Your Guide to Writing the Perfect Story

Dealing With Criticism

As writers, we naturally have to learn to deal with hate. Except seeing people insulting our skills still hurts, even if what they are saying is untrue. The thing is, no matter how many people like you, there is always going to be someone who doesn't, or who is jealous. I'm going to try and help you deal with criticism because if you can't, you might lose the inspiration to continue with your story.

The first thing you should know is how to differentiate between constructive criticism and hate. The former is where someone is pointing out what they didn't like about your story, but also giving you suggestions on how you can improve. Hate, however, is criticism with no motive except to put you down. Now that we have that covered, I'll move on to how you can deal with the criticism.

Remember that no matter how insulting anyone is or how angry they make you, you should never retaliate. Believe me. I've gone down that road and I don't plan on retracing my steps. If someone says something that is rude, let them know that you don't appreciate their comment somewhere on their page. Make sure you imply that you aren't interested in a response and their words won't make any difference to you. Once you have done that step, make sure to block them and if it's appropriate for the situation, report them to Wattpad as well. That way you will at least be making a small difference in the Wattpad community. There will be one less troll running around and spoiling the fun.

Next step? Delete the comment! There's no use in having their hate haunting you every time you look to see what everyone else has to say. With time, you'll forget what they even said in the first place. It's not a bad idea to include on your profile that all hate will be ignored and deleted. That way, some people might decide it won't be worth it to make a comment. 

Another thing you should remember is to not let hate put you down. Keep writing as you normally would and forget what they said. It shouldn't hold you back from writing what you want to. Now, some people may disagree with me but I say you should never write for your fans. Write for yourself! Write because you love it and you want to get better and you have pride in your work and abilities. As soon as you stop writing for yourself and only to suit other peoples tastes, that is the moment that you no longer have a purpose. Once the fire is extinguished, soon all that was appealing about your story will, too. No one enjoys a story that wasn't written with care. 

My last thing I think would be valuable for you to think about is that there are ways to avoid hate as well. Consider why people are hating on you. Is a character racist, rude, biased? It's okay for characters to be these things if you aren't promoting them but some readers still get offended. If you are very sensitive or don't know how to deal with these topics appropriately I would suggest you don't include them at all. Likewise, if you don't come off as a pleasant person, your readers will be more inclined to dislike you. Reply to comments on posts, let your fans know that you appreciate them and the support means a lot to you! Don't be afraid to include a friendly author's note or message to your followers every now and then. A little bit of kindness can go a long way.

That's all I want to say about dealing with hate. The most important things to remember are that you should always treat people with respect, no matter the circumstances, and write because you want to, not because you feel it is your duty. 

I'd love to hear your different methods of dealing with criticism so please let me know in the comments. Aside from that, I wish you luck in your writing and hope that you never have to deal with a hater. But if you do, remember that no story is beyond hope, even if anyone tells you it is.