Goodreads asked Michael Allen:

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Michael Allen Reading what critics have to say about a certain author's work, I look at what they are actually saying. Sometimes, their criticism isn't about the writing itself, but about how it ended or how a certain character changed over time. My first thought is, "Then, write your own book if you don't like what you read."

And that is the greatest thing about being a writer. We can create worlds and people from our imagination. There are no rules with that. We can go anywhere and have them do anything. If a critic doesn't like how our story ended or the fact that the "boy meets girl" scenario didn't turn out to their liking, that criticism doesn't matter to me. It's my world. I created it my way and the characters are my puppets to play with.

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