Saturday, August 18, 2012

A Writers Opinion on Writers, Readers, and Bloggers

In the past year, I feel like I have learned a lot from, and became a part of, this wonderful online community of Writers, Readers, and Bloggers.
As a writer, and sometimes I still can’t believe I can call myself that, I know how hard it is to put your work out there for the world to see and critique. As a reader, I know that every person reacts to books differently. It’s subjective.
I have loved to read all of my life, and there have been plenty of books that I did not enjoy that other people loved. I am pretty actively involved online, and I pay attention to what people are reading. Sometimes I pick up a book because bloggers and readers that I connect with recommend it, and other times I just buy something that sounds intriguing.
I will say that there are books that are huge right now, that I have tried to read and either didn’t like, or couldn’t finish. As a writer, it would be naïve of me to think that readers wouldn’t have the same varied reactions to my own books. We are all different. We have different likes and dislikes, and it is our prerogative to share our opinions.
I am not a Book Reviewer or Book Blogger, so it isn’t my job to post my reviews or tell the world my opinion about the books I read. If I don’t like a book, chances are you’ll never know it, but if I love a book, I’m going to shout it from the rooftops.
I consider it my job to support other Writers, to help spread the word when they have books being released, and to let it be known when I have really enjoyed their work. Indie Writers are my Rock Stars, and I really want to see the good ones succeed!
I do want to say to my fellow writers, that although I know how hard it is to read a negative review, that last thing we should be doing is lashing out at the Reviewers and Bloggers who help us survive in this community. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and as I implied earlier, two people reading the same book, can have widely differing views about that book. Once you release your book out to the public, you have to be ready to take the good with the bad.
If you get a bad review, don’t reply in the comment thread… walk away. Call a friend, or email your critique partner. Talk a walk. Whatever you need to do to process it and deal with it in your way, do it, but don’t get angry and spread your anger across the web. We have all been there. We know what it feels like, but you have to realize that a bad review isn’t a personal attack. The reviewer isn’t saying that they don’t like you, or that you are a bad person, they are just sharing their opinion on your work.
I have heard many wonderful writers second guess their craft, they wonder whether they have what it takes to actually be a writer and talk about giving up. Don’t. We all have those feelings, I promise. You just have to work through it with the people who know what you are going through, we are here to help.
Hopefully I haven’t gone on too long, but these are my opinions and I wanted to share them with the people I relate to the most… the Amazing Writers, Readers, and Bloggers in this Kick Ass Community, of which I am so honored and humbled to belong.

5 comments:

  1. Good opinions. I think the same applies to rejection letters - you have to bear in mind that they aren't rejecting you as a person, just your work. It might not be to their taste, or be a good fit for their agency/publication, any number of reasons. Someone pointing out mistakes in grammar or continuity is different than someone just saying "this book was boring and it sucked". There is a difference between critique and criticism.(And, BTW, if someone is really nasty about it, then that just reflects badly on them.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post all around, Bethany! This is such a hard lesson for people to learn. We all have to take our knocks and move on. As you said, no one will please every reader!

    ReplyDelete