Bullies in the School Yard

A huge pet peeve of mine lately is watching freelance writers, on their blogs, make fun of newbies that have contacted them about freelance advice. I'm not even going to give you the sites or post examples because I'd be doing something along the same lines, you'll see them at some point if you're actively in the freelance writing blogosphere. I just want to make a few points about this.

Perhaps you are a newbie, or maybe you can remember back to when you were first starting out, imagine that you have contacted a freelance writer regarding advice, if you have done so then you are probably reading their blog here and there (if not regularly) because you perhaps hold their opinion/experience in some sort of high regard and believe they have something to teach you. Then soon after you see that they have blogged about you inquiry, perhaps even publishing your email in it's entirety with everything except your name and they are scathingly pointing out all of your typos/misspellings, or making comments that are poking fun at your questions, your comments, etc. Even if others don't know it was you who wrote that email, YOU know it and I personally would be embarrassed and maybe even wonder if I should get into freelancing at all.

I have absolutely no respect for freelance writers who do this. Not to mention, I've noticed at least one who links their freelance writing blog to their professional website and if I were a potential client of theirs and read something like that I'd immediately look elsewhere for my writer.

5 Reasons NOT to make fun of newbies:

1) It's completely unprofessional. You are running a business and unless you are warning your fellow freelancers against a certain "scammer" (see post on Jessica Mousseau a few posts down) you have no business passing public judgment on a fellow freelance writer.
2) You are a teacher whether you know it or not. If you are blogging about freelance writing, you are establishing yourself as an expert in that field and your purpose is to give advice. You took on that responsibility when you wrote your first freelance writing blog post, so live up to it. Encourage newbies or find a way to gently point out what they could improve, and answer questions with patience and compassion for them. They are starting a new venture, which can be scary and intimidating.
3) You were once that person. No matter what, when you started freelancing you most certainly had questions and how would you have felt if your questions had been publicly ridiculed? People need help and experience is the best kind of help people can get.
4) You are human. You most certainly made mistakes when starting out and most likely still do because YOU ARE HUMAN. Perhaps a newbie had typos/mistakes in their email, gently point out that they may want to work on that and be sure that all of their communication with others is virtually error-free--they probably already know they make typos. I personally make typos all the time, I know this, I don't really need to be reminded publicly, a personal email will do just fine, thank you.
5) You reek of insecurity. To me, this is the worst. If you are making fun of someone else, it makes you seem as if you think you are better than another. If you appear arrogant, well, arrogance is just simply the biggest, clearest window into your insecurity. Maybe you make fun to discourage the writer because you can't take the competition? I don't really know, all I know is that if you ARE trying to cut the competition out there than you are probably the one needing advice because you should just be focused on being the best you can be. If you are confident in your abilities you won't need to worry about competition, you'll have plenty of work and no time to play petty games. If you are confident in your ability you won't need to publicly make fun of people to make yourself feel better about yourself. Who cares if you don't make typos or ask what you may call "stupid questions"?

I have no respect for those people who make fun of others and I feel sorry for them that they can't seem to be more understanding and empathetic. They are likely hurting themselves and their business whether they know it or not.

I hated middle school and high school and don't really care to go back, so let's just all be respectable as writers and just make sure we're doing our best in all arenas and having some compassion for others.