Learning From the Best

 There are almost innumerable tools to help writers/would-be authors in their pursuit of fame and stardom and, though I am nowhere near either of these, I have found one that is very suiting to my specific situation.  The other night, as I was thinking of ways to motivate myself to start back up where I left off in my second book of my series, I decided to start rereading, for the 3rd time, R.A. Salvatore's first (chronologically) book in The Legend of Drizzt series, Homeland.  I went to Amazon and saw that most of his books have high 4 star ratings.  To me this book, and all the others in the series for that matter, should be 5 stars.  So I started reading some of the reviews, looking for those reviews that gave below the average 4-star rating, to see what someone could possibly dislike about the series.  This helped me understand where some, albeit a small percentage, of his total fan/reader base are coming from when they rated his books lower.

Some of the specific questions/concerns I had were:

1. How did a character born of the most evil and sinister race ever created, in a city where no good ever happens, where sin and deceit and murder are silently applauded...how did this character grow up with morals (something not found in almost any other of the characters race) and virtue?
2. Why wasn't the character's morals and virtues overcome over years of indoctrination where those same morals and virtues were destroyed in every way?
3. How could a character, so different and full of opposing views, make it out alive in a city where the weak are killed for no better reason than for the joy of the killer?

Now, first of all I wish to say that my book (soon to be books), are of the same genre and style as R.A. Salvatore's, so these specific questions/insights can be applied more easily to my books.

As an author I believe it is arguably relevant to realize that there will always be those who dislike what you write.  Everyone will have their own opinion and some will have opposing views completely.  Learn from those that love your work and learn from those that don't.  After all, the book you write is YOURS...yet we should all strive to make it the best it can possibly be.

Read reviews, both the good and the bad, of books that you have read that are similar in genre and taste to what you want to write.  You will learn what the reader, generally, wants.  You will learn what the majority loves about the story and what the minority don't agree with.  You will learn more questions to ask yourself and answer about your own story both before you start writing and during your writing as the story unfold on pen and paper (or a computer screen).

You would never go to war without studying your enemy and you would never make an alliance without knowing your friend.  Know your readers and they will show you how to please them.