Trolling the depths

I recently read a very interesting article that I came across via Twitter. It was on www.christyloves2read.com and it was about trolls.

I had heard of trolls but didn't know what they were. It's only since setting myself up as an author (okay, some of you might think that's a bit pretentious as I so far have one published title) that I realised that some of the so-called reviews I've read have actually been trolling - and that I've been trolled myself.

I don't get trolling, I really don't. What I do get is that some readers will react badly to a story, or to some of the characters in that story, and they will want to express strong opinions, and that's fine. As a reader myself I understand that. If a reader thinks that a story is a heap of shit, if the characters are as flat as road kill, or is wondering why the author even bothered getting out the bed and firing up the laptop, then why did they think those things?

Don't get me wrong, this post isn't about bad reviews as they come with the territory and everybody gets them. It's about understanding where and why a story went wrong for that particular reader because reviews are powerful things. A review can help an author get a better understanding of what their readers like, or don't like. A review can persuade a not-sure to take a punt on an unfamiliar genre or author and so potentially open a door to some great reading. So, don't tell us why a book is shit, show us why it is. And also why it isn't.