The No Reaction Pain

In the post previously mentioned, I talk about stepping out of your box and commercializing yourself. It is an uncomfortable step to get known and have your work read. It is through this process that you can meet with some uncomfortable and upsetting feedback that could hurt even the most strong of person.

But sometimes it is not because of the negative reaction you will receive. Rejection can be a hard pill to swallow, but after realizing everyone goes through such a process, that it is simply another step in becoming a writer, it isn't too bad. Rejection can be made into a game even. The "How Many Rejection Letters Can I Get" game. A little cynical, but can be used into a positive light. Because the rejection is helping you get stronger. You are learning from it and getting advice and ways on how to get better.

There is also something humbling and professional about being rejected. It is a sign that you are becoming a writer, you are stepping into the world and facing its tough reality. There is sense of pride that should come with rejection. Your work has been read and you have a reaction from it.

Rejection can be something good and this good side can help ease the ego-bruising pain.

No Reaction, that is where the big crusher comes in. It is one thing to get a negative reaction from your story, it is another thing entirely to get nothing at all. How does one progress without hearing the positives an negatives from others? How can there even be a solid grasp on if you have something good when you can't get anyone to read? Or if they are reading, not telling you anything about it?

This is a big painful part of writing anything. Even those of us who are shy and hermit-like still want our work to be read and to get something from the public. When it feels like there is nothing but an awkward silence, you are left with your own self-doubts and mean words of criticism

Here are some words of advice on how to deal with this No Reaction.

1) The first step of advice I can give you is to not be too discouraged no matter how hard it is. An important part of being a writer is to maintain a positive, stubborn attitude. You have to always be willing to listen to advice and change at times, but I don't think you should ever give up and not let anyone ever tell you to either. If this writing project is worth something to you, that's all that matters.

2) The next thing is a bit of what was mentioned before: you have to get yourself out there. If one site is not giving you any attention, move on to the next site. And the next and the next. You are bound to catch the attention of someone. It just might be a long process because there are so many people out there fighting for attention of the masses. If a site doesn't work, maybe it is time to go out into the real world, away from our hermit lives and our Internet and just get people to read it and get their reaction. Might have to corner a friend or family member, but it is a good step.

3) This is important: time to follow great words, "do unto others as you would have done unto yourself". You are NOT the only one who feels ignored and that your writing isn't being given the attention it deserves. Go out there and find people like you and give their story some time of day. Give them the advice, critiques, and words of encouragement you are looking for. You will learn a lot about your own writing, possibly gain readers, and earn yourself karma. It is also never a bad thing to help out a fellow writer.

4) Sometimes a No Reaction IS a reaction and can be taken as a critique. If a person doesn't have something to say, positive or negative, it might not mean your writing is bad but that nothing stands out. It might be time for you to read over your work, study the work of others, and see if there is something (as harsh as it sounds) bland in what you have. Check over different parts of your story, because just one part of a story can have a great affect on it overall. Is there something off within how you are writing it? Maybe check the main character and see if he or she doesn't stand out in the way you want. Maybe there is something off or cliche in the story itself? There are so many things that can make a good story not stand out the way it should.

5) While painful, No Reaction is not the end of the world for you and your writing. It is just another step that some writers have to take while they grow and mature. Just keep trying and you will get past this hard moment. Trust me.

6) So many things can be molded into a positive. Make this another one of those things. Use a No Reaction and make it into a game like the Rejection one. Or see it as a challenge and that you can only get better from here. Don't let it get you down or stuck.

I bring this up because it happens very often. I started to feel it when I was looking at my own blog and the reactions I was getting. I started to go down the road of self-pity and harsh criticism when I realized how pointless and wrong that path is. I'm not the only one who goes through this, it's not the end of the world if something isn't given any sort of attention. It just means that other steps need to be taken to get the reaction that I want. I need to worker harder on my part to make a great impression.

You all can do it too! Don't let the No Reaction get you down! Much like the Rejection, take it and make it into something positive and use it to your own advantage.

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Weekly Workshop

Here I want to suggest some writing workshops for people to take that might be a great help to their novel or just writing in general. Some of these will be things I've made up, read from a book, or learned from a class. If it will be of any service to any one out there, I hope it will be used!

Workshop: The Secret (prt. 1)

Take your story, or a story you have written in the past, and sit down and have a conversation with a main character. Within this conversation you discover they have been keeping a secret from you, the author. It can be life changing, it can be very simple, but the point is it is something you had no idea was part of your character.

You can write out the conversation you have with them, just the secret itself, or write out the secret within the story itself and have it be reveled to you that way. The point is for you to dive deep into the mind, personality, and life of your character and bring out something new you were not aware of.