Ah, the Thrill and Pain of Being Reviewed

As writers we crave reviews, do we not? They're such a vital way to get noticed, get some publicity. We go out of our way to seek them out. And I'm grateful, I really am, for anyone taking the time to read something of mine and to comment on it.

But reviews are a double-edged sword. A good one puts you on top of the world. But then there are the lukewarm reviews, the bad reviews even, the sort that threaten to knock you into a spiral of doubt and despair...

Now I'm pretty used to reviews and pretty used to the wide range of responses. And If I get a bad one I tell myself all the usual things: it's just one person's opinion; it's a review of a story not of me; everyone gets bad reviews. And so on.

But in truth none of it removes the sting. Now that Engn is nearing publication it's being reviewed by more and more people, eg. on LibraryThing and Goodreads. Overall I'm thrilled with the response it's getting - some people really get the novel - but obviously there are also readers who didn't enjoy the book greatly. Which is fine; that's the name of the game. This is all very subjective. Still it's painful to read such reviews. Perhaps it's worse with a novel: to have two years of graft and effort dismissed in a couple of words is cruel.

I know this is something I need to be more thick-skinned about. Every writer exposes themselves to criticism when they get published, and getting published is what we dream about. So we have to accept it. Embrace it, even, as a rite of passage. Still, it isn't easy. I know some writers say they never read reviews. I don't know how honest they're being - but I can sure understand the sentiment.

Being reviewed is such a roller-coaster ride...