It Begins

I've said many times that I'm going to have to develop a much thicker skin if I want to be an author (which I do). I'm about as thin-skinned as a jellyfish right now. Must develop the thickness of a rhino if I want to avoid developing a critical spirit of my own when people decide they don't like my work. Yes, even before they've even read more than a few sentences. Haven't I, after all, read a few paragraphs of a story before and absolutely hated it? Haven't I been overly critical at times about other authors' writing styles....or lack of proper grammar? Yes, and yes.

There will be people who think my plot line trite and overdone. There will be people who think my book poorly written (although I hope not). There will be people--I can guarantee--who think my book too preachy, or complain about it being "Christian" (never mind the fact I plan to make it ABUNDANTLY clear what my book is and what it is not).

I think sometimes any excitement from friends or people who know me to read what I've written goes straight to my head, and I get "the big head". I try not to let this happen, of course, but it invariably does. So that makes it all the more difficult when there are those who have--already--expressed disdain. Before a word is even in print, and the only things actively representing my writing are this blog and the teaser posters I've made.

I need to remind myself that I am not a professional. I've never done this before. Any of it. Not the book. Not the publishing. Not the cover creation. And certainly not the teaser posters. A graphic artist I am not--unfortunately, artistic creativity in that sense has completely eluded me. And for crying out loud, a blog is at times nothing more than a glorified diary for grownups.

While I make every effort to find something positive to say in the reviews of even the books I dislike the most, I realize not everyone embraces this policy.

I will not wake up tomorrow with the skin of a rhino. This I know. I also know that it's a process. Just as I need to guard myself from getting "the big head" when I receive the positive reviews, I also need to guard myself from getting too critical or defensive when I don't. And maybe, just maybe, those negative reviews will have something to say that truly helps me in the long run.