I want to begin by assuring everyone who chooses to read this diary that my advice comes from a place of kindness and a genuine desire to encourage dissident and argument on Daily Kos.
I also want readers to feel free to add things or change things. This is just a first draft of what I intend to be a community resource. My hope is that collectively we can create a document that more sympathetic members of the community can link to each time they find a fellow member having a meltdown because a diary they wrote has brought out the nattering nabobs of negativity.
Without further introduction let us begin:
Dear Author;
While we support your efforts at broadening, deepening, and enriching this community we think you may discover your diary will not receive the reception you were hoping for and that you may feel hurt by that reception. We offer the following advice to help you deal with the realities of writing here on Daily Kos.
1. Remember this community is not monolithic. It is diverse and complex. There isn’t one dominant point of view. There are community groups like Anti-Capitalist Meetup and Daily Bucket (just examples meaning no offense) that have there own unique customs, styles, and membership. They may also have strictly enforced rules for kindness like the furry and feathered friend communities. The community is not classifiable so don’t waste your time trying.
2. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people here on Daily Kos. There are some people here who are warm and sharing people who radiate kindness. There are also fools. And assholes. And foolish assholes. But most of us are trying to add value here. We have good days and bad days and mostly we have mediocre days. You will save yourself a ton of aggravation if you simply cut the other members of the community some slack.
3. The quality of the writing here is widely variable. If you read enough diaries and comments you will see brilliant writing and you will see writers who are barely literate. There are some great writing resources here and I encourage you to use them. No matter how well you write you can always learn to do it better. But you need to know this, there are those of us who you will read here who have covered the entire range of writing quality in our time here. At our best we are a pleasure to read but at our worst we make readers cringe and correct. Don’t worry if occasionally you publish something that goes thump in the night.
4. Don’t fall in love with your work. It makes accepting well meant criticism very difficult. Those of us who have had the pleasure of working with skilled editors can assure you that even when the criticism is flawed it can still be invaluable. You need to learn to ignore the people who attack your intelligence, your skill as a writer, and your character. But any criticism commenters post that is free of ad hominem attacks you should at least think about and if possible engage with your critics. I, and believe me I am not alone here, have learned a great deal from my critics.
5. The odds of you winning a popularity contest here are near zero. I have had conversations with a lot of writers here and on other social media about how they can become one of the cool kids. I tell them it is simple. Write a lot. Rewrite a lot. Publish a lot. Repeat until you are a cool kid.
Sunday, Jan 24, 2021 · 10:31:29 PM +00:00 · Nonlinear
I thought maybe I should explain the backstory of this diary. Over the period from Boxing Day to Orthodox Christmas Eve I was covering the ER at the local hospital. During a period of total boredom, in this hospital it is either eerily quiet or fast and furious, I wrote and posted a diary here. It was about how I feel the Democratic Party has abandoned me. Notice it was about a feeling.
Anyway, things got busy. We had an ice storm that covered everything in several inches of ice. I knew looking at the ratio of recommends that I had gotten torched. I stupidly went and started responding to the 250 odd comments in reverse order. After about seven or eight responses I went crap, I agree with some of these people. Then as I went on reading comments I realized I agreed with most of the criticisms.
This got me wondering how I could have presented my feelings in a way that would have resonated with people rather than alienated people. I am playing with various ways of dissenting without antagonizing. This diary is my preliminary thinking about what I am learning as I go. A draft of a draft.