Net Work Book Club discussion
It's good to be loved; but be prepared not to be.
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A wonderful philosophy Jim and adaptable to all ways of life.
A very good post, Jim. I couldn't agree with you more. I think I'm a better author from the criticism of my books, and I've received them all, constructive, positive, even hurtful negative ones. What I learned from nasty criticism is, as you stated, that it's just an opinion, and not everyone is going to enjoy what you write. So, like Frenchie mentioned, just get over it, and move on. Concentrate on the ones that do love your books.
The only problem with having a strong ego is that the possessor tends to be extremely sensitive to negative criticism.
I remember how proud I was after fourteen months of writing, re-writing, evaluating, and finalizing, to have produced a completed, polished manuscript which was praised by those who read it; only to then receive rejection letters from four mainline publishers who apparently thought otherwise.
My ego received a boost when a representative of the acquisition department at Tate Publishing phoned to inform me that my manuscript had been deemed to have commercial potential and that I was being offered a publishing contract.
The feeling of euphoria I experienced rapidly evaporated during eleven months of learning and participating in the publishing process - copy editing, conceptual editing, layout, cover, spine, and backmatter design, abridgement, printing, distribution, publicity, and marketing - which forced me to accept the fact that the completed, polished manuscript, of which I had been so proud, was neither complete nor polished.
The lesson to be derived from criticism, whether it be constructive, positive, negative, or even hurtful, is that it is just an opinion; and one opinion is as good as another.
Learn from every criticism and become better at whatever you do. I think I did.