Wow, the writing process has been an emotional roller coaster for me, and I am sure most new writers have had a similar experience. The joy of putting the words down on paper, imagining those words being read by someone else, and how much they will love it... only to have them tell you it needs to be improved... Wow, there's the drop on that wild ride. It has been a difficult process for me. I have had a few really good reviews and then one guy really didn't like it. I tried to rationalize and convince myself that he just doesn't like my style. Still, there is something in those negative words that I took to heart and from that have improved upon my story. I have learned that I do tend to be overly descriptive and am learning to tone it down... to let the emotions of the characters speak, rather than describing the emotion. This is a learning process for me and I am trying to stay positive.
Advise... send your work to other 'writers' to be critiqued and not your friends/loved ones. It's much easier to hear the news, good or bad, from someone outside of your immediate realm. And no matter what they say... keep writing.
