I don't go to Twitter daily. I tried to, but I must be in a
good mindset to log in. It used to be miserable; I would 'sit' in the corner
because I had no one to talk with, and my posts were not seen. Well, now my
posts are still mostly unseen, and I am crawling, barely existing, but at least
it's more enjoyable now. I've made some connections with other genuine authors,
and although only a few of them see my posts, it's okay. I prefer quality over
quantity, thankful my circle is decent and supportive. At least I feel more
confident about just putting my thoughts out there (with many restrictions
because some people might be offended merely by others' breathing).
I usually log in at odd times because of the time zone, when
almost everyone sleeps. Then, of course, I always missed all the dramas (this
is not a complaint).
I thought the writing industry was peaceful, but nah. There
are so many writing dramas. If I missed them, I didn't really try to find out,
but most of the time, I would get the context, or someone would explain it
somewhere. To my surprise, most of the time, the dramas are between authors or
by authors.
Dramas about what?
So far, an author faking reviews to thrash other authors
because she saw them as competitors (this one blew up everywhere), authors
criticizing other's writing styles they don't like (constructive criticisms are
good, but the ones I saw were not those), authors spewing curses on some
writing methods/formats, authors criticizing reviewers (rating, review style,
review length), author attacking other authors for something not related to
books, something related to books, and many more.
Apparently, some think their styles are the best, others are
wrong, reviewers should abide by them, and other authors are competitors. I
thought this should be a somewhat educated and intelligent industry. Apparently
not. Why would other authors become competitors? Readers don't read one book,
call it quit and stop reading. They are not betrothed, married, or surgically
attached to ONE author and can only read one author because otherwise, the
earth will open up and swallow everyone, Krakens will rule the land, and T-rex
will come back with muscular and properly-sized hands. Most likely, if they
like a style or a genre, they will seek something similar. We need other
authors to keep the industry alive! To fight the Terminators!
For me, as much as other authors' negativities do ruin my
day sometimes (the harshest words and reviews mostly come from authors), I take
the positive of the community. There are many great, supportive authors and
readers out there, and I cherish them because the industry is hard enough. Some
criticisms are good, and some are harmful, so IMHO, the most important thing is
to write for yourself and your readers, don't be discouraged. If you haven't
and want to start writing, don't be discouraged. If you are a reader and/or a
reviewer, thank you, and don't be discouraged. Most authors appreciate you and
don't let a few ungrateful ones ruin what you do.
As far as I know, all industries have their ugliness. I
usually expect the ugliness to come from other sides, not those who are
supposed to be on the same side.
You are here. It means you are awesome. Thank you.
As for my book, I need more time to sort it out. I had a
family reunion last month in my hometown; I slept on the floor, many
interactions stressed me out, I didn't have privacy and couldn't concentrate on
writing. It was tortuous but the food was good, I was properly fed. I love
them.
