Have you ever received somewhat of a critique or criticism after publication? I'm not talking about reviews, more like people you know or know through someone or used to know kind of tracking you down to put you down. It's weird, right? I don't know what to make of something like this.
I don't publish under my own name, so there's no way for old acquaintances to know what I've written.
I guess I should be happy I'm being read. I would just like it more if everyone loved and adored me. I've never received anything even close to fan mail, and this would be the exact opposite of that. It's just a little strange since about a decade has gone by and this person (who I'm a little surprised even remembers me) wasn't very nice. Not nice at all. Perhaps there's a good reason so much time has passed without us communicating. Thanks for the supportive posts. I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but it does a little.
I tend to respond to haters (not negative critiques but people whose entire point is getting a rise out of me) with cheerful aplomb. It tends to confuse and /frustrate them that they aren't getting the emotional reaction they're looking for. As a former fanfic writer for a less-than-popular ship, I've gotten more crap flung at me than the walls of a monkey's cage. I'd probably write back, "Thank you for your feedback! I will take it under consideration with all the importance it merits", then make sure any further emails from them go directly to my spam folder.
Yeah that’s weird. I sort of agree with the other posters. It could be innocent, or it could just be a misunderstanding. It’s definitely a faux pas, either way. I like getting criticism, even if the piece is already published... but only under certain circumstances. General criticism (like telling me my prose is too wordy) might be helpful for future stories. But if someone told me the title was dumb and they thought the story was to dull to be published... not so helpful.
I'm pretty sure there was nothing innocent about it. This was my biggest success to date. This publication is very well known, and now I know first hand the editing and prepublication process now. And the final result of my published story in question is something I'm very proud of. The comments from this person I used to know were pretty harsh and uncalled for. Like both our lives would have been fine if we never talked again. I think that's the plan moving forward.
