queenrikki | Useless Critiques

I was looking at the "What Were They Thinking (Drinking)" Thread at SQ and I was reminded of a review I recieved for a story in a creative writing class. It was for a story called "Tulips and Tea". The main character was an old woman who goes inside from planting tulips to make herself some tea and thinks about her ex-husband and children. The only action in the story is pretty much her making tea.

Now that we understand that, I will add that the story was inspired by a "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen. In this story a womans irons and thinks about her daughter. Period. I specifically stated this fact and as the class had been assigned that story to read, I assumed that they would all get it.

*shakes head*

One of the critiques I got back said "I didn't like this story because nothing happens". Nothing else. I know nothing happened in the story. Nothing happened in the story that inspired and I was trying to copy that. You don't have to like my story, but could you please offer something more constructive to say? If I hadn't said that I'd been inspired by the that story and was trying to imitate it, I wouldn't have been so bothered by it. As it was I thought, WTF (spelled out in my mind, by the way).

Sometimes I'm amazed by humanity.