Literary World + Social Media = High School?!

So I hear tell that there's some drama going on in the literary world. I don't know exact specifics because I refuse to be pulled into high school bullshit. I'm too old for that crap, and it's not like I participated in it when I was in high school.

Anyway, I've heard and felt that it can be very cliquish within certain groups. I still feel like an outsider sometimes because often other authors don't make newcomers feel welcome. I've been told by readers that authors of one genre will try to sabotage authors from another, simply because the genre is becoming too popular for their tastes. Or they're trying to sabotage an author because they're getting some recognition from several readers. I've heard that they send in their cronies or loyal readers to write awful and/or unfair reviews just to lower their ratings. And I have a sneaking suspicion that it's happened to me as well, but I have no proof. Maybe this is all hearsay, but I don't think so. If not...

NEWSFLASH: If someone's work is good, no amount of sabotaging is going to work. And now you've just gone and pissed off Karma and have a shitstorm of bad luck heading your way. Way to go! How about instead of trying to ruin someone's career that they've worked just as hard as you have for yours. You could spend more time working on improving your writing and promoting so that you don't have time to worry about what other authors are doing.

I made this one up myself. ;)

There are millions of readers and they read hundreds of books. So there is definitely plenty for all of us. Sometimes the sun will rise on your time, and you have to enjoy it while it's there. Other times, the sun will set on you and rise for someone else. We can all share the sunshine.

Fast Love or Slow Burn?

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but after seeing a particular critique that I have gotten quite a few times from readers. I felt it was time to clarify.

Often times I get reviews where readers don't like how quickly my main characters fell in love. They wished that it took longer for the couple to fall in love. Well, when you get a Twyla Turner novel, just know that more than likely, the couple will fall fast. Why?

1. It's FICTION. This is not a memoir. It's not an autobiography. It's a made up story in my mind. It's make believe. It's an interpretation of real life. Not the real thing. Though I'm really grateful that you felt so connected to the characters that they felt real.

2. More than likely I will never write an epic novel that's 1,000 pages long or even close to it. I love reading full-length novels, where you really get to know the characters. But epic, long-winded novels where you know every single thought of the character, from sunup to sundown, is not my style. I'm not a fan of reading it, so I'm not a fan of writing it. I don't want a long narrative, where my character is at war with her/his feelings for so long that my readers say, "Would they hurry up and admit they're in love, already?!" I will not write a whole lot of useless neurotic tangents to add to my word count. If the storyline that I'm writing calls for twisting and winding prose that adds up to 1,000 pages, then so be it. But in my opinion, I'd rather have readers say, "I wish the book was longer." Versus, "Wow, she just rambled on and on about nothing."


3. Great for long-running TV shows that make you tune in week after week. Not good for books. Especially when the reader is up at 2am on a weeknight, reading one more chapter because maybe it'll finally be the chapter they profess their love to each other.

So those are my thoughts on the subject. Hopefully, it cleared up any confusion.

'Til next time...