As the end of the Inktober challenge (one ink drawing for every day in October) nears, I prepare to head into NaNoWriMo—a one month push to write a 50k word first draft of a brand new novel. Before I begin this journey for the third year in a row, I like to absorb new knowledge. Wisdom and advice from other authors who are where I want to be: published.
But this accolade doesn't come without its woes. All successful published authors have to endure the sting of negative reviews, no matter how polished or compelling the content is. The old adage, 'you can't judge a book by its cover', probably needs to shift to, 'you can't judge a book by its reviews'.
Even though I do.
I often pick up random books that sound interesting from the charity where I volunteer. Often times, before I even flip to page one, I check the reviews on Goodreads. If the book has below a 3.7 rating, I usually just pass it onto the nearest Little Free Library. Occasionally, I'll flip through the first chapter to see if I agree with the review.
These days, checking reviews is the norm. Movies, shows, restaurants—we want to know if they're any good before we spend our time and money. This technology is still relatively new to the world, being able to find reviews online with a few swift clicks. Thirty years ago, we relied on printed material and word of mouth. But now, we can write off a product, a tourist trap, or even a person (cringe) based on the opinions of others, in seconds.
This ability can be as useful as it is frightening.
I like to think I prefer to make up my own mind without being swayed by the opinions of others, but I also appreciate an honest review. I want to know exactly what someone didn't like about something, and then decide if it's something I can handle.
If a poor review states, "this book had way too much description, and the character was whiney," I probably wouldn't want to read it either.
But, if someone claimed, "Why would I want to read about a woman who can't make up her dang mind between four of her childhood friends?" I would be onboard, excited to see what happens to the friendships within. But I've also been stuck in the middle of a love triangle, so I understand how frustrating and hurtful that can be. That theme vibes with me.
Subjectivity is an uncontrollable force. A reader either vibes with a book and the characters inside it, or they don't. Once the book is released into the printed "wild", it's at the mercy of every reader's strong opinions.
I just finished a video course about character development, and the teacher mentioned several books that stuck with her for months after she finished reading them. One of the books stayed in her memory for decades. What did I do? I looked up the mentioned books on Goodreads, preparing to add them to my "to read" list. Every one of them had a 3.6 rating or below. And a bestselling author wrote every one of them.
Yikes.
Just thinking of the negative reviews I may receive in the future makes me want to cringe. No matter how hard I work on my novels, some people will hate them. I know this, but it doesn't help my confidence. But then, I think, "So what if my future book gets a 3.3 rating online? At least that means I'm published and scads of people have read it. Many of them even loved it!"
It pays to focus on the positives.
All life has balance. As much as I would love to write books that could appeal to everyone, that is an impossible task. Staying true to myself and the characters and themes I want to represent should override everything else. If a reader misses the point I'm trying to make, or can't vibe with a character, then the story wasn't for them. That's okay. It doesn't make me a bad writer. It also doesn't invalidate their opinion.
With all that in mind, I head into NaNoWriMo with a rough outline for Bunless Ovens. Could it be a future bestseller? Maybe. I'll see if I can get it there. Best of luck to everyone who participates.
Keep on smilin'!
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