What about bad karma resulting from the harm done to literature itself by purchasing and playing up books you don't genuinely believe are good? When you buy a book for any other reason than wanting to read it, you're lying to the rest of the literary community and to the marketplace. Does karma only count when you do something harmful to some individual's selfish career designs, out of honesty?

Tolkien's fellow Inkling Hugo Dyson used to groan, out loud, "Oh my God — no more elves!" during readings of the Lord of the Rings. It may sound counter-intuitive, but this is how mature writers should show their respect for one another: through brazen honesty that honors the writer by assuming they're tough enough to take it.

I would much prefer a friend who openly suggests my writing only to readers whose tastes they consider as awful as my writing, than to surround myself with yeah-sayers in whose opinions I could never invest an ounce of trust or respect. Give me one griping Dyson over a crowd of flattering liars any day.

How stifling and downright oppressive to expect nothing but happy thoughts and boosterism from fellow adults. When did the literary community become such a foe of the freedom of sincere expression?

My book-buying habits have shifted to debut authors and authors who interview/guest post/provide ARCs for my blog. I leave book criticism to reviewers who aren't aspiring writers. And I'm willing to promote and support authors like crazy — purchasing copies for giveaway, attending signings, and spreading the word about amazing books. Am I hoping the good karma comes back to me one day? Sure.

But most of this has sprung from my newfound understanding of just how hard this aspiring writer thing is — so when someone has made it through all the sweat/blood/tears/rejection (like I aim to one day), I want to shout it from the rooftops with them. As cheesy as this sounds, I've found that, especially within the YA blogging community, a victory for one is a victory for all, and it's worth celebrating.

Nancy