I'm going to start with an anecdote of something that happened to me. A writer on twitter asked for help with a research topic. It was right up my alley as a planetary scientist, so I sent them an email with a bunch of ideas. This person never responded back to me. A few years later I'm reading an anthology, and I find a story from this writer with ideas right out of my email.
I do not think this writer acted as a good literary citizen. Because I never received a response, or even a "hey, that story got published," I feel like I'm nothing more to this person than a resource to be tapped. They got what they wanted from me and then forgot about me. I do not feel like a fellow writer and colleague. I'm certainly not in the mood to read any more of this person's work, and have stopped following them on social media.
Whenever something like this happens to me, or I hear about something similar happening to another writer, I rededicate myself to being a good literary citizen. I want to be the sort of person who makes authentic contact with people, who gives thanks and credit, and who looks for ways to be a part of something bigger. I want to be an empathetic, kind, inclusive and caring person who owns up to mistakes and who is always striving to learn and improve. It goes beyond being a citizen, really, and becomes a sharing of person-hood.
Next post - I'm going to do a practical list of suggestions and ideas for being a good literary citizen. If you have some thoughts of your own, write them here, and I'll include them in the list!
Image Credit: Hearthands Public Domain Wikimedia commons
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