A couple of weeks ago I wrote about why it’s important not to be an asshole. And because sometimes the Universe provides its own object lessons, here’s another really good reason not to be an asshole, especially if you’re a writer: because the Writing Pond is really really small, and if you swim like an asshole, the Internet Will Ridicule You.
You can bet dollars to donuts that this person’s name is spreading among agents and editors faster than grease on a griddle (golly, I seem to find myself in a Southern mood today). If this person ever gets published, it’ll be a miracle. It really does matter how you behave, you know? People talk about it.
There is absolutely no percentage in behaving like this person did. Professional rejection happens all the time. Agents say no. Fiction editors and Hollywood script readers dismiss your months or years of work with no more than It’s not really right for us (if they’re having a polite day). If you do get published, critics and amazon reviewers and random bloggers say mean stuff about your writing and sometimes about you. It’s no fucking fun, precious, and we doesn’t like it, no. But if we’re smart, we never never never presses the send key on those special emails….
But we writes them, we writes many of them. And sometimes we makes little tiny dolls with publishers names on their forehead and stabs them in the eyeses and bakes them in the oven…
nah. it happens at least one a month — you read the first sentence and then you file it, in case they write back again (you’d be surprised at how many do!) but it’s so common that it’s not worth sharing around.
Yeesh. Well, I’m sorry to hear that. It makes me understand better why so many people in publishing want nothing more than to make sure the writers never get near the process or any of the important people…
And the idea that people write back just makes me shake my head in wonder. Do they think you won’t remember? Or do they really believe that Their Amazing Talent Will Overcome All?
And isn’t is funny how many people still think that amazing jaw-dropping talent is the most important thing an editor or agent is looking for? No disrespect intended — I know agents and editors would rather represent talented work. But talent doesn’t necessarily pay the bills.