Writers tend to be a pretty friendly bunch, but we do have our moments. 

There are times when we get jealous of other writers. There are times when we think some other writer doesn’t deserve the success they have. There are times when we secretly enjoy it when another writer’s book bombs, because then we don’t feel so bad about ourselves. 

It shouldn’t be this way, of course. But, in our worst moments, we act like little children who just want to tear down others. 

Benjamin Franklin was known as a man who got a lot of things done because of his relationships and network. He gave us a great piece of advice when he said, “I will speak ill of no man … and speak all the good I know of everybody.” 

That’s especially helpful advice considering that in our social media age, it’s so easy to speak negatively about others, and even do it anonymously.  

We would do well to commit to never speaking negatively about other writers, even if we secretly think they’re a hack, or they haven’t earned their success. The negativity will only tear us down and chip away at the positive energy in our lives. 

Ben Franklin died well over two hundred years ago, but his advice for writers is surprisingly modern.