If you’ve been writing online for any real length of time, most likely you’ve encountered someone who has been critical of your work.
You spend a long time on what you think is a great article in hopes that it will pull in views and hopefully make a little bit of money. Shortly after, you see a comment. Some stranger on the Internet didn’t like what you have to say.
That’s always a fun feeling. You spend time crafting what you think is a great article only to be knocked down a peg or two by a random stranger. Fun.
No one is immune to this either. It doesn’t matter what your topic is or what your genre happens to be. Chances are there’s someone out there who will be critical of your writing.
The three types of writing critics.
In my experience, I can think of three different categories or types of writing critics. It’s important that we understand the differences because they aren’t the same, and the best response to one may not be the best response to another.
The first type is the person providing honest, constructive feedback or disagreement. This kind of person doesn’t mean to be contrary or rude. He just doesn’t agree with what you’ve said for one reason or another and simply wants to present a counter argument nicely. This is the best kind of writing critic. These people at least aren’t looking for a fight. They want to be heard and understood – even if you don’t wind up agreeing with them.
I’ve found that this type of writing critic tends to be open to constructive dialogue at least.
The second type is the Internet contrarian. This is a person who is just generally unhappy, and no matter what you say, he or she will find some reason to nitpick and argue. These people aren’t worth the time and effort to argue. You go right, they go left. You go left, they go right. Typical.
The third and worst type is the Internet troll. These are as annoying as the Internet contrarian but more frustrating. These people seem to get a sick sense of enjoyment from causing mayhem in the comment section. They aren’t interested in serious dialogue, and often resort to personal attacks and nonsensical arguments. Why? Just because.
Dealing with writing critics.
Each type of writing critic is different, and each must be dealt with according to his or her type. It’s important that you approach this correctly to avoid pushing away your audience and making enemies.
In the case of the first type of writing critic, I may or may not respond and thank him or her for the comment and discuss. If the topic is important, it might be worth discussing in a civil manner.
In the case of the contrarian, type two, it’s typically best to ignore them. In the off chance that I respond to one, my comment won’t typically be as in depth as a response to someone who is truly seeking to discuss or offer constructive criticism and disagreement.
But in the case of a troll, there’s no reasoning with those people. It’s best to either ignore them or block them. Anything else is typically a waste of time.
When your work is critiqued, remember a few things:
First, remember that you can’t please everybody. No matter what your topic is or who you’re writing for, the odds are that someone somewhere will disagree. You could try to stick to the middle of the road on any topic or issue, and most likely someone will come out swinging for your hard-written content. It happens.
Second, remember that you don’t have to respond to every writing critic. Sometimes it’s best to just leave them alone. As the saying goes, “don’t feed the trolls.” If your writing critic is of the first variety, someone who truly wants to dialogue and discuss, then a discussion might be beneficial. But often, it isn’t. Getting into an argument, however, is usually not worth the time and may even be harmful to your reputation as a writer.
Third, remember that – depending on the platform – you can (and sometimes should) block people as needed. While I try not to block people, sometimes I do because they cause problems in the comments or are just unnecessarily vitriolic.
Keep focusing on writing great content.
The fact is your writing will likely be criticized by someone. No matter how well you write or what you write about, once your writing starts being seen by enough people, the odds are that a few of those people won’t like what you have to say – at least all the time.
That’s been true for millennia, I assume. And with the dawn of the Internet, authors’ writings can be found and shared faster than ever before, making it even easier for trolls and contrarians to find new material to attack.
That doesn’t mean you should stop writing or that you should be discouraged. On the contrary, focus on creating excellent content for those who will actually read and appreciate your words.
Don’t let the trolls get you down. Don’t let yourself get into petty arguments and stupid exchanges. Just focus on providing value and improving your craft.
That way you’ll be focusing more on doing what you love and less on raising your blood pressure over a random stranger’s comments on the Internet.