I think this was a breach of writing etiquette.

[Meerkat]

I mentioned my Official Nasty Alpha Reader in another thread. I'd sent him what I am currently working on before I decided no more. When he was halfway through it, he was very nice about it and told me in email that it should be longer. Mr Meerkat and my other readers agreed.

I just mentioned in a public forum that I was turning something into a longer work, and he commented -- publicly -- that I needed to give readers "a reason to care about the main character, not just pity her."

This may very well be great advice, although I was surprised, because she is not supposed to be pitied, and I did not intend for her to be. What stuck in my craw is that he said it more or less in public.

Again, might be good advice, and I will take it if it applies. But . . . do you think he had business saying so in public? I personally would never do that to another writer.

Oh, and it doesn't need to be said that I said nothing, because I don't do drama except in emergency rooms. And no, I'm not giving him any more of my work.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Does a lioness heed the yapping of a jackal, who dogs her tracks and is sneaky and untrustworthy?

You are a lioness, he is a cur. Prowl on....

 

[Katie-Ellen]

As an alpha reader, I'd have thought the proper thing would have been to have emailed you, letting you know in private he's thought about it some more, and...

People get impatient, I suspect, and it's just too easy, maybe careless, to type something there and then.

 

[Amber Zade]

Well.... no. It seems a no brainer that the deal was for him to tell you what he thought and keep his mouth shut about it to EVERYONE else in the world ... particularly in public. No one else had the benefit of reading what you wrote and weighing in and so the alpha reader weighed in as an expert. I am trying to stay away from drama myself but I would have been really pissed and I would have said something to the alpha reader. I really struggle with those situations and I think the reason I struggle with it is because I think if I don't stop them .... they'll do it to someone else... and they WILL ... but ... I'm truly underqualified for saving the world from itself.

But... yeah ... I don't there is a good way for someone weighing in that way in front of a whole bunch of other people.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

As said, no! Should have been done in private. This sort of thing can be very annoying for the author, and doesn't help at all.