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5 Ways To Combat The Bad Review Blues



Every artist has received bad reviews. I don’t care who you are. If you’re an artist—unknown or well known—there will be people who will bash your work. As an author, I knew at one point or another, someone would trash my story. When I was writing Beyond the Eyes, I was well aware that the main character Paige, who is an emotional, heartbroken 17-year-old, would annoy some readers, because she's weak at first. I created her character that way to give her room to grow, which she does throughout the trilogy. I was also well aware that I might get some grief for having Paige and Nathan fall in love rather quickly and for Paige losing her virginity to him early on in their relationship. However, I trusted the fact that the reader would realize there’s a connection between Paige and Nathan, which Anwar mentions later on in the tale and that most girls lose their virginity in their teens. Not to mention, all the popular TV shows and movies watched by young adults show similar situations. So I took those things into account and decided to let the chips fall where they may. Fortunately, a lot of my readers loved the story; however, there were a few, and I’m sure there will be more, who trashed it because of the things I mentioned.

Ouch!

Even though I was well aware of the high probability my story would invoke haters at some point, it didn’t lessen the blow. But I stayed true to myself and the characters and carried on.

So how does an artist combat a bad review?

Here are 5 ways to deal with it.


1.) Find something constructive in a bad review and take that into account for when you write your next story, paint your next picture, create your next musical piece, etc. Always remember, the more you work on your craft, the better you will become. I remind myself this when someone mentions an editorial error in my book(s). Granted, all books—self-published and traditionally published—have errors. We’re human. I’m not making up excuses, it’s just a fact. But after The Devil’s Third was published, I decided to not only have an editor, but a proof reader/editor and three beta readers, whereas before I only had my editor and two, sometimes one beta reader. After I wrote Tangled Roots, I had a team go through the manuscript. Even though my other books weren’t marbled with errors, I still took into account those few readers who mentioned them, and I became proactive in doing what I could to make Tangled Roots shine.

     


2.) When you read a bad review and there’s nothing to gain from it, read all your good ones and the wonderful things people have said about your story. Also, don’t forget about your fans and remind yourself there are readers who loves your tale. Then move on.



3.) Remind yourself there are people out there known as trolls who will single your book out for no good reason at all but to be nasty. I discovered one the other day. You can tell who they are by the downright mean things they say—especially when they don’t mention anything that's in your book. I don’t understand why someone can be so hurtful to another person, but unfortunately that’s the world we live in. So don’t allow them to get underneath your skin. You wrote a book. You created something out of nothing. Don’t let bullies take away your sparkle.


4.) Don’t read reviews. A lot of writers and actors will not read what people have said about their work. I’m not there yet or know if I ever will be. I want to read my reviews, but then again I’ve only been a published author for 2 years. But I can see why some artist won’t spend their energy on commentary regarding their work.




5.) Realize you can’t please everyone. There will be haters. Hell, there are people who can’t stand Harry Potter and have totally trashed J.K. Rowling’s books. I love her books, btw, and it’s hard for me to wrap my head around how someone cannot love Hogwarts and the magical world J.K. created, but whatever. If everyone’s opinion were the same, we’d be living in a boring world, right? The point I’m trying to make before my scattered brain gets out of hand is . . . not everyone is going to like your book. Plain and simple. If you love it and have more good reviews than bad, move on.


     
     So there you have it. If you apply any of those 5 things when you’re faced with a bad review, it’ll help prevent you from getting depressed, wanting to hide from the world and giving up.  

    
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Blog Tour. My Writing In Progress.


Last week I was asked by the wonderful Yawatta Hosby, if I would answer the following four questions. Like myself, she’s an author. She writes psychology, horror, suspense, books. You should check out her Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Yawatta-Hosby/e/B00CX7PPOO/
I read her first book called, One by One, and I really liked it. Her new release that I plan on reading is titled, Something Amiss. 

 It so happens Yawatta is also a fan of my books, and I’m guessing that’s why she thought of asking me to do this blog tour with her.

Cool beans.

I’m up for it.

Oh, btw. If you're an author reading this, I tag you. I'm sure other peeps would like to know your answer to these questions, I know I would. Heads up. You have to tag another author.

So here we go with the questions and my answers.

1. What am I working on?

I’m working on Tangled Roots. It’s a companion to the Beyond the Eyes trilogy. Carrie and Tree are the main characters in this book. I did a post on the blurb. You can check it out here: 

 http://themusingwriter.blogspot.com/2014/03/tangled-rootsa-beyond-eyes-spin-off.html

 Tangled Roots will be out this summer.

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

My stories are unique. I created a new mythology in my Beyond the Eyes trilogy. One of the loglines I use to market my books is this: Vampires and werewolves are cool but what about a new mythology? 

Another one I use is this:
Forget about zombies. What about dark spirits dwelling in soulless people?

3. Why do I write?

Writing makes me happy. I love it. It entertains me. I don’t think I can ever stop writing stories. It’s who I am.

4. How does my writing progress work?

It starts out with an idea. I write it down. Then the characters make themselves known to me. I do a character sketch on each one. If a name doesn’t come to me, I’ll research names. 

Google is my friend. 

I Google almost everything. 

Once I have the basics for a story, including a plot, I’ll plunge in and write. I always have a notebook beside me. I write down things I might forget and need to remember later on. I also use it to write page numbers down. For example, say on page 15 an angelic being visits Tree. Well, I know later on I’m going to forget what she said to him, so I write the page number in my trusty notebook with a sentence like, a female angelic being visits Tree and gives him important information. That way, if ten chapters later I need the information, I won’t have to scroll back and try to find it. It’s a timesaver and makes my life a little easier.

Once I get the rough draft completed, I’ll read over the entire manuscript and fix whatever problems I come across. After that I send it to my beta reader for her honest opinion. If there are more changes to be made, I’ll make them. From there, I’ll send it to my editor and make the changes he tells me to make. Then I’ll read it one last time before I get it formatted and published. I might this time around send Tangle Roots to another beta reader, just in case I miss something. I had missed a few things in The Devil’s Third which bugs me. They’re minor but being a perfectionist when it comes to my work, I’ll more than likely go and fix them when I have more time.


Anyway, that’s my process. It’s a lot of work, but when I receive comments like this one—I just finished "The Devil's Third." The books were great! I couldn't put them down. Even with a full time job and a young child I finished all three in a little over a week. I hope this isn't the last we hear about Nathan and Paige. I feel like there could be a many more great adventures in their futures. Thanks for writing such great stories! Erica—it’s so worth it. J
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Hidden (House of Night novel) by P.C. & Kristin Cast Book Review


Warning: There are spoilers. 


I really like the House of Night series. I think Aphrodite is one of my all-time favorite characters in a book. She is such a smart-ass and cracks me up. P.C. and Kristin did a wonderful job on the characters in this series. They’re also creative and imaginative writers who I appreciate. I think though, this series is dragging on and on and on. If you plan on doing a series or trilogy, you need to shake things up a bit and make the story fresh. 

In this book Hidden, not much really happens, except for Neferet gets darker, is shunned by the High Council, and kidnaps Zoey’s grandma. 

What took place in this book could have been written in the last one. 

What was new in this novel was Erin’s character changing sides and Lenobia’s revelation about something I’ve been waiting for since the last installment. Unfortunately though, me as a reader, only got a glimpse on what was going on with these two characters. I think the story would have been a lot fresher if the authors had focused more on these two characters. I also think it would have been cool if Aurox (A.K.A. bull-boy) had revealed his true self to Zoey and the gang at the beginning of this novel. It would have made this story a more interesting read, and the authors could have ran with it, creating many twists and turns in this tale. But it’s their creation, and I respect that. I was just hoping for a lot more than what it was.     
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Purpose and Destiny


Lately I’ve been wondering a lot about my purpose in life and destiny.

Do I have a purpose?

Is destiny bullshit?

I don’t know.

The Devil’s Third is going through edits and rewrites right now. I’m excited about this book, and it makes me happy I have fans anticipating its release. I can’t wait to share it with the world. I’m also anxious to write a whole new different series. In fact, I started writing it; however, I need to figure more things out about the story, so I’m doing some research at the moment.

Anyway, I know what makes me happy and what I want, but I wonder if it'll ever happen. I've been working very hard towards my goals, but the results I've been after hasn't manifested, and I'm worried.

Sometimes when I get down about life, picture quotes helps lift my spirit, so here are some, along with my own words to go with them . . .



* I don't do this. I do what I can to achieve my goals, but now a small part of me is wondering if some of our goals will never come into fruition.








* I'm sure it'll all make sense one of these days, but I can't laugh at the confusion. It's not funny. I can't smile through the tears, because I'm sad. I can; however, remind myself that everything happens for a reason. I just hope it'll have a happy ending for me.





* I hope this is true, because I love to write stories. It makes me happy, and I've been working hard at it. Maybe in the end I will be successful at it . . . unless, it's not my purpose or destiny.





* This is true. One of the main reasons why I self-published was because I had to know I could do it all on my own. I could have taken the traditional route, but I had to prove to myself I could do the publishing and marketing thing on my own. I also hate to ask people for things, but through this whole process, I've learned it's okay to ask for help or a favor. What's the worst that can happen? The person says no. Big deal. Move on. It's also true if you don't step forward, you'll always be in the same place. I've met a lot of cool people since I decided to take this route, and I've learned quite a few things as well. None of it would have happened if I fed myself the bullshit story on why I couldn't achieve it, right?


* I think everybody who creates something out of nothing needs to remember this.











* Um, I don't know about this . . . my high calling?











* I truly believe life is about creating yourself.




* Yes, one of the cool things about writing a novel is it'll outlive me. Another cool thing is, two hundred years from now somebody might be reading my words and seeing the word pictures I've created.


* We never know what tomorrow might bring, and this saying is so true. Our life is a book, so even during the boring and sad parts we must keep reading.






* This is a good one. We shouldn't care what other people think, because if we do we become their prisoner. Be your crazy and weird self. Have fun and do the things that make you happy. In truth, your happiness is what really counts, right? If you're not happy, how are you going to truly love? How are you going to learn and grow and create yourself on how you want to become? You can't, and to me those are the reasons why we're all here. So the key to it all is YOUR happiness and MY happiness. Now let's be weird and crazy this weekend and do a lot of laughing and smiling. What do you say . . . are you in?

HAPPY FRIDAY!



 
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Research Before Writing Your Story Or After?


I wonder how many authors do research for their story before they write it. In the past, I’ve taken several writing courses and was taught to do your research as you’re writing it, so that’s how I do it. To me it makes sense because what if you spend all your time researching before you started your story and then discover as it unfolds, you didn’t need the information after all? You totally wasted all that time, right? But I guess it’s a matter of perspective. I mean, if later on in the future you’d need that information then I suppose it was worth it.

I don’t know.

Each writer is different on how they do things, but it works better for me to research as I write my story.

This week I had to do some research on Africa because my characters were going there. I knew very little about this continent and learned quite a bit looking stuff up on it. Now my characters are there, so I’ll be doing further research to make their journey more accurate. The only thing I don’t like about doing it this way is it slows me down. I much rather write. However, I do find this process beneficial in the long run and it’s worth it.

So what will I be doing this weekend?

I’ll be doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but in between those things, I’ll be joining the gang in Africa. :)

Happy Friday!
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Love of History Creates Story Idea That Chills the Bones


I’ve been fretting over what to post about for a few days now, and then Sunday morning this idea came to me. I have to warn you, though, I’m going to be talking a little bit about my Beyond the Eyes trilogy, so this post will have some spoilers in it.

I think I’m fortunate to have a love of history. My dad is the same way, and I love talking to him about it. We get into some interesting conversations like historical mysteries and occultism. He knows a lot of shit. What’s even cooler is, I get ideas for my stories from these conversations, not to mention the things I’ve learned and experienced in my childhood.

Any writers out there or future writers who are sitting on the fence on what type of story to write, there are only two things you need to do to get you started . . .

1.) Don’t write what’s trending right now because by the time you finish your story there might be a different trend.

2.) Write what interest you–that fuels your passion. If you don’t, you won’t stick with it. You got to have that fire in your belly to where you’re thinking about your story off and on throughout your day and can’t wait to get back to it.

Wah-cah-cha-pah!

Easy peasy.

Of course, writing a book doesn’t end there, but that’s how you get started. I can always do a post on the rest some other time.

Anyway, after I came up with my story idea for my YA paranormal trilogy, it soon took on a life of its own. My love of history and mysticism began to pour into my story, bringing depth, color, and plausibility.

How?

I’ll tell ya how, but here’s where I say, “Spoiler alert!” Now there’s a lot going on in my, Beyond the Eyes trilogy, so I’ll just point out a couple historical parts where I interlaced it with fiction, thus creating a tapestry for the mind.

1.) King Solomon’s ring. There’s a legend he had a ring that can control demons. One night I was watching a show on The History Channel about it.

Bingo!

I already had a rough idea for a story: dark spirits walking among us in soulless humans. Now I have a motive. The “old one” who is an ancient dark spirit has been looking for this ring for thousands of years. Imagine what he can do if he gets a hold of it. He can control all the dark spirits and become God. He wants the ring and only Paige (my main character) can find it.

If it wasn’t for my love of history, I would have never known that. Of course, I added my own spin to it. I made the power of the ring impotent without Solomon’s incantations. But my characters can’t find the spells without the ring.

I personally think when you’re writing a story you should put your own twists in it. An author by the name of Regina Morris did just that in her book called Eternal Service. It has vampires; however, these vampires can adjust their age by the amount of blood they ingest. It’s a fresh idea and a good way to explain how these bloodsuckers are able to live with humans for thousands of years without raising eyebrows.

2.) Nazi week on The History Channel. Hitler and the whole Nazi regime fascinate me. I think it’s because I can’t fathom how one man can entrance others to do horrific and unspeakable things to another. And did you know the Nazi’s were heavily into the occult? They had a special organization under the control of Henrich Himmler who was the chief of the SS and head of the Gestapo. A very evil man–BTW. The organization was called Ahnenerbe. It was a Nazi think tank. They would send teams of archaeologists on top secret expeditions. Himmer was a Holy Grail enthusiast, and he once funded and promoted an expedition to find it. This is just the tip of the iceberg on how deep they were into the supernatural.

Anyway, check out these pictures. Doesn’t it chill you to the bone knowing the atrocities these men had committed?


Henrich Himmler.





Rudolf Hess. He was Hitler's deputy, the third most powerful man in the Third Reich. He was known to be a big occult supporter.



Hitler.


There are people who believe Hitler was possessed by Satan. I didn’t know this until recently and had already written in my third book in my YA paranormal trilogy (The Devil’s Third) that the “old one” done just that. He had possessed Hitler and the other dark spirits were the Nazi party. In Dark Spirits, Carrie tells Paige and Nathan about Aosoth (a wicked dark spirit) dwelling inside a Nazi. She then goes on and tells them what happens. To me, that’s some dark, scary shit. But again, I used my love of history and intertwined it into my story, making it my own and hopefully giving the YA paranormal genre something fresh and new to read about.

Here's what one reader said in her five star review on Dark Spirits:

I find her twist on a regular paranormal genre refreshing. She makes her own rules and forms a world all her own.


Here's what some other readers had said about my trilogy in their reviews:

A fresh look at the spiritual world.

Beyond the Eyes is a unique read.

The paranormal element of this story is really interesting.


They're saying it's fresh, unique, interesting, and I make my own rules.

That's what I'm talking about.

Make your story your own and readers will appreciate it. :)
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