I read the article yesterday. I got to the part where it becomes 'author stalks blogger' and thought 'Whoa, Nelly! That's no way for a reasonable person to behave!'
But to be fair, the writing was on the wall (sorry) early on. She was clearly obsessive about her 'baby' in the first place (scribbling notes in the margin when presented with the print copy, as though she'd never seen the proofs and/or drafted, re-drafted, then handed it off to an editor).
It's why reviews should be ignored, and also why I'd resist (and have resisted) the 'suggestion'* to build a social media profile - especially if all it really amounts to is the author always having to play nice (you can't even ignore all the ass-hats, lest you get accused of responding only to positive/glowing comments; instead, it's on with the Prozac smile and inanities like 'Good point. Something to consider for next time. Thanks for reading' rather than something rather more earthy and honest. I've used all those btw, on the online writers' group I used to be part of. What I really meant 90% of the time was 'Screw you, Jack'...but as I say, if you don't respond at all, you're aloof/only interested in nice comments and gathering lackies, and so on).
Basically, if readers feel a burning need to 'reach out' to me personally, they can do it the old-fashioned way - by letter - or by rocking up to a signing/reading (should I ever get to that point). If, as is likely, they just want to gob off (maybe to get a rise out of me that they can twist or otherwise use against me)...well, they have their platform(s) upon which to validate their existences (if only to themselves), while for me ignorance would be bliss.
(Of course, if I got big big, I might have a website with a message board. I wouldn't go on it, naturally, and I'd have to remind myself not to peek, particularly at certain sections. But...)
* It's actually more like an order. 'But what about Twitter?', they may say.
My response to that is akin to that of The Hound in Game of Thrones: where he says "**** the king", I say "**** Twitter".
Nice if it was as easy as saying 'no'. I don't know any writer currently under contract (and keep in mind, those I know personally are small potatoes writers--who knows about the big guys) who isn't obligated under contract to interact via social media. Twitter, FB, Goodreads (this is my "**** the king"--I hate it) are a given, and most want Instagram, Pnterest, and a F***ing Blog (that's my official title for that part of social media; it deserves capitalization ;D), too. I'm terrible at it, despite constant hounding by the PR dept. I love to talk to people; I hate banging on for sales. Simple as that. This is my 'hideout' site--if Tracy (PR) knew I had this account, she'd be on here pushing or constantly bugging me about it (lol).
Actually, I take back what I said about the 'bigs', too. Mr. King's entrance on Twitter, while nice, was likely due to pressure from marketing (I'm assuming, Ms Mod--don't kill me if I'm wrong), and he's pretty much as big as they come.
ANHWHO... to get back on track, writers who read reviews need to do so with caution. There are good things you can take away from a 'bad' review, but when you can see it's more snark than constructive criticism, there's no shame in ignoring it. Those types of reviews are usually pretty easy to spot from the first sentences. This particular writer is unhinged and obsessed with her own creation, and I sort of get it. I jumped right into revisions of my first book (no lag time at all), and during a stressful time in my life. I fought the editor over every edit: "I had a plan! Every word needs to be just where I put it! YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IT (great predictor of bad writing--lol)." We fought until she handed it off to another editor. This go round, I was more emotionally stable and had distance, and the edits went great. There were still a few things I balked at, and I got my way. Looking back at the book now, the editor was right on all but two points, and those were the ones I didn't get all defensive about--no was no, and I was serene. This writer needs to find that objectivity about her work, or she'll burn out quickly.
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This is why I am so shy on the internet. I don't facebook, don't tweet, don't join message boards with my real name, etc. People are just so dang screwy, and this current "instant access" world we live in just makes it easier for them to spew crazy on everyone else.
