Handling Bad Reviews
Writing is art, and as such, an artist gets critiqued. It goes with the territory. I framed my very first rejection letter, excited that I was actually submitting my work and getting it out there. I had the mindset that even negative feedback was a positive evolution in the process of writing. I went into it with such a positive attitude, realistic about the fact that not everyone would like or understand my work. I told myself that I would easily move past unflattering feedback. But when I wrote the book Shift! I was unprepared for what I always considered myself well equipped to handle. I submitted my work to publishers. I got a few bites, I got a few, “thank you, but no thank you.” All were relatively formulaic, and I was confidently and positively pushing through.
Ultimately, after publishing, I was fortunate enough to get a few good reviews. I was even handling the mediocre reviews with grace. “It’s not so hard,” I thought. I had heard horror stories of how people struggled with how they handled bad reviews. I felt that I was able to detach myself adequately enough to not let a negative review affect me. So far so good. It was smooth sailing. Even the publishers that had said no to my manuscript were easy to brush aside. I thought I was handling it very well.
What I didn’t realize is that a “no thank you” was not the same as a bad review. Even an “I didn’t like it” was not the same as an honest, poor review. So about four months after I released the book, I got my very first real bad review. It shook me a little, I will admit. I was not quite prepared for it. Personal attacks, I could handle. A review of “your writing style sucks. You suck and you should stop writing to spare us from your mediocrity for good.” would have been met by me with grace and ease. The problem with the poor review that I received was that it was a well thought out, beautifully articulated, and constructive poor review. I had been so prepared for the personal attack, for the empty criticism, that I had never prepared for an honest, constructive review of my work.
The review called out things that I did well, and things that I did poorly. And the bad definitely outweighed the good in the reviewer’s opinion. Even at the end of the review, the reviewer noted that maybe they were “too far out of my intended audience.” It was an out, but it was not enough of one for me to come back from defeat. Over the next few days, I thought about it, and how discouraged it made me feel and I finally understood the angst other writers express over poor reviews. Since the review had come to me in email, I was able to respond if I so desired. I was fortunate that I allowed myself those few days of reflection before I responded to the critique. Every tip everywhere says not to respond to poor reviews, but I decided that I was going to respond, because dammit, I am who I am, and to hell with those writing tips. Bad move? Maybe.
It’s not what you might think. It was a short response, but I took the high road. I told the reviewer that I sincerely appreciated such a candid, well thought out and constructive review. I took special care not to make excuses, not to tell them I was sorry they didn’t like it, not to tell them that other people had read it and liked it. I was sure not to try to explain things I thought that maybe the reviewer didn’t consider. I simply said thank you. And I meant it, sincerely. It was difficult, but it allowed me to move past it and continue to push forward. After all, I recently wrote a blog called Understanding Creative People that explores why writers do what we do. This is why a bad review, though it deflated my narcissistic need to be recognized as the greatest writer on Earth, didn’t stop me from pursuing my need to put words on paper.
In fact, after it killed my desire to create, and after taking a few days off to step back, I was rejuvenated. I knew I would never stop, but the critique had shaken me. It was an eye opening event. At the very least, I am now mentally prepared for the negative, constructive review, which will ultimately make me a better writer…and so the wheel continues to turn…
Written by
Bill C. Castengera
Author of Shift!
Purchase Shift! on Amazon!
