Little Dead Soldier
The thing is, it is hard to be a writer. And I dont really blame those who do feel discouraged about their writing - I know Ive been there. We drain ourselves into our story and when we do try to publish, most wont even bother to read it to give us feedback. Many famous authors of today went to hell & back before they finally got published/noticed. It isnt a very successful profession and many great writers go unnoticed everyday.
That being said, you shouldnt ever give up. Keep writing & pouring your soul, even if no one will noticed because you should do it for you and not for others. I am at fault for this too, I discourage myself often and become frustrated. But I keep trying to improve and I do it for me.
To be honest, I know the difference between someone trying to help you and complaining.
Do you want to know one of the worst people to ask to critique something? One of the most dangerous?
Other writers.
Now before you go, "Wha?!"
Think. Who is the most likely to be overly critical? Who is the most likely not to read what you said, but instead focus on how you said it? Who is the most likely to hold back a compliment and be the first to say what you did wrong? Writers.
It's a unique problem, other writers are the ones you probably need help from the most. A combination of personal experience taught there are a lot of different types of reviews, reviewers and critiques. And always the most critical are writers. There's reasons for this.
1) A writer can and should be the most critical.
If a 'normal' person read your story, they wouldn't be able to point out mistakes. They tell you how much they liked it and how it felt for them. They guess character related things and they're typically a LOT more fun to talk to. They can't tell you what you did write or wrong (pun intended). Other writers are not concerned with your story. Let me be clear. They rarely talk about story or the characters, what they are interested is the medium by which you present your story. Which is to say your writing. They will point out flaws that stood out to them.
2) Writers have their own works.
They have s**t to do. I have s**t to do. We all have s**t to do! That said there's a lot of reviews that are half hearted or downright useless. I've given quite a few of them myself when I was tired, just got off of work and came home perfectly ready to complain at the first person I see. It's really REALLY hard to give someone compliments if they share in your trade. But you must give credit where due. I've read a LOT of reviews. And I've read some bad ones from some really good writers. (I'm not just talking about my stuff.) When a writer was at their meanest, usually it's a work similar to theirs. Or a subject they are most passionate about. It's the hardest to give a compliment when it comes to that or to give false ones. If you give compliments try to be real when you do. Which brings me to my next point.
3) Writers are often petty
Myself included. They can take really good works and only say what was wrong. Hell sometimes they ARE wrong when they're ripping into someone elses work just as an attempt to appear smarter. It takes about 1 fifth the talent to find a mistake than to make it yourself. But they LOVE to point out mistakes, especially when somethings good. "You used too many run on sentences."
"This part here? This isn't a sentence." And they do that to some really good stuff. (Not talking about my works either. They're just being dickholes.)
Silence.
More silence.
A raising of the eyebrow.
Be thankful that I cannot reach through my own computer and slam your head into your keyboard. That's not even trying to be helpful and even they know it.
Also I've known writers to compliment you... but it sounds like they're talking down to you the entire time. Fun fact: that's not a compliment. They're talking down to you. Usually this comes after a critique and they don't actually leave critique mode. It's like they feed you a compliment, but we all know all they really wanted to do today is slam something.
If you run into those people? Cut them off. I mean it. They're not sincere and they're certainly not actually going to help you. It kinda blows my mind that someone will read a work just to insult it. No really. They read the WHOLE THING. Then they insult people. Instead of just well... you know... not read it. They had to go the extra mile just to be an a*****e.
These people are not showing you errors to help you. They're showing you errors because they think you're s**t and they like people knowing they're s**t.
Cut those people off. You could go the rest of your life without hearing from these people again. They live to discourage and they've all got a fanfic account.
4) Writers have different concerns and are the first to be distracted by the writing instead of a message.
let's say four instance you read a work that had a bunch of 'errers'. I mean a bunch of thum. Think of a tiepo or too. Now imageine that what your reading is Full of tiepos. A writor is the most likely to not be able to make it to the end of the sentence.
It doesn't matter of the rest of the message is good. Their mind will go back to the original problem. Even if the rest of the story is good, that one part that bothered them can and WILL stand out. Usually blurring together with the whole story or the whole chapter. You could talk about something good or have a moment of gold or silver. Only they won't see it. They're going to see the rusted iron at the beginning.
5) Writers want to promote their own works.
Yes! I'll admit it! I'm probably inadvertently doing this too! But if I leave you a review, I'm happy to say I'll actually try to help you. Point out your strengths and weaknesses if I really have to. Now this of course depends on how much I know you or how much time I put into what I read.
This also depends on how much I like your subject.
Some promote their own works by slamming yours. They do that. (Typically they only do this in a public setting. If you're in a private setting... chances are there's actually something wrong.)
Also there's the issue of finding the right guy for the right literary work.
Like... if you send me a poem. I'm going to start zoning out. No really. I'll zone the hell out.
Once upon a twilight morning.
Twice upon the midnight sun.
Thrice into the neverending.
Fourth into the poem line is.... where I check the hell out mentally and at this point it doesn't really matter what you were writing you've picked the wrong guy and my review wouldn't really matter to you.
XX xx XX
All this said and done?
Writers can be dicks, but they can also be helpful. Some of them are trying to help you more than others. Some of them aren't here to help you. Know the difference and do yourself a favor. The most typical problem is finding someone, ANYONE! To read your stuff when you start out.
(I had that problem for years. Lrn2network/ be helpful/ ggkthnxbai)
Still it's FAR better for you to remove people who downright discourage you. It doesn't matter if they meant to help you or they meant to kill your story. They bring you down. Yes! You MUST be able to take criticism. In fact if I leave a review there's a 6/10 chance I'm going to regret doing a review for this person.
Telling people ways to improve their stories is the fastest way to insult someone. Forget religion and politics, if you make fun of someone's writing, they will HATE HATE HATE you.
So when reviewing... tread very very lightly. I try to focus on the good rather than the bad. Or not read it so I never have the responsibility of telling them. Which btw... is an option.
If you hate reading something, well... don't read it. Silence is one of the least pleasant forms of review, but the earliest teacher.
If you can get some non writer friends to read something. Or non writer... well... anybody. This is sometimes the very best people to review your stuff because they're strictly interested (or not interested) in what happens.
Fortunately I feel like I haven't felt like I've lost that aspect of myself. I try to tell you what I liked and didn't instead of 'how to fix'. Because sometimes a 'how to fix' sounds a lot like, "Just give up."