The Word Is Finally Getting Out There About the AW Bullies

Query Question: Absolute Write

I don't want to sound haughty, but I'm almost positive I am not the only person who feels this way. With a simple Google search of "bullying on AbsoluteWrite" a variety of results come up where people talk about their experiences.

Now I'm sure there are gems of people out there in the AbsoluteWrite community, but it seems like the majority like to tear new writers down in an attempt to make themselves feel better.


I am not trying to be rude here, or trying to serve up a smack down. I am genuinely curious. Have you experienced otherwise on the forums? Did you not realize that such behavior was going on there? Or do you think writers need a strong backbone and if they can't handle AbsoluteWrite, then writing isn't for them?

On a side note, I haven't been to their forums in about a year now. I had an absolutely awful experience there around that time and swore them off completely. COMPLETELY (I am being extremely civil here in expressing the amount of mouth-foaming, eye-popping rage I have for that community). So, maybe the moderators have changed? And the community is much better now than it was? I hope that might be the case, but am doubting it."


  1. Anonymous24/8/14

    Miss Snark isn't the only one that's an apologist for AW. Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware, and the Preditors and Editors crew are every bit as bad. Can you imagine with all the bad press that AW has gotten that they still defend it and participate there. While P&E still has AW rated as 'recommended.' Incredible. How double faced and dishonest can you be. And from those who attack everyone in sight they deem to be a scammer. OMG. This is hypocrisy at its very worst. Shame on the lot of them.

  2. Violet24/8/14

    This might be something and nothing but I just noticed that Medievalist aka Lisa Spangenberg is no longer mentioned on the water cooler page. Didn't she used to be the mod of a few forums there? Well now she's not on any of them.

    1. Anonymous24/8/14

      I noticed that too. Check it out folks.