Objectively good and subjectively your jam...

People ask me often how I get over bad reviews and keep going even when people are unimaginably cruel. It all goes back to a simple parsing of semantics we aren't taught in school.

Hi friends,

People ask me often how I get over bad reviews and keep going even when people are unimaginably cruel. I have a strategy for it, but I think it’s important to note that my initial, visceral reaction to bad reviews is still…well, bad.

I do have a secret weapon, though…

…data.

That’s right. The thing most writers opine as the bane of their existence is my savior.

I’ve given enough talks where one person ranked me as a 10 and another marked me as a 7 for the exact same metric based on the exact same content that I have come to grips with the only reasonable conclusion…reviews are subjective.

It’s to the point where I stare at the review sheet wondering what presentation certain people were watching when I see the final numbers, but their feelings are valid, so I just swallow it and move on.

I’ve seen enough people yell at me for an email while others praise me for the same words that it’s hard to take either with much rigor. These are two emails I received 30 minutes apart fro…