Kootenai River in NW Montana, near Canadian Border

Kootenai River in NW Montana, near Canadian Border
photo by Gene Tunick of Eureka, Montana

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Saying for Writers #128 - Harper Lee

A Quote which Might (or Might Not) Inspire You to Write:

“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.” - Harper Lee

The above picture is of some Montana friends, taken by a Montana friend, and has nothing to do with this blog post.

Dixon says: That's a great quote from the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. You will get occasional harsh criticism - some of it from people who couldn't spell "cat" if you spotted them the C and A.

You will also get rotten and unfair reviews. Some will come from folks who have obviously not read a single sentence of your book. Some from people hoping to boost their own fortunes (or those of a friend) by attacking other writers in the same genre. Some from religious wing-nuts who think differing opinions should be scourged from shelves and e-readers alike. One from that stalker you refused to meet at the corner of Center & Main last Tuesday at midnight.

The absolute worst thing you can do is respond to criticism or bad reviews with anything other than: "Thanks for taking the time to express your opinion." The moment you reach for a flamethrower, you will have started an online battle that will make BOTH your critic and yourself appear to be amateurs and morons. There have been some memorable flame wars over unfavorable reviews, and the author has never come out looking good.

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