Great stuff, particularly in the experimental exercise section, where I highlighted a lot. Now that I read your piece, I will probably write an essay soon applying your profound observations to a situation I recently got involved in on the platform. Let's see if I can outline it here in a nutshell, which will help me write the essay.
Writer A, a newbie, leaves replies to comments by readers in others' stories, asking people to read her stories. Writer B, a much-beloved writer on the platform gets so upset with writer A for doing this in one of B's stories that she writes a scathing piece, vilifying writer A. Most people reading this story pile on about how rude and self-promoting writer A must be. Writer B is a Medium friend of mine. I take a more balanced approach, commenting to my friend (Writer B) "...as [writer A] did here, earlier this week she replied to me in a comment I had left in a story asking me to check out her profile. I was a bit disappointed that her comment had nothing to do with my comment but I felt that her energy was not ill-intended and actually reasonably well intended and I decided to check out her profile, replying to her, 'I'll take a look.'... I found two stories in her profile worth reading and responding to.... Today I found two newer ones there that I enjoyed reading. I think you would too.
Honestly [writer B], I am not sure why you are so upset or why readers have commented apologizing for engaging with her. I clicked into your story because your title said someone sabotaged your work. I thought maybe someone plagiarized you or left mean comments and that triggered the defender in me. Frankly, I feel clickbaited. ;-)
Much love to and for you, Marcus"
Writer B basically said to me, what doesn't bother you may bother me. Ok, that's fair. I informed Writer A that Writer B was upset and gave her the link and said it's up to you whether you want to apologize. She did. She also wrote a piece telling her side of things and how she felt unfairly/overly attacked. I don't know if Writer B saw it. I thought Writer A went too far in her piece by how she characterized Writer B's motives, and I commented, now speaking up for and defending Writer B.
Tonight a reader of my comment in B's that I quoted above, which had been receiving lots of claps for a comment, 10 fans and counting but of course none from the 70 people piling on, replied that she also didn't get why it was such a big deal and also felt clickbaited and would never read Writer B again. I replied defending Writer B, saying this article was out of character for her, that while Writer A's practice did lack etiquette, I don't know why Writer B's shadow self, which we all have, emerged, and that this commenter should reconsider not ever reading her again.
Soon thereafter Writer B blocked me. We have been friends for 2 years without any previous disagreement between us.
