Every second of every minute of every day, someone some where is getting fooled into reading something they either don’t want to read or having an emotional reaction they didn’t count on. Why? Because inducing rage to encourage web activity is an intentional tactic.

Let me word this another way, because it’s very, very important.

On the web, people will continue to be bullies because they are rewarded for being a jerk.

It’s not the quality of the comments many website owners care about, it’s the volume. This has nothing to do with having an honest opinion, this is a marketing tactic loosely inspired by one to boost visibility.

Having said that, I continue to see well-known people, friends, associates, etc. get suckered into this every. darn. day. It’s a site that is geared toward college students. It’s a jealous person-of-note making their opinion known. It’s a fan who doesn’t like this other thing over here. It’s commentary on someone else’s work, genre, or hobby. It’s a politician, or a pundit, or whomever…

And it frightens me, because what we’re doing, is allowing a culture of bullies to flourish and they’re also taking that enhanced behavior offline. We’re saying this sort of thing is okay, because we’re focusing on what they’re saying and not why they’re doing it. It’s not just about the words, anymore. It’s gone well beyond that. It’s about supporting the unrealistic mantra that: “Hey, guess the only way I can get what I want is to either work my ass off or be an asshole. Since it’s easier to be a jerk than to provide something of value, I guess I’ll do that.” And it works, because people are getting more and more desperate to stand out and be somebody. Ever wonder why you get smacked with the Curse of Well, ACTUALLY? Same sort of thing. People want and need validation and, in a world where money is a real reward for crappy behavior, this is one very real way to get it.

This is, what I call, the Invisible Man Technique because the internet is often thought of as a buffer to real life consequences because you can’t see the person on the other end of the line. (That isn’t always the case, however.) Some people participate online by doing this intentionally. Lately, though, I’m seeing others who normally aren’t mean, take up the Invisible Man technique because they’re also finding that it works.

No wonder this type of behavior is bringing out the darker side of human society. Did racism already exist? Yes. Sexism? Yes. Gender bias? Yes. We’re being bullied into allowing outdated paradigms to surge because there is a financial reward for doing it. Sometimes, we become the bullies ourselves, by having ridiculous and negative commentary about the bullies, or by fabricating a conspiracy when there isn’t one, just to get attention.

Will this marketing tactic last forever?

Yes and no. The internet will split into multiple internets some day. The law is starting to catch up, too. Eventually, communities will be fractured even further and return to their little silos. The faster we communicate with one another, the more “white noise” we see and hear, which is akin to having no communication. New technology will eventually isolate us from one another, even moreso than it is now, because there’s too much communication to parse out in our fields of vision.

As a marketer and analyst, I know what the tricks and business concerns are, believe me. But, this is my choice: I will not, and cannot, actively induce negativity for the sake of my future success. This will make it harder on myself I know, but I just can’t knowingly be a bully or be bothered to comment on them. If that means that I have to work twice, thrice, or four times as hard as everyone else — then so be it. Luckily, I work with other people who feel the exact same way I do.

Mood: Eyebrow is raised!
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Um… *looks away*
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Housework and a walk
Yesterday’s Projects: The Day JobTM
In My Ears: Llove by Kaskade – Fire and Ice
Game Last Played: Battle Nations (I HAZ A BATTLE RAPTOR ZOMG!)
Movie Last Viewed: Ella Enchanted
Book Last Read: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebooks
Latest Artistic Project: Cross-stitch
Latest Release: Redwing’s Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG

There are many different types of journeys in a game, but probably the most recognizable is the type of path that allows the group to go forth and do. Either they must piece together a mystery and go after the bad guy or they are on a collective quest to find the magic MacGuffin. It’s the actions that transform their character through experience points as opposed to internal conflict. They simply “level up.”

Leveling occurs along the journey and opponents become tougher and magical items more powerful. The cleric becomes more cleric-y, the wizard, wiser in the ways of magic, the rogue more stealthy, etc. Often, characters begin with the aptitudes for whatever role they want to play. But what of the supernatural creatures? The werewolf before he was bitten. The vampire when she was a mortal. The zombie prior to its inevitable search for braaaaaiiiinnnnsssss?

An article I read recently talks about this phenomena and, in my humble opinion, the title is fantastic. Do it Live! discusses ways to play through that transformative process and points to Scenes of the Embrace. My work was not the first product to be released for Vampire: the Requiem in this format. Scenes of Frenzy by Will Hindmarch was the first!

I really liked the fact that the writer talked about multiple types of characters, including superheroes, too. I feel the concept is a strong one and one that is definitely powerful because the quest is character-centric. The only challenge, as the writer aptly points out, is making sure that the other players have something to do in the story. After all, that puts the emphasis on “a” character at the table if not handled correctly. Still, why not play through tragic fall of an innocent mortal-turned-supervillain or a non-believer-turned-cultist?

One such experience I’ve had with this phenomenon is through the game All Flesh Must Be Eaten. In it, you can craft or play in any world you like, but you usually start out as a mortal fighting zombies! The game doesn’t end when you get bit, however, for you’ll find yourself on the other side of the fence. You get to play as a zombie. In that scenario, the process isn’t as extended as it might be from mild-mannered librarian turned SOOPER EBIL, but it’s still there and makes the game more powerful. You don’t die, after all, you become UNDEAD.

This topic of conversation reminds me of some games we playtested with the extraordinary Jason L Blair. His ideas on roles at the table are some of the best I’ve seen and experienced in a game. I can only hope to see more form him on that, because that concept is so strong it would make these explorations a lot of fun.

Mood: UN-sinkable
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Um… *looks away*
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Housework and a walk
Yesterday’s Projects: The Day JobTM
In My Ears: Dance for Life by Drew Seeley and Adam Hicks
Game Last Played: Battle Nations (I HAZ A BATTLE RAPTOR ZOMG!)
Movie Last Viewed: Ella Enchanted
Book Last Read: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebooks
Latest Artistic Project: Cross-stitch
Latest Release: Redwing’s Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG

I’m wrapping the tail end up of a very dark period for my work. The subject matter – death – combined with news all around me and some really stupid b.s. forced me to question what I was doing. Was it work-related? Absolutely not. John, Phil, Steve (Jackson) and Company have treated me like gold. No, it was writing-related in that everyone around me started freaking out about “the lists.” Where did their book place? How many reviews did they get? Who’s selling better than they are? How many visits do they get? Who follows them back? Can they get a blurb from so-and-so?

I know this mood began in October because that’s when I mentally put myself in a deep place for a story I enjoyed writing, but didn’t want to write. It was painfully honest in a way that is so, so, so hard for me in my work. I normally leave the philosophy to the Kurt Vonneguts of the world, but down that rabbit hole I went for the sake of a story that made me cry.

It didn’t end there, however, because to get into this character’s head I had to think about my own mortality and what it meant. Add additional stories with death as a theme on top of that, and it nearly dampened my defiant spirit. As an artist, it simply means, I want my work to live on, to be enjoyed by others. But will it? Ah, that’s where my own lists came into play. Am I popular enough? Have I written enough? Am I accepted by my peers? And so on, and so forth, etc. Remember, I’ve been in marketing for many years, so I see past the b.s. I don’t call people on it, because to each his (or her) own, but running around worrying about all these things you can’t control is not only incredibly counterproductive, it’s damaging to one’s psyche.

This damage is what leads me to write this post today.

The publishing industry is in flux. It has always been ever-changing, unpredictable, and based on personal preference with a fair amount of relationship-building. There are cliques, yes, but there are also groups fans generate to support authors all by themselves. This is not the work portion of the publishing industry, this is the people segment. This is where these lists come from, because it’s no longer about writing a wonderful tale, it’s about what happens after-the-fact. The “list” is an author’s way of validating his or her work. It’s extrinsic rewards versus intrinsic and, to be brutal and blunt, this happens to every author because there will always be one more item on “the list” to measure ourselves by.

With me so far?

Hrmm… So what can we cross off our proverbial lists? We can nurture career opportunities and allow them to flourish, provided we err on the side of opportunistic and not ostrich, but you have to be on the lookout and know how to work with other people and not be an antagonistic jerk. (Although, I’m pretty sure the trolls I’ve come across probably wouldn’t remember me, because they’ve somehow taken it upon themselves to validate their work by putting other people down. Yes, there is a subset of jerks out there. And they can kiss my *ss. It’s hard enough being an author; there is no excuse for being a bully.)

Can you guess what happens when the extrinsic rewards we seek do not meet or beat the intrinsic love and value we place on what we do? That, right there, is when the work is not enough. It happens to EVERYBODY.

Regardless of opportunity, though, there still needs to be a “Yes, I believe in your work.” on the other end of the line. Please, take the spirit of these points and don’t min-max the specific words used. There is ALWAYS an exception to every rule, but my point still stands. We can set the groundwork for success, but there are no guarantees.

With that very long-winded caveat, here are many things that are not within an author’s control.

• What most (not all) online and offline retailers like Amazon do to sell your books.
• The internet. SERIOUSLY.
• How many reviews you get.
• How much PR you’ll have.
• How many readers show up to your readings/signings.
• What the reviews state.
• How others are influenced by reviews.
• How well your book will sell.
• Finding an agent (or a good one) that wants to represent you.
• Getting paid what you’re worth.
• If you’ll get optioned or not.
• If, when your story has been optioned for a TV show/movie, that it ever gets made.
• What other authors think of you (or your stories).
• Getting paid on time. (Or at all.)
• Piracy.
• Your competition. (If that even exists.)
• How many books you have to write before you can earn a living.
• What the next big “hit” will be.

So what is an author to do?

Take charge of the only thing we can control as creatives: the work itself. Leave the effing lists behind and let someone else worry about that. The more time we waste fretting about what someone will (or won’t) do, the less time we have to create.

Mood: fiery
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Not done yet.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: a walk
Yesterday’s Projects: Game, Editing, Fiction
In My Ears: Challenging the Empire from Final Fantasy VII
Game Last Played: Battle Nations (I HAZ A BATTLE RAPTOR ZOMG!)
Movie Last Viewed: Thor
Book Last Read: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebooks
Latest Artistic Project: Cross-stitch
Latest Release: Redwing’s Gambit for Bulldogs! the RPG