Yup, it's that time again! Hosted by the amazing Alex. J Cavanaugh, this bloghop is intended for writers to share our insecurities, and support others!
I don't have much in the way of new insecurities, so I am going to keep this one fairly short, and focus on the positive side of negative reviews. I laugh as I write this because I didn't think I would ever have anything positive to say about bad reviews! :P
The thing is, when Game On was released, I was terrified that everyone would hate it. Whenever I checked the reviews, I was nervous, just waiting for one to come up that told me what a terrible writer I am! Thankfully, most of the reviews have been positive, and the ones that haven't ... well ... that's okay. Not everyone likes the same things, not everyone will connect with the characters, and ultimately, I'm happy with my book. So ... if you find yourself with negative reviews - learn from them. Use anything that is constructive, and let the rest wash over you.
That's a good attitude to have, Kyra! You know what people are like: can't please all of them :) x
ReplyDeleteSo true! I try, but it is actually impossible LOL!
DeleteSaying hello from IWSG--I seem to recall someone mentioning your book in another blog and what she said was very positive. Congrats on having a book out!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cynthia!
DeleteThat is excellent advice. Not everyone will like everything. Is this a new look for your blog? I think it's awesome, by the way.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I changed things up right in the middle of my blog tour! Glad you like it! :D
DeleteIf I ever get far enough in my writing to get reviews, then I'm writing my own negative review. The worst I can possibly come up with. That way, everything else would seem like cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels.
ReplyDeleteThat is a GENIUS idea!
DeleteThat's a great way to think about reviews! Learn from them and take them with a grain of salt:)
ReplyDeleteYep, it's not as easy as it sounds, but it's definitely a good way to do it!
DeleteThat's actually pretty scary, because my writing insecurity is similar to yours this month! Thanks for the great advice :D
ReplyDeleteAnytime! :D
DeleteThat's a good attitude to have. Everyone's opinion is different. There have been negative reviews of books I've loved (and the other way round).
ReplyDeleteYeah, me too. It's amazing how different people's tastes can be!
DeleteGreat advice, Kyra! I think we all have that fear when it's time to show our work to the world. But you're absolutely right. Don't fret over negative reviews! Learn from them and move on.
ReplyDeleteI always shudder when I hear about some author responding to a negative review on their blog or on the review itself. No good can come from that! And sometimes we need to remember that at the end of the day, reviews aren't for us, they're for readers.
Good luck!
J.W.
I can totally understand the impulse for an author to defend their work, but ultimately, it ends up being more damaging than anything. It's better to take a deep breath and walk away!
DeleteWhat a great attitude, Kyra. I'm impressed! It took me ages to come to terms with negative reviews.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's REALLY hard, especially in the first second when I see a bad review and I want to cry lol! But I figured I needed to toughen up if I want to keep on publishing!
DeleteExcellent advice! We can learn so much from the reviews that help us make the next book stronger.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteIt's subjective ride, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou have such a positive outlook which will take you far. :)
Very healthy outlook on this subject. I'm planning to celebrate my first truly terrible review. Of course, that celebration may end up looking like me hiding under my desk, crying into a pint of ice cream, but you know... it's my party and I'll cry if I want too, right?
ReplyDeleteI love Elise's idea of writing her own bad review. Maybe I'll do that too. =)
I still worry about mean reviews. Share your maturity tips with me? :)
ReplyDeleteYour words are encouraging. Just what I, an unpublished writer, needed to hear today. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs long as a review is not just demeaning and nasty, it is useful in making you a better writer. Excellent post we need to see the positive in both good and bad things. Such a lesson goes beyond book reviews.
ReplyDeleteYou've got a great take on the whole thing. Well done. It helps you've written a great book, of course!
ReplyDeleteI think something's wrong if you have all positive reviews, anyway! There's always someone who won't like your story--you can't please everyone.
ReplyDeleteAllison (Geek Banter)
Great attitude and you are so right we can't please everyone all the time. If everyone enjoyed the same thing there would no doubt be a lot of redundant writers!
ReplyDeleteOMG Game On was released! Just added it on Goodreads and entered your giveaway. Look at all the positive reviews! Can't wait to read it and I love the cover. When I see how some of my favorite, brilliant novels can get one star reviews, I realize indeed that you can't please everyone.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right on! We cannot let the negative thoughts of others affect what we think about our writing.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right and what a great attitude to have!
ReplyDeleteGood Attitude, Kyra. There's nothing you can do about reviews anyway except keep moving forward.
ReplyDeleteGood attitude—and good advice!
ReplyDeleteScariest thing EVER - putting the work out there and waiting for feedback. I'm going to play your advice as a loop in my brain.
ReplyDeleteYou and I were on the same wave-length today, touching on the matter of reviews. Scary :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat attitude, great advice! We don't get offended if someone doesn't like cheese on their pizza (we just know they're crazy), it's the same with our writing. Not everyone is going to love our characters and their trials, but there are people out there who will and they're the ones we write for!
ReplyDeleteHi Kyra. This is the third post I've read today about the positive. Someone's trying to tell us something I think. Much better to have a positive attitude. It's a pity about negative reviews. If I can't say something positive, I won't post a review.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice chick. I think it shows real strength as a writer if you can take negative reviews and turn them into a positive, by using the critique to improve future stories! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. Another bonus of the negative reviews is it lets readers who don't like your type of novel to know to stay clear and that it isn't for them.
ReplyDeleteBut it's still very easy to dread any new review and wonder whether or not they liked the book.
Well said! Waving from IWSG, and Claire's blog, too. :))
ReplyDeleteGreat point of view. We can't make everyone happy, so we can just hope for the majority, while staying true to ourselves, our story, and our characters. You've got a lot of great reviews, which is something to be stoked about! :)
ReplyDelete