When someone is sharing their personal experiences and thoughts, the right thing to do is put yourself in their shoes and think about the kind of life the author is dealing with.
I called it an autobiography since both of the "A Quirky Writer's Odyssey" series was written during a critical point in my life when I got stuck in Dubai throughout the pandemic. There are times I can be snarky throughout the book so it's not gonna be for everyone.
As a reader of the AQWO series:
1) Learn to analyze the author's narrative. What personality type and interests does the narrator have? What might be her upbringing? How does she sees the world exactly?
2) Refrain from leaving insensitive comments or you'll get muted. People like me just wanna share about our thoughts without being judged, labeled as "stupid" or "unhinged" and blamed for everything that's beyond our control.
Be kind enough to listen and show a fair amount of sympathy. Tell us that we're not alone.
3) One more thing: Weaponizing their circumstances.
Trying to use someone's troubles against them is also a form of bullying. The online community is one of those places where we can express ourselves anonymously.
Kids, it ain't cool to shoot someone down with the typical "Because you're jobless ... " or "You're gay, that's why!" shtick. The people who take advantage of others or reinforce it are pathetic!
4) Always know that not everyone is the same. You can relate and share similar experiences with the author. Everybody has their own unique experiences and mindset, after all.
You end up invalidating someone's side by saying "No, this is how I want you to feel or behave" and "Why can't you be like XYZ?"
5) Respect the author's boundaries. In case there are certain questions the author isn't comfortable with, don't be disappointed if they remain unanswered. Our privacy is important to us.
6) Take everything with a grain of salt. Whatever opinions, form of expression or narrative you come across is based on firsthand experiences. At the end of the day, the author wrote the series!
Instead of responding with "Maybe you're just getting things wrong" or "Sorry, I don't agree with you personally so ... (proceeds to spewing insensitive comments)," you could at least say "It's nice to see your perspective. Here's my best wishes to you!"
Overall, this is not me being a sensitive baby who can't deal with slight criticism or different opinions. It's actually my way of reminding you to be mindful about how you come off towards others.
"But if you don't want anyone to judge you, why bother sharing personal stuff online?"
No matter what you do, everybody will always have something to say. People are allowed to share whatever they're comfortable with online.
Wattpad is also a place where real-life stories connect us together. It can give you a whole different perspective about things and help you understand differences.
So please keep those trolling or spam bots out of my server (haha!).
If you're interested, you may check out my AQWO series! ^_^