You, the writer, have something you are proud of in print and along comes a critic that slams you against the wall. Being like most writers, you are devastated. Well, before you lower the boom on yourself, please consider the critic. Many critics come from a non-writing background. That does not necessarily precludes them from passing judgment on a piece of writing; but some critics don't read and that does preclude them from giving any consideration of anyone's work.
Some writers prefer that the critic be someone who does not write for a living. I, on the other hand, prefer that the critic be someone who have put some time in writing. The best critic, I think, in the business although he is now getting too old to write much these days is Gore Vidal. His tongue could cut down a forest of trees. I love to read a writer's opinion on different writers. Some writers don't want this and they also have a point. What no one wants is a critic who does not have an educated palette. This is a critic who has no background in other writers past or present. There are some magazines that I no longer subscribe to because they have literary critics who had never read the classic writers and poets. I saw no value in their commentary. It would be like asking someone to judge different kinds of spaghetti sauce who had never ate anything but peanut butter sandwiches. It's not worth considering.
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