| | Jenna,
You are correct when you say, "To get published is to get critiqued." This can be an unpleasant experience for a novice at times. In one of my first articles where I completely bared my soul, the message of my article was the strength of the human spirit in overcoming adversity. It was from an Objectivist slant and I wrote about some personal hardships I had lived through and how my spirit - my sense of life - stayed strong despite them.
One of the first comments I received (I think is was the second or third) was something to the effect of: "Michael, you are not a victim."
At first I didn't understand. I thought, "Did that person read my piece correctly? I wrote about triumph." I started asking myself, "How can you have triumph if you don't have something bad to overcome?" Then I tried to ignore that comment, since many other people were complimenting me. Still, that thing needled me.
When it finally dawned on me that this person was someone with a nasty disposition and that the remark was actually intended to belittle my article, this hurt a bit. As I reflected on it, I started looking up the person (a she). The more I learned about her, the less I liked her. I learned that she is an embittered soul who attacks other a lot and is a fairly low achiever - not someone who would last long in my orbit.
Then, gradually that emotion of being perplexed, which had become hurt, became embarrassment - embarrassment for her. (It never did become contempt.) This is the kind of sentiment you feel when you see a mediocre comedian tell one bad joke after another - the kind of embarrassment resulting from seeing one of your species want attention so much that they appeal to the worst inside themselves and put it on public display. They try to show their superiority to the world, but only show the smallness of their own soul. (Nowadays, I think about this person very little, mostly not at all. From a vast distance, I sincerely hope my critic finds some happiness someday. But then, I feel that for all people everywhere.)
The point is that when you show the world what's inside you, you show what's inside you to people who are capable of making that kind of mean-spirited statement, too. Being a beginner, this could blow your high so much you lose your enthusiasm to write. Don't let it. Too many people you respect (and I know you respect them, being who you are) have spoken well about your work - not just young guys more interested in the young girl than in the writing.
Using your own words, being critiqued is a two way street. Ayn Rand said "Judge and prepare to be judged." That goes both ways. "Be judged, and then judge." When you receive criticism (especially negative, but this holds for positive too), it is a good idea to look at the credentials of the person making the comment and try to input this information into that part of your soul that hurts and jumps for joy with feedback from others. (We all have that part, Rand heroes notwithstanding. Rand herself sure had it - the hostile reception of Atlas Shrugged sent her into a two year funk.)
Over time, that part of you learns to filter what people say.
I am one who gets the whole range, from high praise to childish and obscene insults. I notice that many of those who praise me are high achievers in life (especially in the field of writing and philosophy, but in other fields too), so I just don't pay much attention to the others. When somebody I respect criticizes me negatively, though, my ears pick up. I put my feelings on hold and I try to learn from them. The secret is to judge those who judge you - judge them rationally according to their own merits and judge their motives. That goes a long way in keeping the inner writing flame alive.
So you keep writing, Jenna. You have a lot to say and there is a wide, wide world of good people hungry for messages like what you write - and write well.
Michael
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