Member-only story
Put Yourself Out There and Take Your Chances.
If your not in the arena you don’t get an opinion
A while ago I was responding to an article written by @Shannon Ashley. She finds it hard to read any of the responses because of the trolls out there.
I responded that one should just consider the source. Anyone that is mean, nasty, or tries to put down the writer obviously has a problem and it is not the writer’s responsibility to read or engage with these people.
I have never understood anyone having the need to be that way and since I haven’t done much writing myself I didn’t understand being upset by someone that is such a jerk.
Criticism, when it is constructive, is great and I think anyone with any respect for their writing will accept it in the manner it is given. Put-downs are not constructive criticism.
While I gave this advice in good faith, I hadn’t been exposed to trolls when I wrote that response.
First thing is to be honest and say I do not like conflict. Throughout my work life, I have been able to defer conflict with diplomatic words. When that didn’t work, I would simply avoid any involvement with that person or persons. I also did not put out my feelings about controversial ideas even if I felt strongly about them.
