Not everyone likes the same aesthetic. That can go with writing, art, or whatever. The goal of a writer is to reach an audience ultimately. If that audience is one person (themselves) or millions depends on several different tangibles. That being said, why does it seem so often that writers need validation about everything? Is it an inherent need to be liked by everyone? Or do you care if people like your writing or not?
For reference, I looked up A Game of Thrones on Amazon (not the best source for reviews, but a representation nonetheless). Here are the break-downs of reviews:
5 Star: 1,995
4 Star: 425
3 Star: 147
2 Star: 146
1 Star: 199
(Granted some of the 1 Star reviews are for the Kindle version, so take that into consideration)
So as a fan of Martin, I can't understand why anyone would give him a 1 Star review. But people do.
Some people remarked on it "meandering," while others said "it was too dark and gross." However, the goal isn't to make everyone like you. Those 1,995 5 Star reviews are probably more representative of how most people that read the book feel.
Let's take a more polarizing look at Twilight, a book that always stirs up emotions (please let's not turn this into a bash Twilight thread ). On Amazon, most of the readers seemed to have enjoyed the book enough to give it 3,499 5 Star reviews, but others weren't as positive with 729 1 Star reviews. Does that mean it's a good or bad book? Well, that's subjective. Did it reach its audience? Certainly. It pleased the people it was supposed to please.
Even Lord of the Rings, widely considered one of the best fantasy series of all-time has 1 Star reviews. Why is that? Well, some people think it's boring. That's fine. A lot of people think it's awesome.
So at the end of the day, what kind of writer are you? Are you trying to reach every single person to make them marvel at your work? Or do you accept that some people aren't going to like what you write and just hope that some people do like it?
NOTE: These questions are for people who are interested in sharing their work with others.
Another NOTE: I understand that some people hate Amazon. That being said, I think it's more representative of casual (notice that's bold) readers than any other source.
For reference, I looked up A Game of Thrones on Amazon (not the best source for reviews, but a representation nonetheless). Here are the break-downs of reviews:
5 Star: 1,995
4 Star: 425
3 Star: 147
2 Star: 146
1 Star: 199
(Granted some of the 1 Star reviews are for the Kindle version, so take that into consideration)
So as a fan of Martin, I can't understand why anyone would give him a 1 Star review. But people do.
Some people remarked on it "meandering," while others said "it was too dark and gross." However, the goal isn't to make everyone like you. Those 1,995 5 Star reviews are probably more representative of how most people that read the book feel.
Let's take a more polarizing look at Twilight, a book that always stirs up emotions (please let's not turn this into a bash Twilight thread ). On Amazon, most of the readers seemed to have enjoyed the book enough to give it 3,499 5 Star reviews, but others weren't as positive with 729 1 Star reviews. Does that mean it's a good or bad book? Well, that's subjective. Did it reach its audience? Certainly. It pleased the people it was supposed to please.
Even Lord of the Rings, widely considered one of the best fantasy series of all-time has 1 Star reviews. Why is that? Well, some people think it's boring. That's fine. A lot of people think it's awesome.
So at the end of the day, what kind of writer are you? Are you trying to reach every single person to make them marvel at your work? Or do you accept that some people aren't going to like what you write and just hope that some people do like it?
NOTE: These questions are for people who are interested in sharing their work with others.
Another NOTE: I understand that some people hate Amazon. That being said, I think it's more representative of casual (notice that's bold) readers than any other source.
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