Writers and criticisms

Is it me, or are some Malaysian authors a little adverse to criticisms?

Amy de Kanter recently reviewed Silverfish’s Tales from the Court and I thought it was a balanced review, and she backed up her thoughts with examples. Amy’s main criticism, which I thought was justified, was that the book needed better editing.

Then I read the post by Raman from Silverfish: An Idiot’s Guide to Silverfish bashing.

My eyebrows rose when I read the first paragraph:

Silverfish bashing has become an annual sport. I thought this year’s season was over. But looks like I was wrong, judging from a book review in the Sunday pullout of a major daily. (The fact that a major English newspaper actually allowed someone to use its pages for a blatant personal attack raises many other questions. Did they not read it? I have written to them but have not received a reply.)

Uhm, sorry? Did I read the wrong review somehow? What Silverfish bashing? But made my eyebrows dissapear into my hair is this cheery evaluation of Amy’s character:

Virulent strains of the ‘basher’ virus include envy and inferiority complex. Some people just can’t come to terms with this ‘uppity native’ being able to do things they dare not even dream about. On one hand they hate this native. Yet, on the other, they want to be part of the trip. It is a real dilemma. So in between, they bash.

Wow. Hello?

(The funniest thing about this is that this is not the first time people have asked whether Amy was a real person. But really, she’s flesh and blood. Real. I saw her. Even poked her. Really, she’s real, folks.)

I wish I could tell you that this is the first time a Malaysian author reacted this way. Michael Cheang, another reviewer at The Star, also reviewed a local book, 44 Cemetary Road by Tunku Halim. Again, I thought it was a balanced review. In fact, Michael appeared to have enjoyed the book! However, Tunku Halim didn’t seem pleased with the review, and said:

Overall, Michael Cheang (if that’s his real name) was prejudiced by a rather negative view of the particular genre I sometimes choose to write in, and this led to his less than exemplary review of my book 44 Cemetery Road. It certainly would have tarnished his sense of balance and fair play. Surely local writers deserve better? – Shock and horror at review

Local writers deserve constructive criticism. They don’t deserve being let off the hook just because they’re a local author.

Being a writer myself (who has yet to get her butt off writing that non-fiction book in her head), I understand how much it bites to be criticised. I get it! You’ve been working on this baby for months, even years, and here comes an upstart who declares that your work, which you’ve poured your blood, sweat, and tears, less than perfect. Didn’t she/he realise how hard I’ve worked on this?

One advantage I have, I believe, is that my years in journalism has toughened me up in the “receiving criticisms” department. After years of editors tersely (and sometimes loudly) reminding me to mind my tenses and plug the holes in my story one tends to develop a harder exterior … and to stop treating one’s text like some precious child that should never be spanked. You learn to rip it up, delete chunks of it, and spank it into shape.

The best way for writers to improve is to put their stories out there and invite criticisms. And while I may not have written my Great Malaysian Novel, I’ve written a few short stories over the years and have posted them online. Criticisms? Oh yeah, I had them.

Once upon a time, I had an English major friend from the US who told me that one of my stories was a “bad rip off of Star Wars”. After that email, she apologised, worried that I’d go crying in a corner (I huffed and puffed and took lots of coffee instead), but I thanked her for her frank evaluation. I realised that yes, she was right. She wanted me to come up with something original, not copy something else.

Yes, there will be reviews which will be terribly unfair, and you can’t satisfy every reader or critic. But when constructive criticism come your way, listen.

If we were to describe the writer-reader relationship in a business context, the writer is the service provider and the reader is the customer. If you’re providing your customer a less-than-satisfactory product, shouldn’t you try improve your product?