Receiving a critique of your work can be nail biting, when the review can go in either direction. None of us enjoys being hammered with negative information regarding our own work. After all, everyone loves praise and pats on the back for a job well done. Realistically, nobody is perfect, so there’s going to be some negativity. But here’s the thing. Some reviews are brutal and probably unnecessarily so. You can take control of situations like this. You don’t have to feel bad about it. You can choose to let it help you. Here’s what you can do.
- After you’ve read the negative review, clear your head and take a deep breath.
- Then read it through again only this time write down what they didn’t like about your writing/book.
- Go through each item on this list and think about what you can learn from it so that you don’t repeat the same mistake in your next book or piece of writing. If they don’t give you examples of what they’re referring to, try to find some of your own. Maybe the reviewer said your main character doesn’t show enough emotion but doesn’t give any examples in the text where the MC doesn’t. You will have to find these instances on your own. Or, you can ask someone else you know who has read your book if they noticed any lack of emotion in your MC.
The point of a review is not only to let other potential readers know about your book but also for you, the author/writer, to make you a better writer. So don’t let reviews hurt your feelings. Let them help your writing.
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 