Every single day of high school was a war zone.
I was a punk rock kid living in a small, country town populated by hicks and rednecks.
I was called “freak”, “faggot”, and “loser” more times than I can count.
I was spat on and beaten-up.
What I’m getting at is that I’m no stranger to haters.
All my life, people have tried to beat me down.
As a writing coach, it’s not all that different.
Every single time I run an advertisement for a webinar on Facebook or dare to promote my writing courses on Twitter, someone inevitably feels the need to leave a snarky comment about how training for writers isn’t necessary, my webinars are a waste of time, and coaching for authors offers no value.
Time and time again, people feel the need to tell me that what I have to offer to the world isn’t of value.
These haters insist that writing a book is simple, and that “all you have to do is sit down at a keyboard and write.”
Whenever one of these comments pops up, the first thing I do is take a look at the person’s name, and then hop over to Amazon and do a search.
Can you guess how many times the people who have written these comments have had published books available to purchase?
Never.
Not once.
I could get upset about these people. I could try to defend the value of what I do for a living. I could get into flame wars with them.
But I resist the urge.
Instead, I keep doing the good work.
I keep writing books.
I keep putting all the knowledge I have into my webinars.
I keep doing everything I know possible to ensure my coaching clients feel supported, cared for, and confident that their writing matters.
Because THAT is how you crush the haters.
You crush them by doing the hard work, and the good work, again, and again, and again.
You beat them by refusing to let them stop you.
You win by continuing to write and publish your books.
The haters will never know how hard it is to write and publish a book because they’ll never do it, even as they spend their time relentlessly telling anyone who will listen how easy it is.
Long after the haters have grown tired of trying to get attention with their bitter and cynical insults, you and I will still be producing art, doing our work, and changing people’s lives.
The haters will forever stand on the sidelines of life while you and I are living it.
Kevin T. Johns is an author, writing coach, and ghostwriter. He helps authors from around the world get their stories out of their heads, onto the page, and into readers hands. Grab a free copy of his short guide for authors by clicking the image below.
