Defusing Tense Situations

Yesterday, a writer had a mental meltdown
and posted a rant,
telling her readers they were idiots.

Some writers gleefully pounced
on this rant,
spreading the post
throughout Romanceland,
making a bad situation
even worse.

Readers became very upset
(often associating
the writer spreading the gossip
with the rant).
Upset people don’t buy books.

I posted a parody of the rant
(not referencing the original).
Readers who hadn’t read the original rant
thought it was amusing.
Readers who HAD read the original rant
thought it was hilarious.
My readers returned to their happy states,
buying and reading books.

YOU have the ability
to escalate
or
to defuse
a tense situation.

Make this a conscious choice.
Think before you act.