Sorry, Trevor -- nothing personal -- but this attitude is exactly what
makes me *not* want to read someone's story. I'm tired of reading part
ones of stories and then being left hanging as they get abandoned; and I
for one am not going to beg anyone to finish a fic.

Well then. . .if I may suggest that you give them a bit of ego boosting
feedback, then maybe begging off a fic would become unnecessary.

It all comes down to whether *you* have faith in your own idea or not.

Yet faith diminishes quickly when you post to a group of some odd 400 and
receive. . .4 replies, one having nothing to do with the story itself,
does it not?

My idea becomes absolutely meaningless without a reader. What good is an
unread story?

If you don't, why should we? 

On the same token. . .if there are no readers or listeners, why tell a
story?

If you think your storyline has potential,
then commit to writing the whole thing. When you have a quality finished
product, readers will come around;

If I may ask. . .how? Through reposts?

and if it doesn't turn out as
expected, you'll have learned something.

Turn out? As in so much as what? That others read? That they read and
reply? That they pass the word? That one story see someone to a very
comfortable position on the "DON'T DELETE' story list wile sorting
through spam?

Reading is my true goal for a story. I only pose it for reading when I
believe I have done it the best I could have with the tools I had at the
time.

Reading and replying, I hope, is common enough for others, even if it is
simply acknowledgement of reading a story.

Reply with comments? Surely that is what any writer appreciates from a
reader. The highest form of feedback.

That they use word of mouth and say "hey, read this. Its good."? That's
rather optimistic, in my opinion.

To gain popularity? . . .how repugnant.

My words are mineand not of Colliding SYmphonies--yet I feel unble to
further ignore our own hypocracies. So I am forcing all of our members to
begin to publicly give C&C to every fic in our archive. If we don't do
your story then we don't have it.

My apologies, Gary, for we share different views.

T.J