Slapstick?
I would want to read that. I love that stuff.
Do you ever watch Jackie Chan films?
I watch some Jackie Chan but for that story I was going more Wiley Coyote and road runner than kung-fu
"Mini-biographies on people I've met at dive bars"
I love it.
I'm newer. I know how boards work. I've been on the internet once before. I don't post as much because I don't post as much. I'll stick around. Sooner or later I'll submit in the workshop (I've been fighting a lifetime of laziness). In the meantime, I'll critique your submissions.
Deal?
Fuckin' A.
Just be sure you don't give one-line reviews.
@pandamask - your one-line judgment is cryptic. Care to elaborrate?
You are inspirational. I remember fighting laziness...but now I feel like I may have become a sort of Vichy collaborator with the Laziness Regime....
@ aliensoul about panda: he has that effect on people.
@panda: good idea for a thread. I joined the cult before the reactor. that was terrifying. I joined the reactor and I was terrified again. but it's not so bad now once you start talking to people
YES
Lol matt and I know just how annoying it is
If you could look at one specific review regarding Matt and Garrett's submissions you'd know what I was talking about.
I see this with a lot of new people, and I'm not attacking anyone.
First off I don't give amazing LBL's, I actually couldn't until recently. I have to put the text on another word document. But I do give lengthy comments and reread the story 3 times (no matter how long the story is). I do this to make sure I can answer my own questions and go in depth as possible.
So, you don't read a 5,000 word story and simply put that it was a good read.
You tear that shit apart like a plate of BBQ ribs.
Just don't be malicious.
There's an essay on reviewing and just learn by looking at how other people review. By other people I mean the people on the top leaderboards for example.
I didn't know that was going on until I happened upon it on your story Garret. Now it makes me want to try it. But with one word. Or an image. Can we post images in there? I can't remember.
Deloreans are supposedly going back into production.
Linton isn't gone, I see him on Youtube all the time cave diving. Apparently he found a bunch of treasure, like $500 million worth, that is being guarded at the airport in buckets because the Spaniards say it belongs to them.
@Clutch: Your name is so clutch. You and Hetch need to start a thread together. Clutch and Hetch. Starsky and Hutch. Ah, nevermind. Welcome on behalf of Dave.
@Ches: You stole the first part of my name. There is room for one and a half of us around here. Welcome.
@Renee Pickup: Welcome, make yourself at home.
@Drea: Hi there you intensive addict. No, that is good someone is learning how to write. Did you take Lidia's? How was it?
@Chris Davis: Hi there papal bull. Slapstick Zombie Biographies. Very interesting.
@ Otis the dog: Yo Dawg.
New people are the best because you don't know what their farts smell like yet.
This is a classic bit of "found humor"you can find at this McSweeney's link: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/comments-written-by-actual-students-e...
Comments Written By Actual Students Extracted From Workshopped Manuscripts at a Major University.
BY Tanya Rey
- - - -
“This character seems more like a retired librarian than a former terrorist.”
“Is this a typo or are you being experimental?”
“Maybe a little less time should be spent describing the Cheetos in this scene.”
“The jungle images and alien abduction seem to clash a bit here.”
“When this character says things like ‘my sweaty balls,’ he needs to say them more awkwardly.”
“I wonder if the sentence about killing pregnant women is too much, or if it should just be explained more.”
“There’s a lot of astral projection in this story.”
“You talk about pregnant raindrops and chaos and auditory canals and ‘the passing of time’ as ‘an orifice,’ when you could really just be talking about humidity and ears.”
“This character seems like a huge jerk for an otherwise savvy lady to bring home.”
“The one small area where I questioned the narrator’s voice was in the section about the bathtub when he explicitly mentioned his shriveled penis and his use of prostitutes.”
“Weren’t these characters hurting each other in the last version of this story? Bring back the violence!”
“Apes, aliens, then dead vampire family = too much Sci-Fi.”
“You should really think about what it’s like to find your daughter in bed with a butcher knife before you do the rewrite of this.”
“The rules of the game, the rules by which you’re breaking the rules, should be perfectly clear to the reader. In this story, they are not.”
“I love that everybody in this story has the same name, but it was a bit confusing.”
“There should be a moment of deep consciousness when this character is hit with the taser gun. Maybe he can recall having sex a few hours ago while being tased?”
“Normally I would assume that there was some kind of printing error, but since you’re messing around with other elements like that in this story I tried to figure out if it meant something, and if I was supposed to guess what was missing, and I couldn’t really come to any conclusions about it.”
“It’s your story, your voice, your choices, and I don’t want to question them, but why these words?”
“The problem is I have all these questions I don’t necessarily want you to answer for me. I raise these questions to let you know that there were questions, and if you had intended me to perceive the answers to any of them, I didn’t.”
“You probably don’t need about half of what’s written here.”
“You talk about pregnant raindrops and chaos and auditory canals and ‘the passing of time’ as ‘an orifice,’ when you could really just be talking about humidity and ears.”
-LOVE
**edit, so as to avoid conflict**
I specifically didn't want to her mentioned. My goal was not to attack anyone. I've spoken to her and she has sent Garrett her apologies.
I'm not attacking you either Brandon. I just want to avoid any conflict.
I don't want to derail anyone new and scare them into believing their reviews aren't good enough.
Just put effort and learn by example.
Nobody deserved that though.
@Brandon: Thanks for keeping it real.
@Chester - Ches is actually my full name, but people almost always assume it's Chester. I am also routinely referred to as Cheese, Checkers, Chez, and Chet.
That is it, I am changing my name to Cheese.
Actually I think I am just going to peruse Boone's list from here on out in all of my reviews. Basically one of those will fit every story out there.
“There’s a lot of astral projection in this story.”
Fuck, I missed the thing Brandon apparently didn't say.
I called out a bad review. You didn't miss much.
Was it bad as in they didn't try hard enough, or bad as in they tried too hard to be an editor?
It was bad like they only wrote one sentence suggesting a tense change. So it was lazy bad.
Rebecca? Anyone in mind?
Now with all the publicity it has generated I almost wish I had wrote it.
Actually, and Rebecca can back me up on this, I actually gave her a very similar review, brevity wise, over at the Cult. Something like "What up!"
But, no, I prefer the editor approach.
I figured I'd add in to the original forum topic, though.
When I was a part of the workshop at the Cult, most of my participation was in the Workshop, although it was hit and miss. I'd spend a few weeks reviewing in the workshop, and then I'd submit a couple pieces and check out a month or two. I didn't spend much time in the forums until just before LitReactor launched.
Personally I find forums a bit...not "intimidating", but I guess it's the word I'd use. If there's already a vibe going on between the active members, it can be intimidating in the aspect that it's hard to feel that your posts or discussion topics are worthy. It's pretty much like real life: you have to impress enough to be liked, but not so opinionated that the members dismiss you immediately.
Or you could just check out and not participate. I guess the reason why I've stuck around here in the LitReactor forums is because I was here from the beginning. I don't participate as much as others, but I think I've made enough posts in enough discussions that people get a general gist of who I am, not only in the forums, but in the workshop as well. It's pretty neat.
Forums are pretty damn clique-y, though. Not that it's a problem, but it's jarring for new members to click on a serious post about abortion, but by the time they decide to post their opinion it's already turned into a discussion about panda porn.
@Chester - I don't have anyone in mind, but there are just specific categories of bad, you know. After you've posted five or so stories to the workshop you get a general gist of what those categories are. Lazy bad is the worst, though. I try to be constructive with my review-reviews, but with the lazy ones, I just don't even know how to go about it.
There was this guy at The Cult who went all big time press editor on one of my stories once. You might remember him. He was pretty fun to deal with.
Panda Porn in Mexico in an underwater cave with no air tanks.
My favorite is when some workshopper gets all super editor on you and tells you that your piece is nowhere close to ready, and then you get it published in Warmed and Bound.
@Rebnation: I remember that big brawl. But that was the Cult. This is for civilized troglodytes.
I was just funnin' with you. Anyway, exact words in 'said review':
“It’s your story, your voice, your choices, and I don’t want to question them, but why these words?”
Seems like you guys had some really interesting people at The Cult. I keep hearing stories.
@Tietz: Nice.
@Bekanator
You said panda porn earlier, but why those words?
I thought The Cult was interesting at first, but that's only because it was my first forum experience. The only time it got truly interesting was when people got banned and everyone started throwing little hissy fits.
I wish I would have been there. Was The Cult free?
I wasn't on the cult long enough for the fights :(
@ same deal as here. Pay for the workshop