I remember starting my first grounds job and the foreman telling me " there's just one rule in this team son, fit in, or fuck off"
Less and less as the years went by, haha. And his wife, Mrs Ma, always told me, "You go be doctor, Homer! You stay in restaurants, you end up like me!" And that was 25 years ago. Why didn't I listen her? I hate you, 2020! ETA: I'm typing this in my restaurant office with a dead A/C, a dead 500 degree convection oven, a leaky overhead drain hose, two brand new chefs, a grill cook with poison ivy from head to toe, and a trashroom that hasn't been visited by garbage dudes in three days. I also have a hangover, a hernia, two bum knees, and something stuck behind my contact lens. Yup... should have been a doctor!
Well......after that inspiring introduction to the world of restaurants.....I guess you'll be surprised to hear this....are you hiring? You're in NYC, right? Any use for a deaf Canadian with an attitude? I definitely will tell a diner who doesn't like the food to fuck off. There's lots of restaurants out there..... My rate's $20 per hour, American dollars, a defined contribution pension plan, health care and 6 paid vacation weeks a year (not back to back but spread out). Oh, I'm applying for busboy, dishwasher, server, etc. NOT cook/chef - trust me, I can't cook.
I like the cut of your jib! $12/hr, 3 shifts, some semblance of a meal, and a beer while you're mopping if you're good. No, thank God. NYC restaurants are still closed for in room dining. 1400 have closed and counting.
Some writers make morbid humor out of their bad reviews, creating darkly-hilarious YouTube videos out of reading them. In some writer communities, a one-star review is a rite of passage, proving you've really got skin in the game. If the review is libellous or objectively false (like you've written a clean romance and the reviewer claims it's pornographic and smears your reputation), I think there's a way to contact Amazon, etc., and get it taken down. I've heard it's quite a process, though.
Self published books on amazon, sometimes get updated. Even the cringe worthy 50 shades trilogy got updated, cause you can always modify an e-book and republish it if you feel so inclined. Just specify that it is version 1.2 or something along those lines. Otherwise where criticism from readers, just make note if you find it useful to yourself, and either modify the story if you beleive it will make things better for it if you did. Or two just accept it, and try not to make the same missteps in the next one. But never interact with them directly, unless you really want to be like Norman Poutin. Though being a cantankerous ass to your readership seems to be a good marketing ploy since E L James and Norman P. both did it at some point with their works, and they sure do sell their crap. Each approach has it's advantage, but mostly not participating with your readers is the best bet.
Is it odd that I think that... if I've ever had enough of things here. I'm going to turn up unannounced at Potvin's Bar & Grill (Wine & Dine?) and pretend to be a deaf Canadian on a promise (I'm a bit deaf myself (seriously) so could pass it off). And if he, Head Chef Potvin, slings me through the, err, saloon door. I'll hotfoot it out of cold Rhode Island down to Desert Cavey's (@Cave Troll 's)—work for food (& board) carrying his carpet fitting stuff about and applying voltarol to his knees after a damn rug tuff day (again seriously!). ? ETA WB cavey—missed, your absence was noticed.
Potvin no chef. Potvin babysits chefs, ties their shoes, makes sure they don't lose their mittens, and rubs their backs when they don't feel that their "art" is "appreciated." And if all that doesn't work he fires them.
@big soft moose and @Cave Troll Cave Troll, I'm so glad you're back! Sorry, Big Soft Moose, that I didn’t reply to your post right away. I’m not worried about typos. Yes, I can correct them, but I don’t think there will be many typos after all the editing and TTS (text to speech) I’ve done with the manuscript. I’m willing to buy a beer to whoever finds a typo, that’s how much I’m confidant. What I’m worried about is destructive, demolishing criticism, usually unfair, like that time a beta reader was short of calling me a Nazi because my three cousins characters were all blond (not this story, by the way). I’m a bit worried about sending the book for review to whoever asks for it and getting one of those. (I would never guess it was that kind of person from previous conversations. She seemed like a reasonable person.) I’m thinking about sending some chapters of the story so that people can tell me if they’re interested in doing a review or not. If they absolutely hate it, I don’t want that kind of review. It’s a first novel. It would be catastrophic at this point. But I’ve already had two very good reviews to cancel that out. Still, I’m wary. I wouldn't, in no way, shape or form, engage with the bad reviewer, don’t worry.
it happens - most published authors don't read their reviews for this reason. Mark Dawsons first book 'the cleaner' which about an M!6 assassin gone freelance got a one star review "I was disappointed this book is not about cleaners" Some people are idiots and its best not to worry about what they say
And, ironically, here's a typo. I noticed something strange just as I was writing it but it happens to me a lot since English is not my first language. I've been agonising over this, lol! Today I finally made it to the forum and it's now corrected.
Some people are just weird and love to complain and nit-pick. They dislike the main premise of the idea and it makes you think, why did you pick this book then. Why read a novel about a psychic Detective if you don't believe in the Paranormal and think it's all bull. Stick to normal crime novels. Good reads is particularly brutal. But opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one and they frequently need expressing. But not everyone likes art. You simply have to deal with the fact not everyone will like your writing and their reasons are valid they aren't just nit-picking. You can learn a lot from criticism. Good and bad.
