Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "praise"

Several months ago, I blogged about my encounter with a New York City psychic.
If you recall, I described how she asked me about the significance of Florida and California. I told her that I'd entered literary contests in those states. She told me I'd be traveling a lot.
She was right -- well, to a point anyway.
At the end of January I went to Orlando, Fla., to accept recognition as the runner-up in the 2015 Florida Book Festival's Gay Literature category for "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey."
Just yesterday I learned that "Truth" received recognition as a finalist in the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Awards competition's LGBT Non-Fiction category. Now in and of itself, that may not sound like a big deal. But the fact of the matter is that only the winners and the finalists in this particular competition receive official recognition.
Unfortunately, family obligations will preclude me from traveling to California to receive the recognition in person.
At any rate, the list of book awards on my website is growing. In addition to the awards I just mentioned, the list includes the following:
-- Winner of the 2013 New England Book Festival's Gay Literature category for "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey"
-- Finalist in the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards competition's LGBT Non-Fiction category for "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey"
-- Runner-up in the 2014 Great Southeast Book Festival's Autobiography/Biography category for "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey"
-- Honorable Mention in the 2014 New York Book Festival's Wild Card category for "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey"
Who knows? The list could be even longer by the end of the year -- if I enter some more contests.
For now all I need is a few more reviews... and a lot more sales!
Until next time, "That's life..."

Lord, it's hot in here. And I'm tired - and cranky. My brain is feeling frazzled because I've been cramming for my Family Law final all afternoon. And I've got a guilty conscience because I should still be studying.
But it's Monday and that means I've got a blog to write, and well, now is as good a time as any... especially since I came across such an inspirational quote. Okay, okay, "inspirational quotation" for all of you grammar freaks out there.
It happens every so often. I read or hear something that really resonates with me. Frequently, the quotation that makes me laugh or smile, or groan, or want to put my fist through the wall, is something I come across while reading. Sometimes it is a "goodreads quote of the day," like this one.
I liked it so much, I shared it on Twitter, along with the editorial comment, "Hell, yeah!"
I think it resonated with me so strongly because, like many of you, I've spent years toiling away as a writer. Long before I became an award-winning author, I was an award-winning journalist. Now that was a thankless profession.
I spent more than two decades working long hours for what amounted to less than minimum wage along side and for people whom I freely admit I hated then and still do to this day. Yes, I hold a grudge -- and yes, I can assure you that the general public has every right to detest the mainstream media. Trust me.
But I digress. The fact is I never would have become an award-winning author if I'd never been a reporter. Working in the newspaper business for 21 years provided me with invaluable experience. Sure, I learned how to write -- and how to do it well. But I learned much more than that. I learned how to accept praise with humility and criticism with grace. I learned that a thick skin is essential and self-confidence trumps all.
I learned that writing -- in any form -- is a creative endeavor. As such, it is judged subjectively. Some people will love what you write with good reason and some people will hate what you write for no reason at all. A few people will let you know when they like your work... but don't hold your breath. Most people won't. Most people will let you know when they don't like something, but don't sweat it... that's just human nature and let's face it, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Yes, everyone is a critic... and as I just said, that's fine. Personally I don't care how many people hate my work, as long as they keep buying my book. Indifference is far more bothersome to me than someone's honest opinion.
Still I can't help but wonder if all of those critics understand or appreciate how difficult writing truly is. It takes more than skill. It takes a certain amount of intestinal fortitude, especially for those of us who decide to share our life stories with the world. We do so knowing that readers will judge not only our stories, but the way in which we choose to relay them. In so doing we make ourselves incredibly vulnerable.
Yet when push comes to shove, we are not alone. Everyone has a story. So, to put it simply,"if you do not like someone else's story, write your own."
Until next time, "That's life..."

To paraphrase a famous wordsmith, it's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times.
Actually it hasn't been that bad.
My memoir cracked the top 50 in its Kindle category, reaching #30 last Wednesday. That's the lowest it's been since I finally bit the bullet and had an e-book published in 2014, so that was pretty cool.
Within the last week or so, I've also gotten my first one and two-star reviews here on goodreads, but believe it or not, that's pretty cool, too. As I've always said, it's important to accept praise with humility and criticism with grace. I appreciate everyone's interest in my work and respect their right to express their opinion.
After all, I'm not just an author. I am a reader, too. And as a reader I'm certainly not shy about sharing my own opinion. I mean, The Goldfinch won a Pulitzer and I HATED that book -- with a passion. Honestly, I'm not that crazy about Hilary Mantel's work, either.
But the one thing I always try to do, especially when I'm reading non-fiction or memoir: I always try to keep an open mind. It's not easy, but I try not to let my life experience influence my feelings about the book. If something really bugs me, I try to pinpoint exactly what it is. Is it the writing? Is it the story? Is it the way the author has chosen to tell his or her story? Am I judging the author or the author's life? Did I let any preconceptions influence my opinion or cloud my judgment?
For me, the answers vary.
What about you? Do you judge some genres more harshly than others? Do you pick up a book with an open mind or great expectations? Do you let your own life experience influence your feelings about the books you read? Do you judge the author or the book, or both?
Let me know.
Until next time, "That's life..."