Thinky Thoughts by S.C. Wynne

Good morning!

I’m signed up to go as a featured author to GRL 2018. It took some convincing from my friends to go ahead and take the leap. I’m a pretty shy person at heart so the idea of being ‘on’ for that many days is daunting. I know many authors are introverted and maybe that’s why we’re drawn to a business where we spend a lot of time alone with our pretend characters. (Of course, they’re very real to us lol)

I’ve been writing five years in the mm romance genre, and over the years things have changed so much. Social media has exploded and that’s a good and bad thing. It’s wonderful that readers can reach out to authors more easily and tell us when one of our stories connects with them. But it’s also a platform where mean spirited people can reach out and express how a story didn’t please them. While I understand all my books won’t resonate with everyone, it’s a strange thing when people go out of their way to express how much they hate a story you wrote. I guess I’ve always been more of the mind that if I can’t say something nice…

Not that I’ve never written a mean review for movies or maybe a face cream. But I do not review books I don’t like in my genre. Ever. Let me be clear, I’m not talking about readers who write reviews or review blogs. I’m talking about authors reviewing other authors. (Yes, some will say I’m an author but also a reader. Yep. But maybe use a different name to write your negative reviews?) I think that authors who do review their peers negatively are making an interesting career choice. I don’t think I’m alone in the fact that any mean review from a peer or “friend” will never be forgotten. I couldn’t forget if I tried. I’m of the belief that if I’m your friend, or a professional peer, I will never publicly tear you down for what you create. Creativity is personal. Fragile.

I prefer to build up my peers. I like to encourage, not discourage. Just because I don’t love something doesn’t mean others can’t, or that it isn’t good. My opinion isn’t the end all. Frankly, no one’s is.

I suppose going to GRL makes me think of all of this because that’s a conference where authors meet readers face to face. We meet other authors face to face. Since this is my first GRL, I’m obviously anxious about a lot of things that are out of my control; will people like me? Will people even know who I am? Will I be pretty enough? Smart enough? Entertaining enough? Good enough?

I’m probably not alone in my anxiety. I’m sure there are lots of other reclusive author types who are also feeling uneasy about their first GRL. But I’m not five. I’m old enough to take on this new challenge, and I have a feeling I’m going to love it. I’m already looking forward to meeting so many online friends.

Hopefully I’ll see you in October at GRL!

S.C.