Reviews

  I wanted to blog about something that most authors choose not to talk about. Today I’m going to talk about reviews. Anyone who writes a book knows that you’re never supposed to address a bad review, and we’re not supposed to shout it from the rooftops when we get a good one, but here’s the truth about how reviews make me feel. When I see a five out of five review and it’s obvious that the reviewer connected with something that I wrote in a deep way, it makes me feel a bigger rush than I can accurately describe. Rush might even be the wrong word because it’s more like something deep down in my soul is given approval. My feelings, actions, thoughts, and dreams are all worth something to someone. Now, I know what you might be thinking. Why does he need other’s approval? Here’s the truth. I’ve never been a man who can communicate well with people. Most people would say that I’m shy or quiet, but that’s not exactly the case. I just can’t seem to connect with others. I think that writing can be a way to communicate all of the passion and deep-rooted emotion that is constantly beneath the surface. When I see a glowing review, I know that the person got it. They saw the emotion in the story. They saw between the jokes and the stereotypical things that people read in a book. I’m not exactly the most traditional writer. I don’t try to make my characters stereotypical, and I don’t model anything that I do after anything else. That tends to make people who aren’t comfortable with true fiction uncomfortable, but when I know that one person saw my words as something more than words on a page and that they truly enjoyed being in my world for a few hours, it makes me feel accepted. There are a lot of intimate things in this world, but there is nothing more intimate than writing books that I’ve experienced. You openly show people your daydreams and hope that they won’t ridicule your fantasies, your pain, and the characters that you’ve grown to love as if they are real. Unfortunately, sometimes they do hate your work. I’m not supposed to take that personally, but I do. I feel like I leave my soul on every page of my books. All the good and all the bad things about me are on those pages, and when someone rejects that, it feels just like being rejected in any other situation. It hurts no less than when a friend or a woman rejects me. As a mater of fact, it feels worse. I don’t show my most inner thoughts to my friends or the women I know. I do put them out there for people who can literally say anything about them, however. It’s a tough process, and I’ve been told to grow thicker skin, but I don’t think that I can. Honestly, I don’t even know if I want to.

   All right, I just thought that I would share my thoughts with you guys. Here’s a little advice for everyone. Try to build everyone around you up. When you love someone’s work or even just something about them, tell them. On the flip side, remember that one insult that you don’t think twice about can completely ruin someone’s day. I believe in the review system, and I think that it helps authors know how the public receives them, but I can also tell you from experience that a few kind words can go a long way. As a matter of fact, some kind words at the right time can save someone’s life.