![]() Look at all the marvelous original novels that have as many one-star reviews as they do five stars. There are two parts to your work: the style and the craft.Īnd it’s instructive to remember which of those two categories your editor or beta-reader is critiquing. ![]() Of course, there’s no easy answer, I regret to say, I wish there were.īut when deciding how to take constructive criticism, there is one critical element to remember. And they probably know more than we do, right?Īnd the bottom line is, we sit there, and look at the computer screen, absolutely baffled.īecause, and this is such a crazy question: How do we recognize a good idea? How do we recognize helpful and constructive suggestions? Yes, but what if it’s a better book the way they think of it? Especially if this is not a relative or dear pal giving us suggestions, this is a stone smart editor or a brilliant agent who knows their stuff. On the other hand, what if you were missing an opportunity to make your book better? Should you just do what the person says?īut what if you disagree with that? What if it’s not how you want the book to be at all? On the other hand, your book is your book, and you want it to be the way you want it to be. Let’s agree that it’s always possible that someone other than you has a good idea. You need to think about–will this SELL?”Īnd that brings up a dilemma every author has faced: Whether to take someone else’s suggestions if they might put your book on the road to a sale. You need to think about whether anyone else would want to read it. But “writing what you want” may not be the point. “What would be your advice for a beginning author?”īen (the author of The Accidental Billionaires which became the movie The Social Network and the new The Anti-Social Network which will soon be the movie Dumb Money) thought about that, and then said: “You can write whatever you want, and that’s fine. The question for author Ben Mezrich came from an audience member high up in the amphitheater seating.
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