"The Writing Life"

So I read this amusing article in the Washington Post book reviews, penned by novelist Chris Bohjalian. It's a great article about how writers are equally obsessed and fearful of their reviews, the twist here being the critics are the comments posted on amazon.com. As Chris points out, even the smallest criticism - and 1* rating - is enough not only to damage the writer's ego (and possible future writing), but it can put of other readers, affect sales, and generally dampen the excitment of having a book out there!

The ideal reader, of course, is not always the same person who picks up the book! And the reader who 'endures' a novel gets some compensation, no doubt, in wielding power over future readers - vindication!

Recently, I had a comment on my Bookhabit page and as Chris described in his article, for better or worse I felt compelled to respond!