Zena Shapter has posted about how writers should respond to trolling and bad reviews:

Last week, I asked how far you usually go to solve unpleasant experiences in your life. At what point do you let things go? Well, after I wrote that post, I wondered how other authors handle unpleasant online experiences and what, if any, advice they had for other writers. The two main unpleasant online experiences authors generally encounter are: trolls & bad reviews. So, here’s some tips from some author buddies of mine – some of which can apply to readers too:

Trolls

Trolls are internet users who just want to pick at you and make you feel bad about something. They can lurk anywhere and everywhere, and there can be no end to their abuse if you’re unlucky enough to interest them. I’ve seen it happen to author buddies and witnessed how much it upsets them. Since the sole intent of a troll is to provoke, “the only solution,” says travel writer Walter Mason, “is to block, delete and refuse to engage”.

Read more…