Reply To: A recent and disturbing trend.

[Shorngirl]

Having opened this proverbial can of worms, I felt it my responsibility to chime in, now that more voices have been heard. I agree with most opinions here, that posting a story, and detracting from that posting by prefacing it with an advertisement to go elsewhere to read the other half, or a prequal to what was posted, is a bit in your face. It may not break any rules, but it flies in the face of the spirit of this site. Posting a link at the end of a story, saying, ‘if you want to read more, go here’, seems just fine to me. I’m not against people making a little scratch with their writing, it is , after all, my profession.
I am sad that anyone needed to be banned, as that was never my intention. Freedom of expression is a wonderful thing, and this site provides a unique opportunity to explore this subject without any real impingement or censorship. If you are smart about how you place your links, so that it doesn’t detract from what you made available here, I can’t imagine that would be an issue.
I am not a moderator here, so I don’t make the rules. Abide by whatever is in them, and carry on posting. I write because I am compelled to do so, just as an artist paints, or a musician plays. If this is how you feel, then there is room to keep your professional and avocational works separate. Above all, have fun with what you do. It will show in your creations.
All the best,
Claire