I think I've mentioned it before somewhere that I was close to my grandmother from my mother's side. She had a soft spot for me even though she denied it and insisted that she loved all her grandchildren just the same. She did not. She loved me more lol. Anyway, my sweet, sweet yiayia Eleni with her dark brown frames and wrinkled hands would wait for me after school to have lunch together since my mother worked and she would give me these hugs worth a million dollars each. When we'd finish our food she would ask me about my day and if I had a good time, eager to hear me talk about daily school routines she never had the opportunity to experience herself - she could barely sign her name. She 'd watch me tell her about this and that and how I loved English and Modern Greek but couldn't care less about Geography but reassured her that I participated in the lesson and she'd chuckle and pet my hair, and I would lean in her soft, flabby arms and I would tell her about my friends and how we all played together but if by accident or due to the immature nature of a nine year old I'd say something bad about someone she'd say "Anna sweetheart, if you can't say something good about someone, then it's better to be silent," and she was right.

I try to live by these wise words and most of the time I am successful (I have the occasional slip-up but nothing serious). Not only in my daily life as an adult but also here.If I don't like something I keep silent not because I don't have an opinion but because my opinion would do more harm than good. People here write because they have this need to express themselves, to tell a story, to have an escape. Sometimes they go out of their way to write in another language which is so difficult not only because of the grammar and syntax but also because of cultural elements. So voicing the fact that they are doing poorly would not help anyone.

However, some people in this community, mostly female (and that speaks for our sex ladies) find it rather amusing to put people down, mock their ideas, make fun of them and ridicule them. And I wonder: Why the fuck would someone do that? (sorry yiayia).

I mean, yes there are times that I picture English Grammar as this old grumpy lady holding a cane who would love to strangle a few of us abusing her on a daily basis but there is always a solution for these cases. If you are reading something that does not satisfy you or you think is worthless then stop reading it. Or if a chapter you've read is I don't know, not your cup of tea, then don't vote.

Having an opinion on someone's else work is OK when you are not insulting them. Yes, you are entitled to agree or disagree with a character and of course this is like an online book club but still comments like:

Have you ever heard of a thesaurus? You've used enigmatic ten times so far.

WTF woman, get a bloody dictionary.

Who the fuck is this guy bitch? You mean to change that.

I don't find what you wrote funny at all.

My niece can write better than this. SHE IS SEVEN.

Fucking update already it's been weeks.

Seriously I wasted all my weekend and they end up apart. What the fuck woman? frhgstfkjhdhg

OK, so some of these were comments on my first book which apparently (no really) needs lots and lots of editing but although I tried to be polite with my replies these comments hurt. I was pouring my heart out and to be honest these people were probably right but I guess there is a good way and a bad way of putting a message across. And then I asked myself: Do I get paid for these updates? No. Is English my first language? No. Am I a professional writer? No. Am I someone who has no life and responsibilities and should be on a damn computer 24/7 and write scripts according to the readers' preferences? Hell no!

So the lesson today I guess is this: This ain't McDonald's. You don't get to order and you don't get to complain. You will eat le plat du jour, the meal of the day and if you don't like it, then don't fucking eat. Go to another restaurant. Here you will eat the veggies and the greens. It's my bloody book and I'm writing it for my bloody pleasure. You should say thank you the same way I do when I'm enjoying a book. We are doing this for free after a hard day at work, after taking care of families and after demanding schedules. Being mean making other people feel like shit about themselves is not the answer here.

I know I'm no Wilde or Hemingway, hell I'll never be worth of the ground they walked on or the air they breathed but I'm doing my thing and enjoying the journey so if you think my writing is shit so be it. You don't have to be mean about it. Be nice. Be good.

Anyway, another category of mean girls are the ones who feel it's absolutely fine to steal your work. It hasn't happened to me I think, mine obviously is not worth stealing lol but it has happened to people I know. Again: Why? If you lack inspiration, ask for help. I do it all the time. I have my girls here, we brainstorm together. They tell me what they think of my ideas, we laugh, we humor. Why steal someone else's work like that? What does that say about you? I leave it to you to decide.

Third category of mean girls: The ones who read and don't vote even though they KNOW what they are reading is amazing. Again why? Get off your high horse missy. Someone helped you get where you are. So vote if you don't want to comment. It won't be threatening to you or your work.

And what about popular writers who don't fucking read unless it's from @wattpadx or @wattpady? Again sorry yiayia, now I am being mean but I'm not giving names yiayia, please forgive me.

oh, I almost forgot. A friend of mine saw a notification that made her laugh her ass off. One girl put her book in a list called, wait for it "Meh". I mean seriously people! Have you no heart? At least we were able to laugh about it.

Until next time

Filia xxx

P.S Make yiayia proud and show some love xxxxx