I've read a lot of Amazon and Goodreads reviews (not of my book -- I'm not that brave) and posts on other boards like IMDB, and I've noticed a lot of young female main characters (MCs) getting a lot of hate. A lot of love, too. But let's face it. On the Internet, hating stuff has become somewhat of a sport.
Personally, I avoid posting nasty comments about stuff I don't necessarily care for. A) I think it's bad karma. B) I think about how I've felt when someone has said something less than kind about me or my work. It just plain sucks, which is in part my MC in For Ever can read minds.
These days we can read complete strangers' minds, thanks to the Internet. Just go and read someone's blog, a review of something, or the comment on any Web site. People are very honest these days, but many times it's in an "I'm on my computer, so I'm going to say whatever I want" sort of way.
Point is: I took a creative writing class, and the professor said something really interesting when people started bashing one of the stories' main characters. She said that oftentimes it's not something about the character that we're responding to, but something in ourselves, our lives, or our view of the world. Sometimes, we either love or hate characters because they touch on something we may not even be aware of.
I always think of that when I'm reading something. What can I learn from my response to it?
Long post, and I don't know if anyone's listening, but I feel better. Tell someone -- online or in person -- that you appreciate them or their work. It goes a long way!
Spread the love.
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