On Critiques and Submissions
The entertainment industry can be a vicious place. Authors, actors, directors, etc. are often told not to read reviews. Good reviews make your head big. Bad reviews can destroy your confidence. Yet in all of these fields, a certain amount of criticism is required to get your foot in the door. And everyone has an opinion...
As a receiver of many rejection letters, at the beginning I hated the form letter rejection. Now I realize how kind the letter is. Because there are some agents and authors who believe that pouring salt in a wound is the best way to go. And when that happens, it sucks. It sucks when instead of a thanks, but no thanks you get some sort of rude comment about your work being "garbage." Or better yet, when they pick it apart line by line and insult your character, your plot, and even you for writing something like that.
Then you have people who offer "critiques." Fellow authors trying to get out the gate usually that you think will be a sympathetic shoulder, someone who understands. These people usually go one of two ways: the oh-yeah-it's-great people, and the people who are rude and insulting. When I was in college doing creative writing, one of our classes was about how to give constructive criticism. You don't attack individual elements or people, you talk about what is working and what isn't and WHY. But you do it in a respectful way. Like saying "this bit of dialogue is dry maybe you could do this, this, this." You CAN tell people when things aren't working and be respectful.
And that's where this is going. I've dealt with a lot of disrespect the last few months. You read posts or hear authors talk about how writing is a business and you should be professional. When you're rude, not only does it tear other people down, but it makes you look bad. Personally, I'm feeling really discouraged. When at my lowest, it makes me want to quit. But I won't quit. I'll just put this project aside and move on to something else for a while. A different genre maybe. Or a different venue. Not only are your comments hurtful to someone, but you're also hurting yourself when you're rude and catty. You burn bridges before you even get out of the gate. What happens if an author who gave you a horrible review or a rude critique ends up sitting on a panel with you at a conference later? What if, as an agent, you need one of those people you insulted later on to write a blurb about your book, or a client's book? You get a reputation of being a diva and how do you expect to get signing opportunities at book stores or conferences? Let's handle ourselves with more grace and tact instead of tearing each other down. Provide worthwhile feedback. Help each other out on this journey we're all on. Because it's not just unprofessional.
It's inhumane.
As a receiver of many rejection letters, at the beginning I hated the form letter rejection. Now I realize how kind the letter is. Because there are some agents and authors who believe that pouring salt in a wound is the best way to go. And when that happens, it sucks. It sucks when instead of a thanks, but no thanks you get some sort of rude comment about your work being "garbage." Or better yet, when they pick it apart line by line and insult your character, your plot, and even you for writing something like that.
Then you have people who offer "critiques." Fellow authors trying to get out the gate usually that you think will be a sympathetic shoulder, someone who understands. These people usually go one of two ways: the oh-yeah-it's-great people, and the people who are rude and insulting. When I was in college doing creative writing, one of our classes was about how to give constructive criticism. You don't attack individual elements or people, you talk about what is working and what isn't and WHY. But you do it in a respectful way. Like saying "this bit of dialogue is dry maybe you could do this, this, this." You CAN tell people when things aren't working and be respectful.
And that's where this is going. I've dealt with a lot of disrespect the last few months. You read posts or hear authors talk about how writing is a business and you should be professional. When you're rude, not only does it tear other people down, but it makes you look bad. Personally, I'm feeling really discouraged. When at my lowest, it makes me want to quit. But I won't quit. I'll just put this project aside and move on to something else for a while. A different genre maybe. Or a different venue. Not only are your comments hurtful to someone, but you're also hurting yourself when you're rude and catty. You burn bridges before you even get out of the gate. What happens if an author who gave you a horrible review or a rude critique ends up sitting on a panel with you at a conference later? What if, as an agent, you need one of those people you insulted later on to write a blurb about your book, or a client's book? You get a reputation of being a diva and how do you expect to get signing opportunities at book stores or conferences? Let's handle ourselves with more grace and tact instead of tearing each other down. Provide worthwhile feedback. Help each other out on this journey we're all on. Because it's not just unprofessional.
It's inhumane.