ritawrites, I enjoy your writing, so, no, I'm not turning green. We're all given talent in different measure. I think positive discussion is more conducive to a writer's improvement (or one's improvement, internally) than merely telling him/her his/her writing is crap, which makes the criticiser sound arrogant and makes the writer feel bad. There's enough bad feeling in the world without adding to it.
Why did no one tell me writing could be so DANGEROUS - I've attracted more negative comments in the last couple of years than the rest of my life put together - well, I do tend to jump into "taboo" subjects with relish and sometimes use the narrator as a preacher - yes, I know it's stylistically bad, and some of the stuff I deserve! I HOPE that Rita's accusation of being a white supremacist is inaccurate, in my defence I'd say that I love both Africa and India and its people, I find the women generally very attractive and hate the kind of abuse they often have to suffer (dowries, physical and sexual mistreatment, etc) and am prepared to say so - but, as in the story, this isn't the grim reality for everyone. ALL the above comments are genuinely appreciated btw.
I personally think you're a hell of a writer Neil. Can't think of anyone else I'm familiar with that has your unique way of telling a story. I encourage you to keep on doing it the way you like. Negative criticism is a good sign. It means you're being noticed. The most read authors are the most criticized.
I am white, so not qualified to say if the story is racist. But what I love about Neil's writing I've read is the gentleness, interest in people that comes across?
Is Gerald Durrel racist?
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