There are only a few kinds of opinions, related to my work, that I take seriously.
Commentary from trolls does not make the list.
Sure, I’ve been doing this for a long time. You learn to build up a forcefield of sorts. All the weird things people say to/about you on the internet sometimes still sting, but they mostly just bounce off.
If I really cared about what people (mostly men) said to me on Twitter after one of my articles shoots above 1M pageviews, I’d have quit my job a long time ago.
There’s one thing that bugs me about people who tweet me links to my articles with their unsolicited opinions/criticisms attached.
They never make sense.
I’d think, if you were specifically seeking out a WRITER to attack, insult, or accuse them of saying or doing something you do not agree with, you’d at least try to publish a coherent thought. I mean, are you aware that bad grammar and poorly structured “arguments” automatically make most writers ignore you?
Isn’t the whole point of trolling to get attention? You’re not getting any of that if we can’t read or comprehend what you’re trying to get at.
Listen. I know these digital personas don’t matter. I take no offense reading their words. But they already put in the effort to find me and tweet at me. Sometimes I wonder why they don’t go another step further and put some effort into writing something that’s actually legible, entertaining, worth responding to sarcastically, or all of the above.
Wishful thinking, for sure. But … come on.
If you really want to do your job right, at least give me a reason to consider caring about your opinion of me or my work. Make a good argument, for once. Give me evidence that you’re right and I’m not. Make your mentions worth a few taps. Just one time.
Oh, you can’t do that? You’re aware you’re just tweeting into the void, and don’t actually want me to respond or react to you?
I don’t get it.
Sorry.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
Meg Dowell Writes 
Don’t give them any ideas :P
I highly doubt they’ll actually read past the headline. :P
True.
This post made me laugh. It’s really funny how some try to tear others down, and fail so miserably because their remarks lack any coherence or merit. The very fact that their responses are so poorly worded only serves to further undermine the idea that they know anything about good writing, and further highlight the quality of the author’s work through contrast.
Haha I’m glad I could make you laugh.
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this thought-provoking post from the Novelty Revisions blog on those that attack writers online and their writing abilities.
Reblogged this on Anna Dobritt — Author.
Perhaps you’ll up their game