Author's Note
I'm not sure that this is going to be a positive author's note in which I proclaim that I am going to fight the bad guys and the criticism or whether this is going to be a negative author's note in which I keel over and give up. All I know, all that I'm sure of, is that I am really upset.
I checked my emails tonight on my cell phone, just after getting into bed, to find, by far, the most scathing review I have ever gotten. It was from an anonymous reviewer, meaning I have the power to choose whether to allow it to be posted as a review or not. I believe in freedom of speech and I'll moderate the review and allow it to be posted as a review as soon as I have finished writing out this author's note. Let it be known that the only reason why I am even writing this author's note at the moment is because this review was left anonymously and I have absolutely no way of replying to it personally and since I believe in freedom of speech, I believe I have the right to say something about this review. I'll also post an exact copy of the review I got here:
"Firstly I would like to begin by saying that it is not my intention to upset or demoralise you with this review, my aim is to give you honest feedback and constructive criticism of this story so far. With hopes that you will take it on board and feel inspired to further improve your writing in the future.
You are not getting the great response you desire because in my opinion the quality of this story's plot has declined dramatically from when you started writing it. The first few chapters of 'Stranded' were really gripping and interesting, in comparison the whole of 'As it was made to be' is predominantly predictable, boring and unoriginal. To top this off your writing style and choice of vocabulary is equivalent to that seen in a 'Health and Safety' manual.
If you look at almost any popular piece of fictional prose on this site that have had a large amount of reviews, and heaps of praise you will see a number of common features that they share. I will briefly discuss two of these features that if pursued and worked upon would cause a dramatic improvement in your stories. Undoubtedly the most important feature being an original and intriguing Plot that raises questions within the readers mind that they are eager to discover the answers to. The second feature is a strong but entertaining narrative that is able to explore the protagonists deepest thoughts and feelings so the reader feels as if they can relate and fully understand with the characters actions.
Saying all of this I believe the first few chapters of your your story 'Stranded' did have a good plot and a reasonably interesting narrative which was reflected in the reviews.
I hope you are able to take this criticism and advice positively then come back with a well written, original story in time with the inevitable resurgence of popularity in the Naomily fandom when series 7 of Skins is broadcast."
I understand that the reviewer's intent was not to "upset or demoralise" me but there is absolutely no way in which insulting something that I have worked countless hours on is not going to upset or demoralize me. To say that my "writing style and choice of vocabulary is equivalent to that seen in a Health and Safety manual", and that my work is "predictable, boring and unoriginal" is massively upsetting and demoralizing. To say that my work has no plot is also massively upsetting and demoralizing. And then to suggest that I take this "criticism and advice positively" is possibly the most laughable thing I've heard all year. I'm not sure if this reviewer can understand what it is like to pour your soul out into a work, or what it is like to spend a ridiculous amount of time researching, writing and editing something that matters a great deal to you and then receive this type of review that bashes everything you worked terribly hard on. It's quite soul crushing, to say the very least.
At this point, I'm terribly upset and I'm not sure what my next course of action should be. So I've decided to turn to you, my readers. I need to know what you think. The way I see things, I have a few options. I can go on hiatus, abandon AIWMTB and "come back" when I've finished writing my next project (which I've already started writing). Or I can continue AIWMTB. It's up to you.