When you as a writer receive a review, a natural response is to defend what your intent was when you wrote a particular passage.

Think about it. Normally when you write a story or poem, that will be your sole communication to the reader. If the reader has misread what you presented, it means that communication has broken down.

Yes, it may mean that the reader was not reading carefully enough to capture the nuances you presented. But if it's an important enough element of your message, it probably means you should reinforce the point, or change ambiguous wording, or take some other measure to make sure your message is understood.

Debating the points with the reviewer is more of an ego exercise than anything else, and may result only in annoying the reviewer so he or she puts the effort into other people's work instead.

remember, you asked for an opinion. Don't beat up the person who took the time to provide one.

Yea, at the forum I go to they had to make a thread about this.

You should always remember to think before you type.

A review is someone's opinion. They aren't necessarily shoving it down your throat.

Your audience might not be the same audience as the reader, I have learned. I would say if you get 3-4 similar complaints, there may be a case for changing something. I wouldn't change anything automatically because one person asks. Although writing is for an audience, it is still a creative art, and like a painting in that respect. A person who likes only realistic landscapes and hates abstract painting of any kind will probably jump on you for not providing their kind of art. One person's opinion really should not mean that much if you do not know the motivation behind the critique.

i must not have this 'usual response'.
when i had a popular fanfic going i took advice from anyone and everyone
i try to fit in suggestions later on in the story

i must not have this 'usual response'.
when i had a popular fanfic going i took advice from anyone and everyone
i try to fit in suggestions later on in the story


It all depends on how confident you are in your own abilities. I really wouldn't change anything unless I knew the author of the post actually wrote better than I did. Or I knew they had a Master's degree. Critiques are only helpful if they are from people who know what they are talking about, and unfortunately, there is no way to judge that on the web, so I usually really only pay attention to "live" readers who have some knowledge of writing.

Does an idea's merit depend upon the credentials of the person who suggests it?

I don't think so. You may completely dislike the writing style and personality of the person making the suggestion, but still decide that that particular suggestion will improve the piece.

Just as the reviewer should be reviewing the content of the piece, and not the writer, the writer should decide whether each suggestion has merit without regard to its source.

The writer always has the final decision - at least until he or she tries to sell the piece to a publisher. And even then, the writer can accept or decline the contract.

I agree that it's important to get several opinions. The problem, however, is actually getting several people to read what you wrote...Sometimes people just refuse to do so.

When you do find someone who will read it, you always have to keep in the back of your mind that each person will read things differently. I've had some people pick my writing apart and say that almost every word was worthless. Other people have read what I've written and said that the whole thing was enjoyable with just a select few minor errors. Each opinion is different. The big issue is trying to figure out who's just ripping your work apart for the fun of it and who's just being nice. Neither one is a good person to consult in the creative process.

You must decide yourself which issues you most agree with. Sometimes people will illuminate issues in my writing, and I don't have to seek a second opinion because I realize right away that they were right; there was an issue there. At other times, I like things somewhat and desire a second, third, or perhaps even fourth opinion before breaking down and making a revision. It's all in the your and the critic's perspective.