It’s been a month since I last opened my now-cobwebby Formspring.me page. I wrote a few posts ago the reason why I stopped using the website where anonymous users can ask questions and leave messages. After getting a series of despicable mail by an anonymous user, I gave up Formspring for good. It’s not just the main reason why I quit. It’s something HYC-related.
Some scapegoat criticized HYC in both a constructive and destructive way.
I’ve written hundreds of short stories and essays since I was four years old. I attempted to write a novel several times already. I’ve joined literary contests. I’ve written for the news section of the school organ. I’ve been blogging for four years now (two years in HYC). It was only teachers and my parents who proofread my works. They’re the ones who know literature the best. But what if some anonymous Internet user did? That is what I experienced a month ago in the worst website in the history of the World Wide Web.
The same day I got the chain of hate mail, I got a message from a person whose identity was concealed. Whoever it was sent this:
Check your grammar. You have a lot of mistakes in your blog entries. You call yourself a writer yet you have a lot of wrong grammar? No offense.
I answered to that person, “No one’s perfect. I take your comment as a form of constructive criticism.” However, I felt deranged. My mind was saying, “How could some stranger criticize my blog and tell me I have lots of grammatical errors? Is she some kind of blogging expert? I want to check out her blog!” I felt powerless like I lost a competition I worked hard for months. I felt like I placed last in the presidential elections as I read it.
Now here’s my message to the person who sent it:
Dear Anonymous Formspring-er,
As much as I appreciate your honesty, you must always remember that every writer in the universe makes mistakes. Making grammatical slip-ups won’t make you less of a writer; in fact, it motivates you to improve your gift of literature. Never in my life have I heard of a perfect writer. Have you ever read a magazine with an erratum in it? This is one reason why there are editors, copywriters, proofreaders etc. so the blemishes of one’s work will be removed. I admit I was hurt with your comment especially with the thing about calling myself a writer. Each one of us has the skill to be creative with words but not all of us use it in the proper way. Whoever you are, let me tell you this: don’t judge a blog only because of the grammar. I make mistakes, yes, but I always check on my blog draft before publishing it. Sorry to say, you don’t have the right to judge my blog just by those standards. You must have seen Heck Yeah Candydoll! more than the words. My entries are full of interest, depth and reality. However, I would like to thank you for taking a glimpse to my wonderful online journal.
I apologize also for the mistakes I made in my blog entry about the 2010 presidential candidates. I was in a rush to post that time I forgot to proofread it. Thanks to Dad, everything’s alright now. And I was glad to hear how much he loves my blog during our small online conversations on Election Day.
“I love your blog and I don’t want to see it shut down.”
On a final note, I’ll share to you what I posted on my Twitter after receiving the comment:
P.S. My Twitter account is no longer @candiceleocadio but @itsdramaomegawd. Click on the link to follow me!
Some scapegoat criticized HYC in both a constructive and destructive way.
I’ve written hundreds of short stories and essays since I was four years old. I attempted to write a novel several times already. I’ve joined literary contests. I’ve written for the news section of the school organ. I’ve been blogging for four years now (two years in HYC). It was only teachers and my parents who proofread my works. They’re the ones who know literature the best. But what if some anonymous Internet user did? That is what I experienced a month ago in the worst website in the history of the World Wide Web.
The same day I got the chain of hate mail, I got a message from a person whose identity was concealed. Whoever it was sent this:
Check your grammar. You have a lot of mistakes in your blog entries. You call yourself a writer yet you have a lot of wrong grammar? No offense.
I answered to that person, “No one’s perfect. I take your comment as a form of constructive criticism.” However, I felt deranged. My mind was saying, “How could some stranger criticize my blog and tell me I have lots of grammatical errors? Is she some kind of blogging expert? I want to check out her blog!” I felt powerless like I lost a competition I worked hard for months. I felt like I placed last in the presidential elections as I read it.
Now here’s my message to the person who sent it:
Dear Anonymous Formspring-er,
As much as I appreciate your honesty, you must always remember that every writer in the universe makes mistakes. Making grammatical slip-ups won’t make you less of a writer; in fact, it motivates you to improve your gift of literature. Never in my life have I heard of a perfect writer. Have you ever read a magazine with an erratum in it? This is one reason why there are editors, copywriters, proofreaders etc. so the blemishes of one’s work will be removed. I admit I was hurt with your comment especially with the thing about calling myself a writer. Each one of us has the skill to be creative with words but not all of us use it in the proper way. Whoever you are, let me tell you this: don’t judge a blog only because of the grammar. I make mistakes, yes, but I always check on my blog draft before publishing it. Sorry to say, you don’t have the right to judge my blog just by those standards. You must have seen Heck Yeah Candydoll! more than the words. My entries are full of interest, depth and reality. However, I would like to thank you for taking a glimpse to my wonderful online journal.
Sincerely yours,
C ♥
C ♥
I apologize also for the mistakes I made in my blog entry about the 2010 presidential candidates. I was in a rush to post that time I forgot to proofread it. Thanks to Dad, everything’s alright now. And I was glad to hear how much he loves my blog during our small online conversations on Election Day.
“I love your blog and I don’t want to see it shut down.”
On a final note, I’ll share to you what I posted on my Twitter after receiving the comment:
P.S. My Twitter account is no longer @candiceleocadio but @itsdramaomegawd. Click on the link to follow me!