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Being Appreciative and Grateful for Negative Reviews

You know when you’re writing and you have an idea of something you want to do, whether it be plot-wise or style-wise or structure-wise or whatever it is, and you hesitate because you think it might be too much or too out there or it won’t be received well?

And, you know those other times, when you just go ahead and do it anyway? 🙂

That’s you being a distinct storyteller and writer. It’s you trusting your inspiration and your vision and making sure it gets down onto the page or the screen. It’s where the fun is at, the meat of writing, the risk of it. And it’s often hard to do.

Because…

Sometimes You Get Negative Reviews

And those don’t feel very good. And you may start doubting your inspiration and your vision. “Ugh, I knew I shouldn’t have gone there!” you exclaim. But really, maybe those negative reviews are a sign you’ve done something right.

Because…

Not Everything Appeals To Everybody

We all know this, at least somewhere, but when it comes to our writing, our stories, we’re a little overprotective. Sometimes we’re tempted not to put too much of ourselves into our work or not to do anything that might stand out, for fear of someone out there not liking it.

But when there’s a group of people who don’t like something, there’s a corresponding group of people who do. I tend to think of it this way—the more likely your story is to get five-star reviews, the more likely you are to get some one-and-two-star reviews. It’s just the way it is.

When I’m writing a story, I try to think of the people out there who would REALLY, REALLY like this story and write for them. Even if there are some elements that are a bit out there, I try to write for the people who would think that was really cool.

BUT, that’s going to mean that there are people out there who won’t get this at all. It will not appeal to them in anyway, they won’t enjoy it, etc. etc. And you know what?

It’s totally fine that not everyone gets what you’re doing and in fact it’s ideal.

Because…

You Have Written Something Distinct

And the more distinct your writing/storytelling is, the more you will get two groups of people. The ones who REALLY LIKE what you’re doing and the ones who REALLY DON’T LIKE what you’re doing. So when you see that two-star review pop up on your newest novel and the reviewer says they just really couldn’t get into it, that’s great! Because you’ve also gotten a couple of five-star reviews and those reviewers couldn’t put the book down and are begging you for a sequel.

Back To Appreciation and Gratitude

So when you see that two star review, you can appreciate and feel grateful for the review and the reviewer who left it. Because it means you did something write (ha! I wrote that entirely by accident and I’m going to leave it because it brings me joy). You wrote something that alienated someone, but it means that you gained a fan elsewhere, someone who’s really into what you’re doing. Someone who may want to buy one of your other books or join your newsletter or follow you somewhere on social media (or all three!).  Because people who think something’s OK probably aren’t going to do those things, and they also don’t have an opposite because they exist in neutral territory. You need more people on the poles.

Also, remember that the person leaving the negative review has still taken their time and energy to leave that review, which is something of a backwards compliment. They have increased your review numbers and have given other readers a signpost. Haven’t you ever looked at a negative review and thought that this was exactly the book for you? Right, because we know which group we belong to instinctively.

The More You Welcome The Negative The More The Positive Will Come

Embrace both sides of your feedback and write in a way that makes your work distinct. You will have fans and non-fans. There is no other way.


Check out my newest release, Bored To Death: A Vampire Thriller and see if vampire, Vic, can restore the balance between life and death. Also, you can peruse both the positive and negative reviews on the book just to make sure I can back up my claims here. 🙂 Available right now as an ebook. Paperback is coming.  

Published inSelf Publishing

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