Ten Things I've Learned From the Internet...

[scatteredlogic]

I was talking to whitemunin earlier this morning and remembered that I'd written this ages ago, but never posted it. It came about during the last round of the exchange when I was getting burnt out to the point of being crispy around the edges, and I wanted something to read that wasn't HP-related, so I poked around a bit in the PotC fandom. I found some

Comments

[a_bees_buzz]

I'm so naive! I had no idea there were mockery communities. Please don't tell me where they are, I'd rather not know. *shudders*

[scatteredlogic]

You are better off not knowing, that's for certain. ;)

[scatteredlogic]

Oooh, #11 is perfect, and it's so very true. I'm not sure that everything is always expressed in the nicest terms possible, but I agree that it's best to take it that way. ;)

I would also add via #3, just because you have published something does NOT give you the right to be the final authority on everyone else's writing. All these poor young (often 15 years old at most) writers being told by reviewers in their fandoms, "Well, I am a published author, and if you EVER submitted something like that to MY publisher, YOU would be laughed out of the industry...." makes me want to bang my head against the internet tubes.

Oh, good lord, yes. Considering some of the crap I've seen published, using that as some sort of final authority just doesn't cut it. ~shakes head~ And considering how twattish some published authors can be/have been, is it even possible to be laughed out of the industry. I don't think so. ;P

[dream_labyrinth]

*LOL*
Seconded.
When I was looking for a career, I was also looking into publishing and decided not to because a Nora Robets or Rosamunde Pilcher would never have made it past my desk to a printing press, so I would have been extremely badly suited to work in a business that makes money from crap.
If a published author tells a writer that their stories would never make it, the immediate reaction should be "thank goodness, considering the stuff your publisher does accept" - though this comes perilously close to personal insults...

[scatteredlogic]

If a published author tells a writer that their stories would never make it, the immediate reaction should be "thank goodness, considering the stuff your publisher does accept" - though this comes perilously close to personal insults...

~falls over laughing~ Oh, that's priceless. I'll have to remember that one. It does come close to a personal insult, but, ~points to #9~ sometimes you just have to do it. ;)

[dmacabre]

*laughs at #3* Very true. I've seen professional authors go off on readers before and while it was probably cathartic, I don't think it did them any favors in the long run. Not only do they risk alienating fans, but they also acquire a reputation as someone who can't respond civilly to criticism. Editors would probably be warier of them in the future, too.

[scatteredlogic]

Not only do they risk alienating fans, but they also acquire a reputation as someone who can't respond civilly to criticism. Editors would probably be warier of them in the future, too.

You'd think so, but from seeing how some of them throw themselves on the internet floor, kicking and screaming, it doesn't seem to matter. ~shrug~

[dmacabre]

The one I saw would probably say she doesn't care and good riddance. It's not that I doubt her sincerity (at least at the time)... but it still isn't a big career boost. In a field where it's already hard enough to make a decent living, very few writers can afford to drive people away via their spittle-flecked rage.

But as you said, it doesn't seem to stop everyone from doing it anyway!

[scatteredlogic]

In a field where it's already hard enough to make a decent living, very few writers can afford to drive people away via their spittle-flecked rage.

~nods~ It's like they're saying they're too rich to need another dollar. Maybe they are, but damn, it seems like a waste to me. ;P

[shiv5468]

Do they?

So submitting under another name is a good idea then.

[shiv5468]

Heee

Mind you I havne't caused much aggravation recently, and most of the blog is flocked these days.

[scatteredlogic]

Hee! The net is the new reality tv. ~snicker~