I have to disagree with you, I'm afraid.  Unless an author has <i>asked</i> you to critique them, you really <i>don't</i> have the right to say anything.  I would also argue that merely placing something on a forum is not the same as asking for criticism- if the request isn't explicit, then the request doesn't exist.

That said, you <i>do</i> have the right to make judgements- indeed, you can hardly stop yourself from doing so- just not the right to inflict them on anyone else.


An interesting point.  Let me throw this question back at you; how <i>foolish</i> is it to critique someone- even constructively, as you say- if your criticism is so harsh that it stifles productivity?  While I would agree that some, even most, authors on the internet share an appalling disregard for grammar, punctuation and spelling, sometimes it isn't their fault (such as when they've chosen to share something in English when it isn't their native language) and attacking their mechanical skills is not only cruel, but counterproductive.

Several of your assertions in this thread have left me feeling moderately offended, I'm afraid.  Basically, your tendency to state things as black-and-white, as inarguable truths which people must accept or be labelled wrong (spelling, writing-as-science, characters vs. caricatures) irritates me not because you don't raise valid points, but because you present them as absolutes.  Certainly you are entitled to your opinion, but try to acknowledge that it is just that- your opinion- and that everyone else is also entitled to their own views as well.

We agree that readers will judge and even that some will go to the trouble of saying hurtful or cruel things.  That's really not the issue- if a writer is so insecure that he can't handle that, it's a shame, but not one I'm likely to lose sleep over.  I think where we fundamentally disagree is in the right of a competent, skilled writer to express not only the opinion that something "sucks," but also the reason "why it sucks."  The implication is that you know what the author was attempting and how to achieve it better than he does.  While you may, in fact, have correctly discerned what the author was trying to do, it's also possible that you haven't or that you're way off base in your attempted remedy.  Once again, I think it comes down to a matter of approach.

Also, people publish things on the internet for a variety of reasons.  I suspect the most common reason is self-gratification.  If that is the case, then telling such a person that their story is terrible, even if you then go on to tell them how to, in your opinion, fix it, is not something that will be well received.  In fact, it is more probable that you will accomplish nothing productive and may start what amounts to a flame war.

I think what it comes down to is this: I feel that if you are going to give your opinion about someone else's work, you should (1) be certain that your opinion is desired and (2) state explicitly that it is your opinion.