The ‘Bad’ Review

One of the things you have to develop a thick skin for if you put yourself out there, is the bad review…. No one likes a bad review and I have heard many actors, writers etc. state that they never read reviews because they simply can’t abide it when they get a bad one. Having said that, a bad review is inevitable. Everyone is different and has their own view.

So last night I found my first ‘bad’ review. I was googling to see if there were any more reviews and I found it. Actually, it isn’t all bad news. The reviewer actually enjoyed the book and gave it 8/10 for plot but he hated my writing and character development. It is hard to read negative stuff and one immediately justifies everything. I’m no Shakespeare, its throwaway fiction etc. etc. All true by the way. But it is debatable whether I can actually write well this, I know for sure.

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The good thing about writing is that its fun. Its even better when someone else enjoys the result. But there is never perfection. I am still learning how to write and suspect I be all of the rest of my life. Even now, I barely know how to punctuate and being an Englishman who has US citizenship and spent nearly 20-years there, my spelling is inconsistent too.

“Anyway, so I don’t think he’s a great writer.”

I found his comments about character development interesting. This, I will never succeed at simply because I do see the world in binary terms I think. I don’t necessarily relate well to other people and confess that I don’t understand people. Given that, the characters I write about reflect my reality.

“Anyway, Doc Vasey has the same view of people: one-dimensional. There are six (seven?) characters in his novella, and they are absolutely one-dimensional – even the “twist” character is one-dimensional.”

I’m sure there will be more bad reviews. So long as there are reviews things are fine as that means people are reading the books. Meanwhile, I will continue to write in my own style and I will try to improve my writing skills as I go.

“So, crappy writing and “meh” characters . . . I know you think I hated the book. I didn’t. It was actually rather compelling. Interesting story (if rather clichéd) about the boundary of science and “magic.” He loses the thread once or twice, but I did find myself wondering what was next and where this was going, so I kept reading it. Frankly, I think if the Good Doctor found a strong editor, this little piece of work would do rather well. He ends it a bit abruptly leaves a few loose ends, but otherwise it’s a solid/imaginative piece. I recommend it to those folks who are trying to understand such things as the God Particle and whether or not entangled particles violate the laws of physics with faster than light communication, etc.”

The review can be found here.

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