A writing buddy was told
her heroes were too beta
and there wasn’t a market
for beta heroes.
She posted this
on social media.
Everyone rushed to tell her
there WAS a market
for beta heroes.
She happily indie-published
her story
with the ‘beta’ hero.
And she sold very few copies
of her story.
Because the true issue
wasn’t her hero was beta.
Her hero was passive.
He didn’t do anything.
He reacted to situations.
He didn’t drive them.
Very few people
want to read
about a hero
who doesn’t do anything.
When evaluating a critique,
ensure you understand it.
Ask for specific examples
of areas that need improvement.
If you decide to take action
based on a critique,
consider informing the critic
of the actions you plan to take.
Ask them
if those actions
will solve the problem.
If they say
the actions don’t address the problem,
you likely don’t understand
the problem.
Investigate the situation
more.