Indelibly "Inked"

The title of this post is the same as a quote in my book. It is my own quote, by the way. It is the idea of making your mark on somebody, good and bad.
For those of you who follow my blog, you are on my journey with me. Thanks for tagging along. Those of you who have decided to call me names, you can kiss my big, fat, stretched marked *ss! Oooh, see I am not so nice that I feel the need to take any of your "anonymous" crap.
So here is what happened: Here I was, blissfully unaware of any toe stomping I have done with my writing, when along comes an anonymous, who decided that I was unworthy of being treated like a human being. The tenor of the email was vicious. Anonymous called me a "stupid bitch", "liberal pig", and other such lovely things. It railed on and on about how I not worth the air I breathe.
Usually, I don't care about what others think to any real degree, because it is a slippery slope. If you believe the compliments all the time, when the criticisms come, and they always do, you end up ingesting those too. For me it is better to listen to the people who actually know me, weigh out what they think, and take it from there.
I write to the best of my ability. I really don't need a page by page list of all the errors in my book. I know there are those of you who think you are helping in some weird way, as if I can pull all the books off their shelves, off the net and fire my editor, but in reality, it is useless. My editor, Emily, was brilliant in helping me get the book out. I had a deadline, as did she. I had a word count to take in consideration. After seeing the words for so long, you go blind to some of the mistakes. Much like a conversation, errors happen.
It is said you can't judge a book by it's cover, but mine I think you probably can. I designed that too, so if it offends you, tough! There is not one thing I would change about my book, because I can't. It is done. It is out there. That is the thing about finishing a project; you have to live with the results. My only hope now is to become a better writer than I was when I put my first book out. I keep writing trying to hone my skills.
The truth about some "constructive criticism" is unless you are an editor, literary agent, writer or book critic, what exactly are you bringing to the table? Is what you write to me, really something you would find worthy of putting a stamp on and mailing? Are you really angry with me or are you just a little sad, pathetic and in need of venting? Which if you qualify it first, I will be more than happy to listen to your problem and give my best shot at helping you find a resolution. BUT, if you think it is acceptable to insult somebody just because you can do it without attaching a name or face, then it is best if you keep your "comments" to yourself. They are from an unreliable, incredible source.
I was hurt at first, then angry and then just sad. I went through my Kubler-Ross stages of grief. I took the time to weigh out any merit of what was said. But the thing is it didn't come from a human, it came from a ranting keyboard run amok.
I have been told after some have read my book, they should write a book. The inference was if I could do it, then anybody could. Here is the good news on that front; you are right, all of you who think you can do it better. Please, by all means, write the book, do it so it's better, tell me about it, and I will buy it, and read it. You are not my competition, and I am not yours. I am only competing with myself. The only books that matter to me, as far as mistakes, content and critique, are my own. I read for the enjoyment of it, not so I can rip it to shreds. Every book has mistakes. Having been written by a mere mortal, there will always be areas that could use improvement.
Snookie wrote a book, only a year after she read her first book. She is now on the New York Times best seller list at #27. What this tells me is, yes, anybody can write a book. She is living proof that it doesn't take a savant to produce a work in writing. I am neither encouraged nor discouraged from that revelation. It, in fact, has nothing to do with me. In a given year, thousands of books will get published and printed. Some will be good, some great, some will be crap, according to the opinion of which reader is involved with it, at the time. My favorite author put out a book I read on vacation. I didn't care for it at all. I was disappointed that I didn't like it, but I didn't write him, calling him names, refusing to read his future work. He tried something different and I didn't like it, no harm, no foul. When he puts out his next book I will be the first in line to see what it is.
I was having a bit of writers block. My family's schedule and living arrangements have changed, throwing me off. I sat down to write and nothing showed up. It happens, this lack of creativity for my own process. What I decided to do instead was focus on something else. I got 3 very smart men together so they could produce a column. OMG what if their column takes off and mine doesn't? Won't I be pissed that I did this to myself? NO! That is the thing; their success is born of my idea, so I am part of it. It isn't about credit or pay, it's about creation. I got to collaborate with a friend in order to produce what I am sure will be a very good column and hopefully, full media concept. I didn't waste my time feeling sorry for myself, being stuck and trapped in my own head.
So, I am indelibly "inked" to my 3 guys. The hater is indelibly "inked" to me as a mean spirited fool. Make your mark in the world. It is your right, your chance, your self created opportunity. But if you want to do it by sending it to me, play nice or be blocked!
(In case anyone finds mistakes here: I only proof read these blogs twice and then move on, lest I be stuck here all day making corrections.)