In this case, your castle is a shining tribute to your self-esteem and temperament. Crappiest metaphor evarr but that's what I'm working with because that's what I've got.
I went over a few months ago what "New Writer's Shroud" was, and how it afflicted new and seasoned writers alike, and the various evils thereof. This post is all about how to shrug off "New Writer's Shroud" and face the shining, brilliant literary world that's out there.
Step One: Learn How To Take Criticism.
This is by far the most important step in building your castle. Once you've learned that The Critic isn't somebody who can actually physically hurt you, you'll be able to start picking out colour schemes, painting murals, and hanging tapestries because your castle will be nearly complete.
There's a few different types of criticism out there, from The Critic's dickish demands that you throw yourself over the edge of a cliff because you suck that much, to The Unrelenting Fan who thinks that there's nothing better in the world than every single goddamn thing you deign to put on the page no matter how crappy it actually is. No matter where it's coming from, no matter what form it is in, as The Writer, it is your job to not react.
That's right. When you're given criticism of any kind, your primary directive is to have no outward emotional response to it. You're a big kid now and the sandbox arguments of who is a stupid doo-doo head and who looks like which popular lolcat in human form is something you should have outgrown by this point. Getting into snarky, snappy, invective-filled arguments with the people criticizing you is just going to end up with one outcome: You'll look stupid, they'll be vindicated, and you'll walk away hurt and discouraged.
That being said, you can have any opinion you want about the criticism you've gotten. The only thing you need to remember is to keep that information as private as possible. Talk to your friends, parents and/or significant others, but keep your feelings OFF of the internet and away from any place where people can see them. If you make a big, public spectacle out of a bad review or a piece of criticism you didn't like, you're going to be made to look like an overreacting idiot.
The second part of Step 1 is to always, always, always look for ways to improve. We never stop learning and we never stop aiming for perfection. And why is this still a part of Step 1? Because no matter what form it comes in, there's (usually) ALWAYS something to be gained from criticism.
Like I mentioned in my post about "New Writer's Shroud," you need to be able to dig through the comments and find out exactly what is or isn't valuable. This is a skill everybody needs to develop eventually, whether you're a writer, a scientist, a chef, or a politician. The best way to do this is to rewrite the criticism as if you were taking notes in class. The response or review to your work is the textbook, and you're taking only the important information out of it.
Step Two: Practice, Practice, Practice!
I mentioned it earlier, and now I'm going to go into detail about it.
It is the nature of all human beings to try and be the best. We are social, competitive beings -- and even if we do not actively attempt to become the best, we're always thinking about what we could have.
Writers are human beings (despite all the jokes we make otherwise.) We need to keep it in our heads that no, we're not the best. We're not the greatest author evarr and we're not making billions of dollars off book deals, movie series', merchandise, or cranking out enough profitable work to pay our bills.
Hell, we've all probably got full-time jobs on top of the work we do writing, right?
The fact that we're probably not making a whole pile of moolah off of our writing is no reason to slack off, though! Practice makes perfect, ladies and gentlemen, and it takes dedication, hard work, and a willingness to accept that we're NOT perfect in order to make our writing better.
Once you've got it in your head that while you're not the best, with a few more novels and a few dozen more short stories you could be, you're well on your way to finishing off that lovely castle of yours.
Step Three: Do Not EVER Give Up.
There are always going to be nay-sayers and haters. The people who think you're a hack, a copycat, a moron, a lazy writer, a bad writer. They exist. And when you eventually get published, you will encounter them.
How do you not take their words to heart?
Uh, well, duh. Don't listen to them. The people who are solely fixated on tearing you down? They're trying to force you out of the game for whatever petty reason they have, and it is up to you to keep your chin up and your feet moving towards your ultimate goal (whatever that may be.)
Do not EVER let somebody else strong-arm you into giving up your passion. You're writing for a reason, right? So write! And let all those nay-sayers and haters scream and rant all they want. They can't get to you in your shining castle of self-esteem and dedication to your craft.
Follow your dreams, and never let anybody take them away from you.
~Isaiah Moretti
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