Something for the Old Scrapbook!

[rusty_armour]

I have now received my first bad review for In the Family Way on Wraithbait. And when I say "bad," I don't mean criticism for a particular scene or aspect of the story because I've received that already. No, I'm talking about a review in which the reader pretty much trashed the whole fic and found very little that she liked about it. I'm now wishing I'd waited until the anger wore off to respond to her review because the situation seems pretty funny now. I mean, I had intended to be diplomatic (in some part of my brain), but writing the following sentence wasn't really an act of maturity on my part:

I could argue the points you brought up, but I think that would probably be a waste of time.

I've really got to learn to develop a thicker skin. I mean, taste is such a subjective thing and people have a right to like or dislike whatever they want. That's kind of the point of a democracy. However, I have a problem with people who make destructive rather than constructive criticism. In this case, I felt as if the reviewer was looking down her nose at me and using this as an opportunity to show off how clever and sophisticated she was -- or thought she was. Her review felt dismissive. Well, your little fic was disappointing and definitely below my standards, but thank you for sharing it anyway. It gave me a few minutes of entertainment when I wasn't cringing over everything else. Well, thanks. I'm so happy that, despite its numerous faults, the novel-length story I spent over three years writing had at least a couple of things you liked about it.

Oh, well. Anyone can write a glowing review in which they praise a story, but it takes much more work to provide a list of everything the writer did wrong. I should appreciate the time and effort that went into this feedback. And, hey, it's the first truly negative review for this story, so it should be cherished. *g*

Comments

[lazigyrl.livejournal.com]

Seriously, plane travel is considered no-no after a certain point in a pregnancy... more so if it's a high risk. You got that right, not her.

I haven't finished it yet. NaNo snuck up on me before I got to the end. But what I did get covered was a very enjoyable read and I plan to finish come December.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Ooooops...I just realized that you probably got some pretty big spoilers with that review! D'oh! *g* Well, I'm sure you could probably guess how some of these events were going to play out. Hopefully, it won't ruin your enjoyment of the rest of the story.

Thanks for starting to read my fic btw! I figured you wouldn't have a chance to check it out until some time after NaNo. I'm happy that you've enjoyed what you've read so far. There's absolutely no rush to finish it. I mean, it isn't going anywhere, so wait until it's convenient. I know December is a really busy time for most people, so no worries if you don't get much (if any) reading done then. :-)