Most of you do not have to read this post.
Effective immediately: All critiques signed "Anonymous" will be deleted. If you do not want to use your real name (and, hey, who am I to argue?), please choose the third option in the comment box, which is "Name/URL." You are not required to enter a URL -- just a name will do. Any name. Something by which you can be identified and recognized on this blog.
Otherwise, your words will be zapped.
Are you dying to know why?
It seems one of our anonymous critters decided it was okay to make snarky comments in the Secret Agent's direction. Subtle, perhaps. Unnoticed by the masses, perhaps.
But noticed by Ms. Davies. And pointed out to me.
I was not amused.
While it's perfectly fine to disagree with the comments of our Secret Agent (agents are not, after all, demigods; you know this, of course, if you have read AGENT: DEMYSTIFIED), it is not perfectly fine to make disparaging, rude comments that dis our Secret Agent or agents in general.
Comments such as:
"For someone to say it's cliche is not overly smart." (Posted after our Secret Agent had pointed out a cliche.)
And...
"I think the problem with literary agents they forget who the audiences are. Now as far as getting an agent to open their [sic] eyes and use some brain cells, I don't know what to tell you."
Frankly, I'm appalled.
It's bad enough to spout negative comments toward an agent who is graciously giving us her time and expertise. To do so anonymously is cowardly to boot.
So. No more "Anonymous" in the signature lines, please.
The publishing biz is a "small world." If you're going to give yourself a reputation for snarkiness, be kind enough to attach your name to it. That way, the agents and publishers can give each other fair warning when you're walking their way.
Can you tell I have no patience for this? None.
As for our Secret Agent? Her main concern was that the Anonymous poster wasn't the same person she had chosen for her first place winner (she wasn't). Why? Well, who wants to work with someone who has just left a trail of rude, inappropriate comments? It isn't just about the writing. It's about whether you are someone an agent wants to work with.
Symbiotic, almost.
Ninety-nine percent of you would never dream of being rude to one of our Secret Agents. Ninety-nine percent of you need absolutely no reminders to be polite and helpful during your critiques. I have never felt the need to "police" you during our contests. This is truly one of the most amazing communities I've ever seen spring up online.
I mean that. And I hated having to write this.
So. Let's end on a positive note: I'm super excited about February's Secret Agent contest (okay, when am I not super excited about a Secret Agent contest?). And as for the remainder of January: We'll be having another First Chapter critique next week! So roll up your sleeves and get ready to dig into to another whole chapter.
Hugs and chocolate to you all.
Well said Authoress!
ReplyDeleteI had noticed a few of those comments as well and I think the idea of not using the "ANON" is a perfect solution.
We do appreciate all of your time and the secret agents who participate on this blog. I read all the secret agents comments on the entries and she gave wonderful advice that would help not only that author, but the rest of us in general.
On the brighter side, I can't wait for the secret agent in February! I need to hurry up and finish my new MS!
(Only problem is I'm 8 months pregnant and the baby doesn't always let me sit down for a long period of time.)
;P
Agreed!
ReplyDeleteIt irks me to no end when commenters hide behind the veil of anonymity and use their stealthness as a license to be rude.
If you're gonna say it, stand by it and sign your name.
BRAVO!!
ReplyDeleteAmen. Although I was not hurt by the snarky comment left in my comment section, it was rude, and could have hurt another author. I have no problem with someone not liking my piece, we all have our own likes, ect.
ReplyDeleteBut there are plenty of nice ways to say you don't like something. As the others who weren't hooked by my piece showed. They used comments to help me, not hurt.
And congrats Sarah on the new baby. And good luck with writing. I'm impressed. When I was pregnant, I couldn't think well enough to write a shopping list, better yet work on a book. :)
Thank you Authoress and Ms. Davies for your hard work. We appreciate it.
Well put! Thank you for making these things clear. I've received comments before that dissed on another critiquer. Just not nice, in general. We all feel negativity at times, but putting it down as anonymous where it can hurt so many people is not what we writers should be striving for.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the winners, and great job to all entries!
I laugh at some writers' description as to how far one's mouth can dropped. But after reading those comments directed at the secret agent, I realized my mouth really can drop that far.
ReplyDeleteOff now to fix the carpet burn on my chin ;0)
And I really should have included comments directed at the writers, too, not just the agent. There isn't room for snarkiness anywhere in this forum.
ReplyDeleteSarah E. -- What, you haven't learn to type whilst standing up? ;)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI deleted my last comment, because I think I was getting snarky at Anon's snarkiness, lol.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good solution. The focus of this is the work, not the opinion of others about the work. Opinions are great, but no one should hide behind 'anon.'
People..well. 'nuff said!
ReplyDeleteUm, Authoress?
You said SA in Feb...
Does this mean there's going to be one every single month of the year?
Do I need to litter the floor with cushions by my chair? That would be amazing!
No promises, Yuna....but Feb and March are already covered. :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have one every month. Except December, which I prefer to keep SA-free.
Hear, hear! Those Anon comments are amateurish at best, flat out rude and disparaging at worse. Either way, they are inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteFor shame, Anon.
Authoress:
ReplyDeleteJust saw Yuna's comment. Any chance of one being based on a query letter instead of a first page?
I just stumbled on your Secret Agent contests and your blog a little over three months ago. I love it and find everyone very helpful! I love the writerly community we have here. I understand that people get frustrated but it not best to get snarky and it doesn't accomplish anything.
ReplyDeleteI think that is a great rule. When I read the anonymous comment on my thread, defending me against SA's comments, I was mortified to think that she might think it was me posting, defending my own work.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable! I am amazed at the rudeness of some people - in a forum where writers and agents are willing to help and offer constructive criticism, offer readings of full manuscripts based on 250 words! Wow!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Authoress, for this forum, for the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed as a writer. And thank you to the agents who take time out of busy schedules to read, comment, and take chances on new writers. For the majority of us, it is grealy appreciated.
Thanks, Authoress, that's a smart move and I'm glad to see that. I had noticed some of the annon's comments towards Ms. Davies, which make me want to smack the dude/dudette.
ReplyDeleteSo anyway, yes, I'm happy to see that you took action, Authroess. :)
Looking forward to the Feb contest!
~Merc
Well, I'm glad you said it, even though you hated to, Authoress. I was one of the masses that had noticed Anon's comments (I read every entry and all the comments, even though I didn't comment on all) and was sorry about them. I was so hoping you would address them.
ReplyDeleteI was, like you, appalled. But then, I've been around long enough to see that some writers listen and learn and often go on to be published, and other writers blame their lack of success on all the stupid agents and editors in the world who cannot recognize brilliance when it slaps them in the face. In the long run, Anon. will only hurt herself if she doesn't learn to be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry as James puts it in the Bible.
There is a place for anonymous snarkiness. Miss Snark was wonderful, in fact. But handing out anonymous snarkiness to people who have signed up for it of their own free will, is totally different from taking bitter pot shots at someone who is spending a lot of time offering feedback to writers who desperately need it.
The reason that I thought anon's comments were particularly egregious was that this agent really took time to write encouraging comments for us. It was obvious that she was looking for things to praise as well as things that we needed to improve upon. So Anon's comments came across as unfair and ungrateful.
Can you track the anonymous poster by their IP address??? Is that possible??? I'm such the detective. : )
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am looking forward to the next secret agent contest, which hopefully will include YA (um, hint, hint – I'm finally ready). I'd hate to see things ruined because one or two bad apples gave us aspiring authors a bade name by insulting and potentially scaring off agents!
And that a doubt was raised towards the winner is terrible! Indeed! (I've gotten wonderful, constructive crits on one of the writer's boards from the winner and she totally rocks – a true supporter and a deserving winner!)
I didn't even notice the snarky comments -- have not yet had time to read all the posts yet.
ReplyDeleteI found it very helpful to read the entries and try to figure out what openings worked for me and why.
Overall, I was very impressed by the quality of all the entries. Congrats to the winners!
I'm sorry that someone did this. It is really crappy, considering the fabulous feedback we get from the secret agents.
ReplyDeleteHUGS to all of the agents who generously donate their time to help us become better writers!
Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I've been using anonymous, too; but for safety reasons, not to leave those snarky comments the other person did. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a good solution, Authoress. I was one of the people who had a cliched premise, and I definitely appreciated hearing the opinion. It helped me to start in a different and hopefully better part of the book. So, thank you Ms. Davies! And I'm sorry you had to see those hateful (not to mention poorly written) comments.
ReplyDeleteI believe I am the Anon resposible for some of the comments. I just want to apologize. It was not my intent to hurt Ms. Davies feelings. My purpose was to point out that the point of view from one person, shouldn't make you rewrite an entire book because it was based on a cliche. I read MG and YA all of the time and do not see them opened with dream sequences or moves to a new town. I liked the ones that Ms. Davies did not, and by the time I got to the bottom I was getting stressed to see that I would not be able to read them as they were meant to be. Frankly I cannot see where anyones opinion on the first 250 word really means anything. A book should be judged on it's entirity, and I was afraid that changing that part of the book would mess the whole thing up. Again I am really sorry. My words out of text did indeed look horrible. I was trying to encourage the authors, that I was afraid thought their books were a wash out, and convince Ms. Davies to give them a chance. I am truly sorry, I meant no disrespect. It goes to show how hurtful our words can be and no matter who we are we need to make sure they are not just our opinions with they involve someones lifeblood.
ReplyDeleteI thank you, once again, Authoress for this golden opportunity. Thanks to the contest in November, I made a number of changes based on everyone's suggestions. As a result, I received a request for a partial and one for a full. I tweaked the first 250-words further based on one or two comments (including Sarah Davies') during this contest, and landed another request for a full. It shows all the comments (except the sharky ones) are beneficial. And yes some of them where hard to hear, like "there's no plot" or "where's the fantasy?", but at least that was revealed in the query.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to critique the next one.
Thanks :0)
There is already so much rejection in the writing game. We don't need rudeness as well!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Authoress, for a polite and well-played Feb. Secret Agent.
Authoress, you are made of awesome. ;) Keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete((((((Dumb Anon))))))
ReplyDeleteYou are forgiven, and deeply respected for the humility in revealing yourself and publicly apologizing.
And scratch the "dumb." No need for self-deprecation. We all make mistakes. And sometimes we don't realize how hurtful or inappropriate our words might be...unless someone points it out. Even then, we won't grow unless we're teachable.
You have proven yourself teachable.
We're all in this together. Let's let bygones be bygones. (Gasp! Was that a cliche?? ;D)
Well, I loved all the comments on my fist chapter. They all helped in some way and I loved the help from Authoress and Ms. Davies. Thank you for that. I have already re written the first chapter and I love my new version. I wasn't happy with the one I posted and didn't know what I was doing wrong. I know now.
ReplyDeleteI wondered why people post anonymous comments. It's a litttle sneaky. If you're going to make a comment at all, be up front about it. After all we're all here to help each other and I think we all have thick skin anyway.
Slhastings, funny, I was thinking the same thing. No one is entirely anonymous. They can probably be tracked by their IP address.
Authoress, I'm sure things can only get better now. Thanks for bringing it up.
Thanks again to Sarah Davies.
I think I got one of those comments mentioned on my submission, and I was pretty put off by what it said. I feel that this experience has helped me turn my story into a much better one and increased my chances of getting published in the long run. I thank everyone who critiqued it (Secret Agent included) for being honest and not sugar-coating. Honesty is the only thing that helps me get better. I'll definitely be back for the next contest that I qualify for. Thank you so much, Authoress, for this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Authoress!
ReplyDeleteI noticed the comments too, and the vast immaturity really grated. :[
Other places force people to use their blogger identities, likely because of the same problem.
I love that communication resolved this issue so well. Not only are we learning how to be better writers here on your site but we are growing as people!
ReplyDeleteThanks Authoress for being brave enough to address the concern and I tip my hat at the 'dumb'anon who fessed up and apologized.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI am really glad you came forward and explained your side. I'm sorry that I said snarky things back to you. When I reread what I just wrote it sounded over-the-top harsh. Everyone makes typos sometimes and I shouldn't have said your comments were poorly written. Apparently I have a lot to learn about being kind on the web too.
I missed this crit round, so I didn't see the comments. But I'm glad to see the zero tolerance approach taken towards rudeness and meanness. It's so easy for good sites to go down because of incivility. Bravo, Authoress. Keep up the good work. :)
ReplyDeleteI read this yesterday and was so mortified for Ms. Davies, I couldn't respond at first! I feel like I should apologize to her and I didn't do anything wrong. Someone put a dirty finger on something that is otherwise a generous gift and therefore beautiful. I guess the good news is, now we all have a roadmap on how to draw a petty character out.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Authoress, for setting this boundary. Thank you to Ms. Davies, for taking the time to do this, and thank you to all critiquers. I didn't enter this contest, but I have in the past, and either way I learn so much from what others say. My writing gets stronger for it. I don't get to be a stronger writer from rudeness, though, and I'm delighted to see that this won't be tolerated. To Anon: Thank you as well for having the humility and graciousness to come forth and apologize and explain. I'm encouraged. This is an excellent group of people!
ReplyDeleteWow, been traveling for work so I just saw this. I'm glad it looks like everything is working out. I didn't see the comments in question, but kudos to the anon for 'fessing up. And kudos to authoress for tackling the issue. I thinks disagreeing is fine, and we all did that. Just disagreeing with tact is important.
ReplyDelete*blushes at the compliment from slhastings*
Thank you, Authoress, for posting this stream, making people aware how much words count. This can be applied to everything in life and everything we write. I haven't participated in much of anything in the last few years - personal issues I don't want to discuss except to defend myself by saying it's not laziness. I learn a lot by reading this column when I can, and remain grateful for all you do for aspiring writers. I try to remember that we are a volunteer group and to make my moves aware that one wrong step might knock someone over the edge. Not something I'd ever want on my conscience. It's humbling to read the apology from Anon - too many of us wouldn't make that gesture. You've built a wonderful community of readers and writers, a legacy few of us can claim.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shari. I so appreciate your comment.
Delete