Creative Expression at WRITING BATTLE is Dead
This is length and I apologize in advance. But I've got a few things to say. A lot has been said about u/writingbattle recently and most of it is true.
My name is Kevin S. I'm a longtime Raven. I'm a former winner (although, you wouldn't know this because out of sheer pettiness and spite, they have removed me from the "past winners" list). I've been in the Final Showdown a number of times. Incidentally, my piece for the Solstice Owl comp has qualified for the Final Showdown... not that I will get to actually participate in the Final Showdown because I have been banned.
I got the condescending, unprofessional, and petty email today informing me of my permanent ban with the final line reading, "We do not wish to have you as a customer now or in the future." (my understanding is that quite a few people got that email today).
So, what was my crime? What horrendous thing did I do to trigger the banhammer?
I wrote a story.
For a long time now, I have been one of WB's biggest cheerleaders. I've brought several people into the comp. I was active in the forum, encouraging writers, engaging with a ton of people. I loved everything about the community and have sung its praises from the rooftops.
Lately though, after Max brought staff on board, specifically Nick, I noticed a sharp decline in the community feeling around WB. Posts were being deleted. Users were being banned. For me, it cast a chill over the entire community. I had the temerity to write a post in the (now defunct) forum verbalizing as much. What ensued was a very thoughtful, civil discussion about freedom of expression and the feeling of rising censorship. One user even posted a very good discussion of it here on Reddit.
Eventually, Nick jumped into the thread and proceeded to gaslight us, insisting that comments were not being deleted... when we could all see that comments were being deleted. Eventually, he shut the entire post down. Fine. As WB's resident censor/book burner, it was his prerogative. Whatever. I moved on.
Fast forward to these last couple of weeks. The community was the best thing WB had going for it. I've made some fantastic friends. But to deal with the "malcontents" mass bannings ensued and then they shut down the forum entirely... which kind of proves the point that free expression has no home at Writing Battle. In that thread I linked to above, you can see Writing Battle admin jump in and continue to gaslight people. "“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
And of course, the bootlickers and other mods jumped in to shout people down. Some of those mods (who are *such* a great representation of Writing Battle) then deleted some of their more vitriolic and rude comments... which, yet again, proves the point we were making.
So, let's get back to today. I received an email this morning, informing me that my Solstice Raven story has been removed and I am banned from the site. I have literally done *nothing* wrong. Nothing that violates their ever changing "rules." (although, I'm sure they will have made something up to justify banning all the people who've been banned today).
The *only* thing they can point to that I have done is, as I said, write a story. What I wrote was a 500 word satire about the current drama. No names were used. No specific incidents were cited. It was a story set in a purely fictitious town, involving purely fictitious people and Writing Battle was never mentioned anywhere in those 500 words.
It's. Fucking. Satire.
This is the piece that got me banned if you are interested in reading.
Their mass bannings go to prove the point about censorship first mentioned on the WB forum (RIP) then underscored on the above linked Reddit post.
WB touts themselves as a "league for writers." But they fail to understand that literally *everything* is within a writer's scope. If my satire can get me banned, what will be the next type of writing they disapprove of? They should be more honest accurate and call themselves, a "league for writers we approve of." If my satire can get me banned, anything can get you banned.
As a personal note to u/writingbattle (Nick and Max)... honestly, boys, if you are SO fucking thin skinned that you can't handle any sort of critique OR a completely fictional satirical story, then you clowns have no business running a very public business/contest. If a satirical piece can get under your skin and hurt your feelers so much that you feel you have to ban the person who wrote it, you boys really need to grow a pair and grow up. It's pathetic. And it shows so much about you both... and none of it flattering.
I'm sure the bootlickers will show up in this thread to shout me down. Whatever. Everything I've said here is factually correct. And your defense of the indefensible says more about you than it does about me. So, y'all have fun in that fucking echo chamber.
Also, I have already emailed support about this issue, but as I mentioned above, my Solstice Owl piece is in the Final Showdown and I have demanded that it be pulled. I will not participate in this farce. They assured me that they will "inform me if I win any cash," but given the Admin's lack of accountability and transparency, as well as their meritless banning of me, I do not trust the results will be true and fair. I do not believe they won't juke the results. After all, how awkward would it be for them to have somebody they just banned (for no reason) win their genre? So, yes, call me a tin foil hatter if you wish, but I do not trust Writing Battle Admin to not put their thumb on the scales and roll out the results they prefer.
So, since I'm pretty sure WB Admin will read this, or their Mods, who seem to revel in secretly screenshotting other users and sending them back to Admin like the immature, bootlicking, high school shitheads they are, I will say again, I want my Solstice Owl piece pulled and to be refunded for this battle since A) I am still a participant and B) I do not trust you to roll out legit results.
In closing, I could not suggest more strongly that if you're thinking about joining Writing Battle, you would be better off taking that 30 bucks they charge you to enter and wiping your ass with it. Odds are, it'll feel better in the end.
Nick, Max... sayonara and GFY.