"GIVE `EM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT!"

                        Reviews & Constructive Criticism    

 

I am a Bonnie Raitt fan for life, and she said it best in so many words.

Don’t you hate when people gossip and never have one good thing to say about whoever they’re treading dirt over?

We read social media posts about our fav celebrities and wonder why people say such awful things when they don’t know them personally.  

In the writing world, that’s the entire idea, to become and stay relevant. To make your work buzzworthy, liked, and shared by millions.

Isn’t that point? We want them to talk and share. Our work should become the focus and, if we’re lucky, start discussions with engaging dialogue that makes the conversation worthwhile.

 Hopefully, any conversation dealing with your work will be noteworthy and unforgettable in the best way.

As an author, you may or might not like everything readers say about your work. But reviews and constructive criticism come with the territory.

Even if the reader has never written anything short of a review but proceeds to name in detail everything they liked or hated about your story.  

What qualifies readers to remark about how and what you write when they aren’t writers? If you’ve ever asked that question.

Remember those school days when the teacher pointed out that you could’ve gotten an A if you’d only done X-Y or Z. Pointing that out is a teachable moment and why constructive criticism is so important and why we want readers to give their opinions.

 Any positive critique wasn’t designed to point out weaknesses but meant to enable you to do better.

So whether or not readers have writing credentials or credits, they still know what they like and dislike about every story, including yours.

I could say don’t take it personally, but it is because we’re sensitive about what we do as writers.

But, I believe in giving credit wherever it’s due. Readers may not understand all the writing lingo or a story arc, but they know a story that is the bomb versus one that’s a bomber.

On the flip side, the readers have every right to express whatever comments they make about your book. We should welcome that because the success of those books relies on those reviews.

It’s not an either-or situation. We can’t have it both ways.

Not all readers are nefarious or live to point out the shortcomings that make you feel incompetent or less than a writer.

It’s a team effort, and their job is to shine a light on your work that will hopefully direct other readers your way.

Who are you writing for anyway? Yourself or the reader? The correct answer should be obvious; otherwise, you’re running a one-person show.  

As an author, you must not only write but view the story as if you are on the outside looking in. And also, as a writer, I’m positive you read many books, so you should understand the part reader-reviewers play in that story.

The goal is to give them something to talk about; hopefully, whatever they say will lean more toward what you’re aiming for in the end game.