I am a writer. It's what I do, it's what I've done every day (almost) for eighteen years.
Over that time I have honed my skills and practiced my writing to the point where I can tell I am a far better writer than I was when I started this 'career' back in 1999.
On Steemit.com I believed I had found a place where I could not only continue to share my writing but to also develop new stories and help other writers to get where they would like to be.
If a craftsman in woodwork spent eighteen years practising and perfecting his skill, would a person expect to buy a piece of furniture for the same price as they would have paid on the first day he started crafting wood?
I'd say not.
Someone has taken offence at me earning $60 for work that I wrote in 2012.
I've just explained that I am not the same writer I was back in 2012. I have learned, I have practised and I have made myself a better writer. Because I know my work was not up to the standards it would be if I wrote it today, I go over every single word I post. I read, edit and re-write every single post. I find appropriate images and I put them all into the post to make it even more interesting.
I give value in every post I write.
@transisto doesn't seem to like reading 'stories' and therefore, he/she has decided it's his/her place to stop people that do like my work from making their appreciation amount to any more than he/she believes it's worth.
The advice I would like to give to @transisto is this:
If you don't like what I post, move along. Don't read it. Don't bother yourself with it. Don't waste a downvote on me, on my posts.
Seriously, if you want to do some good on the platform, flag those that spam, post one word comments and then upvote themselves. Flag the real abusers, not the writers that are giving unique and original content.
I was starting to believe this could actually be a career for me, that my efforts would be rewarded, but according to @transisto that's not how he/she wants this platform to work and so it won't work like that.
@transisto has posted blogs saying @Whales, @Witnesses, We have to talk! Here
These days it seems like most of the whales don't care to police the other whales
It would appear this is entirely true because the only people that seem to have anything to say about this are people that have read and enjoyed my work.
My work doesn't get the massive rewards I've seen from others - it never has. My work has never hit the overall Trending page, only the trending page in Writing and Fiction etc.
I never minded about that because I get great feedback and fabulous comments about my writing.
Unfortunately, @transisto seems to believe he/she is justified in flagging my posts and negating other people's views on what they think my posts are worth. That's why I'm no longer giving my work to Steemit.
I'll post it on my blog elsewhere and my followers and fans can find my work because I'll be giving the links to my work.
That's it I'm afraid. I've done. I'll curate and post links and replies from here on in and you can thank @transisto
Thank you so much to everyone that has shown their support here, on chat and in other ways (FB) I sincerely do appreciate it all.
The only way I will be able to reconsider sticking around and only curating is if @transisto removes all the flags from my work and goes and does something useful with his/her votes instead.
Of course, @transisto could put his/her money where his/her mouth is and if he/she really does believe the rarer the content, the more it should be valued, he/she could always delegate half of his/her Steem to people who actually DO get people to join Steemit.com
If I've persuaded you to join Steemit.com please post your reply here. Let's see what the actual value of my promotion of Steemit is.