This is for the people who don't write feedback. Oh, I'm not really bitching for myself here. I don't get much -- maybe 3 or 4 letters per story -- but I get by. Really. Sure, I'd *like* to get more, but well, that's what alpha and beta readers are for. 

Heh. OK, that's bullshit. I'm including myself here, too. 

I'm talking about the writers out there whose fiction I *know* you loved, because you visit their sites at *least* once a week. We know. We check those hits, hoping that someone has linked to us, maybe said a word about us. Just one goddamned word. 

But you don't say a thing.

Am I gonna name names? No, because the writers in question would rise up and *lynch* my ass. So I'm speaking of them in vague terms. Them. The good writers. The ones who, when you see their names on one your lists, make you light up inside. You know who I'm talking about.

That fucking amazing Spike/Xander that made you *feel*. That gen story that made you start *reading* gen stories. The slash that made you start reading slash. The one that made you laugh your ass off. The one that made you cry. The one you printed out before you were halfway through and have read it to tatters.

The one you wish you wrote.

Yeah, that one.

So, what did you do? Do you even remember who the author was? Did you notice that little plea for feedback? Did it even *occur* to you that, while we may *write* for ourselves, we post because we want to know we're not shouting into a vacuum?

"Oh," you say, "everyone knows *her*. She must get lots of letters." She doesn't. Trust me. Ask any one of us so-called Big Name Fans. The more people know our name, the less people actually write us.

"But... she's so *good*. I'm afraid to talk to her!" We put on our pants one leg at a time, and sometimes fall on our asses doing it. We eat comfort food. We watch the same shows you do and jump up and down when our favorite character gets on screen. We talk about sports, or sex, or what in God's name they did to Cordy's hair. Really.

"I don't have *time*." You had time to read it, didn't you? All 250K? You don't have another minute and a half to say "hey, wow!" or "Jesus that *sucked*!" or anything at all? Bullshit.

"Hey, this isn't capitalism. You didn't sell it, I didn't buy it." Fuck you and the sway-backed, mange-ridden, dog-fucking cayuse you rode in on.

"I forgot who wrote it!" *Ask* someone. On-list if you have to. Again, it takes, at most, a minute and a half.

"I don't have anything smart to say!" So bloody fucking *what*? You think we have time to respond to every 30K paean of praise and criticism? We're *writing*. Not that we don't *love* those letters...

"I'm shy." Hey, buddy, this is the internet. We've *all* got social disorders. I don't know about you, but I got pills for that.

"I don't read that fandom." You're excused.

"Nobody wants drooling, sappy gush." I can't even tell you how much horseshit that is. I really can't. 

"But the story is so *old*! The author's probably moved on." Maybe so, maybe not. Doesn't mean we've *forgotten* the thing. If nothing else, you can give us a chance to laugh at how we used to write. Oh, Lord, you didn't actually *look* at the XF page, did you?

"Nobody wants criticism. When I sent some to this author I got flamed." Ouch. That's a tough one. You probably worked hard on it, too. I know -- I've *been* there. But guess what? Those stupid fuckers who flame for criticism are the *minority*. If you'd like, I'll make all my friends put 'crit welcome' notes on their story. Would that help?

"If you were a *real* writer, you wouldn't need feedback." ::Te raises an eyebrow:: Wanna take this outside? No, seriously, *you* might not need feedback. You might not even want it. The rest of us do, plain and simple. It's not about being a real writer, it's not about being a strong person. It's about the reasons *why* we post, or don't. You're different. Fine. So am I.

Get the picture?

Tell me I'm an ass: leytelj@gmail.com