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As many of us OC writer-types will do occasionally, I browsed over to amazon to check out A MAGIC OF TWILIGHT, and found that someone had given it a one-star review.
Of course, I had to read it -- it's like picking at a scab: you know it's going to hurt and you shouldn't do it, but you can't stop yourself. Now, mind you, I believe this person is absolutely entitled to her opinion and I know that the last thing a writer should do is respond to a negative review. And hey, she does say that S.L. Farrell is one of her favorite authors, but...
Her primary complaint was that she "found myself lost trying to pronounce proper names!"
The argumentative (strong ego) side of me wonders why she liked the Cloudmages books so well when the names there are Celtic-based and (to my mind) stranger and more difficult to pronounce that the names in TWILIGHT. I mean, "Ennis O'Deoradháin" vs. "Ana cu'Seranta"? Most of the names in TWILIGHT are actual French, Italian, or German given names and surnames (the latter with an added 'status' syllable tacked to the front of them.) They're not names I just 'made up.' Did she want "John Smith"?
But the critical (weak ego) side of me starts to worry that maybe she's right. Maybe I'm making the readers work too hard, demanding too much of them. Maybe I should have looked for easier-to-promounce names; maybe I shouldn't have used so much of the 'native' language. I do that -- as every fantasy writer does -- to give flavor and solidity to the imagined world, and nearly all the reviews have praised the book for the depth of worldbuilding, but maybe I went too far. Maybe I've sprinkled in too much flavor and made it unpalatable. Maybe I made it inaccessible for too many readers. Maybe...
On my website, I sometimes review books I've read. They're all 'good' reviews, because as a writer, I know that a review that eviscerates a book can only hurt.... and even if the author might agree with the flaws you point out, there's not a damn thing they can do about it once the book's out there. The time for negative feedback is in the drafting process, when you can still fix a mistake. Telling me you didn't like my book for Reason X after the book is published has only one effect: it makes me feel bad. That's true whether I happen to agree with your Reason X or not. I tell my students all the time that "the criticism is about the story, not about you," but I'll admit that my work is enough a part of me that, even though that's my stance intellectually, emotionally I'm not always so solid.
OTOH, you can tell me you really liked my book all you want. :-)
I do know writers who refuse to look at bad reviews because it utterly undermines their confidence and causes them to doubt their competence and to second-guess all their decisions. I know other writers who don't give a damn at all about bad reviews; they'll laugh and even post them -- it doesn't affect their confidence at all. I'm not quite sure where I fit on that scale -- somewhere in the middle, but probably (honestly) closer to the "shouldn't look at bad reviews" than to the "I laugh at their stupidity" end. My writing ego is probably weaker than it is strong, in many ways.
What about you, if you're a writer? How do you respond to bad reviews? And if you're a reader, how much do reviews affect your purchasing decision? Do you put reviews on the book-selling sites like amazon, and if you do, what about a book would compel you to write a review, either good or bad?
Of course, I had to read it -- it's like picking at a scab: you know it's going to hurt and you shouldn't do it, but you can't stop yourself. Now, mind you, I believe this person is absolutely entitled to her opinion and I know that the last thing a writer should do is respond to a negative review. And hey, she does say that S.L. Farrell is one of her favorite authors, but...
Her primary complaint was that she "found myself lost trying to pronounce proper names!"
The argumentative (strong ego) side of me wonders why she liked the Cloudmages books so well when the names there are Celtic-based and (to my mind) stranger and more difficult to pronounce that the names in TWILIGHT. I mean, "Ennis O'Deoradháin" vs. "Ana cu'Seranta"? Most of the names in TWILIGHT are actual French, Italian, or German given names and surnames (the latter with an added 'status' syllable tacked to the front of them.) They're not names I just 'made up.' Did she want "John Smith"?
But the critical (weak ego) side of me starts to worry that maybe she's right. Maybe I'm making the readers work too hard, demanding too much of them. Maybe I should have looked for easier-to-promounce names; maybe I shouldn't have used so much of the 'native' language. I do that -- as every fantasy writer does -- to give flavor and solidity to the imagined world, and nearly all the reviews have praised the book for the depth of worldbuilding, but maybe I went too far. Maybe I've sprinkled in too much flavor and made it unpalatable. Maybe I made it inaccessible for too many readers. Maybe...
On my website, I sometimes review books I've read. They're all 'good' reviews, because as a writer, I know that a review that eviscerates a book can only hurt.... and even if the author might agree with the flaws you point out, there's not a damn thing they can do about it once the book's out there. The time for negative feedback is in the drafting process, when you can still fix a mistake. Telling me you didn't like my book for Reason X after the book is published has only one effect: it makes me feel bad. That's true whether I happen to agree with your Reason X or not. I tell my students all the time that "the criticism is about the story, not about you," but I'll admit that my work is enough a part of me that, even though that's my stance intellectually, emotionally I'm not always so solid.
OTOH, you can tell me you really liked my book all you want. :-)
I do know writers who refuse to look at bad reviews because it utterly undermines their confidence and causes them to doubt their competence and to second-guess all their decisions. I know other writers who don't give a damn at all about bad reviews; they'll laugh and even post them -- it doesn't affect their confidence at all. I'm not quite sure where I fit on that scale -- somewhere in the middle, but probably (honestly) closer to the "shouldn't look at bad reviews" than to the "I laugh at their stupidity" end. My writing ego is probably weaker than it is strong, in many ways.
What about you, if you're a writer? How do you respond to bad reviews? And if you're a reader, how much do reviews affect your purchasing decision? Do you put reviews on the book-selling sites like amazon, and if you do, what about a book would compel you to write a review, either good or bad?