Chapter 4: Dealing with Criticism.

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by DoUbLeZone

by DoUbLeZone

Chapter 4 (Criticism)

This is one of those topics that can’t be avoided because it comes in so many forms and quite frequently. The first thing you’ll need to understand is that there is a fine line between constructive criticism and hate.

Constructive criticism= good

Criticism/hate=bad.

Before we delve into this juicy topic however, you also need to understand that both these things WILL come. As long as you are putting your work out there for the world to enjoy, you WILL experience constructive criticism as well as hate, it cannot be avoided so you’ll just have to toughen up and get used to it.

I’ve been on wattpad long enough to experience my fair share, so you could say I’m somewhat of an expert on the topic. As writers you need to learn how to deal with criticism in a professional manner.

Here are some examples of comments one may get now and then:

· 1. “I like the fact that you have a creative plot, however you do have too many grammatical errors and your spelling needs quite a bit of work.” –Constructive.

· 2. “The storyline is a bit boring and drawn out.” –Opinion…You can’t kill someone because they stated an opinion. Everyone is entitled.

· 3. “Your writing is crap, hate the plotline and everything just sounds childish. I’m sorry but I can’t read this.”- Criticism/Hate. (This is not constructive as it provides no instruction to the author and no suggestions on how to improve. Neither does it show the author exactly where he or she went wrong. This person simply states that the story is rubbish and moves on.)

If it’s an opinion, then that’s fine…you should never get defensive if a reader is simply speaking their mind, however, there is no need for someone who is stating their opinion to be rude and that’s what many readers need to work on.

I have had readers who have posted hateful comments and their justification for it is that it is their ‘opinion’, if you are one such reader you need to understand that an opinion does not have to be offensive, you can get your point across in a polite manner. It is also good to remember that it is not easy for a writer to get up and put their work on the net for the world to see. It takes guts and at times it can be daunting, so be mindful of their feelings. We are all only human after all.

When I first entered the wattpad community I could not tolerate hate and I would lash out at those readers who were rude in the comments, but I have learned that the best way to deal with hate on your work is to ignore it. It won’t be easy, but I promise you it’s for the best. I personally cannot read a book by an author who gets defensive about the simplest negativity, it shows that that author is not professional and quite frankly it’s a turn off.

If you do receive negativity and you wish to address it, do so in a reasonable and polite manner, otherwise IGNORE IT. Another thing to note however, is: if a reader constantly posts negative comments on your chapters and it is disruptive or unsavory, feel free to mute them…as wattpad has so graciously provided such an option.

I will not make this long as the topic is pretty simple:

1. Constructive criticism is good, use it as a way to help you improve upon your work.

2. Hate is bad, but always be polite when dealing with it, or choose to ignore it all together.

3. For readers: just because the comment section is there for you to comment, doesn’t mean you are entitled to write whatever you choose. You are entitled to your opinion, you are not entitled to a rude comment.

Thanks for reading guys and I hope that at least one person has learned something from this.

The next chapter will speak to the topic of "How to get your book published."