Reviews and comments. Love them, hate them, or love to hate them, they are an important part of progressing as a writer.

I know how harrowing it can feel. To create a work from your heart, to pour your creative energy into it, only to have it unleashed upon the world for them to judge as they will?

Yeah, scary.

But let me tell you something: there are a couple different kinds of reviews, and while some aren't the most helpful, a lot of comments can really help improve your writing.

The Good

These reviews and comments are what writers love to see. You put your work out there, and someone really liked it! They even liked it enough to tell you about it! Good reviews are great ego boosters. I like to save them to read when I'm having a bad day or think my writing isn't very good. Use them to motivate you to keep writing more and better!

A tip, though: don't turn into one of those Wattpad writers who say "I need x votes/comments before I'll post the next chapter". Just don't. People should read and comment on your story because they like it, not because they feel obligated to.

The Bad

Yeah...sometime in your author life, you are going to get a bad review, or a comment that someone didn't like your work. It sucks, I know. At first you can feel like a balloon with all the air let out. You slump over your desk and read it over and over, trying to figure out what went wrong. But here's the secret: the fact that they took the time to leave the review means that they cared enough about the story to tell you what didn't hit the mark for them. If you read closely, many readers are telling you exactly how to please them.

A rule I like to go by is the "rule of three". Did one reader say they didn't like a certain character or plot point? Eh, put it down to a matter of taste. But what if multiple readers are all saying the same thing? If you see multiple mentions of the same problem, it might be time to actually look into it and see if there's something you can do to improve it. And those people will feel validated and heard that you considered their feedback. It's a win win for everyone, really, if you look at it like that. The readers get to feel important, and you get a better story at the end.

Boom.

The Ugly

Of course, not every review is going to be helpful. There are trolls and haters out there that tear down your work for no other reason than they had a bad day, or they like another author better. These kinds of things hurt the most, in my opinion, cause usually there's nothing you can do to appease them. Just try to accept that you'll get these sorts of commenters now and then and take them in stride.

Want to know what my secret formula for feeling better after seeing ugly reviews is?

1. Get a nice hot cup of tea.

2. Curl up with a furry animal or a blanket.

3. Do something you enjoy, like playing a favorite game or cooking a delicious meal.

These will help you take your mind off things and rejuvenate your spirit to write more later. Sometimes you just need to step away from the keyboard and take a little break. That's okay. I've been there myself.

I know it can be easy to think that you're the world's worst writer and you should just pull all your stories and never write again (no, just me?) But at the end of the day, remember that what you're doing is pretty magical. You're weaving worlds, characters, and relationships out of thin air. Out of just your brain. You bring stories to life on the page where before there was nothing. Sure, lots of people say they'd like to write, but you're actually doing it.

So keep writing, use the feedback you can, and brush off that you can't.

You got this. Now go make some magic.