I started my journey into the world of
Nicestories.com about four years ago.
It seems, like the name implies, to be
nice. Proud of my first poem,
I revised it over and over again, honing it down to the shine of perfection.
Mind you,not a penny would I make on my little masterpiece,
it was just the thrill of having other people read my words and
possibly get some feedback from my peers. This concept
was the main thrust of my long tenure at
Nicestories.com.
My first poem, in retrospect, was amateur at best, but I
put my whole heart into its creation. A joy to write, the
subject matter was about a subject I hold dear to my heart...
Napoleon. I had just finished reading a trilogy of books about
Josephine and I was fascinated with the whole
world of Napoleon. I decided to write a poem about him.
The meter and rhyme was in my mind, free
verse, but no matter. I leaped head first into
the world of Napoleon and Josephine.
The poem received its first review from a veteran of nicestories.com.
The comments were kind and very encouraging. This simple note was the
start of a very strange relationship. It was kind of a like/hate friendship
that often happens with fellow writers. It didn't actually culminate until
I discovered the forum and found a new outlet to express my opinions
on styles of writing, politics, story reviews and the like. What
I found was a clique that was simply inpenetrable. I countered
back with stubbornness because I wanted to be read. The result
being stonewalled and suddenly my submissions were not being
acknowledged. I had a chip on my shoulder, I seemed determined
to prove something to these invisible cyber
community of "bone" heads
that would not give me a chance to become a better
writer. In my own mind, I was blaming them for my own failure
to move on. It was clear they were a closed-minded community.
Over the years of being ignored on this site, I tried a few times to introduce
new ideas and stories, but to no avail. Always the stonewalling,
and rejection. It felt worse than being spurned by a lover.
To be spurned at nicestories and to stay is stupid. If I had to do it all again
I would pack up my creative talent and find a better writing site
that cares about the development of its members.
Nicestories in my humble opinion is a narrow minded site.