• Escape

    Escape

    A difficult choice
    from 2 reviews.
    General  Poetry

  • Arachnophobia

    Arachnophobia

    A very reasonable fear
    from 2 reviews.
    General  Poetry

  • Light, Darkness and Tears

    Light, Darkness and Tears

    Experiencing human emotion
    from 4 reviews.
    General  Poetry


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Escape finished second in the contest "Etheree Poem"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): I'm in Charge??? finished second in the contest "If I Were in Charge of the World"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): My Life in 150 Words Exactly finished second in the contest "Your Life in 150 words"
    karenina: Keep "loved my life!"

    Congrats! -


Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Hello All! I haven't looked at this part of my account for months. I am just noticing your comments and kindnesses from months ago! No insult intended when I did not respond, I just did not see. Thank you for your friendly and encouraging words!


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Love is Everything finished first in the contest "What is Love?"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Does God Answer Prayers? finished first in the contest "Spiritual Fiction with some truth"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Life Makes Me Happy finished second in the contest "What Makes Me Happy"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Where Am I? finished first in the contest "What comes next?"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Character Words finished third in the contest "Oh, you are... are you?"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): A Jaunt Through the Past finished third in the contest "An Ancestor Story"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): I'd Like to be Invisible finished second in the contest "Super Power"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Live Every Moment finished third in the contest "Uplifting Poetry!"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Ginger's Song finished second in the contest "~ The Best Dog ~"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Standing Her Ground finished second in the contest "Dialogue Only Prompt"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): A Son's Journey Toward Love finished first in the contest "Love Is Love"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): A Rant on Inequality finished first in the contest "Write A Rant"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): The Present finished third in the contest "The Perfect Age"


Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Everyone that knows me here knows me as Sam Duck because that's the name I chose back when I first joined this site. It was my husbands nickname for me (it's convoluted, don't ask). He doesn't call me that anymore, and I don't feel so secretive with my real name anymore.

So, although I am keeping the user name for now, I will happily share that my name is Donna. Of course, I will still answer to Sam if you prefer.
    Fleedleflump: Pleased to meet you, Donna. Apologies for only just noticing this (after seeing your question jn the forums). I'll try to remember! If you sign off all your messages with Donna, I'm sure people will soon catch on. Most people know I'm Mike now, despite my profile name :-) -


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): A Few of My Favorite Things finished second in the contest "My Favorite Things"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Dear Billionaire finished second in the contest "If I Had a Million Dollars"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Solidarity finished third in the contest "Feelings"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck):
Faith in The One True Way was posted today. It is a Milestone Post. Post number 50!
    Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Woo Hoo! Not being sarcastic or anything! This one feels important to me. Thanks for the inspiration! -


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): All About That finished first in the contest "Birds and Bees"
    Beri Bee: C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S!
    such a great entry--so funny! -


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Not Another Child finished third in the contest "100 Word Horror"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Lonely finished third in the contest "Lonely Poem"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): The Blueberry Fields finished second in the contest "The Scents of Summer"
    Beri Bee: Congratulations! I loved this one so much. It was a journey of sense memories. -


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): The Work I Do finished second in the contest "Funny poem about your job"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Misinformation or Opinion finished first in the contest "Opinion Piece"


Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): I just won 3rd prize in a contest! That makes one of each colour since I rejoined. Now, I know I'm bragging, but I will also mention that I tied for last place in several contests as well, so it likely equals out to a B+ at best. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to vote, for me or someone else, it doesn't matter, as long as you vote!


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Lerning to red nd write finished third in the contest "Life Without The Letter A"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Feminine Power finished first in the contest "Use These Words"


FanStory wrote to Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Isn't it Romantic? finished second in the contest "Light and Sweet"


Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Hello, Fellow Writers!
I'm new-ish again here, after being off the site for 6-7 years.

I find that, much like before, everyone gives everyone 5-star reviews, except for the occasional 6-star one. Does anyone else find this a bit silly? It kind of negates the star system all together, does it not?

I know that if we want to change that, everyone (or mostly everyone) would need to change how they review. And it would temporarily mess up everyone's rating and position on the board, which would kind of stink. But wouldn't you all find it more helpful to get honest feedback?

When I stopped my membership 7 years ago, it was mostly because I gave someone a 4 star review and they blocked me and reported me and were very nasty to me. So since I came back last week, I have not ventured out of the 5-6 star rating for every work I reviewed.

But I just got a 4 star review for a poem that I wasn't really pleased with, and I found myself being so grateful that someone would give me honest feedback on it. I don't even really care if it brings my ranking down a few notches.

I have posted a few pieces that I am quite proud of, and have watched my ratings rise and people give me 5 and 6 star reviews because they think I have done some decent work. But then to get the same 5 star reviews on a poem that I just entered on a lark kind of cheapens that pride a little.

Has anyone experimented with honest star ratings in the past? Has it gone well, or not so well? Would anyone be interested in trying it? If not everyone wanted to, a small group of people who were interested in real feedback could just do so with each other, maybe? I would like some honest feedback to this inquiry, please! Thank you!
    Jannypan (Jan) : You made several good points.
    I don't believe you will get many takers.
    Just like what you shared happened in
    your case with the rating of 4, that will
    probably be the case if lots of ratings of 4 start. Many would block the reviewer.

    Just my opinion.
    -
    irishauthorme: Hey, was here on FS way back. Got a lot of 4's posting fiction, mostly for grammar corrections. Stopped posting for a few years, then came back about 6 years ago with improved skills and a determination to post, regardless. Write mostly fiction and a few poems when my muse batters me.
    The star ratings here are deceiving. If you post with an attractive dollar amount, people will read and review just for the $$. Also, some readers with no talent will advise you on changing your work.
    I, personally, do not feel I am qualified to appraise anyone's effort at prose or poetry. I read many but only review those I feel are good. I still receive 4's on my labors and correct my postings where needed.
    I can offer my view for making someone's work better while still giving a 5, to some, a 4 is like a slap in the face. I just ignore really insulting reviews.
    Hey, check out some of my stuff and let me know what you think!
    irish -
    Beri Bee: Hi Sam, I agree with Irish. I also don't give 4 or less because if I feel it's not excellent I don't review it at all (no matter how highly it's promoted). I give my honest take for possible improvement (if I see any), but I don't feel qualified to critique work that is in need of a lot of work. I'm not being dishonest, I read a lot of stuff that I never review because it's not 5-star imho. Hope that helps. BB -
    Rebel Jim: Hiya Sam, Rebel Jim here...
    I like what you're saying.
    I'm not afraid of getting a bad review,
    as long as the criticism is helpful.
    I like your stuff.... "Keep on Writin'!"

    -
    Scott Rhodie : I'm pretty new here and have now read your piece and the one by Viking a few days ago which both correlate. I gave a 4 star due to all sorts of grammatical errors in the story, the story being ok, but also lots of passive verbs. I was told you're new here, this is not the FS way. They didn't seem to understand that their writing was failing to flow. You are not alone in your views, I am a little older than you and can understand the frustration. Some people seem to want to put words on paper, but not learn. -


Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Well, I lost my first contest by 1 vote! I think the winner had a great entry, but if I had been awake to vote, it would have been a tie!

Does all voting begin and end in about 8 hours? Is it usually the 8 hours from 11pm - 7am, when I am sleeping?

Not to be a whiner, but I'm a little disappointed!

Sam (aka Donna)
    IndianaIrish: Contests, both site prompts and member created, are released at different times throughout the day, so the voting deadline will be different for contests. Most contests are given 24 hours for voting. Some are 2-4 days depending on what the contest sponsor gives as the voting time span. You'll receive a PM from the site when your contest entry voting booth is open. Congratulations on your 2nd place finish for your first contest. That's awesome! -
    I am Cat: Yes congrats! (Some of us took longer than that to win) 😳 -
    michaelcahill: Six months before a win and I'm acknowledged as the best poet in the known universe ... ask me.... -
    I am Cat: Or ask me... He really is. 😜 -
    Donna G. (aka Sam Duck): Thanks for the encouragement! It was an odd contest, I guess. I got notification of both the contest open and the contest close when I awoke and checked the site about 8AM. I got no notice of 2nd place, but when I checked the vote, I was only behind the winner by one. So I guess I did well after all!

    I am off to review some of michaelcahill's poetry, as he is the acknowledged best poet in the known universe... -
    I am Cat: *nods head*
    Indeed!

    Ok Mikey, you owe me a dollar! 😜 -
    michaelcahill: Okay, but you said he wouldn't actually read my drivel ... uh oh..... -
    Tom Horonzy: :-) it's sorta fixed anyway. Those who win have a club whose duty is, regardless of the value of what is written to be voted for. At least, that fits in to what Sam Duck has complained about. :-) Could be they were better but every time???? Highly doubtful. :-) -