How to Survive the “One-Star Review Blues”
by Olivia Hardin
Last summer the hubby and I were weather treating our deck. I had bought a nice pair of inexpensive “knock-around” shoes that were super comfortable; I was wearing them that day. So my DH had hosed down and cleaned all the wood on the deck and I was coming behind and sweeping the excess water off so we could start applying the weather coat. I had to get from the top level of the deck to the bottom, so I took a short cut and swung one of my legs over the rail to the step below.
Apparently my new shoes didn’t have very good rubber soles. My foot slipped on the wet plank and my shin went careening into the other deck. I am pretty sure I may have shouted an expletive just before freezing in place. The hubby rushed to my side.
“Are you okay?”
I said nothing.
“What can I do, babe?”
I tried to breathe.
“Tell me if you’re okay.”
Through gritted teeth, “Just. Give. Me. A. Minute.”
He did and I managed not to cry over the excruciating pain. It took some time – likely about a half an hour – but the painful injury finally turned numb. I got moving again and put myself to work.
The next day when the scrapped, bruised and swollen appendage was throbbing, I took a moment to think about what happened. I had several things to learn from the incident. 1) Cheap shoes, no matter how comfortable, may not be appropriate for every activity. 2) Taking short cuts sometimes means you’ll fall and get hurt. 3) Hubbies have good intentions, but sometimes a girl just needs to lick her own wounds for a moment so she doesn’t lose control. 4) Picking yourself up and getting back to the task can help you numb the pain.
So what does all of this have to do with the “One-Star Review Blues?” Everything! I’ve had some bad reviews. It feels a lot like that slip and fall I had on the deck. I had to take a moment to get my breath, and then I had to get back to work. Once I’d passed the initial hurt and embarrassment, I gave the review a serious look over. What can I learn from this? And a lot of times I can learn something. It may just be that my book isn’t for everyone. It may be that I need to learn something about building my story line. It may be that I need to go the extra distance to make sure my work is polished.
No matter what, LIFE is about learning and even a scrapped, bruised and swollen ego can teach me something.
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Genre – Paranormal Romance
Rating – PG
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1 comment:
Ouch! I can sort of feel that bruised shin even now.
Thanks for letting my guest on your blog. Happy reading, all!
~Olivia
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