De-motivation and Opinion

[Calissa Leigh]

Right now, some stuff I read about my VNs sorta made me feel bad. I feel so depressed I would have thought of cancelling WB and get over it. But guys, I know you've received critique more than me; I'm just an unpopular 14-year old VN maker trying to entertain herself and make an illusion that she's doing something productive by making VNs.

So I was wondering how you deal with critiques.

I don't necessarily mean those formal negative critiques that explain stuff why it is wrong. I pretty much know how to deal with those. What I mean are those "reviews" that get the monster inside you out (if you know what I mean). Those people that say bad stuff, and ONLY bad stuff, and without explanation or anything to improve it. I might have felt bad at some small things, but right now, it's been a chain of days I've been reading some people's negative comments about my works and I feel kinda down.

De-motivation's quite a big issue to me, so right now I feel like because of it, some big art block came over and I can't really concentrate well. It might be a small thing for you guys, but seriously. Being said your art sucks or my editing skills sucks won't pass good for ME. I'm not feeling mad; I just feel like the psychological version of the Great Depression came to me.

I'm sorry for ranting, I just wanted to know. I'm pretty depressed and as much motivational stuff I tried to do, it won't work.

I've been rejected lots by agents and editors. So has Stephen King. And J.K. Rowling. And Suzanne Collins. I've had bad reviews of my stuff, too.

I don't read my reviews on Amazon. I just don't. Some writers do, but it is a choice I guess. I choose not to because I don't know the person on the other side of the screen. It would be different if it's a person I knew, and trusted. I'll read emails from people who write to me but the reviews I avoid.

The reason being is... I won't know who it is so I don't know how relevant the review is. I've got critique partners who I trust. They know the genre. I trust it when they tell me my hero is bad and needs to be redone. Sometimes who you listen to needs to people who won't soften their reviews, but they will tell you the truth, and you can trust that they are telling you things to help you improve.

But what you have to realize is that books, or virtual novels, are written for an audience. Anyone tossing a seriously negative review at you... that person wasn't your audience. Some people waste their time on things they won't like or it could be the person didn't even look at it/realize it was a VN and it was their own ignorance of the genre or type of thing it was.

As for motivation, who are you writing for? No one will care if you don't write any more.

You've already finished TWO virtual novels. That's further than a lot of VN writers ever complete. Heck, that's further than a lot of novelists. It's hard work. My first book is still a trunk novel. I'll probably never let it see daylight. You all work things differently. You write something and throw it out. Your first ones ARE going to be terrible. But you wrote them. Sometimes you rework it and sometimes you get that feedback and realize you want to write something new with what you've learned. I did that. I wrote several more times before I finally figured out how to work it.

You've got to put your 10,000 hours in. You've got a head start. You've finished two already. Edit them or learn something and write something new.

And if this wasn't enough, here's an entire thread of novel writers talking about critiques and how to avoid getting "winded" by them: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242670

[FatUnicornGames]

You are 14? I haven't read your writing, but your art has fantastic potential. Stick with it and when people give you poor input, YOU remember you are 14 and there is still more to learn. Don't point it out to them, they don't care. You can always take a little break from showing your work publicly, but don't give up! Keep drawing and writing. Practice really does make perfect.

Edit: Also - I am starting my first VN and I decided that before I made a WIP thread I would get a GOOD DEAL of the work done. Especially the writing. That way the only pressure being put on me was from myself. Maybe consider how public you make your Work in Progress.

Good luck! Like I said before, stick with it. Being creative never gets old.

[Obscura]

Hey Lumen, a couple of points:

I hate to give the "you're 14" speech, but as someone who is approaching 40, I'm gonna give it. You're 14!
There have been studies that say it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery in most human endeavors (read Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" if you're interested in these studies). You've got a lifetime ahead of you, and if you're just starting out, and ESPECIALLY because people like me have got years of experience with books and art on you, you're already batting way above average. So, don't despair!

Another point: you are correct in your concerns, it's not just about learning how to make a game, it's about learning how to take criticism. I'd say note the critiques but then try to shelve them away mentally and emotionally, when you're ready to deal with them. Sometimes we're not prepared to receive whatever the person is telling us. Sometimes what they say is right, but we can't fix it until our skills have improved. Sometimes what they say is wrong, but we won't know until we've gotten more experience. Until you reach that point (and you will), if certain criticisms upset you, take a deep breath, and visualize shelving it away, perhaps, to take out a later date when you're "ready." It might be a week from now, it might be years from now. You may laugh at what was said because you realize now it was silly, or you might go, "hmm, that was a valid point", or you might forget it entirely because you've moved in a completely new direction.

Anyways, I think it's awesome you're doing this. I was trying to program games at a very young age myself, and it would have been awesome if I had stuck with it.

*edit: OMG, two posts about 10,000 hours in a row.

[Calissa Leigh]

Gladwell is awesome! I love his TED talk.

[Lumen_Astrum]

I have read a bit of Outliers, it was awesome.

Thanks guys for all of your messages. Can't reply to each and everyone of them. I'm still slowly trying to get out of my art block. I wasn't expecting anything specifically intended for me, but I guess some stuff in the world's unexpected. XD

For the sake of not making this as some "mercy thread" for all of you to drop by your "prayers" (if you know what I mean), if anyone's gonna post, please make it general. XD I know I or maybe some person might experience the same thing again in the future and ... find some motivation? :')

[GeneDNC]

A lot of people have said a lot of the things I was thinking, so I'll just leave this quote (by Ira Glass) image. It doesn't specifically cover criticism but hopefully will hopefully be some food for thought.

[DaFool]

I guess we're seeing the results of people chugging away at this hobby since 2007 or earlier. Maybe achieve the ultimate in success (e.g. Christine Love, basically the only example I can think of someone who "made it" by starting out churning tons of games) or just pack up and move on (several people on this forum, mostly writers, was fairly evident). Not to mention the rise of several newer groups who come in full force with godly art from the get-go and thus establish a quality standard. There's also the natural time limit -- the optimum age for being in a serious hobby from right before college to right before you have your first kid -- half a decade to a decade, basically, in which you either have to make it or you don't.

I'm also at the turning point, exacerbated by the fact I've been pouring money into all my current projects. I don't have the talent anymore to make the final push for polish, that's why it's all experts/specialists from now on. Which means I won't have a cushion for failure. Piracy will not be a cause of concern but only if the game is really good or hyped to kingdom come. So not only do you have to just finish the project... it has to actually be good, that's the only way not to have a net loss.

I don't even want to make an A-Tier project (a "gateway" game which introduces people to the medium -- most people only ever just play A-Tier projects) if I can get a foothold in the solid B-Tier... which most only "good" games fall under. The B-Tier is when a person is hooked and is looking for a more specific experience. That's what used to comprise a typical library of games... until the App store model of Blockbusters Only came along.

I'm even thinking of taking a project hostage until I get some kickstarter-like subsidy or something... or even wait out until the indie game bubble market bursts and only then introduce the game amidst little competition.

[Dakishimete]

The point of constructive critique is for you to understand possible flaws of your work, not to hurt you. When you notice that someone is simply offending you, there's no point in reading/hearing them out.
When I get critisized and I really, really cannot agree with what I was said I form a defensive comment. Sometimes I send it, sometimes I keep it for myself. If I cannot truly defend myself without sounding like I was making excuses I get the fact that I was wrong.
It's the best to show your work to honest people that you know well before releasing it. My sister often says that I do something wrong and I get irritated and stop writing, but next day I'm ready to agree with her and fix my mistakes. If unknown person would say the same I might be more depressed, but it won't happen, because I fixed it already, thanks to sis.
Also, that's another reason to work with an editor.