Looking for Connection

This Monday morning, my mind is on the fact that someone just subjected one of my books to over two hours of less than complimentary video analysis, as well as covering it in some blood-like fluid and driving a knife through it to create a thumbnail image. And rather than piss and moan about this—which, trust me, I’d really love to do, being as big a crybaby as the next man—I’ve decided this is a good time to renew my commitment to being a positive presence in the indie writing space.


Yes, I’m primarily here for myself, to promote my own writing, so this isn’t some heroic declaration. But I don’t think that’s incompatible with putting my best foot forward along the way. After all, a love of telling stories and a desire to build an audience for them is ultimately about looking for connection, at least in my own case. If I can find others who love what I love and get what I get, that’s pretty much job done, right? The sales, the relative popularity, are simply a byproduct of that.


So the point is how I intend to conduct myself. It’s no secret that the indie space has its issues and is by no means a meritocracy in terms of the better books having the higher levels of success. There’s bias, there are cliques, how popular and well liked you are goes a long way to how well your work is received and perceived, and so on. But that’s no reason to be bitter, cutting, snarky, or unkind.


No, I’m going to keep seeking out and celebrating the things I enjoy. Will I run into books now and then that I might need to be a little faux positive about? Yes, no doubt. Will I run into books that I really don’t like and be tempted to wax lyrical about how awful this or that was, or how indie needs to be taken by the scruff of the neck and have its standards raised? Again, yes, no doubt.


But I won’t be going down the route of stepping on others in a bid to elevate myself. That’s not the sort of person I want to be. So I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, looking for connection, finding kindred spirits, and shouting loud and proud whenever I find an excellent book or writer or resource. It’s really that simple. So if you find me behaving otherwise, please feel free to give me a verbal kick in the nuts. Or you could stab one of my books, I guess, but let’s be frank, that would be pretty fucking weird.


And that’s my penny’s worth for today. Until next week, happy writing to you all.

Comments

  1. Cufarmer22 February 2026 at 15:17

    It is nice when your book gets special attention though 😆
    Still, positive is preferred.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan Miklaszewicz23 February 2026 at 06:35

      True, although no sane person likes to be disliked. Simply existing on social media can be a risk at times.

      Delete

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