“You give a lot of advice on how to be a better writer. Why should anyone take you seriously when you are the worst I have ever read?” – Avid Reader’s comment from 2/10/2014
“The beauty of the Internet is that, much like real life, we all are entitled to our various opinions – you included. And, like a little flower, those ops blossom and hopefully grow from knowledge. Let me know what you don’t like about my writing and I’ll try to improve just for you.” – My response on 2/10/2014 to which I have heard nothing. Nada.
Dear “Avid Reader:”
Here’s what you don’t know: I operate my website. El Presidente. That means that I control the comments that make it to the site for public view. Yes, every single fucking one. Even yours.
You went, made a connection – that’s great. I made sure that yours was approved to start a conversation with you. A conversation takes place when two people communicate further than one simple comment.
Even without an MFA, I know that writers write. We have experiences to share. We tell what works, worked, might work next time. We fail. We have experiences to share about that too. We tell what fails, failed, might not fail next time. We tell of all those experiences so others can learn from our success or mistakes.
Writers take a giant step in publishing their works for public consumption. We take your bullshit in stride. We have broad shoulders and alligator skin.
If you wish to brand someone the worst ever at anything, share the “here’s why” reasoning. And, “because” isn’t a valid reason unless, of course, you are eight. Not offering validation is simply conjecture.
Just for you, Avid Reader, here is one vital essence of communication, you know, for next time you want to spawn your useless agenda on another writer. And, before you get all pissy, yes, there are many more essentials.
I PICKED ONE BECAUSE IT’S MY GODDAMN WEBSITE.
1. Even A Bag Filled With Shit IS Filled With SOMETHING.
“I like it.” “That’s the best thing since the last thing.” “You suck!”
Know what all of those comments have in common?
Exactly! They’re empty.
Empty comments mean nothing. To anyone.
Give reasons. At worst, offer opinions based from fact. Read things, get involved. Be informed. Be useful.
Don’t be empty in opinions, comments, or reviews.
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