An ' upside down frown' of appreciation here for that response!

Hug...well, making sure I don't get in the way of what;'s ' Yikesing' you too!

Being accused of sounding like a kindergarten teacher would, of course, matter a great deal more to those taking themselves, escapist fun and life too seriously. I'm fortunate there. It's a big world and things can mean different things in different parts of it. 'Encouragement' does mean something different where I'm from to the sentiments you attach to it here, but so be it. There are those who think sport outside the elite fraction is meaningless, however much those outside of it get out of it. I'm not surprised that it's a philosophy that creeps into other areas, or any less determined to do what I do, regardless of what experts ( self appointed, or otherwise ) think.

A smile 😇

CAUTION- Imagination Working Overhead

Times may change, the joys of imagination don't,

Smirking? grinning? It's a minefield out there, isn't it. Unless you're writing a bespoke story for someone you've known for decades, trying to please all of the people. all of the time isn't an achievable goal.

If putting a roof over your head depended on how many people connected with what you wrote, I can see why it might be worth having a 'red flag' list, but if it doesn't, a general awareness of certain things that seem to get people irritated should suffice.

There is nothing wrong in striving to be the best that you can be at something, but if you get to the point where you can't be spontaneous, write how you think and get pleasure from doing so, the reason for doing it is lost for me.

A template of popular style, focus and expression could well see someone put something together that connects with more people. There is nothing wrong with that at all, What I would be sad to see is a time when being yourself and writing what you feel is redundant. Yes, some of us like to write in a way that is true to how we feel and think, others are more formulaic. It would be ironic if others' pleasure in doing things differently was was frowned up somewhere like here, wouldn't it?

Of course, Some are quite happy to see something ( either in reality, or via pictures) and imagine themselves being there. I will always prefer to give the chance for people to create their own pictures, but appreciate that's not for everyone.)

I enjoy bringing fantasy to life through the written word. Images, for me, at least, miss out the vital element of imagination for me. An image is what it is, using imagination the create pictures for those reading can be very satisfying, as can reading others' efforts to bring thoughts to life with words. Not everyone would agree with my view, but life would be very dull if we all trod the same path, wouldn't it?

Worrying too much about particular phrases, words etc.? Who has time for that? If you're putting thoughts down and enjoying doing so and someone might connect with it, that's the enjoyment part. Of course.the 'better'something is, the more chance there is that people connect with it, but as 'better' is subjective and might be different for those who read or write stuff, it's a question of taste.

If people use terms I don't connect with, that's just the way it is. I'd rather express myself my way and get enjoyment from it than over-analyse and compromise that. I'd rather know something is 'me' than using a tick box to check it has nothing that people say winds them up in it, but that's more about why you do something, not how.