Originally Posted by
Rivals_Rapture
Mr. Ryan:
You asked me not to read your story in one of your emails to me, so I have not and will not. And though because of the foregoing I can't offer advice or input on the stories themselves, I do want to relay something.
I may be new to writing in this genre, but I am not new to communities where people write tales hoping their work is enjoyed and commented on by others.
And from my time in that field, I have found that it is 100% NATURAL to feel like your self-worth is inexorably tied to your stories. That any criticism. Any less than positive feedback. Any lack of excitement on your readers' behalf is a sign of a deep personal failure.
I struggle with this, and frankly, every good author I have ever spoken to does too. They may not admit it. They may not advertise it. But everyone who writes wants their stories to be read, enjoyed, and commented on.
And when a story seems to have a dip in readers, a lack of comments, or negative feedback levied against it, it's easy to the point of being cruel to feel as if the piece you spent so much effort and time on is either worthless or being unfairly judged -- the former being the voice of one's own self-doubt and the latter a defensive mechanism.
I can't tell you how to ignore or suppress those feelings, as they torment me as well. But I can tell you that the emotions that led to this post are what all of us feel.
It's part of being a writer -- part of being a creator who cares.
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