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Why does it seem like authors hate each other so much?
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I"m a member of several groups that write about writing. They're almost totally supporting of other writers. Granted, they don't always write about writing...sometimes it's publishing or marketing or the state of publishing in general...but they don't slam others. They'll help you if you let them.
I published some of my earliest stuff in serial form on Beyond the Far Horizon. Gina Marie Wylie runs the site, she was helpful to me when I needed guidance regarding formatting. But once I got the MS ready to publish on her site, I had few problems publishing it to other outlets, the commercial ones.
I personally blog about writing, about the personal journey I've undertaken. I include tips as well as my results from attempts to make the books better. No condescension; it's there for anyone to see, and most entries aren't about promoting my own books. http://jacklknapp.com
I also edit a friend's new books at no charge. Why? I admire his writing.
I must respect the opinion of other posters regarding this, but my experiences interacting with other writers have been very good.
When I joined the professional writing community in Houston, I was surprised and amazed at how supportive a group it is. I am continually grateful for my critique group of awesome writers, and the other writer's groups I'm part of. I'm also learning what a supportive community the national gang of writers can be.
Vidal and his drollery, you certainly pegged him right. Voltaire said, "The only reward to be expected from the cultivation of literature is contempt if one fails and hatred if one succeeds."Ron Reis
I hang out with a lot of writers published, unpubbed and indie. It could be that all of these people are Christians and that is why I've never experienced any negative behavior. Not at we're all saints but we do get along and try to help each other as much as we can. Even when it comes to promoting books often there is a willingness to share on twitter and facebook about another's book. If you have run into a group of rotten apples, get out. Find another place to hang out. Someone above said it well, writers are people and sometimes there is an unhappy writer making others miserable.
Diana wrote: "I hang out with a lot of writers published, unpubbed and indie. It could be that all of these people are Christians and that is why I've never experienced any negative behavior. Not at we're all sa..."Exactly! Thank you for saying it, Diana.
You're welcome, Sharon.
I've met people that are cold or arrogant but I don't mind them. As someone said in a previous post, writers are people too. Luckily most of the writers I've met are nice and supportive, willing to lend a hand and help. We actually do promotions and stuff for one another so the competitive instinct gets totally ignored.
I'm probably not the best example and I certainly don't speak for all writers. From the comments above it seems there is a 50-50 chance of getting a positive experience with a fellow writer. In my experience, it's been closer to 20-80. That's just my say on it (I'm one of the nice self-published ones... honest).
Personally, I'm always open to anyone that needs advice on writing. I always try to be helpful and offer an honest opinion.
The point I was trying to make is that someone will always try and tear your work apart. It doesn't matter whether they are a fellow author or not. It happens everywhere. As a writer, you really need to be thick-skinned (just as in any art).
If you write to please other people then you will always feel unfulfilled when the negative reviews appear. When I say I write for myself, it's not because I don't care about the reader, it's because I want the reader to see who I am and what I see.
When it comes to feedback, I just think it's important to listen to those that know you over those that don't. That's not a rule, it just works for me.