Don't Take Too Much Stock In Good Reviews...

I've heard this piece of advice more than once and from people involved in many varied walks of life:

Don't take too much stock in good reviews.

I think I first heard it from my university choir professor. Occasionally, we would receive a review of a concert we did, or a specific piece of music we performed. I remember, when news of a good review appeared in the newspaper (how we received news back in the day...), our group was giddy, and when a critic wrote something less than flattering, we would discuss their point of view before and after (sometimes, during...) class. Dr. Thompson (an amazing man...) would caution, "Don't take too much stock in a good review," 

The reason being, because if you believe the good reviews, you'll have to believe the bad ones, too.

The older I get, the more I understand the wisdom behind the words.

Tonight, as I'm waiting for my daughter to finish up her rehearsal, I found myself pulling up my author pages from Amazon and Goodreads. I don't have page after page of published works, but I have more than a couple. Most of my listings come from anthologies. Reviews of anthologies can be hit/miss. If the reviewer especially liked your story, they'll single out your story and give comments. The same can be said if the reviewer did not like your story. You get the same treatment, only the words are the opposite of uplifting, inspiring, grin-provoking.

I remember, after a couple of my stories were printed, pulling up Amazon and Goodreads often to see if there were any new reviews. Most of the time, my name was not mentioned and I was never sure if I was one of the stories included in the "some of the stories were strong" category, or if they belonged in the "of course, not all stories were good" pile.

I should have heeded my professor's advice.

It's been a while since I've even checked for comments on my pages. The last book in which one of my stories is featured has only one review on Amazon, and it's pretty short:

I really enjoyed this anthology. The stories do not require any knowledge of Mormons or Mormon beliefs, which makes them accessible to anyone who enjoys steampunk, alternate history, fantasy, or science fiction. Check out the first anthology in the series, too!

I found myself wondering what people think of my story in Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel--it is, after all, the first one in the anthology (to order the book yourself, click: HERE--shameless self-promotion...). I suppose craving a good review is my way of seeking validation, of having someone tell me my stories deserves to be included with the other authors. Then I remind myself, if it wasn't, my story wouldn't have been chosen in the first place.

Though I don't have a lot of comments/reviews, one from Redneck Eldritch singled out my story. He said he couldn't get into the book because I wrote about counties in Louisiana, not parishes. This time, I took my dear teacher's advice and let it (mostly...) roll off my back.

All in all, most of the reviews/comments are positive, which means, mostly people who have read my stories have been pleased. And really, isn't that the most important thing? If not, it should be.