User blog:Dorkpool/Deletion Reflections

Recently, I had a story deleted from the Wiki. It was called “PSA: Demon Summoning,” and was written as a comedy with slight horror undertones. It had gotten some praise in the Writer’s Workshop, and had been stuck there in limbo for a while, so I decided, fuck it, and posted it.

Almost immediately, it was deleted. I was impressed by the speed and ferocity of the deletion.

And then I started to worry.

Was I losing my touch? Has reading all those bad Creepypasta stories made me a bad writer? Have I become that which I mock?

Also, why was the story deleted anyway? The spelling and grammar, last I checked, were pretty good, and it honestly wasn’t that stupid of a story.

So, naturally, I asked. I asked in a polite and civil manner, and got a polite and civil response, which boiled down to, “This is a horror Wiki, and what you wrote wasn’t even trying to be horror.” Fair enough. It was a comedy story. So, that happened, and I went on with my day.

This event has made me realize something: I don’t understand people. Well, let me rephrase that: I don’t understand people who bitch, moan, and groan when their story is deleted. Now, if the Wiki is the only place with the story, and you didn’t save it, then I do get why you’d be miffed. But, other than that, you really don’t have any reason to be a whiny bitch. Hell, even losing the only copy of your story is no reason to be that way; you could’ve posted it to the Writer’s Workshop, or just save it to your computer.

And, something else I should mention: if your story is deleted, it’s not exactly the end of the world. If you have it saved, post it elsewhere. Multiple Wikis have lower quality standards. Or, hell, make your own website and post that story, and others you may have, there. That’s what I did…sort of. I already had a website, so I posted it there.

Really, it’s no big deal.

“But Dorkpool,” you say, in a nasally and whiny voice, “You don’t know what it’s like to have your hard work denied entry to the prestigious place that is the Creepypasta Wiki.”

Two things, reader. One, it’s the Creepypasta Wiki, not the Library of Congress. Chill. And two, are you forgetting who you’re dealing with? Keep in mind, I’m the guy who wrote 102 Riffs on this site before basically being told to take them elsewhere (and, before you say anything, yes, I completely and totally understand why it was new Riffs were banned from the site. There got to be way too many, mostly by yours truly). Bye bye, large guaranteed audience. Hello, smaller audience and my own website.

Was I pissed? You bet your chair-glued ass I was. Did I bitch, moan, and groan at the admins? No. I made my own site, and kept on Riffing there…after having a slight crisis of confidence where I considered not Riffing anymore. But I moved past it, and kept on Riffing and improving my style. In fact, I found not being on the Wiki freed me of a lot of stress, and made me feel more confident about trying new things in the Riffs, like multiple Riffers or full fledged story arcs. Plus, having my own site has allowed me to post whatever the hell I want on it. New stories, little comedy shorts, a history of BIONICLE (incomplete, at the moment), who cares? I can post it.

Listen, my point is that if your story is deleted from the Wiki, don’t take it as an insult or a failure. Look at it as an opportunity. Rather than whine because your typo and plot hole ridden mess of a story was deleted, post it elsewhere. Make your own site. Go to a different Wiki. Keep writing. Improve, get better, and become a halfway decent writer. Then, come back, and submit a story.

Don’t use your story deletion as an excuse to go on an illiterate tirade that, in your mind, is completely righteous. All you’ll get from that is mocking laughter, since, honestly, those kind of anger-fueled rants make you come off looking like an idiot.

So don’t be an idiot. Be smart. Be successful. Use your deletion as an opportunity and a learning experience.

I’m actually not quite sure how to end this, so I’ll just leave you with a quote from someone who got pissed off that their story was deleted: '''

"GO FUCK YOURSELF MATE!!! YOU'VE DELETED TWO OF MY PASTAS THE SECOND ONE WAS COMEPLETELY DIFFERENT!!! AS SOON AS I FIND OUT HOW YOU DID IT YOUR PASTAS ARE TOAST!!! SO GET FUCKED AND LEAVE MY PASTAS ALONE!!!"'''

Like I said, don’t be an idiot.