Burning Bridges: Sometimes You Should Just Keep Your Mouth Shut!

I hate to admit it, but I've always been one of those people. You know, the ones that have trouble keeping their yaps shut. My favorite saying is, "If you don't have anything nice to say, come to sit next to me." Unfortunately, this has gotten me into trouble from time to time. My foot lives in my mouth. Sometimes I even put salt on it to help it taste better.

Yep, it's that bad.

However, even I know that when it comes to writing, it's never a good idea to lose control of the yap. Especially when it comes to rejection or a bad review.

If you haven't read the post by Ernie from yesterday, check it out. That was my inspiration for today.  The author's behavior in the post Ernie directed us to blew my mind! Basically, an author sent her novel to be reviewed by someone who has their on online review site. The reviewer liked the story but hated all the typos and grammatical errors in it, and of course, commented on that. The author blew a gasket and accused the reviewer of being a liar. All sorts of other craziness ensued.

It was like reading a soap opera written just for bloggers.

The thing is, the author said a lot of things which will probably come back to haunt her later. I know that if I were an agent or publisher, I'd have to think twice about working with this individual. Reviewing her work on my blog site would be out of the question...unless, I needed a good laugh.

The internet is not a chalkboard where things can be easily erased. What you say online lives on and on and on. Authors, think before you spew words you can't take back. Sure, there are injustices in the writing world, but handle them privately, and even then with care. 

Don't burn bridges because you can't handle rejection or criticism. Take it with a grain of salt, and if you must, come sit next to me. Or find someone you can vent to who won't betray your secrets!

Curious about what went down? Check out the previous post.

Here's to keeping your mouth shut!