New Policy

Okay, so I've got a new policy here. No more anonymous posts. If you've got something to say, sign your name to it.

Allow me to explain. Someone apparently didn't appreciate what I said in my last post about taking criticism. They decided to anonymously post a comment about it using a very poorly constructed analogy. I'm not even going to guess at who made it.

Needless to say, I've changed the setting on the blog. You need to have an account here to leave a comment. I don't know if it's possible to post anonymously in a blog with an account. If it is, anonymous comments will be deleted.


But since someone decided to criticize my criticism, let me criticize your criticism in turn.

Am I saying that someone should be happy when they're criticized and told that someone doesn't like what they've done? Heck no! I'm not saying that at all. Criticism does hurt. What I'm saying is that you have a choice of what to do with that criticism.

Let me give you an example from my own life. A few weeks ago, I sent in a short story called "The Jewel of Creation" to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. When I came home today, I discovered the SASE that I sent with it and I knew that it wasn't good news.

I was right. In a very short note, the assistant editor informed me that he was going to pass on it. The extent of his criticism was "This tale didn't grab my interest, I'm afraid. Good luck to you with this one, and thank you again for sending it our way."

Did it hurt to get rejected? Yes, it did. So what do I do with this rejection? How do I respond to this gentleman who didn't like my work?

Well, I could write the editor a note informing him that he doesn't get it and argue that my story is better than he thinks, that the people who have read it so far have enjoyed it, and that it deserves another shot. Somehow, though, I don't think that will get me published.

Or I can do what I actually did. I laughed it off since I still believe in my story and I sent it off to a new magazine. It goes in the mail tomorrow. If that magazine rejects it, I'll see what they have to say. If I'm lucky, I'll maybe get some in-depth comments that I can consider, either implementing the suggested changes to make the story better or ignoring them if I disagree. And then I can send it off again and hope for the best.

Taking the criticism personally doesn't help. That's all I'm saying.