Writers have to be careful what we put out on the world wide web. We never know when something we write might turn a prospective customer or editor sour. Here is an article I received in an email from Writer's Digest.

BLOGGED AND BURNED
In the February issue of Writer's Digest, writer Sarah Weinman says that sometimes the Internet can be a writer's worst enemy and that you should be careful before "opening up" on your blog.

"Sandra Scoppettone was an award-winning crime and young-adult fiction writer with more than 15 novels to her name. Her blog, sandrascoppettone.blogspot.com, detailed the specifics of her writing life (debates on cover art, anxieties about current projects) with a healthy dose of self-deprecation. It was a diary of her thoughts and opinions for friends and family to enjoy. But not everyone enjoyed it.

"Two Novembers ago, she blogged about her editor's departure from publishing and laid bare her anxieties about her future as a published writer. By day's end, Scoppettone had been pilloried in the comments section of her site—as well as on others' sites—for her `ageist' attitude and for complaining about the lack of follow-through on promised marketing plans. What she believed was an honest, thoughtful post brought her nothing but scorn.

"Did Scoppettone's public comments result in lost sales or, as one commenter put it, `making [herself] look like what editors call a nightmare author'? It's hard to tell, but in an age where bloggers can be fired for blogging on the job, and where a stray comment can be all the incentive necessary to provoke nasty, long-running arguments, writers must pay special attention to what they post."

To read the full article and learn how to work the system, visit:
http://www.writersdigest.com/articles/weinman_
blogged_and_burned.asp

Laurel