Who has the right to decide if a piece of creative writing is good or bad?

Who has the right to decide if a piece of creative writing is good or bad? All great writers have a few things in common. They write their books how they would like to read them. They ensure their readers enjoy by stepping into their shoes and viewing the book from their perspective. They believe in themselves, in their own abilities. They like the books they bring to life and that propels them forward. But it’s not easy. Many famous authors experience multiple rejections before their books get published. You first have to deal with the publishers. Stephen King’s first big novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 times and were it not for his wife who fished out the manuscript from the wastebasket where he had dumped it out of frustration, it probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Similarly, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter was rejected by a dozen British publishing houses and got into print only after the eight-year-old daughter of a publisher pleaded for it1 . Agatha Christie, Louisa May Alcott were both repeatedly scorned before their now renowned books were released. And then you deal with the critics. Not just the traditional ones, but everyone who is out there! Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights2 says that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Today, on the internet, everyone has unfettered access, unlimited opinions and undiminished restraint while making unsubstantiated comments on topics one is not qualified for. The internet is the arena where the book review now exists. And here, it’s a free for all. 1 The Writer’s Odds of Success | HuffPost 2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 | Human Right of Free Access to Public Legal Information Advocacy (HURAPLA) Website — Access to Legal Information Books and eBooks Reviews have lost their traditional function. They no longer evaluate or even describe the creative work but simply vouch for its credibility, the way doctors put their diplomas on examination room walls. Reviews are powerful because, unlike advertising, they create an illusion of truth. They pretend to be testimonials of actual people, even though some (or most) are bought and sold just like everything else on the Internet. Reviews increase conversion by as much as 270%!3 The system is enough to make you a little skeptical, isn’t it? So, where does it land a writer who aims to reach out to the reader in spite of all these hurdles? After all, the only people who matter are the writer and the reader – everyone in between has a nuisance value at best. Writers can dedicate time to creative expression and let the ideas effervescing in their head cascade like tiny waterfalls onto pieces of paper. But they also need to find an effective way to reach and connect with their readers after overcoming the odds. American author and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World 2014 John Green says that “Every reading of a book is a collaboration between the reader and the writer who are making the story up together4 ”. So while anyone can judge creative compositions and proclaim them good or bad, only the reader shares an intimate relationship with the writer and can truly define the chemistry as awesome or awful. People in between matter, but not as much. Writers just have to find a way around them and not give up. One just has to keep trying. 3 https://review42.com/what-percentage-of-amazon-reviews-are-fake/ 4 Every reading of a book is a collaboration. | by Shaunta Grimes | The Every Day Novelist | Medium Bibliography The Writer’s Odds of Success | HuffPost Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 | Human Right of Free Access to Public Legal Information Advocacy (HURAPLA) Website — Access to Legal Information Books and eBooks https://review42.com/what-percentage-of-amazon-reviews-are-fake/ Every reading of a book is a collaboration. | by Shaunta Grimes | The Every Day Novelist | Medium