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A reader recently left a comment expressing confusion over one of my stories. Part of the criticism was deserved, since I had posted a story concerning characters that I had previously established in other adventures. I realized that I had not posted these earlier adventures here in Stardust, and so I rectified that oversight. I only hope I didn't overwhelm everybody with so much content at one time.
There was another criticism that I found puzzling. The person leaving the comment wanted to know just how a certain character had developed certain qualities. I was puzzled because this had been revealed in the first few paragraphs. Had the reader somehow skimmed over that part? I advised this fellow to try reading the story.
There quickly followed another commet, much longer and rather nasty, yaking me to task for acting "superior."
Superior? I?
I didn't want to get into a flame war on Stardust. After all, this isn't Usenet. So I cut off any further comments except to extend an apology. But it got me to thinking.
In crafting my tales I assume a certain intelligence level on the part of the reader. I try not to insult that intelligence. I am insulted by a condescending author who feels she has to explain every little event, as though I were a goldfish with a three-second attention span. And I assume my readers are of the same mind.
I stopped including long recaps of previous stories because, to tell the truth, it made for a boring story. There are only so many flashbacks I can stand before I toss a story into the dustbin.
In any event, I believe that most of the folks who come to Stardust are looking for a story that is a cut above wank fodder found on other sites. I believe we enjoy a well-crafted yarn with a semi-plausible plot and halfway believable characters. I know I do. And as long as I write, I refuse to pander to the least common denominator.