Hello and welcome to the ninth installment of our Journalism Tips series. We started this column as a way to help aspiring writers get their start in music, but over the last month we have been evolving into a place writers come to have their questions about life in the business answered. Today we are continuing that effort with a response to a question posed by one reader in regards to how writers handle the hate that comes their way online.
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This may come as a shock to some of the younger writers reading this, but not everyone who reads your reviews will agree with, or even be able to appreciate, what you write. It’s not talked about all that often and it’s never taken to the kind of extremes that warrant news attention, but every writer that has developed a voice worth reading online has and will most likely continue to encounters people who disagree with their opinions on everything. It gets tough and, if we’re being completely honest, can drive even the most talented writers to ask themselves why they didn’t dedicate the last several years chasing after a different career, but it’s of the utmost importance you do not let such messaging break you.
The hard truth is that there is nothing you can do to prevent people from telling you that your work sucks. You are entitled to the opinion you have on the art you critique and the anonymous voices of the internet have a right to the opinion they have about your opinion on that piece of art. They also have a right to express that opinion, and there will be some who choose to exercise that right. The best thing you can do is learn to come to terms with the fact you will never make everyone happy and try your hardest to resist letting any amount of hate detract you from sharing your thoughts with the world. That is far easier said than done, of course, but that is the kind of mindset you are going to need if you want to make it in the writing world today.
There are no guides on how to handle the internet’s disdain for your work, but we can offer a few pointers:
Don’t be afraid to read the hate. You may learn to see things in a whole new light.
There will always be people who choose to express their disagreement with your opinion by telling you to kill yourself, but that is not the case with everyone. Some people simply see or hear things you may not, and reading their explanation for disagreeing with you may help you find a new reason to appreciate a certain artistic creation. Maybe you missed the string quartet on the closing track, or perhaps you overlooked a few subtle connections in the storyline of that recent indie film others were raving about. You might have a lot of good points to make, but you certainly do not have all of them. Others have insight to offer as well, and taking the time to listen/read and consider their thoughts will not only aide you in better understanding certain things, but it will also help you further develop a relationship with your readers.
Try to resist the urge to engage the nonsense.
Remember how I said there will always be people who wish you would kill yourself or otherwise have your life take a turn for the worse because you did not enjoy something they like quite a bit? You may want to engage them and go off with your own delicately-designed string of obscenities, but it’s important to realize from the start that you cannot win a war with the internet. Those haters are looking to get a rise out of you, and feeding their desire for attention will only result in worse words being swapped between people who otherwise would never interact with one another. It’s pointless. Move on.
Remember: It’s only the internet, and there a 99.98% chance the anonymous haters of the internet will never engage you in real life.
Every writer I know has been told over the internet, in one string of obscenities or another, that they are worthless human beings with poor opinions on pop culture who should either get cancer or kill themselves because they’re too stupid to do anything else on this Earth. You know how many of them have been told that in a real life setting while standing or sitting next to another actual person? None. It doesn’t happen. The @nickelback4ever and @musicsnob2006-s of the internet are not going to leap from your laptop or smartphone and grab you by the collar. It’s just text on screen, and it can only do as much damage to your spirit as you allow it.
When the going gets tough and you just do not think you can take anymore hate, do us all a favor and put down the glowing screen you have dedicated your life to and step outside. Close your eyes, take a deep breath or three, and remind yourself there is a lot more to this life than the opinions of other people. Be yourself, and be confident in your thoughts and opinions. Don’t let anyone take away what makes you unique.
