In less than a month (June 8th to be precise), I will have another book in the world. I am, or maybe I was, very proud of A SHOT OF MURDER: A LUCKY WHISKEY MYSTERY—until a week ago, when I received a one-star review.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve gotten plenty of one-star reviews in the past. They are a rite of passage for an author. A way to know that hey, you’ve made it into an exclusive club where internet trolls live.
That being said, this review threw me into a tailspin. I’m sure you know the one. It’s sometimes referred to as Impostor Syndrome. Where we writers decide that we are hacks, unworthy of a single reader.
The reviewer wrote what they believed to be true, and I can’t argue with the content, and I wouldn’t want to anyway. Writing, like reading, is subjective. What I write sometimes hits a person wrong. And some of what the reviewer said might very well be true of the book. Who am I to judge?
Since reading that review, I’ve had a very hard time writing. Plenty of starts and stops, and a resistance to writing the next book in the series. I don’t have any tricks to restart my love of writing. Just the knowledge that, one day soon, the icky feeling lingering from the review will fade, and I’ll write again.
Have you considered quitting writing? And if so, how did you get over it? Do you too suffer from Impostor Syndrome?
You better not quit! I love your writing. You know the saying about “you can’t please all the people all the time” and there will always be those that no one can ever please, because they don’t want to be happy. I have quit and restarted several times and it’s people like you who have encouraged me to keep plugging away, so right back at you!
Julie, you need to go back to February 5 and read RMFW’s post entitled “Write Like…” by Mark Stevens. I printed it out. It’s a sure cure for the writing blues. Among his lines are, “Write like you have news to tell the world.” Here’s the link: http://rmfw.org/write-like/
My very first review for Stripped Bare was a one-star. It hurt like hell. I thought the book was doomed to failure. The guy was wrong on so many counts (facts, not subjective stuff, which I can’t judge) It takes so much energy to recover from an early sucker punch like that. But you know you will and I know you will. Sorry, my friend. I’d punch that reviewer in the face for you if I could! That’s all I’ve got for you.
You are talented. Sincere. Dedicated to your craft.
Your reviewer is a Troll. Write a poem about the troll with at least one line that rhymes with “pity it.”
I can’t wait to see the poem. 🙂
Join the crowd, Julie. We all get those one star reviews (sometimes with no comments) and muddle through it the best we can. You’re a good writer and you’ll write again. You may think you can retire, but the writing bug will not let you. Take a deep breath, sit for an hour on the patio at a coffee shop with your favorite beverage (and no phone or tablet) and just think. Or yeah, continue to breathe…
Thanks Julie, for your honesty and emotional vulnerability. I never wrote when I was young, because fear got in the way. I might be found out as a no-good writer, unable to write with the grace of John LeCarrè, or Anne Proulx, orDiana Gabaldon, and then have FAILURE stuck to me forever.
For this reason, I didn’t write at all. Now, I have begun to see that my standards were a safety net to prevent me from writing at all for fear of rejection, or honesty, of criticism. I would have skills now if I’d written then.
Now- I find myself getting elderly, and trying again to begin, since it ‘s now or never. Now- the sense I have is that if I fail to write I lose all of the message, all of the stories, all of the wisdom. If I write and it’s garbage, I win because I wrote, and rewrote, and will continue to try to improve. Time is increasingly short. I wish I’d written in my thirties when I apparently thought I knew all the answers. But I didn’t.
Write past fear, and then write some more. Share your broken self, your flawed self, your imperfect self while you have the gift of time. It s a limited resource.
Since I generally write for myself–the world be damned!–I have yet to see myself as an impostor. Just took a look at Annie Proulx’s works on Amazon. Her charming collection, “Close Range – Wyoming Stories,” garnered several one stars. Seems they came mostly from Wyoming folks who took offense:”I thought this book was awful. Apparently the author doesn’t like her neighbors in that state.” LOL! Yeah, if we couldn’t laugh, we’d probably toss the keyboard through the window when we get a one star, damning our muse for letting us write such tripe. But we don’t, because we know better. Write on, Julie!!!
We do have to have thick skin in this game, don’t we? Thanks for your honesty, Julie. It helps the rest of us!
As a new writer who is yet to embark on a novel-length work, I suspect you’re trying to scare the s**t out of me. And from my lack of experience, you might wonder, as I do, what I could say of value. Here goes.
Everything I’ve heard so far tells me to expect failure. In spite of that, I still write. Everything I’ve heard tells me writing is a skill, a craft that I may never master. I still try to improve.
But, I suspect none of that applies to you. Your book is probably awesome and the reviewer is an idiot.
I don’t think I’m an imposter but I do question my ability sometimes. I have to remember that I write because I love to write. Keep the joy. Do it for my own pleasure over and above that of others.
I think having Impostor Syndrome (which goes into remission and back out again) is part of being a writer. A rite of passage, as you say one-star reviews are. I say, eff ’em and move on. And when I come crying about a one-star review down the road, I hope you’ll tell me the same. 🙂 No one has the right to make us feel like this. I have considered quitting in the past after not-so-great feedback, but this is in our blood and bones and in our cores. We can’t deny it. We MUST write.
I was a nervous wreck as the reviews started coming in for Sweet Barbarian…it’s my worst-reviewed book and also my best selling one…I think if your book is getting a reaction, that is always a good thing. All reviews are good reviews even though it might not feel like it. (Well, these are the things I tell myself when my feelings get hurt anyway!)
Funny story about a negative review. I had one scathing review on Sweet Barbarian that basically said: This book was so boring my eyes crossed; the hero is too sweet; the author is obsessed with yoga pants and condoms [true, actually;] I didn’t like the bossy, controlling heroine and her veganism was being shoved down my throat [um, actually, the heroine is a vegetarian, thank you;] the epilogue was ridiculous [why did you keep reading if your eyes were crossed from boredom?;] I only read to the end because I was waiting to see if the brother would come back, but no luck [oh, that’s why. Well, he’s DEAD! Wasn’t that made clear in the first scene of the damn book??? What the h— is wrong with–wait. You wanted to see the brother come back? I mean, we didn’t SEE him die in the first scene…he could have escaped his execution…hey, this is an amazing idea for a sequel. Actually, thank you, cranky Crossed-Eyes-Vegan-Hating Reviewer!]
I’m writing the sequel now. It’s called Untamed Barbarian and the heroine is a junk food addict. Ha.
I hope this helps. Feel for ya, sister. Been there.
This is going to take a moment.
When Cortez got to Mexico the first thing he did was burn his ships. This way, everyone had to be on the same page. At some point in the creative life, you have to burn your ships, or else those spirits of fear will haunt you, telling you lies about your talent and work ethic. You gotta burn the bridges so those spirits can’t follow you.