"I don't like bullies. I don't care where they come from." ~ Steve Rogers, aka Captain America

Forgive me for the many paragraphs on display. Passion and defense sometimes demand a large army of words for full expression.

It is not a habit of mine to troll, or to respond to every microscopic criticism or disagreement. I'm fine with disagreement, when it's civilized and mutual respect characterizes the exchanged words. It's been months since our last correspondence, but I figure it's finally time to once and for deal out a letter to someone on this site. I'd like to get this out of my system, but I'm much more concerned with how she is treating others. Forget about me. I can go to another site or ignore/block her. But others hang on her every word. And I've waited too long to say something. Much to my chagrin, considering novel revisions have to be finished for an editor by Thursday. So, the words must be dealt with here and now.

Droemar has gathered quite a number of followers over the last few years, and it's no wonder. Her art is often of high quality, her advice on good writing and storytelling is state-of-the-art, and she writes fiction at a rate (so she claims) that would make most of us novelists blush with shame.

Those are positive traits that she deserves credit for, and I have no grievance against her for them. The reason I write this today is what happens when someone else falls short of her standards. When someone - an author, an artist, a reviewer of her work, even someone with different tastes in art or fiction - doesn't match up to what she thinks is ideal, heaven help the soul who faces her wrath. In the case of faulty fiction, she will beat it into the ground far more than is warranted, finding as many ways as possible to call the offending writer a talentless hack, so clear and so loud the echoes won't recede until Judgment Day. And that kind of abuse spreads to others, harming them. This isn't about her particular opinions. This is about how words affect others. That is the reason I bother with her at all tonight.

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Droemar, you are a bully. Plain and simple. I said it before and it never seemed to stick with you. You are a troll with eloquence, and if I were to take this to your page and bring it to your attention, I'd only be feeding you. I don't even know why I bother anymore, but I hope you will one day realize that you and your followers are not the only good/reasonable people on this planet. I hope you will one day get it through your head that people deserve to be taken seriously and have actual value, even if their opinions contradict with yours.

The thing to remember about people is that they have the ability to improve, a trait you have conspicuously failed to acknowledge. When someone doesn't meet your expectations, when they let you down, the good response is, "That's okay. You made a mistake, but you can try again." I have never once seen that from you. I have, however, seen enough venom to supply every cobra and rattlesnake on Earth for the next century. Snark, misdirected sarcasm, and disregard for the contrary opinions of others - that is what I see in abundance. To you, the creator of a work must either get it all right, or to Hell with them.

That is a curious attitude to have, given your own writing record. You insist over and over that any serious writer must have a prodigious output (like you, conveniently enough), to be and look professional. And what have you done? You have put one measly ebook novella on Amazon. One. Self-published? I can't tell. But it's a track record that makes you look like a rank amateur who merely talks big. Out of all the words you claim to write and the critique groups you participate in and the novels you boast of, I would have expected at least five or six full-length novels to your name, and that makes all your bragging sound hollow and hypocritical.

You are among the most unpleasant deviants I have had the intense displeasure of interacting with, and after this is posted I'm not planning on giving you anymore thought. You're not worth the time or effort. The worst part is that when you notice someone calling you out for your mistakes, you just let that fuel you. I get into an argument with you, and you take the coward's way out by pointing it out on your journal so all your adoring fans can help you get the last word on the matter.

Again, though, this is about you and the people you affect. I came back here for others' sake. Believe that, don't believe it; I don't care. I wonder how many people you've turned off from writing another word or drawing another picture because they "didn't take it as seriously" as you have. I wonder how many future masterpieces we lost, how many developing writers didn't develop their craft, because you had to vent over and over and over about "bad" authors as if they would always be bad and could never change. What does that say to the flawed acolyte just starting out on their journey of storytelling?

It doesn't matter if you don't know them personally. You are still under an obligation to treat everyone like they are human beings. Human beings, with inestimable value and the ability to contribute amazing artistry and fiction to our world. Just because it's the internet, that never means you get away with rants where sarcasm takes the place of true wit or insight. You can't say anything you want without consequence. Words still carry power, and they can still hurt. Even if the object of your criticism never hears your childish tantrums, others are listening in. They listen, and they take encouragement or dejection from it. If you are indeed as professional and serious as you claim to be, if you are truly interested in helping other writers and artists grow, then you will learn some online manners. For now, your actions show you as an insecure bully.

The reason I'm going public with these words is because it's about time someone stood up to you.

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I don't know if she will bother replying to this. In honesty, I hope she doesn't, because I don't want more of the same snark and retorts from her. On the other hand, such a response would be seen as vindication, and again display her need to have the last word. Honestly, though, I try to be optimistic and hope she changes. I truly do.

Normally I'm not this temperamental. Sorry, everyone.