“You know, I forget how young you are, Mitch…that you think you have to be a prick to get things done…and that you actually think that that’s a new idea.” – Patch Adams

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One of the many great things Christianity offers a troubled mankind is a salve for relentlessly aggressive tendencies; tendencies too often indulged by both believers and non-believers. I’ve joked with friends on the subject of evolution, which too many people expect me to take issue with because of my faith. I tell them I have no problem with the idea of being descended from primates – with evolution at all – but apes should have a problem with it, because it’s an insult to good apes everywhere.

Your average lowland gorilla just wants to hang around in the grass and chill out. Humans, on the other hand, seem to have a problem even handling basic internet conversation, without things spiraling horribly out of control.

I bring all this up because this week I took the rather painful step of finally removing an old writing associate from my various social networks. I even killed their tag in this site’s blog posts.

Why did I do this? It wasn’t any personal enmity towards the person involved. Lord knows I try my best not to judge.

No, it’s because I got sick of this author broadcasting their disgust with just about everyone and everything in this business, often in the most profane way possible. The final straw came when they started getting a little too loose with the word “hack”. So much negativity…all the time.

I can’t answer for that person’s motivation, and I won’t try. But one thing that consistently bothers me is how aggressive so many literary folks are. Where did they pick this up? Why is there this misbegotten belief — shared by so many in this line of work — that being caustic is some sort of badge of honor?

We’re dealing with creative people here, granted, and creative folks tend to be passionate. I get that. I get that conflict is a part of this business. But do you ever stop to think – all of you too-cool-for-school types – that you might be creating the conflict you have to deal with?

There’s a point where passion becomes overwrought and impacts one’s ability to gain readers. There’s a level on the modulator where strong opinion becomes white noise, and people just switch you off.

You got into this business – at least, I assume – to gain readership and share your ideas with the world. You believed that what you wanted to write was so important that it was worth rejection letters, frustration, time away from family and friends, and cup after cup of coffee.

Why would you sabotage yourself?

It’s like a championship rowing team burning down on Gold in the Olympics. Then the guy at the rear drops an anchor out the back and says “See? Look at the splash I just made!”.

Stop it. Seriously. It’s not hip. It doesn’t make you look some sort of bohemian, misunderstood genius. I realize it seems liberating. It even feels liberating.

But you want to be professional, right? This isn’t helping that. You’re also scaring readers away that might have been swayed by your well-worded points. When you’re acting like this, by the way, you risk giving other folks a bad impression of a genre’s professionals as a whole.

I’m not saying don’t have an opinion. I’m saying: try a little tact. At the very least try a little less profanity. Be aware that you’re a public figure, that you have a reputation, and every single thing you will ever write, or ever say, will impact that reputation.

This is a business. I implore you to respect it. Be professional.

Stay tuned.