Points of View

I regularly visit this site and one other. I'm fascinated by the different tones. Here, the emphasis seems to be clearly (and I think properly) on writing per se, that is, on technique and style and effect. The other site is more of a club, in which the regulars post things that please each other. Nice stories, usually happy endings -- or at least morally redeeming bad ones. That became clear to me when I posted my recent flash fiction piece, "I Thought It Was Funny" on both sites.

On the other site, I have always before followed the lite formula, and gotten affirmative responses, both to the content and the style. This latest piece, IMHO, had no redeeming social value, and the silence there was deafening. No responses. While the usual lighter pieces by others got pleasant little comments.

Here, so far, few comments, but the one I got, and the ones I expect to get, if any, focused on the effectiveness of the piece in conveying a dark outcome. That I think is what a writers' site should be, acknowledging that the purpose of writing is not to (or at least no only to) make people feel good, it's to reflect on and amplify possibilities, good and bad, redeeming and depressing, and a place to evaluate technique and effectiveness, independent of mo.

I guess it depends on one's point of view. Hallmark vs. Stephen King.

I like it better here.