Even as the debate continues on whether negative attacks on an opponent are effective, Republican presidential candidates continue to employ them. Now some members of the floral industry do, too. This year Proflowers Valentine's advertisements featuring rose bouquets urged consumers: Don't order from your local florist. This tactic may have worked, short term anyhow. One customer came in to buy local because he ordered from Proflowers last year and thought the ads were misleading, drawing him in with the low prices then slapping shipping and handling costs on at the end that cost more than the roses themselves...but overall, our shop sold fewer roses this year.

When I first began writing, I remember enountering a more subtle version of sabotage. Writers weren't necessarily badmouthing each other, although a few were doing that, too, but there was a definite atmosphere of non-assistance. The motivation went something like this: there are a finite number of publishers looking to publish a finite number of works; if I help you, and you sell, that makes my chances of selling that much smaller.

Then I met Jennifer Crusie. Even before the era of electronic publishing exponentially expanded opportunities to be published, Jenny sold books and mentored authors alike. When I met her, she was already becoming hugely accomplished at both, and that garnered my immediate and complete admiration. More than once, I had realized that if I gave someone this tip about that magazine looking for articles, or passed on that this agent was looking for an author to write thus and such, and then had any plans of submitting there myself, I could have just paved the way for that author to nudge me right out. But being stingy about whatever information I had didn't feel right. Refusing to help fellow writers didn't feel right either. Certainly not after Jenny left her book signing all those years ago with my chapter under her arm, later mailing it to me edited to the nines! She targeted my biggest writing weakness, and after about three months, when I could face all the red marks on those sheets of paper, I began to learn how to write fiction. 

I don't believe sabotage ever succeeds in making the originator of the slurs look better or have more success in the long run. But can sabotaging rivals work short term? Some people in politics and the floral industry apparently think it can. In the writing community? Not in my mind, or the myriad of fabulous lend-a-hand authors I've met over the years who have reinforced my focus on improving my own abilities, not taking pot shots at those around me in a misguided bid to improve my chances at success. 

Thanks, Jenny. I'm still following your lead, and I don't intend to ever stop.