I’m not sure if I’ve taken the opportunity to use my blog to whine, but that’s what I’m about to do. If you can’t stand whiners and whining, stop reading right now. There are times that whining is the best solution for me. Once I finish, not only do I feel better, but I am ready for more constructive solutions. Whining is a behavior, and all behavior has a purpose, so my purpose is to purge while informing others of a perceived hurt.
I’m going to whine about being invisible, and if you’ve ever experienced the same thing, I’m sure you’ll relate. Sometimes I think it’s my karma to be invisible. I can wait with others at a counter and be seemingly invisible while other people get service long before I do. Granted, I am part chameleon, but that’s no excuse! Not getting service is a minor irritant, however, compared to how I feel when I am invisible as an author, which happens constantly. I like writing books with others and think that a book that two (or three) write is better than a book written by one. I love the blending of ideas, the sharing of responsibility, the creativity that emerges from a good disagreement. I have 18 published books and I have chosen to be a co-author in almost all of them. That does not mean that I chose to be invisible. So when someone refers to one of my books without referring to me, I see red, and then I feel sorry for myself.
Case in point, though this is representative of thousands of similar situations: check out this link http://talig.blogspot.com/2009/10/positive-discipline-for-teenagers.html. First let me say that I am thrilled and grateful that “Ramblings from the Frozen North” loves and recommends our book. But the example is too perfect to pass up, because it’s representative of what happens when there are co-authors. Jane Nelsen and I wrote this book together. In fact, it was the first of many books we wrote together. It was a collaborative process from beginning to end. Maybe each of us could have written a book about teens without a co-author, but I sincerely doubt the book would have been as rich and helpful as this one ended up being. And I know I wouldn’t have had as much fun. What I don’t understand is why, when a book has two authors, only one is mentioned. (At this point, even I’m getting sick of my own whining and thinking about hitting the delete button.)
Okay, I got that off my chest, so now it’s time for more productive solutions. Bless her heart, Jane already commented on the website and then sent the link to me. I commit to taking the time today to leave a comment, too. Probably a lot more constructive than all this boo-hoo-ing. But hey, thanks for listening!