Comments on: A Brief Botanical Study of Writer Defense Mechanisms

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 19:13:38 +0000

every single one at various times in my career.

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 19:02:09 +0000

Inbred... every single one at various times in my career.

By: denise

denise — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:29:16 +0000

love this analogy.

By: Lisa Norman

Lisa Norman — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 21:50:50 +0000

I'm definitely in the "veteran writer holly" camp. Mostly exhaustion, my friend. Those deer just don't deserve one ounce of energy!

By: PJ Hultstrand

PJ Hultstrand — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 08:36:52 +0000

I loved your analogies on the writer holly types. I learned early on to never write an answer to a reviewer or critic. They will never appreciate my snarky comeback. However, there was one occasion where another reviewer corrected the holly reviewer, and I was vanquished without saying a word.

By: Jenny Hansen

Jenny Hansen — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 17:00:31 +0000

In reply to Sally M. Chetwynd. 1000%, Sally! I love a great critique group. But some writers absolutely hate them.

By: Jenny Hansen

Jenny Hansen — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 16:59:33 +0000

In reply to Sally M. Chetwynd. LOLOL. Yes, Goodreads reviewers are a whole different animal. It's so hard on authors to leverage Goodreads, without getting trampled by Goodreads.

By: Jenny Hansen

Jenny Hansen — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 16:58:05 +0000

In reply to Warren Johnson. They absolutely DO, Warren! I put that in the Writers Haleping Writers article. I found it so interesting (and profound).

By: Sally M. Chetwynd

Sally M. Chetwynd — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 16:27:05 +0000

In reply to VICKI FELMLEE. Yes, my critique group has been together for nine years, and my work wouldn't be nearly as good were it not for the feedback I get from these fellow writers. They always provide a perspective I hadn't thought of, which nearly always is better then the one I had. Whether or not I adopt some or all of their suggestions, they all make me think.

By: Sally M. Chetwynd

Sally M. Chetwynd — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 16:23:59 +0000

Ha ha ha! The Amazon Review Holly and Goodreads Review Holly struck my funnybone because of a review left on Goodreads about one of my novels. The reviewer had very nice things to say about my story, especially about the way I handled the mystery of the murder.

Ummmm, no murder takes place in that book.

I don't think I have any spikes yet ...