This comes up a lot in writing circles and I’m not sure why people can’t figure it out. It’s fine that you’re writing, but why in the world are you posting your writing, begging for critique, especially where such things are not permitted, where the quality of your writing is obviously sub-standard and you’re getting mad that nobody is bothering.

Of course they’re not! Rent a clue!

Now that’s not meant to be mean or to cast shame on anyone, but the simple fact is, a lot, the overwhelming majority, in fact, of these posted stories are just utter garbage. A lot of authors will even say that when they’re posting. “Here’s something I scribbled down this morning and didn’t bother to edit. Tell me what you think.”

No. No I won’t. It just isn’t worth my time, nor the time of anyone else. It’s why, if you notice, nobody actually reads any of it. Zero views, zero responses, nobody is interested. That’s just what happens when the common level of quality is rock bottom.

That’s not anyone’s fault necessarily, at least no specific individual. What you are posting might be good. It’s just that you’re choosing to post it in the middle of a crowded cesspool and nobody is going to wade through the refuse hoping to find a single piece that isn’t crap. It ought to be common sense. Dropping your stories into the mud isn’t going to get you a lot of positive attention. You need to go where quality critiquing actually happens.

There are places that you can go. There are public forums specifically for critiques. It requires you to do your fair share and reciprocate, which a lot of people don’t want to do, but it can be done in small drips and drabs. There are places you can post your entire book if you’re serious, although that tends to be dangerous, especially if you’re going for traditional publication because your rights to first publication, a requirement for most publishers, has already been squandered. If you post your book in a way that is available to the general public, you’re pretty much toast.

There are also places you can post privately, where the Internet search spiders can’t find it, some of those aforementioned forums, for instance. You can also find private writing groups where everyone goes through everyone else’s work. Again, that’s a lot of work which a lot of people don’t want to do, but why should you expect others to read your work for free if you’re not willing to reciprocate? That’s very much unfair.

If you are going to look for people to read your work, at least be presenting the absolute best you can produce. Have some respect for people. I think that’s what’s lacking for a lot of these rank amateurs. They treat other people online like their own personal slaves. These aren’t real people they’re imposing on to do work for free, they’re faceless minions that owe them obedience. Yet that’s not the case and that’s why these people never get any responses because they’re just not acting respectful. I don’t care what you want. I care what you earn and these people aren’t earning a thing.

It’s why they aren’t getting anywhere and this really isn’t rocket science.