Talk:Jeff the Killer 2015/@comment-33388104-20180816000153/@comment-25052433-20180816075846

Dear Brad-the-Mad-Lad,

Of course these responses are gonna be snarky! That's what I do on the rare occassion that I reply to vitriolic comments. Really, look through this comment section, I've done everything from The Office to Steamed Hams when I decide to reply to one of these. It's kinda fun, kinda low-brow, maybe even a little unbecoming of a writer, but damn it Brad, you knew the job when you put on the uniform!

I was actually going to do a whole segment here about the interaction between Jeff and burrito was the real hook of the story, how you're the first one to figure it out... like, a whole thing. I guess if you really want to see it, just let me know and I'll still make it, but I sort of feel like the magic is over if you know it's coming.

Instead I'll actually go in a whole different direction with this. As far as I'm concerned, these sorts of comments are either to be ignored or to be Steamed Ham'd. But I've been dragged through the vitriol-troll fire, and you once you've been there and still wake-up and keep on creating, you're in the clear. I think a shit comment pops up on this story at least a few times a month, and usually I don't even catch them. So dude, you wanna roast JtK2015, get in line with half a dozen YouTubers, Bad Creepypasta and about 95% of this comment section.

Look, writing, creating and the arts in general are fucking brutal. Until you put yourself out there and experience having your work run through the court of public opinion, it's something that you can't even fathom. You create something and spend half the time second guessing every other scene. You pass it off for beta-read and find out that one of your favorite parts is apparently everyone else's least. You adjust, edit, re-read and edit some more, and then you take that leap of faith and hope that this won't be the story that fucks up your vibes with the readers. You do well for a while and people expect that to be maintained. And God forbid you take a bold direction and do something outside of your usual style. That is like a 50/50 coin toss, hoping that people won't suddenly think you're losing it.

Like I said, writing is fucking brutal. Why did I spend time explaining this? Well, maybe a little human to human engagment is a nice change of pace. But mostly it's this; a review like the one you left on my story here, that can mess up a new writer, that can derail their confidence and turn them away from this craft that I so love. I know the common response here is,

"Well if they can't take a negative review on a wiki, they'll never make it as a real writer."

There is some logic to that. If we as creators allowed ourselves to be completely consumed by vitriol trolls, roast videos and whatever else lurks out there, we'd certainly never get anything done. But writers come in different degrees of experience, just like any other vocation.

See, I work with a lot of writers, new and old, and I talk to them about what they see as boundaries and what keeps them from building up their confidence in this field. The most common reason I get from fledgling writers is that trolls show up and utterly roast their work, their attempt... pretty much everything. Sometimes of these new creators will make the very rookie mistake of trying to defend their work's merit to the troll in question, which of course only makes the nastiness intensify. Remember Brad... writing is brutal.

So, let's use your review here for what every vitriol troll out there claims when someone does call them out, "Negative reviews are helpful." (Negative feedback is VERY helpful btw, but this trolly, roasty, nasty shit never helps a writer, trust me, I know.)

Instead, let's use your reiview as a demonstration of what not to do to someone if they are just starting out, or perhaps if they're struggling to improve but hitting roadblocks, or maybe just don't do this kind of shit to any creator who works a job or goes to school but still comes home and writes because they love the art and they love sharing it. Not only do they share it, but they share it for free. They create and give a piece of themselves to the writing community only in hopes of having a positive impact on a reader. That's it. So please, keep that in mind next time you want to leave feedback on an indie creators' work.

Anyway, I hope you found some value here. If you just think I'm a shithead and a horrible writer, that is your opinion and you have the right to it. However, behind every keyboard is a person just trying to pave their path. I hope you see that. If you have any additional thoughts, please feel free to share. However I won't go into any sort of "insult exchange" with you, so just know that any further vitriolic posts will be ignored.

Take care!