Don't read the comments

I’m still taking a break from writing, so while there’s no progress update for this month, I did have some notes on writing related activities.

The first is that in a few weeks my publisher will be attending a large conference on writing and small press publishing. They’ll have a table with display copies and information about their catalog. Where I come into the picture is that on the first night they are hosting a gathering for all of their authors at a brewery next to the conference venue. While I’ve had two books with them, the last one was in 2024, so it’s been a while and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous about the gathering. The first reason is that I feel myself getting pulled down the path of comparing myself to other authors from the press and worrying that my sales or impact isn’t as big. I know that I would be ecstatic to talk to anyone who showed even a passing interest in my books, but for some reason I’m worried that I’ll be wasting other people’s time talking to them because I’m “small potatoes.” Second, the press is known for literary fiction and memoirs, not genre fiction. I’m an outlier with my fantasy stories about wizards making questionable choices and pursuing personal quests, so I also worry that other authors will think that I don’t write “serious” books. I think those are concerns for any genre writer, and I can ignore them most of the time. Maybe I’m stressing out over nothing and it will be a fun time. We will see.

I don’t have any social media and rarely read reviews for my books, but I experienced something that intersects both of those recently. A “Short” on YouTube was recently posted with a quote I had about AI in creative writing (I am firmly against it). What surprised me were the half-dozen comments with the clip, which was a big change from the zero that my author interviews typically have associated with them. Curiosity got the better of me and I made the mistake of reading the comments. I found quotes taken out of context, blanket dismissals of my views, and misinterpretations of what I said. Not surprisingly, I was bummed out by the response because no one who commented seemed to get what I was trying to say. I don’t know if that was because they have a stake in using AI in creative work, didn’t bother to watch the entire author interview to get the full picture, or were just grouchy that day. In any event, it reaffirmed my decision to not have a comments section here on my website and was a strong reminder to stay out of the comment sections for anything online that discusses my published work. They are not for me, and I need to remind myself of that fact.

On a more positive note (and unrelated to writing), I finished Megaman Legends and moved on to The Legend of Dragoon. I know that traditional JRPGs from the 90s aren’t in style anymore, but they are the type of game I grew up with and love, so it’s been a treat to play this one. I didn’t get around to trying it in the PS1 heyday, but it’s been really fun. Being four CDs in length, I think it will take me a while to finish it, but I’m in no hurry. I’ve also picked up a couple indie author books that I’m excited to try. If I like the story I’ll mention them in the next update.

Thanks for stopping by.