As writers, we often have to strike a balance, and nowhere does that come into play more than in listening to the audience. The audience provides us with folks to buy our work, so without them, we can't do this for a living. That said, if we do nothing but cower before our readers, then we might as well not be writing in the first place, for we'll never have an idea all our own.
I write my stories based on what I want to read. I also like for people to be engaged with what I write, so the audience's feedback is important. However, it sometimes requires a jaundiced eye to see what is good, and pervasive, feedback, and what is a loudmouthed mob that's only looking to stir up trouble.
The first point to remember when dealing with such stuff is that the audience isn't writing the novel. As I've said many times, I value feedback and use beta-readers to see if my writing can be improved, but I'm looking for trends or things that strike me as good tips rather than handing my writing over to someone else(one of the reasons I despise professional editors). A mob, on the other hand, will come in, usually at something you've written that offended them, and demand you change something for them. Maybe you wrote something they found out-of-touch, or maybe you just offended modern political sensibilities, but the outrage mob will do all they can to bully you into a) changing what you wrote, and b) cowering before them while muttering a groveling apology. Let me make something perfectly clear - NEVER DO THIS!
From what I've seen, mobs are never satiated. Giving in to one only reinforces the mob's power, and they won't truly forgive you anyway. Instead, they'll crow about the scalp they collected. So don't ever give in to them. It's tougher than it looks, but it'll be far better over the long run. Amelie Wen Zhao gave in to these woke-scolds, and her work sufferd, to say nothing of us really not hearing from her again. Some folks ignore these mobs. Larry Correia, on the other hand, not only has not taken their advice, but he's taken them on ruthlessly. As a result, his audience admires him more.
Now I'm not saying to seek out confrontation with the mob. To do so would be unnecessarily aggressive and counterproductive, and unless you're a sadist with a taste for that kind of stuff, it'd be a waste of time. However, don't back down in the face of the shrieking mafia. Not only will they never let it go, but you'll find yourself shackled to them for the rest of your career. Let it be your career, not the half-hearted cowardly reaction of those afraid that people don't like them.
It's okay to listen. It's not okay to be a weenie. Choose wisely.
I write my stories based on what I want to read. I also like for people to be engaged with what I write, so the audience's feedback is important. However, it sometimes requires a jaundiced eye to see what is good, and pervasive, feedback, and what is a loudmouthed mob that's only looking to stir up trouble.
The first point to remember when dealing with such stuff is that the audience isn't writing the novel. As I've said many times, I value feedback and use beta-readers to see if my writing can be improved, but I'm looking for trends or things that strike me as good tips rather than handing my writing over to someone else(one of the reasons I despise professional editors). A mob, on the other hand, will come in, usually at something you've written that offended them, and demand you change something for them. Maybe you wrote something they found out-of-touch, or maybe you just offended modern political sensibilities, but the outrage mob will do all they can to bully you into a) changing what you wrote, and b) cowering before them while muttering a groveling apology. Let me make something perfectly clear - NEVER DO THIS!
From what I've seen, mobs are never satiated. Giving in to one only reinforces the mob's power, and they won't truly forgive you anyway. Instead, they'll crow about the scalp they collected. So don't ever give in to them. It's tougher than it looks, but it'll be far better over the long run. Amelie Wen Zhao gave in to these woke-scolds, and her work sufferd, to say nothing of us really not hearing from her again. Some folks ignore these mobs. Larry Correia, on the other hand, not only has not taken their advice, but he's taken them on ruthlessly. As a result, his audience admires him more.
Now I'm not saying to seek out confrontation with the mob. To do so would be unnecessarily aggressive and counterproductive, and unless you're a sadist with a taste for that kind of stuff, it'd be a waste of time. However, don't back down in the face of the shrieking mafia. Not only will they never let it go, but you'll find yourself shackled to them for the rest of your career. Let it be your career, not the half-hearted cowardly reaction of those afraid that people don't like them.
It's okay to listen. It's not okay to be a weenie. Choose wisely.
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