How to deal with negative reviews of your writing (without going crazy)
A writer’s guide to handling bad reviews
If you write anything that gets enough reviews, it will, sadly, be criticised. It is just the way things are. If you write a lot, you can try to build an immunity to this criticism, but it isn’t easy. Most people, myself included, can feel stung by a barbed or unpleasant review, which can leave your confidence somewhat dented. However, there are a few things you can do to lessen the hurt a little and give you the strength to keep on scribing.
What is the intent of the criticism?
The first thing to do is take a step back and see if the person is trying to help. They may be genuinely attempting to offer some decent advice. Whether they are correct or you utterly disagree is less important. It might be wise to pause and reflect on it a bit because sometimes they may be right. Perhaps there are too many clichés, information dumps, or unsympathetic characters. It’s difficult to be objective in these matters.
Having an editor and/or reader group is supposed to weed out this kind of thing, but it doesn’t always happen. A critic might point out something that one of your readers mentioned but you had dismissed. Generally, someone who gives criticism this way won’t give you a one-star review, so it might be better to just learn from it.
Another reason some people might not like your writing is that it wasn’t what they expected. I wrote some light-hearted travel stories a long time ago, but the cover gave the impression of something more gritty. Consequently, a reader complained that it wasn’t what they thought it would be, which is fair enough, so I redesigned the cover. I got better reviews after that.
Just keep in mind that not all criticism is destructive or bad.
Some people are just trolls
Some people are just trolls. They appear everywhere they can and find joy from annoying others. Ignore them and don’t feed the troll.
Others merely attempt to appear clever by belittling others. You will encounter such individuals in various situations throughout your life and, much like trolls, they are best ignored. Unfortunately, people can often be like that. There are idiots everywhere.
There are also some reviewers who give everything one star or the maximum. They love it or hate it and balls to mediocrity. When I’m considering a purchase and come across a one-star review, I always check to see their other reviews — if they are an all-or-nothing type of reviewer, I just ignore them.
A lot of others will do the same, so don’t worry about it.
Your stories won’t be for everyone
Of course, there is always the fact that the odd reader just won’t like your stories. Think of a book that everyone else seems to love but leaves you cold, bored or irritated. It happens and it’s no big deal. Write for yourself as well as for others. But don’t think you can write for every reader because we are all delightfully different and nothing you do will please everyone.
A few tips to help be more resilient
Ignore the reviews — to an extent
This is hard to do and only partially recommended. You will be naturally curious to learn what others think, and it can be exciting to get a review. Still, when you see a slightly negative one, it is disappointing. However, as I mentioned, sometimes it might be beneficial to read what some have to say. It could improve your next piece of work.
One option is to keep an eye on the average rating. Skim through a few headlines to see if there are any common complaints. That is all. If the rating is low, then it is best to suck it up and have a look. It could be a formatting problem or a font that is too small — something easily correctable that would have continued to impact reviews and sales if you hadn’t addressed it.
Regardless of the type of criticism you receive, it sucks. But one thing you should never do is respond. Seriously. It is not worth the effort, and you may even appear unprofessional, perhaps even whiny. And no one likes a whiner. You definitely won’t change anyone’s mind.
Try a mindfulness or Stoic philosophy approach
Most people have heard of mindfulness and Stoic philosophy. Occasionally, they are mistakenly viewed as New Age or mystical, but they really aren’t. I am a great admirer of ancient Greek philosophy. One of the main lessons it teaches is a sense of perspective.
An important lesson is that your reaction to anything in life is ultimately up to you. This is why some people cope better than others in the same scenario, and this also applies to dealing with criticism.
As Epictetus argued, it is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
Writing a lot helps in two ways: you get better and you build resilience
There are two points that go hand in hand for both fiction and non-fiction. They may seem fairly obvious, but not always when one is starting out. These points explain why many successful authors remain unaffected by a poor review.
Regardless of what people say, writing well is a skill anyone can learn. The more you write, the better you become. It is akin to learning an instrument or how to draw. If you devote the time, it is possible to become very proficient. Of course, some possess an extra dash of genius and become legends, but they are rare. All the other millions of professional writers, musicians, and artists achieve excellence simply by dedicating themselves to practice.
If you receive some negative feedback about your writing, remember that this should diminish as your skill levels improve. The percentage of negativity will decrease alongside both your output and ability.
More reviews and comments from people you respect builds confidence
Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, the more positive reviews, happy readers, and clients you have, the more perspective and resilience you will possess.
I have been a journalist and writer for over thirty years, and I’m confident I can string a reasonable sentence together. I will still phrase the odd thing poorly, make mistakes, and have off days, but I have received enough positive feedback from readers, editors, and repeat clients to know I can weather the occasional bad review. (It still hurts a bit, though.)
A final trick and conclusion
I left this until the end because, although I like it a lot, it is more of a minor mental lift than a long-term help.
If you get a bad review, go to a book site like Amazon or Goodreads. Look up a book that is famous or that you adore. Then, look at the one-star reviews. There will always be at least one, and the more famous the novel, the more there will be.
If Faulkner, Hemingway, Tolstoy, Dickens and Orwell can get a bad review, we all can.
The point to keep in mind is that everyone will receive negative criticism. Like all creative arts, there is a lot of rejection and it is up to you to learn how to deal with it. People have differing opinions on everything.
At least someone is reading it.
“I would rather be attacked than unnoticed. For the worst thing you can do to an author is to be silent as to his works.”
Samuel Johnson
A version of this story originally appeared here: https://intriguingtimes.substack.com/p/how-to-handle-negative-reviews-as
