Categories: AuthorprenuershipPersonal updates

How do you handle trolling behavior?

When I started out in writing I just wanted to tell a great story about a biblical event. I thought it would simply be so cool to just tell what I thought was a fascinating story from the Bible. Enter the troller

One of the things that I’ve tried to do was build alliances with others. Find others in my field and pick their brains, learn from them, and maybe even give back something useful to them. I had hoped I had found such a person in this woman whom I met on LinkedIn. A creative writing major who loved writing and was a professed Christian; I dialogued with her for several weeks. We even had one phone call. I gave her an unedited draft of about 2 maybe 3 chapters of my novel. She gave me some good feedback. Later she engaged in some Facebook behavior that was simply problematic for me. Behavior which I asked her to discontinue and talked with her at length about before I discontinued communication. It was after this (I think I honestly knew before) that I had stumbled upon a very opinionated, person who by her own admission enjoyed arguing with people

Eventually she made a remark, about a friend of mine that I really did not care for, and I decided… that was it, the relationship needed to end. I blocked them on Facebook, discontinued email communication and explained to them why I was doing it. This occurred back in the summer of 2013. All was silent until Feb of this year when my book was released. After the reviews came in, this person decided to make comments on seven of them. As of the 18^th of May the troller has placed 2 more additional comments. Now keep in mind she has no book review herself. She’s just piggybacking on others reviews. (She seems to be checking in occasionally to see what’s being said, and choosing after months to still make comments.) She selectively finds the weakest reviews and emphasizes in her comments the least favorable elements of that review.

So after thinking about all this I have to confess that I’m amazed (and concerned on some levels) that a person can be so infatuated with you that they feel the internal need to do such a thing. I mean what motivates such behavior? I didn’t spurn this woman romantically that was not an issue. At least not for me. (No telling what this woman was thinking.) So I see these comments on my amazon page. Go take a look here. Tell me…what would you do?

Questions

1. When and if should an author (or anyone I suppose) respond to trolling behavior?

2. Has this ever happened to you?

3. What makes a person behave towards someone whom they have never met personally.

Hey help an author out by buying my book and leaving a review. I figure the best way to shut a troller up is by success!

click here to check out the reviews.

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Donovan

Donovan M. Neal is the Amazon best-selling independently published author of the Third Heaven Series: a speculative Christian fantasy four book series that explores the captivating story about the fall of Lucifer. The book takes readers on an epic journey through the celestial realms, offering a unique perspective on the events surrounding Lucifer’s rebellion and his descent into darkness. In this imaginative tale, Donovan weaves together elements of Christian theology, angelic mythology, and fantastical world-building. The story delves into the cosmic conflict between good and evil, painting a vivid picture of the spiritual warfare that unfolded in the heavens. Donovan has published eleven books and is currently working on publishing five more in the year 2023 alone. His books have reached thirteen countries including India, Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil and across Europe, Canada and the US. He has sold over thirty thousand units of his books and generated over a quarter million in gross sales part time and without an agent. Donovan has produced fiction; non-fiction and most recently published a graphic novel. His genre of preference is fantasy and he has been named among such notable authors as Frank Perretti, Brian Godawa, and the late Dr. Michael S. Heiser. When he’s not writing or working, Donovan can be found gaming or enjoying various forms of media. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and a graduate degree in Non-profit Management from Walden University. Prior to his current career, Donovan served in ordained ministry from 1993-2011 and has extensive experience teaching the Bible. You can learn more about him professionally if you would like by clicking here. His favorite movie is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He also enjoys gaming and can be found on the Playstation5 deep in Destiny 2, He’s owned most gaming systems all the way back from Atari and Pong! and has made several friends from his beloved days on World of Warcraft. A lover of such classics as chess and backgammon he loves most games and the strategy behind them. When he is not imagining comic conflicts between good and evil he is helping to secure employment for housing insecure women as the Executive Director of a non-profit in the city of Detroit and also serves in the prayer and discipleship ministry of his local church.