Marie Pacha asked me to post this on the forum:
Shelagh,
I posted the following on the a305w blog. I would be grateful if you would post it on PublishedAuthors, but I also understand if you don't.
Recently, I wrote an essay titled “Stop the Hate.” It’s on my Facebook page for anyone that cares to view it, and it’s public so no one has to “friend” me. It has nothing to do with this blog or a particular forum on the Internet, but in the process of writing it I came to a conclusion.
I initially posted on this blog because I realized I offended someone in a forum post and wanted to apologize. I think, but I’m not sure, that by doing so I made members of that forum feel that I was taking sides against them. That was not my intent. I felt I had done something wrong and wanted to try and set things right, but couldn’t directly contact the individual involved.
That apology seemed to be, at least to me, the impetus for an escalation of ill will between me and members of that forum, and particularly the moderator/administrator. I didn’t intend for that to happen.
I didn’t plan for a formal withdrawal from that forum. A number of things caused my lack of active participation, and I shouldn’t have to justify those to anyone. I planned to remove some of my posts since I wasn’t going to be actively involved.
I never wanted to see the forum closed. I know and knew that it was important to a number of the members.
Regardless of my intent and purpose, things deteriorated from that point forward. And, they deteriorated for a lot of people who weren’t directly involved in the disagreement I had with the moderator/administrator.
That was certainly not my intent.
I felt justified in making my comments about the moderator/administrator of that forum. That justification was based on my perception of events.
I feel strongly enough about the comments I made in my essay “Stop the Hate” that they have changed my perception of issues with that forum. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I feel my opinions were/are wrong, but it means they weren’t worth a fight. I have a right to my opinions, but so do the members of that forum.
In the grand scheme of things, those issues were trivial and yet, by my comments on the blog, I encouraged them to escalate. I regret that.
I can’t undo my participation, but I can apologize for my part in that.
So, to Shelagh and members of the Published Authors forum, and to individuals posting on this blog, I apologize.
Marie Pacha