UPDATE 06/28/2009: Okay, so either there are people who have scripted bots to randomly favorite / set alerts for random stories without caring about the story at all, or the people doing this are really having a hard time with the whole 'constructive review' thing. What I want to know is why? Is it really that hard to say something positive and something negative about the story? I mean, come on. How hard is it to put "I like the characterization but less cruise control please"? It doesn't have to be an essay on the perks and faults of my story; just something good, something bad. It's not hard, I swear. Or maybe this is because I put "read and enjoy" in the summary box instead of "read and review"? I never really thought putting "read and review" in the summary box really did anything; I myself always just glanced over it without a second thought when I saw it. If I like a story, of course I'll review it and say so.

So with all of this in mind, I've decided that you can be SEMI-constructive, and still review. I'm definitely not one of those people who lives for reviews and will only write if I get them, but it does seem kind of strange that I get random story alerts and favorites but no reviews whatsoever... but then again, maybe they ARE just scripted bots. Hmm.

UPDATE 07/05/2009: According to the kilobyte count (because I am a loser without Microsoft Word so I don't have a word counter at my immediate disposal), I am approximately halfway through chapter two. But oh, how it is dragging. I am really starting to think I'm not meant to write fiction... or anything really... argh. Maybe I just need a beta? One who will actually give me critiques. I wonder how I get one like that...

UPDATE 07/06/2009: Disregard the previous update, for it is with a heavy heart that I reveal to you that the entire chapter, the one I had worked so hard on... has died. It was grabbed as it fluttered around the folder, full of longing for something greater but also joyous at the happiness it had found. It was pinned like a butterfly against a desk, and each kilobyte was wrenched terribly from the file until all happiness it had ever experienced in its life was lost in a harrowing yet somehow glorious and intoxicating desire for death. Only then was it put out of its misery.

I think that virus I got did it.

Oh well, nothing to do now but start over. Maybe it'll be better. Of course, it most likely won't. Such is life.