All Comments on 'Voting and Comments'

I can understand the frustration people have with typos, though it never really bothered me. I don't factor it in when it comes to voting.

But you're right about catching your own mistakes. Editing, to me, is the very worst part of the whole experience. You spend a lot of time writing it, and then you have to go over it and re-read the whole thing. I guess that since you already know the content, you just want to gloss it over.

I only comment when it actually make it through the story. (the vast majority of stories I click, I don't bother reading). As for the actual comments themselves, I've never been much of a good reviewer. If I like it, I say I like it. If I really really loved it, then I'll say that. I don't have much to say, even if I think it's the best story ever.

The highest compliment I ever gave was to Orie's "A star is born- naked" and I left one comment saying it was a masterpiece, and another comment saying I nominated that person for a Lit award.

I always delete negative comments on the spot. If I worked hard to write a story, why am I going to leave a negative comment below my hard work?

cheers

btw, this is the longest comment I ever wrote on Lit.

We are reading stories for the emotional experience not, I hope, trying to learn how to buy spy stuff at Radio Shack. Personally, I like 'crap happened, now rebuild a better life' stories. If a story veers too far from that, I just leave it without vote or comment. Why would I comment on a cross-dressing story? Let someone into that kind of thing comment, it means nothing to me one way or the other.

The knuckle-dragging not-only-btb-but-hit-her crowd leave a slime trail wherever they go, but I am equally disappointed in the grammar nazis and the xenophobes. For example, I like winterfrog's stories a lot, and I can adjust to the Germanic cadence of his English writing since he makes it clear he is Scandinavian and English is his second or third language. I just can't understand the critics who excoriate him for his language rather than learning to see it as his idialect and enjoy the story.

I generally only vote 4 for a well done story as long as the errors don't destroy my experience of it, and 5 for a story that really touched me and was well done.

I have rarely voted 1, but I have when a story without warning just dumps crap on me at the end and makes me feel terrible or in need of a chemical bath.

I rarely comment, and then usually only to offer helpful suggestions. Unlike so many others on the web, I actually have a life, and feel no need to contrive one on the backs of voluntary writers by imagining I am on some crusade to protect some fantasy ideal.

Like you, poor writing spoils a story for me. Just the way I was brought up. I'm almost obsessive about my own stories, and have posted few which haven't been carefully edited by someone whose literary judgement I trust. I don't use spellchecker. I use a good dictionary... and a thesaurus, to help me find the right words. I try not to repeat a word in the same or adjacent sentences.

All my stories are open to comments, and I've never deleted a single one. This is a free site, and folks are entitled to their opinions.

I don't post on a story unless I have something to say. And I'm afraid that if it is so bad that I have to be entirely negative, I sometimes post anonymously. I learned that the hard way when my story scores were bombed after I'd posted something negative on another story. Generally if a story includes measurements of huge cocks or tits, it gets a poor score from me.

I gave yours a four. I reserve my rare fives for the very best, so four from me is pretty good.

I've been reading at LitE for several years now (under a couple of User IDs), but I have seldom, if ever, rated/voted on a story, preferring to let my comments express my opinion on a story.

I sometimes mention typos, but usually only if they were so egregious as to lessen my enjoyment of the story

Several days ago I posted my first LitE story. When it went a few days without a single comment, I started appreciating a bit just what comments might mean to an author, and I think I will be making them more often in future.

I've only received one comment so far, and it was a positive one, so no, I have yet to delete a comment. I dunno how bad a comment would have to be, short of promoting illegal activities, before I would delete it.

And no, I have never posted a comment anonymously, at least to my knowledge.

It isn't hard to find fault with most stories, but we should always try to remember that they are written by amateur writers, for the love of writing and the wish to share their erotic thoughts with others through the medium of fiction.

I have always tried to be positive in my comments, and I accept that I possibly make too many for them to count very much. I have had anonymous ad hominem attacks for my comments, but, as they are anonymous, have paid little heed to them.

I try hard to be appreciative of everyone's effort and will often give a story a five, especially if the writer is new to the site or seems concerned that his/her 'darling' will not be liked.

I myself have no talent for writing but I know when a story is good or not so good, just as I can appreciate music without playing an instrument, and again tell the good from the better. If I make what have been considered adverse comments, I have always tried to express my views in as positive a way as I can.

I applaud anyone with the talent and the courage to put their stories on public view in this, probably the largest site of its kind of the 'net; if my comments are taken as overly critical, that is not the intention I had when I made them. A writer, I feel, needs a thick skin - and the ability to distinguish valuable opinion from dross.

mel_pomene

I am a long time reader but have only contributed a couple of stories in the last couple.of months.

I realized how important punctuation was to the flow of a story when I tried to write one. However when reading and voting on a story I am not a stickler for all the rules, as long as I can get the idea of what the author is getting at. I score stories on the plot, more original the better. I also mostly just read stories in the categories I prefer.

I usually leave comments on stories I score a 4 or above, but just to say I liked it and not to comment on structure. I'm afraid I don't feel I have the expertise to be a critic of other authors grammar or punctuation.

I use one of the sites editors, it never ceases to amaze me the number of spelling and punctuation errors I make even after proof reading myself. Predictive text has a lot to answer for sometimes.

I haven't deleted any comments but I have been tempted. There are some particularly vitriolic anonymous contributors who haunt the loving wives section lambasting anything where a cheating wife does not end up beaten, broken and some prefer dead. I think they are particularly gutless but I like to leave them there as a testament to their own tiny narrow minds. Even when I have prefaced a story with a warning about its content they still plough through to leave their bile at the end.

I think we should recognize that people write the stories for any one or more reasons. Perhaps they do it for their own enjoyment, or to see their writing read by others. I don't think the particular reason matters much to readers, unless it "taints" the writing in some way by becoming more important than the story itself.

But I believe there is always an additional force behind anybody who writes and publishes their writing.

All writers write because they want to communicate something that they think is worthwhile.

Because we might each have different abilities in reading or writing, the way we communicate has to be controlled if we want our writing to be read and enjoyed by others.

I think it takes an extremely disciplined mind to be able to control thoughts and express them one time without revision in the most effective way. I know that my mind is capable of firing off in different directions almost simultaneously... and some of those directions are at best confusing to me, let alone anybody who becomes aware of them.

But the things that become visible words begin as thoughts.

Not even "stream of consciousness" writing is thoughts expressed as they occurred. Some kind of revision is done, even if it happens in the mind of the person writing by dint of experience or training.

We cannot simply line the words up as they occur to us, and hope that they communicate our message in the best, most effective way to our readers. The most experienced writers don't do that. They revise, and revise again as many times as they think necessary.

I wonder if it is possible for anybody to write something truly effectively without revision, unless it's something as simple as a shopping list.

So before we put our writing before others, we must revise, hone and perfect it as much as we are able.

Fortunately, today, we have tools that were not readily available to writers forty or more years ago: spelling correctors, grammar checkers, and so on. As well as those, there are always editors who might focus upon spelling and grammar more than content.

Content.....

We might never satisfy every reader. The subjects of our stories might be distasteful to some. Others might find them too mild or predictable. Our expressive skills can be honed over a period of time. We can choose to write about the most taboo and distasteful subject in different ways, and there will always be somebody who will love them and want to call you a saint (or a welcome devil). And there will always be somebody who will despise you for daring to write about them. They will damn you to hell or worse.

I don't think we should concern ourselves with content so far as "right" or "wrong" goes.

But we can always work to ensure that our communication is accurate, and that our stories don't include the stumbling blocks of spelling or grammar errors. We must, because they get in the way of our stories. They force readers to concentrate on something that isn't what we want to communicate, but what we allow to obscure our message.

We can do this by using the tools of spelling and grammar checkers, and by enlisting the help of editors.

But we can also improve our writing by leaving a finished story alone for a few days or even weeks, and then returning to it to read it afresh. Sometimes that period of inaction and distance can help us more than anything else.

Thanks all of you for your comments. Within a few minutes of submitting the story I realized that I probably should have posted the topic in the Author's hangout forum, and wondered what kind of scathing comments I would get. Thank you all for your insight and well thought out responses.

I do kind of vote like you. If I like the story it's a good vote, not always a 5.

What I don't like in your kind of voting is only voting 5. This is completly unreal and unfair. It might sound a bit harsh as a comparison but just because your mom said: If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it, you don't have to be uncritical.

that behaviour was the only reason almost all dictators made it to the top. the good did not say anything until it was to late.

so I think there are good stories, better stories and outstanding stories. use the stars to make a difference.

Three or four - yes. Five stars for an uninspired, but typographically and grammatically correct submission, leaves no room to reward the piece that is inspired

You touched on this in your well written essay but let me add that I have nothing but contempt for readers who insult a writer and denigrate his work, not on the basis of it's literary merit, but because they do not agree with the "morals" or the sexual orientation of his characters. Such comment is ridiculous and indicative of a narrow, intolerant and biased mind.

I'm a reader, not a writer. Many attempts have convinced me of that but if I comment on a story I feel it is only fair and proper to sign my ID.

I did give you a 5 for this essay and shall now go check into what else you have posted.

If I enjoy your work I'll say so and vote 5. If you don't see any comment you'll know I was disappointed but agreed with your mom's philosophy.

I sometimes wonder why people feel the need to comment anonymously? I mean if you feel strongly enough to comment, then you should feel strongly enough to leave a name. Let us face facts here, it's not like people are going to know who you really are. The profiles here are fairly anonymous anyway. Look at Boston Fiction Writer. For years every swore that the author was a guy. Opps, come to find out he was and is a she... or is she? In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. But, it does give us authors a chance to defend our positions and what not. Although, there are some that I wouldn't even try.

You know the ones I'm talking about. The hate filled comments on how we should be killed because we don't agree with their point of view. I always thought if you didn't like the content, then don't read it in the first place.

I remember I was plagued with an annoying commenter that was pissed because I wrote about lesbian love, and how they need to be exterminated.... I was like "Dude if you don't like lesbians, then why are you reading a lesbian love story?"

Now as an author, the one category I just don't get, or it needs to be separated, is Loving Wives. There is no winning in that category. If you like wife sharing, you are called a wimp or worse. And don't even get me started on the Burn the Bitch crowd. I'm sorry you were fucked over once upon a time, but some of us got over it and still have a sense of humor about things. Come on people, these are STORIES... Free stories at that.

In conclusion, I'd like to address the great American critics out there. Not one of the authors on this site is out to win a Pulitzer Prize with our stories. We write for fun, and maybe if you are in the mood, you can read a story that you like and gets you in the mood for better things with your partner. It's Brain Candy. I mean you don't post a negative review in the Times when you eat out at Taco Bell! So cut us some slack, or guess what? Some of us writers are going to get sick of it and quit posting stories on the site and you will be left with what's left.

Well that is my two pieces of copper's worth. You can take it or leave it, it just doesn't matter.

Myhands316

On this particular issue that I'll address by parts:

1Comments. Loving Wives has some of the most vocal and potentially nasty comments you can find, typically divided into two crowds, those crowds being pro-cheat and anti-cheat. You're automatically pissing off one by writing a story that falls under the other and they're going to let you know how they feel.You're going to find some of the most radically anti-men and pro-Taliban thugs anywhere on the internet in there. Women who believe men are basically slaves to provide for their financial and carnal desires, men who believe women are basically property who can and should be beaten, gang-raped at will. Neither group acts particularly sane, and this is coming from the perspective of someone who enjoys a good BTB story.

2Voting. There are resources for people who aren't technically proficient in writing, all over the internet in general and Literotica in particular. The best of these resources is free editors and a good Word program. If someone hasn't bothered to do even that much for their story, I vote like you do. Instant maximum of 4. Troll stories, those that appear to be nasty for nothing more than shock value get a 1. Stroke stories get voted on a looser standard than stories with a plot because well, they don't have a plot and they're not supposed to. I tend to feel that someone legitimately trying to author a plot should appreciate voting and comments about their plots cohesiveness. It's all fantasy here, but the more I have to suspend my disbelief in a story that is intentionally mimicking reality, the lower the score it'll get. Exceptions being Sci-Fi/Fantasy, NonHuman and the like. My morality doesn't generally enter the picture unless I really like the story. That said, almost all of us like seeing bad guys/girls getting their just desserts, but there are lines that good guys/girls don't cross, otherwise it's just a story about scumbags doing each other the dirty.

3Anonymity: Everyone here is anonymous from the "anon" named commentors to myself, to the most prolific authors like Stangstar. We don't know each other, and it doesn't matter what we call ourselves. The only difference between an "anon" and someone else that an anon doesn't have to physically shut off the nasty comments by changing settings when some diehard rabid fanboy gets pissed off that you voted poorly on their favorite author's work. Really nasty comments can be deleted by the author - there's no excuse for whining about "Anonymous" comments. Again, all anonymous.

I reserve a five for those that I really like. It can be because the author writes really well and I was captivated by the prose, or it can be because the plot was interesting or had a special twist that I enjoyed. I do get annoyed at bad grammer or constant mispellings; however, I know I'm not perfect and would only earn a C at best in English, so I don't usually take it out on the score, unless the author has made no attempt to even run it through spell checker. (it sure would be nice if author's would at least get the title link correct!). I do like to read other's comments and am frequently surprised at some of the venom and how some come away with a completely different take on the characters. I usually chalk that up to the idiot reader, but I guess if the author was really good, there would never be any mis-communication. Oh well....bottomline: I try to reward the good ones with a good score, will occasionally make a comment on how I think the story could have been improved, or provide praise when it is apparent this author is so good that they won't be here long...and I want them to stay here so I don't have to pay to read!!! If it is really badly written, I usually don't score it at all.

You said it all

My perspective on voting definitely changed after writing my first story. I realized how difficult it is to put thoughts down in a clear manner.

I don't comment unless I really liked the story or I really didn't like something in the story. That is to say that if a story is about a creampie eating cuckold, I don't bash it for what it is. I write my comments to say that the non erotic elements didn't link up with the erotic elements well or the erotic elements were too short or nonexistent. I was reading a story the other day with a ton of great votes but hardly had any sex in it. The story was well written, but the erotic part was hardly there. It was disappointing to have such an interesting story and have the reason I'm reading it on this site barely exist.

I don't vote - because my votes wouldn't be fair to the authors. Most stories would score 2 or 3 on the scale I use - and clearly other people have different criteria. So I keep my scores to myself and occasionally use them when I want something else to read.

Here's the scoring scheme I use:

5 - I already have or I know I want to read this again

4 - If I had a twin, I'd recommend that he read the story

3 - Good story. Glad I read it.

2 - I finished reading it, but it was an effort to get through.

1 - Didn't finish reading it

I normally give a five. if I don't like it enough to give a five I normally don't bother. I base it on three criteria:

1) I enjoy the story and can identify with the characters. I don't have to identify as in putting myself in their shoes, but they must be recognizable as real human beings. Some characters I've seen are so obviously imaginary the story should be in the non-human category.

2) The story is enjoyable with an actual plot and story line that keeps my interest.

3) Grammar, spelling and mood. a) I tell people all the time that I took English as a foreign language. Grammar is not my strong point, so I've had to train myself to recognize good grammar, and I work exceptionally hard to keep mine correct. I hate the misuse of homonyms and synonyms. When John lays her down their on there bed I close out the story and leave. Normally I don't even bother to comment. I doubt my remarks would be understood. I recognize there will be an occasional mess-up. That bugs me, but when it is consistent I'm gone.

b) Peple woh cant' spel relly bother me two.

c) mood is probably my biggest pet peeve. One author in particular always has a great plot, great characterization, but everything is superlative. I've gotten to the point of skipping his stories because everything is so saccharine. I feel like I have a coating on my teeth when I finish his story. The overuse of adjectives can ruin what is being said. Let your story stand on its own. If it has to be embellished is shouldn't be written.

normally I would pass this type of essay, as I just read stories, for the entertainment, but like your self I was curious. so with that in mind I will give you my ideas, I have read many stories here, in the different categories and to vote on most of them, except the very bad , kind of what your mom said, as I'm not an expert on English grammar, most of my voting is on the quality of the story, it is hard to say there is a consistency as there the many different categories, and for what holds true to one may not hold true for another. if a story just holds my interest. it's a 3, if I get involved in the story it's a 4, if I can't stop reading the story or can't wait for the next chapter, its a 5, in addition to that if a story is just so good, and I think I have read maybe 10 at this level ,I consider it a 6 and only then will I make a comment, 5 stars and a comment is =to a 6 but only to me. I will now be looking out for your stories and will vote as per my system, I am a member of this site and my id is mr. jim who, but it will not show up as I was half way through this and saw I wasn't logged in, and couldn.t go back as I would have lost the first part of this. anyway good luck and hoped I helped a little bit. Mr. Jimwho chicago

A good article to get us all thinking about these issues! I had a career of writing for a living, so I am generally not critical of stories on Literotica. Instead, I send comments to reinforce things authors have done that really makes the story g aood one. If it is bad, I don't comment or vote and routinely do not finish the story. Only a couple of times has someone left a clearly negative comment about one of my stories, but when they do, I leave them there as I do not take them personally. These are most of my answers to your questions.

If you don't welcome virulent criticism - some of it laughably ad hominen - don't post on the loving wives strand. Problem is, two many people are there for psychotherapy.

On the other hand - you might be performing a public service to try subverting the LW genre which had got so stale and imitative that it needs a kick up the backside.

. . . I gave you a 4.

Ideally, I would only read 4* stories or better, based on my criteria below. I also think that stories should be voted on based on how well done they are. If I start a story and it veers into an area I dislike, I often don't vote at all. I don't think I could give a fair vote on a subject that I find distasteful. I violate this rule for Matt Moreau in LW, since I don't care for cuckold stories but he writes so well. But I'll never give him a five!

5* A five star story is one that I would be proud to have written myself or actually makes me envious of the writer's talent. It has everything -- good writing, good plot and well developed characters, plus a special something -- like extreme intelligence, humor, wit or emotional impact. That special something makes it worth reading multiple times.

4* A four star story is much like a five. It's a well written story, but lacks that certain something that five star stories have; or is perhaps not quite as well written.

While grammatical errors bother me, if the story itself is good enough I tend to ignore them or even miss them entirely.

3* Three star stories aren't very good. That is to be expected since this is an amateur site.

There is always something in the plot, the character development (often missing entirely) or the writing that just isn't there.

1 or 2* I can usually tell a story is a 2 star or below within the first couple of paragraphs.

Often the grammar and punctuation is poor or the plot and character development is erratic at best. Some of these writers desperately need an editor to point out errors because they haven't done proof reading or rewriting on their own; or simply don't understand how hard it is to create even a mediocre story.

A few of these writers may need remedial reading classes before writing anything at all.

I'm an avid reader, but I only vote on stories that I consider to be worth a 4 or 5. I don't usually finish stories that I think less of to bother voting at all.

I dislike the way Literotica voting is so vulnerable to trolls who bring scores down with 1-votes. You can see it happening when the same people (recognizable despite their anonymity) pile up on the Public Feedback Portal. I encourage authors to simply delete those, as they contribute nothing but heartburn.

I wish that Literotica offered a system that allows other readers to rate the comments, as I've seen on other boards. Even better would be a way to ditch the whole anonymous option. If trolls had to create new identities every time they want to attack authors, it might cut down on the nonsense.

I also find the one-sentence comments left by some of the top names on the Most User Comments List on the Public Portal page to be a waste of time. To me it seems more like they are lifting their leg's on somebody's work than that they are making any useful contribution. Their comments read more like fortune cookie messages than meaningful feedback.

I read your essay with great interest. I write stories and sometimes wonder about the feedback I get. First, I usually leave feedback up, be it negative or positive, as long as the negative comments are constructive criticism. But when (as actually happened) a commenter suggests that I kill myself, I not only will delete such comments, I report them.

Second, I really like your idea about not allowing anonymous comments. I agree that doing so would really cut down on the crap comments designed to attack rather than be constructive.

Thanks for posting this. A dialogue on this is most needed.

I wrote an essay in 2010 called A Reader Comments after reading someone's essay on the subject. If you want another perspective on this subject, it is still up.

I'm also a reader who writes. Thanks for the post, however, in your voting criteria, you don't mention the main reason we read erotica --To be transported into a sexual world that turns us on and gets us off. That is a rarity and would be a six if it was available. Good plot, good characters and good sex. Now that's a story!

Loving wives is basically a cesspool when it comes to comments and votes, and I'd recommend anyone wanting to write stories that are even remotely removed from the now standard 'My wife left me but it's okay because she was a dumb bitch and I'm so much better off now than I was before, also she died and everyone was happier' formula just be ready for a flood of barely literate hate. It's sad but true.

As for how I vote, I tend not to do one star reviews unless a story is just so full of errors that it becomes unreadable. I start at three stars for stories that are flawed but that I still found something to enjoy in, four stars for good stories and five stars for ones that I really love. I don't generally vote if I didn't enjoy a story honestly, and especially if I didn't finish it.

49greg, I am impressed by your essay and even more impressed by the quality of comments you have received. This effort you began, is becoming a writer's handbook. I discovered Literotica almost two years ago and started submitting my own stories about four months ago.

I seem to garner a wide-range of opinions, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Since some of my stories are experiments in writing and writing style, a number of readers are confused by my products. But that is also true of the Site Admin staff, it always takes three or four submits before they will accept my entry. They have difficulty with comprehending that the mechanics of a story are not the story itself. Anymore then the paint and chrome are the automobile.

In my opinion Academic English is the worst method of communication since Neo-Confuscianism. Noah Webster was a pre-mature fascist and Thomas Dewey a proto-nazi. Try reading a letter or other original manuscript, from George Washington or Isaac Newton or any of their contemporaries. None could spell the same word twice on the same page. So fucking what! Comprehend and then get over it!



As for trivial errors, I would hope we are smart enough to figure out what the author meant, are we not? More then most readers realize, many so-called mistakes are actually the result of the technology we use.


Spellcheck functions are homophone-phobic. 

Auto-correct functions that replace the author's original prose with the wrong word in the correct context can be accidentally hilarious.

 That this cacophony of machinery and web systems are able to deliver any kind of a coherent message to the end user, qualifies as a supra-natural miracle.



I absolutely adore puns and malapropisms. Those damn sadistic bastard authors, forcing the pitiful readers to have think. What a horrible activity to force upon the readers enfeebled intellects. Just enjoy the damn stories, already!



Now as for commentary. I'm an old bar-fighter. To tell the truth, as a sentimental slob, I kinda miss those bad old days. So to make up for it I mix it up with the trolls and find satisfaction in a down and dirty flame-war. It does define me as an obnoxious asshole of an old man.

Keep on truckin', Baby!

In addition to looking at the score your story receives, look at the number of hits and the number of voters. Some of mine with high scores have a low number of voters, (that is to be expected). One of mine I particularly liked and had a good score had only two comments. Some have a high number of hits and a low score, OK readers did not like it. Of course the number of hits depends on your title, description and tags. I feel there is more to be considered than the score when you look for yourself at how a story has been received.

I just gotta say "anonymous! Grow some balls!" its the easiest thing in the world to criticize but why do it anonymously? Even terrorists - the lowest form of life after politicians - have the guts to claim credit for their work. Okay, rant over :))

I'm with you to an extent; I usually score all stories as 5, regardless of how good or bad the story I know from experience how much work and effort has gone into it. If a story is so bad I just don't score it, I let my comments do the scoring.

I just realized as well that apart from my own stories I have never looked at any scores, so is there really a point to it? And I only read comments after I've read the story. I think I'm intelligent enough to make my own decisions.

I think all reasonably intelligent people already know how to comment on something, which brings me back to my original point; why do people have a need to abuse others?

I have a theory that anonymous is basically repressed; he (or she) will read a story and probably enjoy it, but! They will feel guilt and just a little dirty, like a puritan looking at nudity, and the only way to clense themselves is to tell everyone how bad it all is.

Come on people, we all know; anonymous is a coward because he believes everyone is as spineless as he is.

Okay, I know I've drifted a long way from the topic but man, do I feel better :)))

I usually vote based on immersion. If i become fully immersed into the story it I give it a 5, on the other hand if I'm reading a story doesn't give me the immersion i'm looking for I usually just click away and look for another.

I've usually found the below from xkcd to work if i have stopped reading as i usually only look at the ratings after I've stopped/finished a story.

http://xkcd.com/1098/

All the whining about anon comments.

I get them; I sometimes leave them. I don't give a flying crap that I get anon comments. Its all funny. I don't care. What am I going to do anyway, get in a private fight with them? They want to be anon, let them. Its a choice on this site.

The reason writers get so pissed at anon is because they have doubts about their own work. Lack of self-confidence. They secretly wonder if anon is right, but it's easier to get all pissed at anon than to admit their own insecurity.

Voting is supposed to show people how many enjoyed reading it, but if you only vote with 5 stars you are undermining that system, and artificially propping up some stories that don't deserve it.

People should be warned off bad stories so they don't waste their time, giving one star (if you are honest and not just malicious) is just as useful as giving 5 stars, and for many people spelling and grammar significantly influences whether they can enjoy a story, it is not something to be disregarded just because you have now learned that proofreading isn't easy.

Just because you are an author yourself, doesn't mean you should be doing other readers such a disservice.

I think the worst comment I received was and I quote, "Fuck you! You suck at writing." I reply I deleted and removed the option to be a anon poster. I have gotten a few good ones, some hate mail and many indifferent ones. One the things I do when reading a comment left is that I look at the poster. Have they tried writing and posting a story? If not then what right do you have to tear my work down. While I don't mind someone pointing out my errors, I want you do do so in a nice way. If not I ignore it

When posting a comment, which I don't always do. I point out what worked and then what I had an issue with. I can deal with spelling errors or run on sentences more than I can a plot hole so big you could throw a dog through.

Finally I had one comment of a story tell me to get an editor. Well I have one and he like me is working for free, It is this point that people who love to sh*t all over our work refuse to understand..

I enjoyed this - it is good to see how another thinks.

Like you, I largely only vote 5s. If the story is well written enough to keep my attention to the end then it deserves a good score. If I don't like the story much, I simply stop reading. I'm not a fan of spelling/grammar mistakes, but they don't usually make or break a story for me.

I also never make my comments anonymous. (In any case, giving my user name still leaves the real me ultimately anonymous!). However, I am grateful for comments even if they are anonymous.

Too much to care about. I vote according to believability, or how close to reality it is, of course according to me. I don't even pay attention to spelling, unless it's overwhelmingly bad. If a story teller can get the thought across, and have me associate with it, he has succeeded.

In my past my late wife and I tried cuckolding, but it didn't work, as intended, so we dropped it. You have to remember that it was in the 70's, and we both knew the guy. Not everyone has had the experience you had, you have to understand that before you start a story.