Recently, I got a crit on a story that I wrote about Spanish conquistadors. The reader said that my villain was a stereotype, a fact I naturally disagreed with, but then he went on to say that my characterisation wasn’t believable because Spanish conquistadors were all decended from nobility and they all had a moral code, …etc.
In effect, he was using a steretype to prove that my stereotype wasn’t believable.
Somewhere, Lady Irony snorted coffee through her nose.
I have a nervous tic that compels me to point out hypocrisy wherever I see it. I enjoy it. I’m damn good at it. Logic is my kung-fu. However, when you do this in response to a criticism, it looks like you’re getting defensive. This is the part of the story where the protagonist experiences character growth. You see, the comment was made in a pretty public forum attended by people I respect. Therefore, in order to not accidentally come across as defensive, I kept my mouth shut. I thanked him for him comments, and moved on.
Sure, I could have gotten some kind of cerebral thrill from being what David Pitchford once called an “intellectual bully”. But instead, I behaved like a professional. And you know what? It felt pretty good. Who knows? Maybe I might make a career of this thing.