Man, it doesn't pay to take a break...

[Mythsaje]

I was starting to skirt the line between being myself and becoming a total bastard here some months ago, so I stepped back and focused on my fiction. I like debate, but I don't care for needless conflict. Of course, this isn't a good tactic for remaining a high profile poster. People forget about you, or simply forget to click "recommend" even on posts they like.

I've been back posting regularly about three weeks now. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I'm not getting the Recs I used to, or even generating a lot of conversation (you pretty much have to insult the hell out of someone to get THAT response these days).

I posted something yesterday that went from zero Recs to five in the course of about five minutes. Always nice to see. I remember a time when that would've generated something like fifty more Recs in the course of the five or so hours I was at work.

Not yesterday. I came back to eight Recs. Disappointing numbers, let me tell you.

Am I just not tuning in to the fact that people just want to fight? Bloody their virtual knuckles? am I just being too nice? Not controversial enough? Hell, I thought "Mind Your Own Business" and "A Parable of Belief" would set off a FEW people, at least.

My post from this morning, "Super Creep" got one response and one Rec. Just one?

Man, I miss Nance. At least I knew SHE'd be all too happy to Rec my threads.

And, yeah, before you ask the question, I AM an Attention Whore. I've already admitted it on more than one occasion. At least I'm not going on national attention and spewing poison at everyone. Damn Annthrax wants to sell a book. So do I. Actually, I'm out to sell a LOT of books. 'Course, that requires letting people know they're out there.

This whole self-promotion thing is actually rather humiliating, to be honest. Humiliating, but necessary.

http://www.sajewilliams.com

My three latest posts, in order of appearance:

"Mind Your Own Goddam Business."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1198102&mesg_id=1198102

"A Parable of Belief."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1201452&mesg_id=1201452

"Super Creep."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1204991&mesg_id=1204991

[DS1]

1. Not recommending this thread

shheesh

[Mythsaje]

3. Thanks for the kick though...

[papau]

33. Have a hug and a "kick" on the house - you write better than I and better than most, but

of course we disagree on a few things - but I don't post much on that topic any more.

In any case - I liked "super creep" - it has top forty vibes! :-)

[Mythsaje]

34. It would be fun if a band actually recorded it...LOL

And the best part is that Rick James probably would've liked it.

[whistle]

7. ditto...double sheesh and an ugh

[MissB]

14. I'm feeling contrary today.

Unfortunately, I decided to be contrary to you. :P

[LisaM]

2. I don't think I've ever gotten ONE rec.

I've been here six years and only ever even had one thread get 100 responses. So I'm not really feeling your pain!

[Mythsaje]

6. When you're trying to make a living at writing

every little nudge is helpful.

[Demeter]

4. I Think It's the Summer and The Anticipation

People are elsewhere, while the pot in DC is ready to blow its lid. So there is this quiet, ominous feeling, the way it is before a tornado. When it blows, it's going to be big. Bigger than Saigon. Bigger than Nixon. Scary big.

[Mythsaje]

9. I feel a bit of that too, actually...

I'm just getting ready to have my boys this summer. That puts things in perspective.

[warren pease]

5. You'll certainly get no response from me...

or a kick or a rec for that matter :toast:


wp

[gollygee]

8. I'm easy

K&R

:D

[Robbien]

10. Ha. Never thought it was a good thing to be a low profile poster

Low hit count threads don't bother us a bit.

Gonna recommend this just for the hell of it.

[BlooInBloo]

12. I'm all about low profile.

[Robbien]

15. Ha

BlooInBloo, low profile.

Ha! You made me laugh

[BlooInBloo]

17. heh!

[BlooInBloo]

11. Sure looks humiliating to me. Why do it?

[Mythsaje]

16. Part of the job...

And a seriously icky-poo part of the job. You have to "Brand" your name, and make sure people know who you are so when they walk by your book at the bookstore, they think "hey, I know who that is." Then they pick it up and look it over and (hopefully) buy it.

It's not even optional, unless you want to write for the entertainment of your closest friends and spend the rest of your life tied to your day job...whether you like it or not. When being an author was everything you ever wanted, a little humiliation is a small price to pay for the chance to succeed at it.

Or so I keep telling myself.

[MonkeyFunk]

13. wow

people really pay attention to the number of recs they get?

[Rosemary2205]

35. My first thought too.

I must be weird or something. :)

Now I did notice the grammar police have decided to ignore me lately. I have no idea why. :)

[Wildewolfe]

18. The number of recs...

... kinda shows that your writing at least touched some folks enough to respond.

I don't write often... and I won't self promote, but I have to admit that I check back on the threads and for each one that does make it to the greatest page I feel a sense of accomplishment that I don't when they don't reach it, silly as that might sound. Seeing recommendations and discussion of something you wrote and authored out of your thoughts feelings and such can be really gratifying.

[Mythsaje]

19. It is...and it's easy gratification

compared to waiting for book sales reports and a royalty statement. LOL. Especially when that royalty check, when it comes, is just about enough to pay for a night out and little more. When you use the two-for-one entertainment book coupon, that is.

;)

[Wildewolfe]

22. hehe...

instant gratification and sometimes near instant well crap...

As much fun as it is getting a good response, the other extreme of no response can be pretty disheartening... kinda like getting a rejection letter only faster I would think.

[Mythsaje]

23. Excellent point...

Very similar indeed.

[Zodiak]

20. I am an attention whore, too, but not here.

Here I am more of a lurker and drive-by sniper and speechifier. So I completely understand what you may be feeling. I've been seeing your posts lately, but I rarely rec and I rarely respond to any post...but I HAVE noticed.

I dunno....when I want more attention, I play a tune on my bass, make a video, and broadcast it. Preferably with a lot of cowbell.

In the spirit of attention-whoredom, please watch my bass videos (follow the link in my sig).

Couldn't resist.

[Mythsaje]

21. No sigs today...

They're turned off...

[Zodiak]

32. then you are saved!! n/t

[shadowknows69]

24. I like Myth

He makes me feel a lot better of my own shameless, and usually futile lol, kicking of my own stuff. I'll give you a rec if you get your agent to represent me Myth B-)

[Mythsaje]

26. LOL... I'm my own agent.

Isn't it obvious? LOL

[shadowknows69]

29. Cool, as soon as I finish one of the ten things I've started

You can push it for me lol.

[Mythsaje]

31. How 'bout I teach you how to fish? LOL

There are those better at it than I am, that's for sure. I differ in that I choose to fish in slightly different waters than they do. I share a lot of space with romance authors and find I'm at a distinct disadvantage in some respects. I get more hits on my website from my political stuff here than I do on all the romance-based lists (including my publisher's list).

A LOT of DUers know who I am, which is a good thing in my book. I don't mind being painted as a "radical lefty" even though I'm not really all that radical compared to some. I'm still trying to piss off the right enough that they'll start foaming at the mouth and raise my profile a little more.

For writers and musicians, the old aphorism "There's no such thing as bad publicity" is very true. For actors, well, not so much.

[lumberjack_jeff]

25. Why all the recommendations for this post?

Are recommendations just strokes for posters who have written well at other times?

I always thought of recommendations as pertaining to the content of the post, not the reputation of the poster.

Merely being a good writer and nearly a neighbor does not earn an auto-recommend from me for everything that you post.

Myth: please take this in the spirit in which it is intended. Keep writing, we appreciate it. Often people will recommend your posts - doubtless far more often than mine.

[Mythsaje]

27. Heck if I know...

I wasn't expecting Recs for THIS one. I was just hoping people would hop over and read the other posts, and hopefully Recommend THEM. At least the most recent two.

[Canuckistanian]

28. To tell the truth, I look at the post first, the poster second

And I NEVER "automatically" rec a post, no matter WHO the poster.

There are some that I KNOW I'll probably rec, because they're consistently good contributors.

But if I disagree with the main thrust of the post, don't think it phrased or structured well enough or just a re-hash of an earlier post, I'll pass.

Fr'instance I'll never rec a post that says "IMPEACH NOW!", unless it has some NEW earth-shaking revelation, no matter who wrote it.

[Mythsaje]

30. I can see that.

Some of the posts DO seem pretty redundant. And I will certainly belabor a point on occasion, but I try to put some distance in time between posts with similar themes. All of us have our own axes to grind, after all.

[The Straight Story]

36. I'll defend you some here on this

Basically speaking, people spend a part of their day/life here writing something, among mostly friends (at least, people we see each day online), and sometimes we don't know if they heard what we are saying - even if they don't agree with it. It is akin to being snubbed - even if not intentional (ie, dropped off first page and who reads past that much?).

In essence perhaps, to you, it is like writing a book that no one reads. It sucks.

I think more than 'attention' people want interaction, sadly of course interaction often does not come quite as quickly or with as much force unless something is done to get the attention of those you want to reach. In some cases, interaction with a few that are really good is fulfilling (and probably is so to many people), but when you need more than that you are seeking attention as the more you have the less fulfilling it can be (on an intellectual basis, you spend less time with each and spread it out more).

When we seek to give something to someone (things we write, etc) and they aren't paying attention it is simply human nature to be hurt about it.

But we are also in a sea here daily of text. Millions of words floating by our eyes, headlines whizzing by with each refresh, and so we grab the ones that stand out first - we only have so many hours a day to read and post.

Some things sink, some float when you didn't expect them to.

In the end, I have just learned to come here and have some fun. I was not like that for awhile, but I finally separated how I felt about things here and what goes on from my life away from the key board. It doesn't mean my feelings can't or won't get hurt, but I do now just let it go and chalk it up to another wild day on the internet.

I have a lot of friends here now, and I want to keep them that way - friends. And I can't do that if I worry about whether or not they kick or rec or even read my threads. I feel good when I see em pop in, and I'll take that feeling because I just want to feel good - and dump the bad feeling when it hits as quickly as I can.

I'll still have my days I am sure. But after a few years of living hell on this earth, what people say to me here anymore just isn't going to bring me down. But it can bring me up.