MIRROR EFFECT

A insidious form of bullying involves competitors sabotaging your work by falsely linking your accomplishments to others. If your characters are portrayed positively, they're often associated with the bully's family or former partners.

Conversely, if your characters are depicted negatively, they're linked to your own loved ones. This manipulative tactic, a form of gaslighting, aims to undermine your credibility and inflate the bully's own sense of importance.

As a writer, I've experienced this insidious emotional abuse firsthand, particularly with each new book release.

I wonder if this type of harassment is a common experience for other writers, or if I'm unfortunately an isolated case.