​I can't believe I'm saying this (again), but don't be an asshole.

That's my job.

Let's set aside quality and whether or not a creative work is objectively (or even subjectively) good. Instead, let's talk about friends, family (chosen or otherwise), and other random internet people that are deserving of creative support.

I've spent the past 10 years in various professional creative environments and a 35-year-lifetime in the middle of personal creative development -- which is to say, I've experienced a spectrum of support, both good and (really, unbelievably fucking) bad.

Here are some helpful tips on how you can avoid being the bad kind of supportive friend.
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(Or: How To Be the Bad Kind, if You're an Asshole)

​Let’s be honest: it comes up.

There’s a lot of writing online and not all of it is great. Sometimes good can be a pretty big leap, for that matter.

On the other hand, maybe the writing is okay -- better than bad, right? -- but it just didn't click with you as a reader.

Either way, the walls have closed in, the lighting has gone dramatic, and suddenly you find yourself in the horrifying position of providing feedback to your creative friends.

It’s a theme that pops up a lot in Twitter’s #WritingCommunity and even if it's not writing -- it could be a video, an illustration, music, really any creative endeavor -- these tips will ensure that the feedback you're providing is both constructive and supportive.

If you still blow it and piss off your creative friends, well, that's on you, you horrible fucking, insensitive monster.

Let’s get into it!