About idiots really wanting to be idiots

This morning, I've received a review that was really disparaging to my writing skills.

Let's see:

Read a few chapters and this is my final impression: Promising but ultimately bland. Sena is in the early stages of becoming a gary stu and the narrative themes (or lack thereof) demonstrate a lack of substance. Writing is a difficult process, so props for investing the time and effort either way.
-Van

I am amazed that this person dared to practically spit on my work -  nay, dared to sound so intelligent, while when I went to look at their profile, not even racking up the reviews and viewers, and then still saying  the above mentioned opinion like they were the alpha and omega of how should the stories be written.  The last sentence especially drove me up the wall -  Writing is a difficult process, so props for investing the time and effort either way. 

Really? I mean, really? I am on the writing scene 10 years, give or take some.  Path of Grace is one of my earliest works, so it's a given it's  a little bit awkward,  narrative-speaking. But I object to the person's description of Sena as Gary Stu.

It's understandable, what with me giving Sena amnesia,  and getting him a little bit more self-confident along with a strong interest in running first and foremost.  But he is not a top dog.  He still has trouble with Hiruma and he's still oh so very awkward with people around him.  If there was really something that pissed me off in the manga version, was the protagonist's  incessant shrieking and scaredy-cat manners. Some time ago, yes, they were cute.  But through all the series, no. Thus the birth of this story.

About the intrepid reviewer who got the dubious honor of pissing me off. I could go to their writing site and really lambast them. Their review gave me a bad taste in my mouth because it was disrespectful, and what was more, discourteous way of treating me as a person and a writer.  I fear for people who may also have the misfortune of gathering the said person's disinterest thus prompting such reviews. That kind of reviewer is not needed nor wanted, because they unintentionally crush other people with their holier-than-thou's attitude. I am just grateful that  my readers and reviewers had bolstered my sense of writing worth way before I had the dubious honor of reading this little piece drivel that arrived into my mail box today.

 But dogs bark while caravan moves on. Miss or Mister Vandenberg, thank you for your illustrious opinion, however in the sum of everything, it means nothing to me. I enjoy writing and I will damn well make a career out of it. What will you do with your life,  it's your own business, but thanks for teaching me what kind of reviewer I definitely DON'T want to be.

Case closed,

Eirenei

Day Before 2013

Right,

 so it's an end of the  year around again.   I am thinking -  or at least trying to think it an ordinary day, what with the sun rising and setting just  like any other day, but it' s a mite bit hard -  c'mon,  year  2013?  It happens only once every hundred years -  and I mean the  last two cyphers:  0013, 0113, 1213 and so on.  Excuse the numbers, they are random,  so there  is no  panic needed just why did I chose'em.

I should have  been doing an inventory just what went right and wrong in this year, and if I did  do my  last year's resolutions and make a new ones.  On the subject of resolutions -  some I did  manage to do,  most of 'em didn't -   but I did learn some  good  things through the year.   So, to summarize 'em here:

1) Technology Can Be Evil -  Proved by  malfunctioning laptop, babylon toolbars,  SweetIM  and Wake-up clocks.   Former three, I could  deal with. Last one, is a necessary evil I learned  to  abhor, use and watch out for.

2) Heatwave Means Waterworks On The Field.  Not literary, but  driving  at least 21 gallons of water  to the field, returning  back to the stream,  filling the 'barrow  again and  repeat the process  numerous times, does.  I've never hated  the beanstalks as much as I did  right then. Well, except when I had to lug stakes for'em  down on the field, but that's another story.

3)The Importance of Being Earnest -  no, that didn't sound right.  Correct one,  The Importance of  Weeding In Time.   Weed 'em out  right.  Weed 'em out  often.  And weed'em out again.   If you think  you weed'em out once and you are done with it, you are  sorely  mistaken, boyo.   Back to the green hell - ahem, weeding patch.

4) Heave Ho!  You don't need the discus to  play an Olympian -  a  thick slabs of firewood  needed to be chucked off  the  cart are just as good.  However,  there are two tips.   Wear  working gloves, and  Watch Where You Aim! 

5) OO-Rah! Tilling the roof  can be faster  if you have more hands at... well, hand, but  there still can be  bottlenecks if you are too  fast with  getting the tiles up.   And  really, next time, do please wear a helmet.  Even if you are lucky enough  not to be hit with... well, anything.  Safety first.

6) Even An Ignorant Person Can Find An Edible  Mushroom.  Without stopping on it first.  Although, that  could also be filed under a Beginner's Luck... or Advanced's  Bribe.   Still don't know which one it was, but personally I think it was the latter. 

7) Playing A Mole Is Just As Well -   When there is something  to be dug in, dug out or  just plainly  needed to be digged through,  you are the  the  unfortunate on-duty person that is saddled  with  doing it, no matter the availability of other persons present.

8) Duplicate, Triplicate And Pray.   When writing thesis,  you better  do your work once and multiply it as if it's  of a life or death importance -  which it is, because if an important document you just finished  doing kicks the bucket, you can just about   die  because of  exhaustion,  apoplexy  or  mortification because you didn't  save a copy.

9) It's Elementary, Watson.   Meaning,  Logistics,  Gravitation  and Topography  can literally  do a difference between  setting a ladder this or that way -  and  saving you a sprained  back or  arm.  Sadly,  it won't save you from apples falling on  your  skull, no matter how you wish  they could. (Ouch!) So.... Next time, helmet up!

10) Google Plays Devil's Advocate.  Seriously.   There were the days, when I  acutely and intimately  got to know just what Too Much Info meant.

11) Your Room Is Not A  Sauna -  Really.   Even if you can miraculously  lift the  temperature up to  86 Fahrenheit  without  having to lit the fire or... anything, really, don't.  Just, don't.  And do remember to air it sometime, some cold won't kill you.

12) Who Needs Plaza  If  You Have A Roof?   It's tilted, it's warm  it's near and  the only thing you  have to do is to take care you don't fall off of it when you snooze on it.   Yes, I have  kitten tendencies. /Shameless admittance/

13) Microwave  Is  A Tough Business.   Also  managed to  learn  how the darned thing works.  Just, for all that's holy, never put the cosmetic wax it. The results,  while  pretty from  artistic view, are a murder to clean.  And also,   somehow managed to destroy the wax, while I was at it.  Whoops?  Well, I never claimed to be good at  practical aspect of Chemistry, if it didn't  involve cooking, anyway....

So,  thirteen  golden nuggets of conventional wisdom, unearthed from my memories.

As for next year,  I  hope it will be full of  humor,  health,  and success, be that on personal or public side.  And also, more plotdragons being finished and updated!

Happy (soon to be) New  Year 2013 to y'all,

Eirenei