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Joined: 11/16/2014
Posts: 6
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I am struggling with the concept of writing because of one really obnoxious critique. I didn't have it here I had it on another writing site. It was a book meant for YA and it was about three girls plotting to kidnap the homecoming queen as a joke until one girl takes it more seriously and then it turns dangerous. Well I haven't touched the book since even-though I got a lot of fufillment out of writing it! The critique basically went like this: for about three paragraphs she didn't give any constructive critisicm just trigger points on why I should never be a writer! It wasn't the grammar I thought she was complaining about because I'll be honest it's not my strong suit; it was the fact I sucked in general! Then she ended the post saying "You have really let the writing world down."
I think it's silly now that I have stopped finishing working on that story when I was having fun because my confidence was shaken up.
So with my own personal experience and if you come across something similar don't let anybody discourage you!
You have a passion in writing for a good reason!
Lisa
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Wow. That's just a plain mean review. Had this been a member of Book Country who'd written such a review, Lucy Silag would be seething right now--and so would the rest of us. No one should ever say another person can't write.
We all have room for improvement. If it's a case of you needing to learn more on Craft, then that's what the reviewer should have been critiquing on. She should have been encouraging you to become better, not saying you're a disgrace to the writing world.
Ugh. Some people make me mad. I'm going to check out Kidnapping the Homecoming Queen, since you have it up here. I might not be an expert on Craft yet--and I might not ever be--but I've read a lot of novels in my day. Many have said I'm talented at Writing Fiction. I should--hopefully--be able to attain as to whether you need some lessons on the Craft of Writing Fiction.
Don't EVER let anyone say you can't write. NEVER believe them. Study and practice. Don't give up.
Amber
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Joined: 3/2/2015
Posts: 10
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Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it.
Chinese Proverb
You will be more disappointed by the things you didn't than by the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain
Don't fret that you got smacked down, be proud that you stood back up.
A Lifetime in Aries --edited by A Lifetime in Aries on 3/5/2015, 7:35 AM--
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Joined: 11/16/2014
Posts: 6
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Thank you Amber! Your critique very exceptional! That was the critique I was hoping for with that story to begin with. You have a lot of good pointers and you gave me hope as a new writer instead of discouraging me. I sent you a PM.
A Lifetime in Aries: Many wonderful quotes, thank you for those!
Lisa
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Joined: 10/7/2013
Posts: 65
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Sounds like the m.o. of a jealous troll. You will encounter a few of these, but it's always shocking when you do. Maybe she wants to discourage competition because she figures it's the only way her work will ever get noticed. Take a long walk; feel the sun and the breeze; inhale deeply; and then get back to work to prove her wrong!
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Joined: 4/23/2015
Posts: 38
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I stopped using another writing website because of the fear of someone ripping my work to pieces after author friends of mine had received some awful abuse. I took myself off the site before anyone could throw the same sort of abuse my way. I'm a closet writer so sharing my work at all is difficult. But it's a career I'd like to pursue so I started looking into what was needed for self publishing and found that a web presence was pretty essential and soon discovered that trolls are everywhere and it's best to ignore them. I've now re-joined the other website and have just signed up to this one feeling nervous, but hopeful that I can get over nasty comments if there are any and get the reviews I need. I guess my point of this is to take only the criticism that is constructive, if it's not constructive in anyway it's a waste of your time and theirs. Happy writing to all 
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Joined: 4/14/2015
Posts: 2
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Ouch. Doesn't that just totally violate the dictate of "comment on the writing, not the writer." The reality is that not all people are either fair or nice. Some will hide behind some sort of "validity of frank comment" banner while others don't even bother to justify their meaness. To mis-paraphrase The Wizard od Oz "ignore that nasty piece of work behind the curtain."
Writing is mostly a solitary pursuit. If you hear the call ... Well, Don't ignore the ringtone. If you do, you'll always wonder what would have happened.
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Joined: 6/15/2015
Posts: 16
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The struggle I had with songwriting and now writing is that my inner critic uses criticism as fuel for self-doubt and playing it safe by not creating anything different. I still deal with it, but bounce back much faster now. Sites where the culture is supportive, like Book Country, seem to foster much more creativity than competitive sites that foster mean-spirited and cutting reviews. I left a songwriting site because the focus was on personal preference and not on the writing or improving. I hope I never forget how hard it was to write that first song and first book draft. --edited by Andy Getch on 7/22/2015, 10:57 PM--
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Joined: 1/19/2016
Posts: 12
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Never let anyone discourage you from writing. Sure, there will be rejections along the way, but let it be a learning experience for you. Treat writing not as "just a job" but something more.
ChatEbooks recently posted https://www.chatebooks.com/blog-Writing-a-Book-6-Things-That-First-Time-Novelists-Should-Avoid
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Joined: 6/28/2015
Posts: 15
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If you like to write for the joy of it, don't let anyone's opinion stop you. Writing, like any other art (painting, singing), is subjective. Every writer doesn't get published, every singer doesn't make a record, and every painter doesn't have art hanging in a gallery. Do what you enjoy, and the rest is just icing. However, the more you practice your craft, the better you'll become, and the more likely you are to get that icing. You may also find that you like (and are better at) writing one genre over another.
By the way, a good critique is one that points out what is working with a manuscript as well as what's not working.
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Joined: 7/18/2014
Posts: 121
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I look at critiques as one person's opinion. Maybe he/she got up on the wrong side of the bed that day. Maybe they had bad eggs for breakfast and aren't feeling their best. Maybe the drive to work was miserable and they're in a bad mood as a result. Or, maybe there are some genuine problems with my manuscript.
I read every critique and take none of them personally. I've got a book out right now that only a handful of people have read. It's received just one comment. It's a comment rather than a critique and it doesn't tell me much. On the other hand it says quite a lot. Unfortunately it comprises just a very short sentence:
"A well written book that did not hold my interest."
In a moment of paranoia I began wondering if the other purchasers haven't commented because they, too, lost interest. I hadn't looked at the book since publishing it. I found it on my external HDD and read it again with a new perspective. Other than seeing a lot of things I'd like to change, which is normal for me, I finished the book still wondering why that reader couldn't stay interested. At least he or she thought it was well written. Then I wondered if they were upset at spending the couple of bucks to buy it.
Finally, I shrugged and decided I'd spent enough time on the readers lack of interest. A writer will never please everybody. Remember, even Ernest Hemingway had critics.
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Joined: 7/17/2016
Posts: 2
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I'm new here but am sorry you went through that. I hope you will start to write again. I always find it interesting how ONE person's negative input often speaks louder than all the other GOOD input received.
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