I was participating in some character play
(when a writer pretends she’s a character)
on an online group.
I was having a great time.
Readers were having a great time.
Then a writer came on
and droned on and on
about how he hated that type of character.
Yes, he was being an a$$hat
but he was an a$$hat with a purpose.
He saw me as competition
and tried to shut me down.
And he was almost successful.
After his rant,
I considered stopping.
I certainly didn’t enjoy the event as much.
I found myself thinking about his reaction
before posting.
I was editing myself.
But I didn’t stop
because I knew that’s what he wanted.
There’s someone like him
at every event,
someone who is unhappy
when other people are successful
and happy.
You’ll face someone like him too.
Don’t let him/her shut you down.