Why do writers argue all the time?

It seems the Internet was made for arguing, and the world of books and writers is no different. There are those who argue for and against digital publishing. There are those who argue for and against self publishing. There are those argue for and against book stores. There are those who argue for and against Amazon. I could go on.

All of this arguing, this bickering, consistently baffles me. I simply don’t get it. I understand people have their preferences, but why is all this worth arguing over? Why is it worth allowing your blood to boil and your heart rate to jump? Frankly, why is any of this an either-or situation?

If I decide to self publish with Amazon, why should others act as if I’ve infringed upon their personal rights and kicked their favorite puppy? If I decide to send out a manuscript to a literary agency, why should this offend someone so much they have to curse my name and any spawn I might foist upon the world down to the seventh generation?

Are we really that petty?

For writers, the truth is there is not one solitary road to success. We must all find our own way. What works for me might not work for you. What works for John Locke or Stephen King or Dr. Seuss probably won’t work for me. Picking up advice from other writers is great, but we can’t follow their exact path to success because there is too much open ended within the world of publishing. No one knows for sure what the next “big thing” is going to be. No one. Oh, yes, the next Danielle Steel novel is sure to sell so many millions, but her audience is already built. No one can predict from where the next Harry Potter or Bridges of Madison County or The Da Vinci Code is going to spring.

Since it would be impossible to create a near perfect road to success for a writer, would it not be prudent to keep one’s options open? You can never tell what might lead to that big break. It could come from the traditional publishing world, or from Amazon, or from a celebrity who loves your books, or from sheer dumb luck.

It is not as if any of the many options available to writers is harming anyone. If one writer decides to self publish, it’s not as if they are damaging in any way readers or other writers. The same can be said for writers who continue along the more traditional path to publication.

Opinions are fine, but I often feel in our anxiousness to be heard and in our need to prove we are right, we lose ourselves and we lose our real voices. It’s also quite possible we could lose our readers, because most readers don’t care about all the little in-squabbling that goes on behind the scenes of the publishing world, and those who do pay attention from time to time are more likely to be turned off by what they see than to nod their heads and say, “Yes, that writer is correct about everything.”

Why can’t we all just do our own thing, have our opinions, but not be so vicious about it?