All writers are terrible to someone and that is a fact. As much as we find ourselves stoic in our abilities we will find not everyone sees our “potential” and honestly that is okay. Everyone has a different interpretation of their own reality and the same holds true for those that will view your art.
In real life, we as individuals aren’t liked by everyone we may meet in person let alone on the internet. As a writer we tend to focus on our egos and throw common sense out of the tiny windows we see out of.
We want to be liked and adored, hell who doesn’t? The reality is not everyone may find Stephen King a genius or Hemmingway the great literary mind of the 20th Century. We are all unique and that is amazing.
So, the next time we find yourself looking under your own microscope don’t be so harsh. I have found that with some time even the most splintering of comments about stories I have written have some truth to them, so before you knock the so-called “jerk” who ruined your cup of coffee, or tea respectively, don’t be so quick to judge. Everyone has the right to their feelings and that is okay and if we all looked, acted and felt the same way how boring would life really be? I’m sure most of us learned this in our childhoods, but the same rings true for us as adults living in the real world.
The case may just be how you handle the rejection, not the rejection itself. I try to remain neutral in most respects. I can honestly say that while I may have been upset by commenters on sites such as Reddit I have never responded to a negative remark in a negative way. I just don’t find the energy worth it. Now if someone is spreading lies about your work, stealing it, or committing fraud, then of course say something BE LOUD BE HEARD!
Yet, keep a respective distance between your work and the person enjoying it. While not everyone will agree with me, that is fine too. I do find it hurts less when you take yourself out of the equation and view the work through the eyes of someone that may be reading it and not the writer that created it.
In the end, we are all crap to someone and all geniuses to others. I had a friend tell me years ago, “eh don’t let the bullies bother you and all that jazz. Where does that really get you in the end? You know what it gets you? Miserable which means they got your time and time is precious.” (Thanks Goo.)
KB HURST & Her Menagerie 