And you wonder why I chew the furniture sometimes…
I received this little gem in my inbox this morning—a great way to begin a lovely spring Friday.
I’ll post my reply at the end. In the meantime, “enjoy.”
Nick,
I have been reading your Summer Camp series for several years now. I have enjoyed the writing, not so much for the erotica, but just because it was an interesting story about growing up, and it has been fun to read. I have never written a comment to you before, but want to express an opinion.
I know it is hard work to write, edit, proof and publish, and that you have every right to do other things besides write, but, as a longtime reader, I have been largely dissapointed as of late. I guess I have had similar feelings about the tv writers strike. Having missed several months of new televison shows, it was very hard to get back into the swing of watching again, and difficult to even care about the characters I am watching. I no longer have any enthusiasm for watching some of the shows, and probably will not watch them when the season begins again in September.
Sadly, as you haven’t written much lately, the time lag seems to generate the same feelings, as far as my readership is concerned. Obviously something has changed in your life circumstances to keep you from writing, and the last chapter you posted back in late March, after two months of waiting, frankly just wasn’t waiting for. The maturity that your character Paul had attained over the last year or so has suddenly disappeared. This last chapter could have been something from two years ago. It just didn’t follow where you have been leading Paul for the last year.
Every week or so, I have visited the site hoping for a new post, or at least a clue when you might put up a new chapter, but you have not posted anything since March 24th.
Even your announcement quote on March 24th “I don’t feel like writing an update…Pheidippides” felt like a slap in the face to your readers. If you don’t care, why should we ?
I know I have no right to feel cheated as a reader, as it is my choice to read and not your obligation to write, but I think that after all this time, maybe I have just lost interest, and no longer care. It seems to me, an uninformed reader at best, that if you have given up on the character (s), maybe I should too. I guess I am just too old to wait, and there is so much other stuff available to read. I am in my late 40’s and probably not in your prime demographic anyway.
Sadly, I wont be checking back on the site any more. I wish you good luck with your writing, and hope that whatever life circumstances have prevented you from writing may resolve themselves soon.
Please understand that I am not angry, just disappointed.
Bob Fuckwit (ed: not his real name, obviously)
Burlington, NC
My reply:
Bob,
Why did you go out of your way to explain—in detail—that you just don’t care? Why not just go away quietly? Why burden me with your passive-aggressive bullshit? Did you want me to fawn over you and beg you not to leave?
Well, I will tell you this: I don’t care… whether you read or not. Doesn’t make a fucking bit of difference to me. I mean, you’re not paying me, you haven’t written one measly note of thanks in all the time you’ve been reading (years!), and the one note you do write is an angst-filled hand-wringer full of guilt-trip bullshit. Really, how am I supposed to care what you think?
Now, I’ll tell you what I do care about. I care about writing a good story, and I don’t particularly care if it’s delivered on your fucking schedule. I care about my characters, and I won’t rush them when I don’t feel like writing. I care about my story, and I won’t release something half-assed simply because you’re a whiny self-entitled fuckwit.
So, why did I go to such lengths to explain—in detail—that I just don’t care?
I guess people like you really piss me off. Fucking ingrate.
Nick
<sigh>
Like I said, it started as such a lovely day. And you wonder why I chew the furniture sometimes…
Unfortunately, comments like Bob’s tend to drown out hundreds of messages from appreciative folks. (It’s not just me—people always remember the bad stuff, because it’s unusual.)
I’m not really looking for advice here, so please don’t tell me things like, “you just need to ignore it and move on.” That’s like telling someone to ignore being hit by a truck. Yeah, sure, I’ll survive, but I’ll be pretty pissed off at the truck for a while. Besides, part of my “moving on” process is venting.
Believe it or not, that’s progress.
Ah well, life goes on. Good riddance to Bob. Now, if I could just invent a device to stab people in the face over the internet…
- Nick
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70 Responses to “And you wonder why I chew the furniture sometimes…”
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FWIW — I’ve thanked you before, and I’ll thank you again. Some of us *do* try to appreciate what we have. So, um…. Thank you.
@ Doom
Thanks. Fortunately, the vast majority of readers are like you, and I appreciate that. Fuckwits like Bob just get to me (their mere existence bugs me sometimes).
- Nick
Nick,
Instead of suggesting you ignore getting hit by the truck that was Bob Fuckwit, I’d suggest you daydream for 10 minutes about driving your own truck INTO Bob! Back up so you flatten him further, then repeat until he’s just a sticky blot on the pavement.
Then dream of driving a truck into the nearest deep lake, jumping out at the last minute. Then walk back home relishing in having improved humanity by removing another fuckwit from the world. When you get home, toast humanity’s gain with a good stiff bourbon. Then completely forget about the entire incident.
I’m sure there are at least a dozen good people here who will be happy to provide alibis!
Barring that, have Paul take Bob Fuckwit up in a rental plane, ditching him by jumping out at 5000 feet with the only parachute!
I guess the only consolation is that he cared enough to write in the first place - after all, we know what the opposite of love is!
Most of us care a lot, Nick.
On another subject: New look *again*?
Steve.
Nick,
Fuckwits ought to be glad he is not a Tom Clancy fan, Can’t remember when he wrote anything new. Screw ‘em and the snail darter he rode in on.
Increase your carbon footprint by burning some perfectly good hunks of meat outdoors.
Remembering a solider or two, and be happy doing what you enjoy doing, cause some anal orifice is going to try and ruin your whole day.
Ken
Nick,
Me I would be dreaming of steamrollers and dear Bob.. and the flatter the better. Either way we appreciate you and your work. I mean hell I’m with Ken on the Clancy thing or my favorite example Robert Jordan who I just gave up on. Frankly your work is more interesting than his even with out the sex. Keep trucking friend and hope you feel more cheerful.
DJ
“Bob” is an idiot. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying your latest chapters. I believe Paul’s character development has been perfect. It has been interesting to see how he reacts to not having a girlfriend after having two for so long.
I for one will continue regularly visiting to look for new content until you say there is no new content left.
And then I’ll keep coming to reread after that till the site is no more!
I’ve followed your story since I found it when you had just posted chapter 7 of the first book. Keep up the great work and know we all want to rip the heads off of the “Bob’s” who treat your gift to us so badly.
Nick,
I want to send you belated words of thanks for your ‘Summer Camp’ series. As an occasional surfer of ASSTR, I have run across a couple of your chapters in the past few years. It was only in the last two months that I found your site and read the entire series, some several times, and enjoyed them immensely. I should have written a word or two of thanks before now, but like many, believe you already receive too many emails to actually read them all. I now realized that words of thanks and/or praise are always welcome. Your efforts and skill are not only appreciated by me, but by many others as I see on your site.
I just returned home from a month long business travels through China. And if concerned, the earthquake in China never directly affected me, other than the terrible tragedy and loss of life the earthquake visited on the lives of human beings. I was very much looking forward to being able to read Chapter 12 of Book 4, while over there. As you might imagine, sometime I get very starved for just something entertaining in English. Cannot carry enough books with me.
I checked you site and blog for news every few days. When I could not find any updated news on your site, I became worried that you that you were ill or worse, dealing with serious family issues, or just burnout. It was not until viewing you blog on May 16, that I found out you were spending a lot of time moving to a new server. A word or two from you or others on your news site or blog would have been appreciated by me and might have brought you offers of additional help, that is if you needed it. And from your words, I know others were worried about you too.
Now for impatient Fuckwits, they do not always handle delays, separation, or worry very well. I for one believe Fuckwit will be one of the firsts to read your next Chapter no matter what his email says, he spent too long in writing it not to care. I know I will be reading it as soon as it is up.
I love your ‘Summer Camp’ series of books and chapter, and want to let you know I appreciate your skill and the long time and many efforts which you have put forth. Also, I thank those of your support crew as well.
Thanks from many of us,
Steve
The same fact still remains the truth. If ever there was a weapon developed that at the very least allowed a person to punch another through the internet, there would be countless bodies laid out in houses turned into smoldering black carcasses of beaten pain for being retarded.
You know that those of us with sense appreciate your work and your efforts, both to share it with us and to do it as timely as able to without killing yourself. Sod on people like this, and I’d like to take you to a boxing introduction class for giving me something to crack up over. I completely wasn’t expecting to see you pitch all the venom back at the guy. Even us lurking readers have some adoration for you, and while you may keep this vileness with you for a while like a festering wound, don’t let it ruin your fun.
we don’t care what bob whatshisname says, paul is doing just fine and acting like a hormone laden college student with girl troubles. how else would you depict him.
write on brother!
I have to say, I disagree with Steven’s assessment. The world would not be covered in countless stupid people who got punched through the Internet. It would be covered in countless NICE people who got punched by the STUPID people of the Internet. And, unfortunately, while there are a lot fewer stupid people, they have much more itchy trigger fingers. u_u
No, I suppose we’ll have to make do with excoriating them through vicious public e-mailings. ;D
While others complain, I just feel wonder at your ability to write. My suggestion is since a holiday weekend is here have a cool brew, enjoy yourself and relax. A wise person at one time told me to only worry about things you have control. I finally realized that I have no control and to just not get worked up anymore.
@ John J
Actually, I’m writing now (well, not now now, but now in general). I just alt-tabbed over to my browser to research something from 1982 (the UN resolution on the Soviet war in Afghanistan). The blog was open on the top tab, so here I am.
But now, without further ado, I need to check Wikipedia.
- Nick
1,600 words later…
(And the UN resolution was from 1983, so I changed the reference to Yuri Andropov.)
- Nick, who’s had a good day after all
I must say Nick that was as well written a fuck you as I have ever seen. Good work. As far as what “the other Bob” said, obviously he doesn’t remember being a 19 year old kid who’s whole world is in flux every day and you cannot even keep up with all of the change. I thought the last chapter was actually one of the better as far as pure writing.
As to the Tom Clancy comment, that poor bastard doesn’t get paid to write either so why should he????? (ooooops) Try W.E.B. Griffin, great writer who tells an awesome story.
Anyone who takes the effort to write as he did is not going to go away. He has invested effort enough to want to see what it leads to.
Which makes his promise to go away the most obvious self-deceit evident in the letter. There are many other self-contradictory examples. The flame is chock full of them.
The rest can be summed up as, “Get a Life!”
This guy is so emotionally broke he can’t pay attention.
First, thanks for writing your story. I must say that I came for the erotica — but now, actually, pretty much skip over it to get at the rest of the story. Maybe I’m just weird…or maybe I’m getting old and my sex drive has disappeared…Naw…probably the former…
Anyway, I think Mr. Fuckwit was venting his frustration. Your story is just so good that it’s hard NOT to want more, more, more. I feel the same way about any multi-series I read (such as Terry Brooks’ current pre-amble to Shannara); it drives me batty that I have to wait until this fall to find out how it ends.
Fortunately, you’re kind enough to take pity on us rabid readers and post a chapter at a time and not make us wait until the whole book is done. Unfortunately, you’re only human, have not taken the hint and started writing professionally (so you have an actual life that obviously must come first), and are easily accessible via blog, e-mail, etc.
Thank you for taking the time to care enough about your characters and your fans to continue your wonderful story. I can’t wait for the next installment.
To shadowfa11,
Sorry to hear you gave up on Robert Jordan. He died last year, but his story lives on through a ghost writer he chose to finish the series, and through his wife, who is his editor.
To Nick,
You’re Awesome. Thanks for sharing your gift.
Kenn G–
No professional publishing house would touch SC because of the underage sex. So if Nick started writing professionally, he’d have to quit SC. We should be thankful he’s postponed any jump until he’s done.
That said, the jump to full time professional is actually quite difficult. Not only do you have to be a good writer, you have to successfully navigate the byzantine publishing world. Professional writers also generally make very little. There are a few exceptions, of course, but they’re rare. In Nick’s case, it would certainly be a cut in salary. So… not something to be done lightly.
No professional publishing house would touch SC because, simply put, it’s not that good. No offense, Nick, or any of your rabid legion of sycophants. But the passion left this story after Book One. I think you’re self-satisfied. You’re bogged down. You’re going slow, I would guess, because you don’t want it to end. Book Three was a complete disaster of self-indulgence and very little plot progression. Book Four has been even more so. It’s a total yawn. I don’t care if you finish it or not. You should have waited until Book Three and Book Four were finished in totality in order to finish your series. You could have posted regularly. Instead, I feel like you’ve wound yourself into a spiral of self-righteous, self-reverent nonsense … in short, you believe your own fans too much. It’s not that good a story. It doesn’t merit this much attention; it doesn’t merit this much argument; it should be done and gone. You lose readers with every passing day because it’s hard to care about your characters — they’re the real fuckwits here because that’s the way you’ve made them. They’re boring.
Shame on you Joey. We all know that you are just frustrated. You seem to be having SC withdrawal. But please, take out your frustrations on the right source. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Go to the nearest mirror.
2. Slap yourself in the face. (Repeatedly, if necessary.)
3. Blame the person with the red face. It’s his fault that a man is posting flame bait on an author’s blog instead of having a life in between chapters.
Joey, piss off. You are not needed. Wtf are you doing here!!!
Write on Nick!
Nick,
I didn’t see Bob use any colorful language in his post, but you cursed him pretty good. I hope that made you feel good.
You really need to get over yourself.
If you want to write, write, if you don’t, don’t.
I don’t pay you anything so why should you write?
You’re not looking for advice? It seems like you are. Just read these posts and get over it.
No biggie.
Everytime you make a post I laugh inside, all you do is complain about Life isn’t treating you the way you want it too.
Like I said before, If you want to write, write, if you don’t, don’t. It’s really that simple.
Levon
Fuck me, there’s a few fucking idiots around here today.
To Nick, fuck ‘em! You can’t change these people, so the only thing is to let them get on with it. you know they’re twats, I know they’re twats, and the majority of the other normal sensible people know that those few whiny fuckwits are twats. We’ll never understand where they’re coming from, simply because we just don’t think in the same way as them.
To the haters who seem determined to wind Nick up. What the fuck is wrong with you?
There’s lots of things wrong in the world. We all feel a sense of indignation when these issues affect us. But for fuck’s sake, it’s a free story that we’ve found on the web whilst surfing for erotica, there seems to me to be some entitlement issues, where you think that just because you want it now you should have it now.
You’re like Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - “I want a golden goose, daddy!”
Well you can’t… You don’t call the shots round here.
You’re probably the same people who think it’s your god given right to go on holiday whether you can afford it or not and buy all the best consumer goods when you don’t have the cash and then bleat about having to make yourselves bankrupt to avoid actually paying for the things you’ve had or enjoyed.
Well here’s a tip, no one owes anyone anything, if you don’t like something (the plot, the characters, whatever) just fuck off and leave us to enjoy it, because we do like it.
I have to laugh at advice given to a writer from people who’ve never clearly written anything substantial themselves. It comes across like a backseat driver in a 747.
The fact is, writing well takes time, energy, and a lot of concentration (and if you don’t think Nick’s writing is good–why the heck are you still reading it? Do you really have nothing better to do in your life than waste hours on a badly written story?). It’s not fast for the majority of authors and it’s not something that happens on a whim.
And what most non-writers don’t realize is that, in any story of length, there is usually a point where the writing becomes a chore. A drag. A pain. It’s mile 20 in the marathon, where it hurts and hurts and it’s difficult to see why you should finish the damn race. That’s why so many authors on SOL or ASSTR abandon stories. They’re not committed to push through the hard part.
And what it takes to get through that hard part is individualistic. There’s no real way anyone else can help Nick, though it seems he’s made it through it.
Ed,
As someone who has tried to write and failed miserably I think that you ate 100% right, it definately is not an easy thing, never mind the absolute complexity and depth that Nick has been able to craft together.
In my opinion the word writer here is inadequate, he is more a word-smith, a master of his craft.
Write on Nick, as you see fit.
Hi,
I think that Mr. Bob Fuckwit is right. This agony with story is unbelievable.
Best regards
Mile
Just send your Japanese buddies Sulfur and Nitrogen out to get him. Have them stuff fuckwit into a mankini and take some candids.
On a more practical note, have your server redirect all HTTP requests from fuckwit’s IP address to a single page that will forever display for him your response to his letter.
Heh.
Nick,
If I was a girl, I’d totally hit on you. That was the hottest beat down ever.
Great work as always, can’t wait for the next chapter.
And ignore bozo’s 1 through X, if they’re spending the time to write flames, they’re just hunting a response.
Cheers.
Nick,
Ah, but by responding, you do care. You really want us to believe that after all of this rant and response, you don’t care about it? Hogwash. The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. And, you’re too good a writer to ever be indifferent to your audience.
I’ve written you dozens of times thanking you for all you’ve written, and all you will write in the future. And, I’d bet that I stick out more in your mind because I’ve got a collection of pictures from Scipio, IN I need to get to you sometime…..
But, you do care about your readers. It just gets old hearing from the stupid ones sometimes.
Have a good holiday, and don’t let the bastards get you down!
Al
@ Al
You wrote:
I wish I’d said that. Best compliment I can give you.
- Nick
Nick,
take comfort in knowing that Bob undoubtedly has a very very small penis. And that he’s so ashamed of his tiny endowment, he has grown a beer gut the size of a beachball to prevent him from ever seeing his tiny self, stained bright orange from nightly masturbation while eating Cheetoes.
OS.
I’m simply grateful that Nick is willing to finish the story, even though this book seems to be the most pain-staking one yet.
So, thank you Nick. Eventually, the day that it is done will be here and all of the whiners will be silenced.
And no, I’m NOT a sycophant…
Dennis
“Oh no, not again!”
Have a good Memorial Day every one.
Nick deserves another “Order of the Flame War” medal.
Please keep fighting the good fight Nick, and ignore
the ack-ack.
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is
a day of remembrance for those who have died in
our nation’s service. (Officially May 30th)
How hard is it to just push the delete button when you see where the email is going? I think it would save you a lot of time and make your day a lot more peaceful.
Rev,
I didn’t know that Robert Jordan had passed it truly is a shame. He was a talented and imaginative writer. I just could stay with the series with the multi year gaps between books. Having to re read the whole thing every time got a bit much and around 5 or 6 he started loosing me. I am glad someone is finishing it though, his work and his memory deserve it.
Joey and the like,
You know.. Nick is a good person and a kind one to take time to share his creativity with us. He has taken time to offer advice, information and direction when I needed it. If you don’t want to read it.. hey.. don’t. The rest of us enjoy it and that’s between us and them.
Nick,
I’ve got a bottle of 30yr old Dalwhynnie here.. can I offer you a drink?
DJ
I have never posted but have read the stories and I like them alot.
All I will say about Bob and Joey, is we need more chlorine in the shallow end of the gene pool.
I’ve lurked from probably day one but because of Bob Fuckwit and his “lets flame Nick buddies” I am going to post.
Thank you Nick for your writing. I have avidly devoured all your stories as they have been posted and while I have not liked some of the story lines I have loved the stories.
Again thank you
Drivr.
Contrary to what most of the commenters here seem to think, Nick’s reply to the email was rude.
I do not agree with Bob’s sentiments, but Nick’s reply not only sinks to his level, it actually goes lower.
Nick, I know first hand what it’s like to have people passively complain about a free service you’re providing. However, in my experience I’ve found it best not to respond so aggressively, no matter how agitated you may be.
While your die-hard fans might agree with you no matter what you do, from a non-biased standpoint, what you said in your reply does not put you in good light. At all.
Remember, it’s never a good idea to fight fire with fire. If you respond nicely, you’ll find that you can alleviate the situation easily, and still come out the victor. Or you don’t have to reply at all.
Anyway, good luck with the story. I eagerly await the next chapter.
Nick -
First, like so many others, thank you for your efforts in writing Summer Camp.
I look forward to your next chapter, but will wait (like I have a choice?) for your high quality. I read this not so much for the erotica, but for the story. Summer Camp is one of the best.
Besides, I have found in the delay other writers who work on good stories, and have found characters crossing over between stories (Erin and Sean the primary example). It increases my interest in all the stories, and gives me something to do while I wait for your next chapter.
Enjoy a cold one, a big piece of meat, and a holiday weekend.
Nick,
Unlike Bob, I have left several notes, keep up the good work.
Internet arguments are a lot like the special olympics. Even if you win, you’re still retarded.
Not that Nick isn’t right - he is.
Not that Nick doesn’t have the right - he does.
Then again, sometimes it must feel good to shout at someone. Which is probably why Nick gets troll mails.
@ JimBob
Thanks for offering polite and constructive criticism. I disagree with you—I’ve never claimed to be above the level of lashing out, especially at people who deserve it—but I appreciate your rational feedback.
The problem with being “above the fray” is that bad behavior doesn’t have any consequences. Imagine if you’re a parent and your 4-year-old lashes out and hits you. Uh-oh! Are you going to calmly reason with them? Ignore the bad behavior? Or are you going to punish them?
Now, I’m not saying you need to reach out and smack your 4-yo without any explanation, but ignoring their actions is tacit approval of bad behavior.
Regarding Bob Fuckwit… I’m a profane person. I cuss, and I can swear in pretty creative ways. Strangely, I’m proud of it too. And instead of simply lashing out at Bob—”Go fuck yourself, dipshit”—I let him know how I felt about his bad behavior, using words that left no room for misunderstanding. Swearing is good for that.
I’m not a passive-aggressive person. I’m active-aggressive, and I don’t have any compunctions about punishing bad behavior. In public. Loudly. I put up with entirely too much shit to be passive about it.
So, once again, thank you for your constructive criticism (did everyone take notes?). But I think I’m going to respectfully disagree.
- Nick
Nick,
Wanted to throw out my thanks for your wonderful writing.
I can understand Bob’s frustration waiting for the next chapter, but must say he is an idiot.
I look forward to (sometimes impatiently) the next chapter, but would rather have it well written than some garbage that some call writing.
I’m not going to make apologies for this. Nick, you need to take your head out of your ass and read what that guy was saying. He’s not telling you to go faster, or to update more. He’s telling you the effect that your actions have on him. And frankly, I agree with him. Your own temper and ego are getting out of hand, frankly, when you get that mad at something as harmless as Bob Fuckwit’s letter. I’m not telling you to write faster, because I’m not waiting that hard anymore, but I am telling you to read what he’s saying, because it might do you some good. And maybe try some Valium or something.
You wrote in Reply to my note:
@ Al
You wrote:
But, you do care about your readers. It just gets old hearing from the stupid ones sometimes.
I wish I’d said that. Best compliment I can give you.
- Nick
I hope you meant this in a good way, and not that I am stupid. It certainly doesn’t sound too good.
Please clarify when you time allows.
Al
@ Al
I meant it in a good way.
Well-said.
- Nick
@ John I.
Sorry, but you’re falling prey to the nature of passive-aggressive behavior. It comes across as polite and harmless, but it’s not.
Bob’s note was essentially a “fuck you, I’m leaving and it’s your fault.”
By his own admission, he’d never written a single note to me, of thanks, of frustration, of anticipation, of… anything. So I didn’t know he even existed until he crawled from under his rock and sent his little P-A screed. What difference did it make that he planned to stop reading? I never knew he read in the first place, so would I really miss him? Seriously.
Imagine a similar scenario: you’re in love with a woman, but you admire her from afar. You never tell her, you never even have the nerve to get close to her. You hope she’ll notice you one day and fall madly in love with you. You love everything about her, but then you start to realize that she isn’t doing what you want.
So your “relationship” with her starts to sour in your mind. Yet you still don’t say anything to her, or even do anything to get her to notice you. When she still doesn’t do what you want, you suddenly work up the nerve to confront her about “her” problems. You tell her you don’t love her anymore, you’re tired of waiting for her to fall in love with you, and you never want to see her again.
Her reaction, rightly so, will be “what the fuck?”
So, who are you trying to “help” by telling her off? Are you honestly trying to change her behavior? You never did a goddamn thing for her, yet you expected her not only to notice you, but to fall in love with you. She doesn’t owe you a thing, but you’ve just burdened her with your problems.
Now, explain how it’s “harmless” when you tell this poor woman off. You just got in her face for something that has nothing to do with her, but everything to do with you.
That’s what Bob did to me. He got in my face and unloaded his problems on me. Worse, he had the fucking gall to blame me for his angst.
So who’s the one whose “temper and ego” are getting out of hand?
Me?
Um… I don’t think so. In fact, I don’t think you have any fucking idea what you’re talking about. So you’ll pardon me if I blithely ignore your advice.
This was Bob’s problem from the beginning, but he tried to dump it on me, and make me feel guilty for his departure.
Sorry, but I don’t play that game.
- Nick
Dear Nick
You are the only writer I have come across that supplies photographs (Domai/Femjoy etc) to show what your characters look like. Spacer X is the other of my favourites because he has an artist draw sexy illustrations for his story.
Because your story is not written in the current day, any breaks and delays do not matter to me. Anyway, I have 106 Active Serials and “Incomplete and Inactives” (sic), as well as half a dozen others on the go in my favourites.
Life has to go on. If writers lived as hermits, how could they put any real life into their characters. Just by being out and about with people provides ideas and fun to use in stories. Just by going to the mall and people-watching while having an overpriced coffee and cake can be an end in itself.
I am in my very late 40’s (49) and have very few story exclusions, but thoroughly enjoy both the romantic and disasterous episodes that Paul is going through. (I can’t believe Kendall has kept that chain!)
You suggested a while ago as to who and where to the story was going. Without giving my own opinion away, I am undecided myself as to which one, but am open to any new ones you want to introduce. Just don’t forget to find a picture of her for the character list on your website!
Thank you very much for your stories and the effort over the years. I am and will remain your very keen reader.
Chris Penrose aka Imagination75
Nick
I too feel as Bob does I too have lost interest in SC…. I must be genetically deformed… I’ll wip of and kill myself now that I know it.
BTW I pressume that the hosting of pictures from many of the providers on pages that probably most go to after understanding that yet again nothing has changed in the SC world etc does indeed generate you an income. While its true that I didnt personally pay you, you do nonetheless get paid for referalls no? I dont know this to be fact but do pressume you dont host this site just to collect feedback
andy: i doubt the referralls are enough to pay the bills - but anyway
Nick,
“The problem with being “above the fray” is that bad behavior doesn’t have any consequences.”
While I agree you should punish children, ignoring isn’t the same as tacit approval. Just like a dog: if it barks and you shout at it, it thinks “yay, i’m getting attention let’s bark some more”
If a dog is bad, you put it in a room, alone. This is the worst punishment you can give. So, you probably should have just told the idiot you’d blocked his email. Now you’ve let him annoy you and that’s what he really wanted in the first place.
Disclaimer:
1. I am still patiently waiting for the next chapter, in grovelling thankitude.
2. If you learn how to ignore arseholes, please teach me how
My first time thanking you for a series that I too have been reading for years. Very well done!! Thanks.
And Bob fuckwit (lower case as he doesn’t deserve upper case) needs to thank you as well. You see you have done (along with the striking screen writers) him a HUGE favor. You have forced him to stop expecting others to entertain him and made him take a measure of responsibility for himself. Now he is going to have to go out on his own and learn something about himself.
Nick…you are a good person!
MikeJ. who clearly is a hopeless writer…himself
Nick:
I love your story. I really do not care how long it takes you to write and complete this. I am captivated when you do but another chapter up and leave me wanting more. Great job and Bob is definately a minority.
Brad
P.S. I wish I had the talent you have for really creating some fantastic characters.
Andy,
Yes you are genetically deformed, but don’t kill yourself…why deny someone else the pleasure?
I’m sure there is an experimenter who is missing a research subject whose place I’m sure you could easily and possibly painfully fill before you are euthanised.
Perhaps you could try for a Darwin award, not deliberately of course, that would disqualify you. But from your comments you seem admirably qualified.
Nick, keep up the good work. Nil Barstardii Carborundum
Actually, Nick, I really doubt your response would have been any different if the guy had written you a hundred love letters about how great your story is, and only *then* told you that he was getting disenchanted with your work. You’re incredibly sensitive for somebody who posts to the internet under a pseudonym.
The thing is, you provide a unique, free service. A lot of people that get free things tend to feel entitled to those free things; additionally, because of the nature of what you’re doing on this site, a lot of people tend to get a little emotionally involved. Plus, by putting yourself out as a fairly widely-read internet writer, you’re sort of entering the forum of public entertainment. And public entertainers are fair game for the full gamut of opinions. It’s just how the world works. When I read the email above, I honestly thought the guy was trying to be as nice as possible. And he probably did that out of a combination of courtesy and the fact that you turn into a total dick the moment you hear from somebody that isn’t furiously burying their entire head in your ass.
From what I can tell, you hold very firm to a philosophy of “if you don’t like how I do things, just don’t bother me because it’s all free anyway.” Frankly, if that’s the case, then you’re really only writing so that people like you. Which is pretty weak. But, you’re a pretty talented writer, you’re completely anonymous, and you have a hundred or so needy sycophants here that enable your worst behavior, so you definitely get away with it.
What was the guy really saying? He felt bad that he wasn’t into your series anymore because the wait between installments was too long. He was trying to tell you how much he cared about what you do, and that he was sorry he had fallen out of touch with it, which actually seems pretty fair. It *is* a really long time between chapters. For most of us, that isn’t a big deal. At least he cared enough to politely write to you and tell you how he felt.
I’ve actually written a post or three in the past few years telling you how much I like your work. I’ve also watched you eviscerate the poor bastards that dare to say anything negative against you. Wow. Shouting down opposing views in a forum full of people that, historically, always take your side. Way to go, Bill O’Reilly.
So now I’m writing to tell you that “I really enjoy your work. It’s well written and engaging. You act like a bratty little girl every time somebody criticizes you.”
I tried not to be “passive aggressive” here. Oh, and definitely denounce me in this forum so that all these other needy posters can continue with the emotional handjob.
b287m
You are correct, writing is hard work. Unfortunately it’s kind of like teaching (also hard work), everyone has done some and it looks easy. Most jobs look easy when you watch a pro do them. The hard part is to do them well day after day after day!
Nick,
Brad F. on May 27th, 2008 2:32 pm Nick:
“I love your story. I really do not care how long it takes you to write and complete this. I am captivated when you do but another chapter up and leave me wanting more.”
That is exactly how I feel.
hormes on May 27th, 2008 8:40 pm
“Wow. Shouting down opposing views in a forum full of people that, historically, always take your side. Way to go, Bill O’Reilly.
So now, I’m writing to tell you that “I really enjoy your work. It’s well written and engaging. You act like a bratty little girl every time somebody criticizes you.
and the fact that you turn into a total dick the moment you hear from somebody that isn’t furiously burying their entire head in your ass.
”
I couldn’t agree with this more.
Let me recap, I am not a writer, I was a C/D student in grammer and english in high school & college. I really enjoy your stories, I dont care that it takes a month or so between chapters. There are many other writers on SOL that take a month or 2 as well. I love there stories too, but I have never even thought about saying to them what I did to you a couple days ago. Why?, because they dont have a Blog or forum where they get all pissy when someone complains.
NOTICE to anyone that complains harshly to Nick. He will BLOCK your IP and all you will see is “Error 403: Access Forbidden”. You will no longer see his Blog, the POD’s or anything else on this Website.
hormes on May 27th, 2008 8:40 pm
“I tried not to be “passive aggressive” here. Oh, and definitely denounce me in this forum so that all these other needy posters can continue with the emotional handjob.”
Thank You, Levon
Levon (hormes),
You want us to feel sorry for people like you or Bob? Then keep your negative, bullshit, cry for attention comments to yourself. “Oh, my god, Nick doesn’t post the next chapter when I’m ready for it, poor me!”
Seriously, to anybody complaining about the story taking too long, and you’re losing interest in the characters, try starting the story over again. If you ever truly cared in the first place, that’s what you’d do, instead of trying to draw Nick into blasting your comments because you want attention.
Nick, your story isn’t the greatest ever written. But it IS really damn good, and I’ll keep coming back for more. I could care less how long you take to write it, It’s already been over a year for me. It’s worth waiting for.
Mike
Mike.
No, I don’t want you or anyone else to feel sorry for me. You need to get your facts straight. I never said I had lost interest in the story. I like others have said that Nick went overboard on his responses to the people that complained.
Bob was expressing his comments in a civilized manner and Nick Flamed & cursed him. He didn’t deserve that kind of abuse.
I don’t care if it takes Nick 6 months between chapters, I will read them when their posted.
So what if I say at a chapter every 6 months it will take 10 years for the book to be finished. Woohoo, no biggie. I’ll read each chapter when their posted.
Think about it, Nick must get some enjoyment out of reading this Blog otherwise he wouldn’t write it. I’m sure from reading his flaming posts to those that complain that he doesn’t enjoy those but, when I read something I don’t like I normally let it go. However this Blog post has been to good to let go.
Mike,
What do you think Nick will think when he see’s you saying, “Nick, your story isn’t the greatest ever written. But it IS really damn good.” How do you think that will make him feel? You’re telling him his story is just damn good. What is that on a scale from 1 to 10? Maybe a 4 or 5?
SC to me is one of the Best stories I’ve read on SOL. I would easily rank it a 9. I haven’t read many stories maybe 40 & there’s 5 that are ongoing that I read as chapters are posted.
I’m not trying to butter Nick up so he will remove my IP. I still feel he abused the other posters. But that’s just the kind of man he is, he can’t change. No more than anyone else can change the way they were brought up.
Mike,
How typical of the sycophant fan this particular site seems to attract.
Levon expressed an opinion, one which I happen to agree with, but that is beside the point. He at no point moaned about the amount of time it takes Nick to post.
Maybe you should read his comments before posting so disrespectfully.
People ARE entitled to opinions you know.
Can we get back to talking about whiskey?
That was a much better way to spend my pervy reading time …
Levon,
Thank you for proving my point. At which point did I say you directly were complaining about the timeframe? Somehow, you know Nick blocks IP addresses when you complain about his story, however loudly.
Alan,
“People ARE entitled to opinions you know.”
Aren’t I entitled to mine? How does defending an author from whiny people make me a sycophant? If you people don’t want sympathy, why post the negative comments? “Because its a public forum, I’ll post whatever I want.” It’s like you want the attention of every Nick fan on you, if only for a brief moment.
[...] viewpoints. I think I do a pretty good job, too. For instance, this response to you. I’ve answered other critics with equal civility. A few others, not so much. I tend to ignore the true fuckwits (I didn’t [...]
Thanks Nick. You know I enjoy your work with no expectations, but with great interest.
Al
First of all, come on people! The story’s ok; I’ve read better; I’ve read worse, way worse. If you like it, good; if you don’t, go find something else. If you want to leave an encouraging message for the author, go for it. But flaming him? That’s just stupid. I can see maybe correcting spelling (which doesn’t seem to be a problem) or logistical errors (not that I’ve found any of those either), but if you just don’t like something he wrote…? Well, he’s the author, he can write it any way he wants; it’s his story.
If you don’t like the delay, here are some options (by no means all), in no particular order: 1. go to the main page and see what else is here (i.e. POD*, other stories), 2. check out the links page, 3. look for other sites with stories (i.e. Pages Unbound), 4. reread the story from the beginning, and/or 5. try writing a story of your own.
I guess all I’m saying is, find something productive to do! Tearing somebody down isn’t productive. Nick may have responded more aggressively then necessary but he probably gets e-mails like this a lot, and that has to be frustrating. And the way the e-mail was written wasn’t just a simple complaint, it was attacking.
*the POD is fairly regular so you know Nick’s ok
Well, I have to say that his message to you was in really bad taste, nick. I love your stories. My lover introduced me to them about a year ago and I ate them up in no time flat. I didnt sleep after I started reading them to when I finished. I’ve been checking back almost religiously and almost jumping for joy when there’s been an update. These stories are probably the highest quality erotica, not to mention story, I’ve ever read. Being a young man, and liking to read, I’ve read quite a lot, and these stories top the list every time.
Don’t stop writing. I’m sure many people, besides myself, would be very saddened if you did.
-Ambush
Mike
Nope, I don’t want the attention, and the same could be said for you if you think about it.
However, I don’t think Nick needs people standing up for him, he does a good, if rude job himself.
Feel free to comment on the story, but don’t add flames to the fire, there is no need.
I’ve been banned from here before, its well known that Nick does this. I’m not trying to garner attention, I just happen to have my opinion, and you ARE right, you are just as entitled to yours as I am to mine, just don’t expect me to agree with it in this case.
Nick, I too, am I long time reader. While I do not write, I do create things, and I understand some of the creative processes (if it don’t feel right, it ain’t right).
1. People like Bob Fuckwit should stick to masturbation, as only in their small minds can truly pleasure themselves.
2. There was a TV writers strike??? Did any real people notice?
3. Thanks for the MANY enjoyable HOURS that I have spent reading your stories and the other authors that you have provided links to.
4. - infinity. REPEAT #3
Well I personally think Bob is an idiot.
There are huge amounts of other stories around the place for him to read if he doesn’t want to wait.
Quality writing takes time and effort and therefore he has no right to complain on when chapters are released and when they are not.
Other authors like Fel who some of you guys may read take a large amount of time posting up chapters. His sight is more forum based and theres large threads with links to other reading etc.
Would we prefer it if chapters came out daily or weekly- YES
Do we have any right to demand them- NO
Nick:
Your stories are tremendous and you can post whenever you want. You’re doing this for free after all.
But complaining about every nitwit who complains is just tedious.