Reducing Drama

As a writer,
I’m surrounded by people
who love creating drama.
It’s what we do for a living.

Drama is often good
for getting publicity
but it can be detrimental
for getting things done
and it can be extremely distracting,
especially in the workplace.

My tactics for reducing drama
include

– Being as open and as transparent
as possible.
When I hear a rumor,
I address it.
Often I’ll do this indirectly.
For example,
if I hear that a writer
thinks I’ve stolen her plot,
I’ll write a detailed blog post
about how I crafted my plot.

– Not naming names.
I won’t mention the originator
of the drama
because if I do,
she’ll be forced to go
on the defensive.
She’ll post a counter argument
and the drama will continue.
Also I don’t want
anyone attacking this person.
That, again, feeds the drama.

– I don’t contact the drama starter directly.
She clearly likes drama
and will twist any conversation
into more drama.
Any private conversations will be shared
and manipulated to create more issues.

– Once I’ve addressed the drama,
I don’t address it again.
I focus on the next issue,
the next task I have to do.
If anyone talks directly to me about it,
I simply link to where I addressed it.

-Act professionally.
Professional people are boring.
They aren’t great participants
in drama.
And there are plenty of people
who aren’t professional
for the drama creators to focus on.

The good news is,
if you are open, honest,
act professionally,
drama should pass.

Don’t feed the drama
and don’t let it engulf
your business.