What are people's problems? REALLY!

So, I know somebody who has dyslexia. That's a Greek word.

Check this sentence: "Regardless of if you decide to beta my work or not if you couuld let me know id apreciate it"

She didn't write it. In fact, her writing is probably better than 80% of the people who do not have mental or physical impediments to writing, and writing well.

But, there it is.

There what is, `phfina?

There it is: 80% of the world that can write English, and write it well, ... do not.

And they do not, simply because they choose not.

Do you understand: they choose 'not.' They don't choose to write, nor to write well, nor honestly, nor with their hearts on the line.

No, they choose, when they write, to write like they live their lives.

Like shit.

Count for me, if you please, the number of grammar and spelling error in that one sentence.

Now, count the number of missing commas and missing apostrophes from contractions.

Now, harder, count the wuss-outs.

Add those number up. If you count less than seven, that means you can't count or you are one of the 80%ers who live their lives in shit, because they just don't care.

And that's the fucking problem. People just don't care.

"`phfina, be my beta. Your profile says I have to leave five substantive reviews first, but I'm going to skip that part, like everybody else does, because I'm special, even though my stories are crap. But that's why I want you to be my beta, to make them less crap."

Now wait.

You want your stories to be 'less crap'? Really? That's your ambition: to be 'less crap'?

Then I don't want to be your beta.

It says so right on my profile, that you read: if you're not writing a story to rock my world, (COMMA!) (DID YOU SEE THE COMMA?) then get the fuck out of my face!

ffn has enough crap. I don't read it, and I sure as hell am not going to beta it.

So, that's one thing. The other? If you're not going to listen to me, and do what I ask, then the point of me being your beta is what? So your stories can be 'less crap'? Why? If you don't listen to me now, then I may as well be talking to a wall (walls have ears) when I do beta your work, because your track record says you're not going to listen to me then, either.

You know what the world's problem is?

The world's problem is that most people have two ears and one mouth, and they act like all they have is mouth: all they do is consume, then whine: "UPDATE SOON!" and when their not consuming, they're excreting. Out their big, fat mouth: the North or South one.

LISTEN and APPRECIATE, people.

You know what happens when you do that?

Besides people walking all over you.

What happens is that people will fall in love with you, because how many times do lovers whine, 'but he doesn't listen to me!'

(Blithely ignoring the fact that she's whining, and not listening to him, either)

You listen, you appreciate, you own it, you own it all: you are the one with the power.

"That's a nice dress you have on, dear. You look really, really nice."

Oh, my God, what do you want? She'll give it to you! I would!

You know the hard part about listening?

Nothing.

That's the hard part.

The hard part about listening is that you have to subtract EVERYTHING you want to say or are expecting or ... FOR GOD's SAKE PUT AWAY THE PHONE! ... you have to take yourself out of the equation and be there, 100%, for the person who needs you.

That's the hard part about listening.

"Well, `phfina, what about me? What about my turn?"

What about you? What about your turn?

Last I checked, you've spent the last ten-plus years exercising your jaw. How about you shut the fuck up for a year and listen and care, and not wait for your turn, because you've been trespassing on that for far too long.

Listen, appreciate.

I wrote more than 1,000 words on my beta profile, and this winner read each one of them; he mentioned a few of them and why he wasn't going to do a single thing I wrote.

And then, after that little bit, he gives me his pick-up line, 'so will you be my beta'?

Um. No. I asked for five dates before you go for home plate, and you went right for the goods.

I'm not that kind of girl. That kind of girl, you pay by the hour, and I didn't see any money on the table, there, cowboy.