Goodbye. I'm leaving

Question

I know this is not the right place to post this, but I don't want to quietly disappear and know no better place to reach out to you all.

I feel that over the last months I have become more and more irritated by what I perceive to be the same questions being asked over and over again. Probably the questions don't truly repeat themselves, but whenever I try to give an answer I feel I have written the same thing multiple times already. I guess my wisdom is limited and I have said what I had to say and it is time for me to shut up and move on.

I also have other things in my life that I need to focus on. I must reorganize my life and get out of the rut I'm in, and breaking my internet habits is one of the changes I need to make.

So, at least for the time being, I'm leaving Writers.SE. I may be posting R questions on Stack Overflow or ask about statistics on Stats.SE, but I want to try and keep my activity limited to getting help for my job. I want to move my private life elsewhere, hopefully more offline.

The reason I post this is because I am sad that I never had a chance to meet any of you in person, and this is as close as I ever came to knowing you. Some of you have been a significant part of my life for quite some time now -- two years, I see in my profile. It was a pleasure to spend that time with you, and I want to thank you for being here and being who you are.

I wish you all the best, and maybe I'll be back eventually, or maybe I'll meet you elsewhere (and possibly without knowing).

Love and happiness, friends.

Answer 1

I am very sorry to hear this. You've been a valuable contributor here for quite some time. I hope you will return to us when other demands on your attention settle down.

If you (anybody; I'm not just talking to what here) see what you think is the same question over and over, please consider doing a little checking. If it is, we would best serve everybody involved by marking the questions as duplicates. There is no benefit, and (clearly) some down-side in writing the same answers over and over. Don't do that; link the questions together.

If they're not quite duplicates but we've got a bunch of questions in the same space, it might be time to write a good canonical question -- one that addresses the general problem, that all those others can link to.

Please help.

Answer 2

We do have a lot of questions that are similar here; when they are, we tend to shy away from closing them, preferring to edit so they're different shades of the same question. Perhaps you could, rather than continuing to leave answers, simply leave a comment linking to your answer elsewhere?

That said, it sounds like you're a little burned out on Writers.SE. You're definitely one of the site's most important users, and we'll miss you, but I understand your need for a break. Thanks for all of your contributions to date! Best of luck, and I hope you feel free to peek in occasionally (or however often you like).

Answer 3

I have not been on this site for as long as Neil Fein or Monica Cellio, but I sure will miss reading your answers, What. Though I do not vote often, I have loved your answers! My first answer on this site was to a question of yours and your answer on one of my questions has helped me take a very vital decision in my life. And I do disagree with you that your wisdom is limited. A new piece of advice is bound to come up with every answer you write, no matter how much like a repetition it might seem to you.

All the best, and please be back as soon as you can!

Answer 4

I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner, and I'm sorry to see you go, what.

People are never going to stop having questions, and there will always be those who don't do the research and ask duplicates. That's inevitable. We can't stop it. What we can do is continue to help those people, by sending them in the right direction, showing them the answers that have already been shared, and helping them become better writers.

You've helped me become a better writer. I'm thankful for that, and I like to think that I've passed the wisdom you've given me on to others. And I will continue to send people to your answers because, duplicates or not, they are full of good advice.

And good advice, no matter how time worn, is not something you come across every day.

I hope to see you on Writers again, what. Until then, best of luck to you in all your endeavors.

Answer 5

Hope to read your posts again in the future...

Maybe do like me and become involved for a little bit every few months. i know i woudn't have the time or patience to write lenghty posts as regularly as you did...

So, take a well deserved break and maybe we will see you another time, another day...

Answer 6

I agree with your frustration but the rules of the site and the administrators are the root of problem.

When it comes to the craft fiction writing, beyond what you've learned at school there is very little which is not subjective. Restricting the Q&A to objective questions is bound to generate the same very basic questions over and over again.

The more complicated questions deemed admissible generate answers parroted from the 'How to' industry. The self-help industry is massive, generating millions of dollars - the advice provided isn't current or particularly helpful. e.g. - I can post a question about 'adverbs'. It will solicit the same answers from same people who have read the same advice. But in the real world it's total bollocks. There's an entire army of indoctrinated adverb haters out there spreading poisonous hate-speech. But in the real world the writers of the biggest franchises: Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games abuse adverbs whilst garnering unprecedented success.

I differ from most aspiring writers as I've no desire for mass market appeal but I assure that I'm at a level whereas I know exactly what I'm doing, and whatever rules other aspiring writers try to adhere to I've written my best pieces in an attempt to destroy said rules.

I have a reputation as arrogant but I feel the key to the problems of this site can be found in the 'points'. There are those who rack up gazillions of points but answering the same questions to new members over and over again - it serves no purpose other than to boost egos. And there are those who come seeking answers to questions which cannot be googled . . . these people are disappointed in the depth and quality of the resources available, and, promtly leave, never to return.