Cartoony versions of characters from A Song of Ice and Fire.

Okay, so I get an LJ message.

And it's from someone I've never heard of, who is offering to provide proof-reading services on the novel I posted two weeks ago.

After I accept their corrections, then they'll be happy to tell me nice things about my story.

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Sheesh, I was just trying to help.

I'm trying to figure out why I'm so annoyed by the message.

... you know what it reminds me of? A project I worked on several years ago, where we got hundreds & hundreds of comments from the public on this controversial project. And several of them were from a woman who hated the project, but then said she would be happy to be paid to fix the report for us.

Oh, and it's a guy. For some reason that cheeses me off even more.

I'm trying to figure out why I'm so annoyed by the message.

Really? Cause it's not a mystery to me.

Well, let me clarify: I'm trying not to come over all Raargh I am The Author How Dare You Criticize Me. I don't want to be one of those people who cannot take criticism.

It's not a terribly rude message. But (a) I'd never heard from him before; (b) I had two betas on the novel, both of whom I've known for over a decade; (c) he says he's qualified to do this because he's proofread published novels in the past.

But really, the big issue is that whatever he says, I'm not going back to re-edit a 120K-word novel that's posted in ten different parts on two separate archives.

I think it's the witholding of commentary until you agree to let him tweak things to his liking that strikes me as douchey.

I think it's the witholding of commentary until you agree to let him tweak things to his liking that strikes me as douchey.

Yeah, that sort of fb I can live without.

Okay, I tried not to be as affronted as I felt, and told him that posterity would have to live with the typos.

Man, I'm in a foul mood these days.