Day 132

Dealing with reviews and criticism

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Probably one of the biggest hurdles in writing is criticism

It comes in many forms, from subtle to downright nasty.  The point is that every writer gets criticism. It’s simply a matter of how you handle it.

As for me…

I take every comment, good or bad, as an impetus to write better.

Just remember one very important adage, what I call my Rule No. 1, you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

If you are like me, you write most of your stories under a particular genre and read, study best-selling authors’ methods and writing style, then draft and redraft to ensure that the stories meet readers’ requirements.

That’s my Rule No. 2: always make sure you a) study best-selling authors of your genre style and themes and b) read readers’ comments on your genre because that’s who you’re writing for.

Something else to remember, every writer, including those best-selling authors who have written multiple books, gets bad reviews, and sometimes acerbic criticism.

Replying to them is not recommended. Take their views on board and spend a few moments trying to try and see what their issue is. 

Then go and read a dozen of your five-star reviews just to remind yourself that all is well, and there is always room for improvement.