Anyone else let 1 or 2 bad reviews knock their confidence?

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Does anyone else seriously let a couple of bad reviews play on their mind to the extent it really hinders their confidence in their ability to write, where they just think maybe I should just give in? I'm not talking about this site, but on another one I have had not even a handful of like 2-3 star reviews yet the rest have been 5 stars. A little about me... I am both dyslexic and autistic and my work tends to become worse to the extent I don't always finish when my confidence takes a massive blow, no I don't always tend to pick up on every little mistake in my work and I know it isn't perfect.
Sorry for the rant btw I just needed to get it off my chest as its been eating away at me for a few days now.

Bex
 
EternalSunset0

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To stop outright, no. It does feel discouraging, but it's quite easy to rationalize away for me at least.

Especially helps that I myself have low expectations because I know and accept that I have a rather specific niche that could appreciate my works, given the stuff I write and the tropes I love to use. Applies to my work here and the old stuff I wrote on other sites under my other accounts.

But yeah, even with all the rationalizing, I think that everyone does have that inner desire to have his work be appreciated by as many people as possible, so it does make anyone feel bad to get those bad reviews.
 
OneRanter

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SexyBex85 said:
Sorry for the rant btw I just needed to get it off my chest as its been eating away at me for a few days now.

Bex
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This Ranter once in another realm dropped a story because its' only rating was 1/2 a star from a reader that didn't like the synopsis :)

It didn't even read the prologue nor found grammar mistakes on the synopsis but left half a star as a present anyways (^_^)

This Ranter Prays, may that reader live a long life clashing its bare pinkie toe with every hard corner in its' path <3
 
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I think it depends on what sort of "bad review" it is. There's reviews that are negative but ultimately constructive, and then there's reviews that are just bashing and someone venting without realising the hurt it can cause. I think it's naturally to be hurt and upset by any sort of bad review, because any creative work usually ends up having a lot of earnest heart poured into it by the creator, and even valid criticism can still sting. But the only bad feedback that has ever made me lose confidence in my stories has been from my own brain.

It's easier to remember the bad over the good, but the way I see it is: you cannot please everyone. It's a trite saying, but it's worth remembering. Maybe even better to say "it is inevitable, no matter how good your work is, that you will displease somebody". If the overall trend is positive ratings and reviews, and only a few poor ratings and reviews, then the overall takeaway should be "my work is good, and I was probably due in for one or two people who differ".

I don't like the advice "grow a thicker skin", because I think it removes a lot of responsibility off people being needlessly cruel and onto victims of it. But there is a kind of peace to accepting that eventually someone is going to dislike you or your work despite you never having made any sort of error. Look at how many people say comments like "I always had ~bad vibes~ from so and so and this proves it" whenever some celebrity makes a blunder.

It sucks, and it hurts, and it's fine to feel hurt. But it's inevitable. It doesn't excuse people being cruel for cruelty's sake, but it's hard to avoid because people will just dislike stuff for no objective reason sometimes and it's easier to just realise there is no possible story you likely could have written that this person might have liked. As long as the story you're writing is something you've enjoyed making, that's not something they can judge. If it really hurts and makes you lose faith in the story, maybe set it aside for a while. Take a break and come back to reread it later as your own reviewer with objective eyes. Those people that left bad reviews won't keep reading the story, so whatever you write afterwards has nothing to do with them. But if you like what you read after you've given it some space, then it's worth continuing.
 
UYScuti

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I think SH is a pretty forgiving place. As for bad ratings or reviews, I won’t tell you to shrug them off, because it’s impossible. But you should think of it this way. You are putting yourself out there, for both the negative and the positive. You can’t control what you get. But at least you are putting yourself out there. Someone putting your work down hurts, but it’s something we all go through.

Sometimes, we need to be objective and accept that what we wrote can be improved. The best way to improve your story and your writing skills is to write more. Don’t stop writing because of some bad scores.
 
PunishedKom

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Not ruin my mood but I certainly think a 5 star rating system is quite ass. Especially when it takes a percentage away from my high ranking lol
It's more like oi, screw you my shit's not a one star you jackass. It motivates me to write harder.

Would prefer a simple like to dislike ratio, or none at all. Attaching numbers to art is a bleh thing
 
placeintime

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For my novel, some reviews are a bit weird because it's like they want my plot to go the way they want it to go. Like yes, I could go with that plot route, but I'm going to stick with how I want it because I like how the plot is going. So I don't care to give a damn if those people give me a bad review just because I don't write it the way they want it to go. Like I just power through those reviews.
 
iamaducklingwriter

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SexyBex85 said:
Does anyone else seriously let a couple of bad reviews play on their mind to the extent it really hinders their confidence in their ability to write, where they just think maybe I should just give in? I'm not talking about this site, but on another one I have had not even a handful of like 2-3 star reviews yet the rest have been 5 stars. A little about me... I am both dyslexic and autistic and my work tends to become worse to the extent I don't always finish when my confidence takes a massive blow, no I don't always tend to pick up on every little mistake in my work and I know it isn't perfect.
Sorry for the rant btw I just needed to get it off my chest as its been eating away at me for a few days now.

Bex
Click to expand...
I'm very sensitive and likes to overthink things but I don't stop writing because I write it for the sake of enjoyment and passion. If you're not having fun with your work for some time, rest. In my opinion, dropping books will haunt me forever and it would burden me a lot. That is why you can get it to you, but don't stop.
 
Valmond

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Nope, I really do not care. I write how I envision it to go. They do not like it, then quit belly aching and move on. I can understand if I make noticeable mistakes. Then yes, by all means, tell me. I cannot spot everything myself. However, if it is opinionated, then no point in paying it any mind. More often than not, it is one of two things. One, it simply is not for them. Which is understandable, just move on. It is not like this one work is the only one there. The other reason, is that they simply do not understand, or too impatient. In a case like this, yeah, still not changing.

Thing is, write the best you can. Do not write to please another. Do something the best you can, improve yourself, polish your skills. Opinions are simply that. I have dealt with a few readers that tried pretty much anything to get my work to go how they wish. I simply put my foot down at that point. Since, you can have your opinions, you can tell me where I made mistakes. You can even tell me what is unclear, and I will check it to determine whether or not additions are needed. However, I will never stand for someone trying to change the structure.

With that being said. Don’t feel discouraged, move on, and focus on improving yourself. Eventually, you will find an audience.
 
Ral

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I understand the feeling.

I once had a WIP thread of a 3D character. All feedback I get was that my model was horrifying… and I can't really say they are wrong because WIP of 3D stuff always looks uncanny… but that is all that they are saying. If I update after many works and changes it results to more people saying the same thing. The only reasonable feedback I get was about the shape of the eyes. I finally just end up doing as little as possible and as lazy as possible before calling it quits. I didn't exactly stop working on it, I just don't put much effort to it. I mean, it isn't going well and I can't seem to do anything about it so just finish it as quick as I can for as little as I can so that I can start over again on a new project.

I now just keep my works to myself. I do these things for myself and only I can see them; I'm actually really happy with just that.
 
CL

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SexyBex85 said:
I seem to have allowed it to stop me continuing the story I'm in the middle of writing. It really sucks
?
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You said this didn't happen here. May we see the review and judge this person for ourselves? Our opinion might change how you feel about their response to your story.

Yes. I want to review the reviewer.
 
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The criticism I got was "oof seriously needs editing" along with a 2 star review. To me that isn't constructive at all
 
RepresentingCaution

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Don't give up!
Carlo.jpg

For the dyslexia, I recommend using a tts program that will read your work aloud to you so you can catch more typos. Here is a nice, free one:
ttsreader.com

Text To Speech (TTS) Reader. Online. Accurate. Free.

Free online Text To Speech Reader. Accurate with natural voices, multilingual. Listen online, download speech & publish. Unlimited characters.
ttsreader.com ttsreader.com
 
OkuraTsukiko

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I can relate to what you're talking about.

A few months back when I just joined SH, I was but a beginner writer. And I would be constantly worried about the reviews of my story, especially checking the ratings of my story. Just like when I started at Wattpad, I intend to make my writing enjoyable for myself and future readers. Thing is, this is my first original story, others are fanfiction as such.

One day, I checked my ratings and found a two-star rating on my page. It kept me awake for many nights, tbh, I was shit-scared. It may not be a review, but it states how good my story is to me. But once I realized it was just their opinion, it gave me the motivation to improve. Since then, I was determined to give it my best to polish my writing skills. And now, those ratings don't give me such a burden or scare anymore. If you enjoy what you're writing, continue it, set a goal, improve more.

Give it your best and continue writing, we have our ups and downs in life. But it also gave us the strength to go on and improve ourselves. You're not alone in this :blob_reach: :blob_reach:
 
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