Short stories

Criticisme

When he got out of bed this morning, he decided not to work. He wanted to take a day off, something he hadn’t done for a long time. He abandoned his career six months earlier to focus on his passion: writing. He loved to write. He had always wanted to become a writer. He decided to pursue his dream. Even unaware if he had a real talent, he began to write. He had found a publisher interested in what he wrote. New Wave had asked him a few changes before making him sign a publishing contract for three books. His first novel had finally been published! He had finally achieved his goal and he was very proud. He was officially a writer!

And today was another great day for him. Once a month came a magazine called Monthly Writers. He hoped that his book, now on the shelves for a month, would be mentioned. He was eager to read what the critics thought.

He made a hearty breakfast he ate while reading the newspaper as he did every morning. He cast a quick glance at his computer before getting up to do the dishes. He already had begun a sequel for his first novel. With the publication of the magazine, he was able to get a good idea of what he could be added. He took his jacket and left. He went to the little stand near his favorite café to buy the magazine. Then he went to the café to order something to drink and settle down to read the magazine. On the cover, he wasn’t surprised to see the very popular Lana Durant. He hated her so much! She was attractive, popular and could write on any subject and keep all her readers without any problem. He envied her a lot. He really wanted to be like her one day! They still could put someone different every month. She’s not the only one to write! He shook his head, turning the page. The first pages related future projects Lana has. She wanted to write a musical. Of course! Great idea! This way, everyone will see you on Broadway and it’ll finally make room for other writers. He took note to email Lana to encourage her in her new projects. He really wanted to get rid of this competitor to take her place at the head of sales. Since the publication of his novel, he was convinced to have a lot more talent than this bitch.

Shaking his head, he made a quick tour of the magazine to find an article about him. He finally found one at the end. He wore a huge smile before starting to read the article. He frowned, unsure of what he had before him. In which section was his book? He was horrified to learn. His book was in the section of “Horrors of the Month to Avoid”! How was it possible? The critic named Duncan Preston totally demolished his work! He closed his eyes, took a deep breath before exhaling and opened his eyes again. But he had seen right. Still in shock, he closed his eyes again and counted to five to calm down. According to the critic, the story had no plot and the characters were without substance.

“This guy is completely cracked!”

He finished his coffee and went home, still holding tight the magazine in one hand. He hastened to call his editor, pissed. She did everything she could to calm him down and have a civilized conversation.

“Tell me why this guy hates my book so much!”

“He just does his job. There is nothing wrong with that…”

“He talks about my book as if it was a foul shit! He destroyed my work! This guy is unable to recognize a true masterpiece.”

His editor muttered something he was unable to understand. When he asked her to repeat, she just answer him he was worried for nothing. He knocked loudly on the kitchen counter, accusing her of not listening. She sighed deeply, but he hadn’t finished with the insult. This literary criticism had demolished his first book when she had sworn that it was excellent. Why had she lied?

“You can’t ask everyone to love something!” she replied.

“Yet you swore to me that…”